Software That Helps You Sing Like Bing

Here’s the dilemma: You have a song in your heart and would love nothing more than to make beautiful music, but you couldn’t carry a tune if it were in a paper bag.

What’s a poor, unskilled soul to do? Tap into software and digital gizmos that let you create music, even if you’re not a Mozart or a Bach.

Musicware Inc. (https://www.musicwareinc.com) offers a comprehensive computer-based music course called MusicLab. At about $200, it’s no cheapie, but it will teach you just about everything you might ever want to know about music.

The program can also help you become a better singer. The software analyzes your voice to help you develop pitch-matching and sight-singing skills. You get to practice with immediate feedback. (It was a bad day in my office when I tried it, trust me.) MusicLab is available for both Mac and DOS/Windows.

If you’re interested in learning to play a musical instrument, there’s plenty of software available. Take the piano. Musicware offers a three-part series in which each course ($100 per course) provides eight comprehensive units that build on one another. In addition to the standard Windows 95/3.11 system, you’ll need a keyboard that plugs into your computer.

For the ultimate in learning how to play the piano, though, drop by your favorite piano store and sit down at a digital Yamaha Upright, Baby Grand, Grand Disklavier or Clavinova (https://www.yamaha.com).

The instruments look and work like traditional pianos, but they’re actually digital. Depending on the model, you can learn to play a tune as the keys light up to guide you. Or you can take the easy way out: Buy your favorite artists playing popular tunes on floppy disks. At home, pop the disk into your digital piano, which will then play the tune with the same touch as the recording artist’s.

Some of the Yamaha digital pianos can also be connected to your computer (Windows or Mac) so you can create music on-screen and play it on the piano, or vice versa. All this technology comes at a price. Digital pianos will set you back a few thousand to tens of thousands of dollars.

Finally, if you’re shopping for software to get your kids interested in music, check out Mr. Drumstix Music Studio from Howling Dog Systems (https://www.howlingdog.com). This program will introduce them to the company canine mascot, Howler, who guides them on their quest for musical fulfillment.

Mr. Drumstix Music Studio combines a song player, interactive games and playable instrument characters. The package includes 25 children’s songs with lyrics and more than 200 digitally recorded music, voice and sound effects. And at about $30, the price is probably easier to live with than the sounds you’re likely to hear coming from your computer.

Have at least some musical skill and $100 to spend? Take a look at Cakewalk Home Studio 6.0 (https://cakewalk.com). The program can create a recording from any instrument, even your voice, which can then be edited, printed and played back--all from your PC.

Cakewalk Home Studio runs on Windows 95 and requires a 486DX/2 with 16 megabytes of RAM and a sound card and/or MIDI interface.

Professional musicians might want to try Software Audio Workshop from Innovative Quality Software (https://www.iqsoft.com). Programs include SAW, SAWPlus, SAW32 and SAWPlus32, at prices from $300 to $700.

The basic SAW program requires a Windows 95-based PC with 8 MB of RAM and one to four sound cards; you’d better have at least 32 MB of RAM for SAWPlus32.

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Kim Komando is a TV host, syndicated talk radio host, author and entrepreneur. You can visit her on the Internet at https://www.komando.com or e-mail her at komando@komando.com