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Think you have budding virtuosos under your roof? By all means, put them in front of a computer and have them play with Kid Riffs. This is a fun, hands-on music program designed to teach the basics of musical composition and performance. The disc sports a building metaphor in which different musical concepts are taught. You can try out more than 1200 different instruments in the Instrument Inn, or explore musical scales in the Scale Shack. The Rhythm Room presents the meaning of rhythm and how measure affects it, and you can add special effects and musical progressions to your tunes in the Mirror Mansion. All paths lead to the Concert Castle, where you can show off your new-found knowledge by producing tunes in a five-track recording studio. A bright idea bulb provides a convenient jumping-off point for exploring each building's specialty. The program suggests that you follow a specified path between the buildings, but it doesn't force the issue; you can explore them in any order you like. You can also ask the Kid Riff (the program's musically precocious host) for help and guidance along the way. Kid Riffs is a superb educational CD-ROM. It's right on the mark for children aged 5 to 11, but almost anyone will be able to achieve reasonable results with it. Even adults will have fun exploring music with this program because you'll find that your compostiions become increasingly complex as you master each concept. And if you have a wavetable sound card, Kid Riffs will take advantage of the higher quality sounds it produces. |
