Synthesia: piano learning game

Most of you have probably heard of Guitar Hero.
This is a popular game that simulates you playing a guitar.
So what's the use of this for you as a piano player?

Well, there is a game called Synthesia which is quite like Guitar Hero, but adapted to the piano.
In fact it was even called Piano Hero, until legal issues forced a name change.
The big benefit compared to Guitar Hero is that you can actually play with your keyboard or digital piano.

All you need is a MIDI or USB cable to connect to the computer.
You can download the basic version of this game for free. The full version is for sale.

So how does Synthesia work?
Basically, you can play any song you like with it.
All you need is a file with a "MIDI" extension and Synthesia will generate the song.

The keys and notes you need to play will appear on screen.
You can select whether you want to play together (with sound or without) or only lefthand/righthand.


I personally think it's a fun method of learning to play the piano.
Especially for those of us which are unable to read sheet music.

Here is a review explaining how it works:

Synthesia: the piano hero game.


You can download Synthesia via this link: link

So basically, you can play any song you want through Synthesia, as long as you can find a MIDI file.
So how do you get those MIDI files?
Well, there are quite some MIDI files of classical music available for free.
If you want modern music you'll have to do some research. To help you out, I made a basic post on how to find MIDI files