I remember playing this "game" as a kid and I have to see it was one of my favorites. At the time I wasn’t thinking about learning music, but I was enthralled by the idea of being able to create my own songs and melodies.
At the time of its release, Bank Street Music Writer was revolutionary. It was the most user friendly and easy to use game of its type. First there is a step by step tutorial of how to use the music writer that will really allow anyone to operate this program, not just the musically gifted.
The program includes several well known pieces, but the heart of this game is letting you create your own songs.
For a new song, you start with a blank music sheet and can add musical notes by simply moving the cursor to where you want the note to go and hitting the keyboard for the appropriate musical note. Hitting the number 1 gets you a whole note, 2 a half note, and 4 a quarter note. Not only is that but there a built in warning system that alerts you on any mistake you may make. This is a must for those who are unaware of the fundamentals of composing music, and prevents critical errors that would make your song unplayable.
This program
is much easier if you have some sense of music. I myself can't read music, but enjoy singing and have the ear to distinguish pitch, giving me a leg up with the program. For those with no musical background or needing to brush up on their fundamentals, the original version of this game came with a comprehensive manual detailing just about everything you needed to learn the basics and even several advanced concepts about music. Be warned it is a very long manual, and as a kid, I lost patience trying to read through it and ended up diving straight into the program.
If you are looking for an easy to use and well done program, Bank Street Music Writer certainly should be considered an option. As and older program it does lack a bit when compared to modern music writing software and can be a bit clunky at times, but it is still remarkably useful. Also, it is a much cheaper option than some recent software which can cost upwards of $100 on the market today. I would recommend this program to anyone interested in music or just wanting to have fun composing their own songs.
