Thursday, July 9, 2009

Fast Keys 2.0

It's here... Well mostly. I've updated most aspects of the game, still a couple of things left, but they will have to wait a bit longer. Most importantly, I've included the option of 1 octave piano with letters on the keys and a full 1:1 piano - each note matches a seperate key (available in options under 'beginner piano'). I apologise for the rusty piano sounds, but I was in a rush, so I'll try to improve them next version. Thanks for everyone's feedback. Feel free to offer a suggestion - it does help to motivate me if people are asking for things.
There is one problem, the game didn't fit with my blog template, so until I update it, you can play the newest version of Fast Keys at:

http://fastkeys.netau.net/
---EDIT---
The game now fits right here. If you want to play previous versions, you can access them in the archive on the left.


Play the game by clicking on the "Play" tab under the heading. 

11 comments:

  1. Great little ap - any chance of a visual guide on the full keyboard ? A marker for middle C - or more ambitiously an ocatve wide transparent grey overlay that reduces at each edge to converge on the note as its representation on the staff approaches the deadline. Thanks again...

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  2. I know exactly what this needs.
    Midi input. :)

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  3. MIDI Input would be awesome :)

    The game is still very cool I must admit.... I play it every night for around 15 minutes and I think it's helped tremendously.... However, for some reason hasn't been working the past few days (I'm posting this on Jul 29, 2009).... Perhaps it's a computer issue on my end, but the previous versions (like 1.5) work.....

    All in all great resource, keep up the awesome work!

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  4. I would like the option to remove the time limit for the "speed test" so that I can keep going until I feel like I have had enough.

    Great application even without that though! thanks

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  5. This is a great app. Thanks for sharing this! It is nice to be able to keep your mind fresh when you are away from the piano.

    One thing that bugs me is the sharps/flats that would never happen (for instance C flat). They are technically accurate, but would not normally be written that way. It would be nice if there was an option to remove these. Also, I agree with Collin on the time limit for the speed test.

    Keep up the good work!

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  6. Worthy - I know exactly what this needs.
    Midi input. :)

    pureAstonishment - Midi Input would be awesome :)


    Me - You should make a midi input option! :D

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  7. Really nice! I have a couple of suggestions.

    There is apparently a bug in which the number of notes option ends up as undefined (Not A Number) and restoring the defaults does not reset it. The problem also seems to affect all the options - it does not allow guided mode to be turned on and off either. Clearing the cookies did not seem to help.

    With that in mind, it took me a little while to realize that the menu button also serves as a "stop" button. Possibly a note could be added to the instructions?

    It would be nice if you allowed two different note ranges - one for each cleff. Having all those base cleff notes way up in the treble cleff is distracting until I get better with the basics.

    It would be nice if the number of octaves in the keyboard more or less matched the ranges. I find that the keys are too narrow, and the beginner keyboard is not wide enough. I agree that a marker for middle C would be useful.

    It would be nice if the red line could be moved toward the center. It's a small thing, I guess, but I find not looking at the center to be distracting. The shorter view span is OK by just using a slower speed.

    Midi, of course, would be great.

    I agree with JB - suppressing seldom used notations would be helpful.

    I'm a retired programmer - do you have any plans to open source the ap?

    Thanks again for a really nice tool.

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  8. Apparently the problem is with the version at blogspot. The version at fastkeys.netau.net seems to work OK. (I use firefox - don't know if that is part of the problem)

    Forgot to add that the next step would be to add 2 and 3 note chords using well know chord progressions, setting the key sig as an option, etc. Lots of possibilities in that direction after a midi interface is implemented.

    Perhaps use typewriter keyboard to simulate: i.e. Middle c at "y", with the 12 note scale being y7u8io0p-[=]. Eventually midi songs or user specified sequences?

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  9. Thank you everyone for all your constructive comments. It may please you to know that I am currently developing a brand new version of the game. It will be a java application so that it will still run on all operating systems, but I can add several new features I have been wanting to that flash does not support... and yes including midi input and the computer keyboard input.

    I am aiming to include the ability to play any midi song, and the ability to import them into the game's library. I am also going to try and implement chords which can be enabled under the options menu.

    In the mean time, please feel free to continue adding suggestions, even if they have already been mentioned.

    Please be aware however, at the present time I am considering putting a price on the 'full version' of the game, which may include some of the newer features as a large amount of time has been spent, and there is still a larger amount to go. I will however, try and release a lite version, for free, which should include the features of the current game, and a few extras.

    A big thanks again to everyone who has contributed,
    Marty

    email: developer@fastkeys.netau.net
    facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/FastKeys/241579698944

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  10. This really rocks and helps me a lot to improve my sight reading skills. The app is really great, but I'll recommend a tempo fader that you can use to accelerate/slow down the scrolling notes during the exercice. A small dot on middle C3 could be convenient. This rocks! Thanks for your great contribution in my piano skills :D

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  11. I love this application! Thank you so much. ( Regarding Presto Keys ) It is ingenious and a great help.

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