eMedia Music Corp. (http://www.emediamusic.com) has released version 3.0 of eMedia Piano and Keyboard Method. New advanced audio recognition software technology works not only with electronic keyboards but with acoustic pianos.

And an Instant Feedback feature actually listens to the student playing melodies and shows whether the correct notes are played. In addition, the new Note Tracker shows the actual note being played in standard music notation.

Over 300 lessons are now presented in scalable full-screen resolution for viewing. The over 70 videos can also be viewed in full-screen.

Piano instructor, Irma Irene Justicia, who has taught at the Juilliard School of Music, starts with the basics -- including hand position, rhythm, and playing on black keys -- and moves on to reading music notation, scales, sight-reading, and more. You will learn over 100 popular classical, blues, pop, and rock songs, including hit songs from artists such as Billy Joel, Bob Dylan, and Elton John as the animated keyboard steps you through the music.

Variable-speed MIDI tracks allow you to slow down or speed up the music and song looping lets you highlight and loop sections to make practicing easier. When used with a MIDI keyboard, the Interactive Evaluation Feedback feature points out mistakes in notes and rhythm while showing you the corrections so you can get it right the next time. You can even create personalized reports, including scores for specific songs, so you can see how well you are doing.

eMedia Piano & Keyboard Method 3.0 will be available at computer and music retail stores nationwide in June at an estimated street price of US$59.95. An Educational Edition, including multi-user lab packs and site licenses for Piano & Keyboard Method v3.0 will be available later this year. eMedia Piano & Keyboard Method Version 3.0 will be a hybrid CD-ROM for both Mac OS X (10.3 and higher) and Windows (XP/Vista/Windows 7) systems.