PRACTICA
Musica^®

© 1987-2005 Ars Nova Software, LLC

Getting started

Installing the program
Further information for school installation
Sound and MIDI setup
The student file
Creating and editing activities

Using Practica Musica

The basics (all you really need to get started)
Tool icons on the screen piano
The Edit window
Input methods

Menus

The File menu
The Edit menu
The Activities menu
The Options menu
Individual activity menus

Special topics

Instructor options
Editing or creating activities

Appendix

Keyboard shortcuts
Index

Introduction

Practica Musica first appeared in 1987 as one of the earliest software methods for ear training and music theory study. Its name comes from the title of a 16th-century treatise by Heinrich Finck that was one of the world's first books of practical music instruction.

Since its creation Practica Musica has expanded to a flexible tool that can be used for both beginning and advanced training in a wide variety of topics. Each of the more than 90 "activities" is a separate file that can be customized by an instructor. New activities can be created, sometimes even ones that were not dreamed of here at Ars Nova. Most students, however, will find their needs met by the activities supplied with the program or posted at the Ars Nova web site. These cover everything from basic reading of single or multiple pitches in any clef, to real-time rhythm tapping in one or two parts, dictation in one to four parts, Roman-numeral chord identification either with "generated" progressions or with examples taken from Bach's chorales, atonal dictation, error detection exercises, and much more.