Okay, now this is just awesome. Modern technology is allowing us to take our talent on road trips, to the grocery store or anywhere you take your Nintendo DS with a brand new game called Easy Piano!

I have a special love for the Piano. I was born into a very creative family, and all of us have special artistic talents. The youngest of four children, I grew up having my sister posing me in chairs and laughing together as she used pencils to draw various portraits of me.

My brother Chris not only had a great voice and artistic talent, but he also plays the piano.

Mark, my other brother excels at Graphic Design, drawing and has a way with words and beats (yeah, he calls himself DJ Shamrock).

Then there’s me. I, of course, was given the gift of creative writing and I wouldn’t trade it in for anything but I am also musically talented. I’m a Karaoke junkie and adore singing. I know I’m not good enough to go for American Idol (I turned 33 today) and I just don’t have the time or desire to join a band, so yes. I karaoke. I also dabble in piano.

As a child, my father and I spent every Saturday night playing songs on his Casio keyboard (that’s what it was, right Daddy?) and I learned every song I loved. I remember one of my first songs being “Iron Man”, then “Whiter Shade of Pale” and even Richard Marx’s “Right Here Waiting For You” (again, I turned 33 today lol).

I want to pass on the gifts I know my children possess into their lives and have already surrounded them with kids pianos, drums (regrettably) and guitars but the piano will always be my favorite.

I have to say I’m impressed with what Valcon Games produced for the Nintendo DS. Check out the picture above. You can turn your DS into a piano! When I was offered this review, my first though was that this is another way to entice my children to learn the gift of music and love it as much as I do! They already rock out to Guitar Hero, it’s time to hit the piano! Here’s a little more from the company-

œNo matter what age, Easy Piano makes playing and learning the piano a wildly fun experience, and Valcon Games is excited to bring it to the North American market.  said Glenn Halseth, CEOof Valcon Games. We truly believe in this exceptionally fun product, and once players get their fingers on the keyboard they will understand why. 

Would be pianists have the choice to play using a virtual 8 octave, 13 note keyboard on the Nintendo DS touchscreen, or using a real external 13 note keyboard peripheral specially made to work with Nintendo DS. Whether taking piano involving lessons or selecting a quick game,all players will be tutored in the correct finger movements and skills required to become a mobile virtuoso.

With 2 difficulty modes, everyone can have fun testing and improving their keyboard skills. The game s track listing contains some of the world’s most famous songs, spanning time and genres, to offer something for everyone. A creation mode also allows players to record up to four 3 minute long masterpieces. Players can choose from piano, or a number of other instruments included with the game, to create their musical opus.
Easy Piano ‘s lesson mode is specifically designed for people discovering the wonders of piano for the first time. With a series of 10 lessons and a host of mini games to teach the basics, any player, old or young, would learn and be entertained at the same time with this product.

Of course, my two year old just wanted to bang away, but my five year old is already picking up his mother’s talents and really enjoyed the easier mode of the game. He preferred the ability to compose his own masterpiece and I’m totally working on composing some “Iron Man” with him, but we’ll probably just stick to “Chop Sticks”.