Music Maker Pitch is a program for those just beginning to understand some of the principles of music. It introduces children to the idea of pitch without using formal musical notation.

The controls at the bottom of the screen are like those of a cassette recorder or CD player. You can record, play back, wipe your previous recording – and even play your tune backwards!

On the right of the record/playback controls is the tortoise and hare slider. This controls the speed at which tunes are played.

In Up the stairs and The jolly keyboard, Simple Simon can ask you to listen to a tune and for you to play back.

Up the stairs

The aim of this activity is to learn about pitch in the simplest way: i.e. the higher the note on the stairs, the higher the pitch. There is a choice of instruments, from keyboard to cats' chorus. Click on the one you want. Then click on the stair (or just above or below it) and the appropriate note will be played. You can also hold down the mouse button and slide up and down.

The next stage might be to record a simple tune.

The jolly keyboard

The jolly keyboard works in a very similar way to Up the stairs, except that in this activity a keyboard replaces the stairs and you therefore have access to sharps and flats.

The trombone

The trombone offers a variation on the first two activities. Here the notes are obtained by clicking on the trombone slider and moving it horizontally. (The slide moves in semitones to make it compatible with the keyboard when playing back tunes.) Once again, tunes can be recorded and played back.

The playback takes place in the Cool Cat Café cellar, so it takes a little while to get there. Once there, your tune will be played to a full audience. When your tune has been played, click on the stop button to return to the trombone screen.

Making tunes

Making tunes enables you to compose and edit longer tunes. The stairs have been turned around so that you can see them from a different angle. Your chosen instrument can be positioned (and repositioned) on any of the stairs by clicking the mouse pointer. Notes can be removed completely using the Eraser.

Use Making tunes for editing, but use The jolly keyboard or Up the stairs to hear it played with absolute accuracy.

Spot the tune

This game reinforces what has been learnt in previous activities and provides a foundation for the later introduction of musical notation. Click on the arrow or on the Hippo to hear a short phrase played.

Four patterns are displayed, one of which represents the musical phrase just heard. If you select the correct one, Hippo will congratulate you. If not, you will be invited to try again and given a visual clue.

Should you be wrong again, one of the incorrect patterns will disappear. This will continue until only the correct pattern remains.