Super Disk Bonus

Keyed-Up!

Musical ear training...plus laughs!

Antic's August 1988 Super Disk Bonus is a music education program disguised as a goofy game. Keyed-Up! gives you practice at hearing the difference between scales in major and minor keys. As you try to keep a bird from getting zapped on an electrified wire fence, you're actually learning the relationship between sounds and key signatures – those sharps or flats at the start of a musical composition.

Your joystick controls a bird flying above a roadside fence that consists of five wire strands representing the five lines of the treble staff. Between each fencepost is a key signature. There are 15 scrolling fence sections – seven with one to seven sharps, seven with one to seven flats, and one blank section with no sharps or flats.

As the bird starts flying, a letter indicating the first note of the scale appears at the lower center of the screen. Using the joystick, land the bird on the section of fence that shows the correct key signature for the scale and note indicated.

If you land correctly, you gain points and a new scale will be played. If you land on the wrong section of fence, watch the birdie – the fence is electrified! Play continues for three minutes.

You must listen carefully to the scale being played and try to tell the difference between the major and natural minor scales. There are three levels of difficulty and an online help screen that can be accessed anytime. Beginners should first play the major option, then the minor, to accustom their ears to the difference. The third note of the scale is the most important one to listen for.

The Keyed-Up! program consists of more than 100 sectors of assembly language code, which would be a mind-numbing challenge to type correctly. Author Raymond Citak is a piano instructor at the University of Wyoming in Laramie. He is a longtime Atari programmer making his first appearance in Antic.

Your August 1988 Antic Disk – featuring Keyed-Up! as well as every type-in program from this issue plus other special bonuses – will be shipped to you within 24 hours after receiving your order. Just phone Toll-Free to the Antic Disk Desk at (800) 234-7001. The monthly disk is only $5.95 (plus $2 for shipping and handling) on your Visa or MasterCard. Or mail a $5.95 check (plus $2 shipping and handling) to Antic Disk Desk, 544 Second Street, San Francisco, CA 94107.

Programmers: Antic wants to see your most ambitious programs, even those too large or complex for printing as a type-in listing. High-quality programs in any language that has a runtime version are now eligible for consideration as a Super Disk Bonus.

On disk: KEYEDUP.EXE Download

On disk: KEYEDUP.TXT Download / View