The following is a high-level description of the method, and you can find more information at http://sing.us.com/homemusiclessons.html.
STEP 1:
For MIDI Instruments: Connect your MIDI instrument to the computer. For detailed information on how to hook up a MIDI instrument to a computer, click to visit my article "How to Connect MIDI Instruments to a Computer."
For Non-MIDI Instruments: Skip this step.
STEP 2:
For MIDI Instruments: Shop for MIDI-based Tutorial Software for the computer. When trying to decide whether to purchase a program named "Learn to Play Any Instrument" or "Learn to Play Any Instrument Deluxe," your money is usually well-spent on the "Deluxe" version because in programs that sell Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced versions, in most cases you'll get the whole suite of programs in one bundle. When available, choose MIDI-based tutorials that will allow you to download additional MIDI (music) files either on your computer or into the tutorial program so that you can maximize your learning experience within your tutorial program.
For Non-MIDI Instruments: Shop for video-based instructions and use the keyword "DVD" in your search; these can generally be played on a DVD player/TV or on the computer. Some DVD series are getting "smart" and give you the ability to print supplemental material from your computer. If confronted with a DVD series that indicates Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, or Deluxe, I recommend the Deluxe version because it will probably include all the information from the other versions.
STEP 3:
For MIDI Instruments: Load your Tutorial Software onto your computer and follow all instructions carefully during the installation. Open the software and follow the lesson plans provided.
For Non-MIDI Instruments: Play your DVD tutorial either from a computer or from a DVD player and TV near your instrument and follow the lesson plans provided.
STEP 4:
For MIDI Instruments: When you have finished a tutorial software program, you have two options, either shop for more tutorial software or graduate to a MIDI recording program such as Cakewalk Music Creator 4 of 5. If you choose to use Cakewalk, you can purchase MIDI songs (they have the extension of *.mid) or optionally you can use karaoke songs (they have the extension *.kar which can be renamed to *.mid) and open them with this program.
For Non-MIDI Instruments: When you have finished a video-based instructions tutorial, you have two options, either shop for more video-based instructions and continue learning this way, or purchase music books designed to teach you from a beginner's stage and forward.
For MIDI Instruments:
STEP 5:
If you have purchased a MIDI file that has a lot of Tracks, identify the one that contains the tune to be played by your right hand (Treble Clef) and the basic accompaniment that can be played by your left hand (Bass Clef). The easiest way to do this is to select the "M" for mute on all Tracks except one, and then press the Play button until you have identified what is in the track; repeat until you have identified both tracks that you need. (Make a note for future reference as to which tracks you need for this song to practice and learn it.) Sometimes you will be fortunate enough to find a Track with the Tune (right hand/Treble Clef) and the accompaniment (left hand/Bass Clef) in one Track. Press the "M" (for Mute) on each remaining track that you do not want to hear. Highlight each of the two (unmuted) tracks that you want to hear by clicking the mouse over the first Track and then hold the CTRL key down and click on the second Track, then select View(s), Staff, and press the Play button. (To go back to the Track View, select View[s], Track.) When you press the Play button, this should cause either your keyboard / piano to play the song, or your computer to play the song, and the computer program scrolls across the music to show you which notes are playing.
STEP 6:
If you don't hear any sound when you click the Play button, go back to the Track View (Views[s], Track) and check the Output field on the (unmuted) Track(s) and see if they indicate some type of MIDI in the Output field (will output the performance to your keyboard/piano) or Microsoft GS Wavetable Synth (plays on your computer). If you cannot get the file to play back through your keyboard or on the computer, select Options, Audio, Advanced, Playback and Recording Driver Mode, and make sure the Audio Driver Mode is MME; then go to the specific tracks you want to play and select the Output as Microsoft GS Wavetable Synth, which will play the song over the computer's speakers. You will need to close and reopen your Cakewalk program in order for any changes to take effect.
STEP 7:
Listen to the song by pressing the Play button, then select File, Print Preview to display the Tracks as Sheet Music. At this point, you should practice playing the music in one of three ways:
Print the sheet music and play from that, or
Select View(s), Staff, press Play, and play along with the music as the score scrolls across the page. If the tempo is too fast, select Insert, Tempo Change, change the Tempo to a slower speed (120 is fast, 60 would be much slower--don't save the file so that this change will be lost when you exit the file), click OK, then press Play and play along with the music, or
In Print Preview, play from the sheet music on the computer screen and click the Next Page button when you need to change to the next page.
Sound/Playback Information:
For MIDI recording programs such as Cakewalk MusicCreator 4 or 5, under Options, Audio, Advanced, Playback and Recording Driver Mode, the Audio Driver Mode of MME is only good for the ability to utilize Microsoft GS Wavetable Synth, which allows MIDI to play back on your computer, or for crude recording purposes. The WDM Audio Driver Mode is recommended for professional recording results (24-bit/48,000 kHz). The ASIO Audio Driver Mode is usually insufficient for professional recording results on inexpensive programs because it is usually limited to 16-bits; ASIO is considered to be better than WDM on more expensive programs at 24-bit/48,000 kHz.
If you desire to synchronize your keyboard/piano to Cakewalk MusicCreator 4 or 5, click on my article, "How to Edit MIDI Music Notation in Cakewalk Products," and follow the instructions in Steps 9 and 10 to accomplish this.
Additional Resources:
For a listing of available Tutorial programs, click to visit the article on my home page, "Home Music Lessons Using The Computer" and review Section 5, Teaching Software.
For advice on what type of keyboard or piano to select, click to visit my articles: "Electronic Keyboard Or Electronic Piano - What's The Difference?" or "How to Purchase An Electronic Keyboard / Piano."
For great information on how to select an appropriate microphone (and not waste your money), click to visit my article, "How To Select A Quality Microphone ."