Playground Sessions: Faqs

Means: Frequently Asked Questions

Is Playground Sessions only for beginners?

Playground Sessions is a great tool for just about anyone. Whether you’ve never touched a piano or keyboard before, are just starting out or are experienced but are looking to play fresh arrangements, play in an interactive environment or want to learn to play by ear. Playground can be used to supplement lessons you’re already taking

Start with Rookie songs and work your way up to advanced arrangements!

Recognizing that everyone has varying degrees of piano and music understanding, our lessons are arranged at different levels of difficulty - Rookie, Intermediate and Advanced. We realize that categorizing everyone into only 3 skill levels is still too general so within each level of a song lesson we also grade each song as easy, moderate or hard.

Advanced Bootcamp Lessons are coming soon!

Do I have to be on a computer, and online to use Playground Sessions?

Playground Sessions is a cross-platform downloadable software application designed for the PC and Mac. An internet connection is needed to download the application to get you started. An internet connection is also needed to download Song Lessons and Bootcamp Lessons, as well as to use the social features such as posting scores to Facebook and Twitter and seeing a live leaderboard. However, you do not need to be online once a Song or Bootcamp lesson has been downloaded to use the core application. Not only can you view and play with the lessons offline, but the scoring and progress visualization also work offline.

How much does Playground Sessions cost and what is included?

Playground Sessions costs $149 for the full application. As part of this price, you'll get access to all of the Bootcamp interactive lessons (27) for free and 18 credits for song lessons (3 or 4 lessons) of your choice from our music library. The cost of each additional Song lesson is $6.00 for lessons with video tutorials and interactive sheet music; $4.00 for lessons with just interactive sheet music. Lessons for both the Bootcamp and Music library will be added regularly with Bootcamp lessons being free of charge. Advanced Bootcamps are coming soon!

Incremental upgrades will be free of cost. When new versions are available you'll be prompted within the application to upgrade.

Can I use Playground Sessions with an Acoustic Piano, or do I need a keyboard?

Playground Sessions can be used with a piano or a keyboard. Playground’s primary assets are its video content in both the form of Song Lessons and Bootcamp Lessons, David’s arrangements at different levels and the on-screen displayed notation to help you learn to play. You do not need a keyboard to access this content, only a computer.

A keyboard with a USB or midi connection allows you to get instant feedback from the software as well as record yourself playing and get scores whereas an acoustic piano without a USB or midi connection does not.

Can I use Playground Sessions if I am not in the U.S. or English speaking?

Playground Sessions will be available to download all over the world. David Sides, the teacher, speaks in English but uses easy language for those whose secondary language is English. The displayed notation is universal and will also help you get through the lessons.

What are the system requirements?

Playground Sessions works on both the MAC and PC. Go to Support in the main navigation to get the minimum requirements needed to operate the application.

How many lessons come with the application?

Playground Sessions currently has 52 Song Lessons (22 Beginner, 24 Intermediate, 6 Advanced) and 27 Bootcamp Lessons (13 Beginner and 14 Intermediate). Additional Songs and Bootcamp Lessons will be added to the library frequently.

When you purchase Playground, all of the Bootcamp Lessons are free and you will receive your choice of 3 or 4 songs (up to 18 credits worth) from the library. Each additional Song Lesson will cost $6.00 for lessons with video tutorials and interactive sheet music and $4.00 for lessons with interactive sheet music only.

Can I suggest songs I want to learn?

You can suggest songs you want to learn by going to
www.playgroundsessions.uservoice.com

How often will new Song Lessons or Bootcamp Lessons be added to the application?

We will regularly be producing new Song Lessons and Bootcamp Lessons to keep our library current and to produce the songs that our users have requested. Our goal is to have new Lessons available every few months.

When will Advanced Songs and Bootcamp Lessons be available?

We currently offer Apologize Advanced with a video tutorial and interactive sheet music. Halo Advanced, How To Save A Life Advanced, Over My Head (Cable Car) Advanced and Right Now (Na Na Na) Advanced are now available with interactive sheet music only.

Additional Songs and Advanced Bootcamps will be produced in early 2012.

Can I print out sheet music?

Print functionality will be a feature that is included soon after launch.

Why is my download so slow?

Download time depends on your internet connection, the stronger the connection the quicker the download time. A broadband or DSL connection is typically faster than wireless. A song download can take anywhere between 10 minutes to a few hours.

A 1.5 Mbps DSL Internet connection works well whereas a 128 Kbps DSL internet connection is slower.

I am experiencing latency, a delay between when I push a key and when I hear and see it played. What do I do about that?

First please confirm your computer specs meet our system requirements. Go to Support in the main navigation. If you are using Windows XP, do the following:

Go to User Settings under the Configuration dropdown

Select piano setup

Select ASIO instead of Direct Sound under Device Settings.

*Depending on your set-up you may have to download ASIO separately and then select it.

How can I use Playground Sessions to interact with my friends?

We believe practicing with friends makes practicing more enjoyable. Playground lets you create a network with other users around the world to support, collaborate or to challenge. Once you feel good about how you're playing, Playground has built in features that make it super easy to broadcast your performance on Facebook or tweet your badges and scores to your network.

Within the application there is a global leaderboard which displays the highest scores of individuals for the community to see.

How are Scores calculated?

As you practice, perform and learn inside Playground Sessions, you earn Playground Points. Playground Points are earned in three ways: by spending time actively learning in the application, by improving your accuracy in practice mode, and by performing an entire song in performance mode.

When you perform a song, you will get a Song Score based on your accuracy plus bonus points for long stretches played without any mistakes. You can compare your Song Scores with your friends scores, and see who can get the highest score.

Within the application there is a global leaderboard which displays the highest scores of individuals for the community to see.

How do I earn Badges?

Playground Sessions will be implementing badging very shortly. This will come in one of the first upgrades and will be free of charge. You will notice that in the dashboard that we've welcomed you with a welcome badge.

How do I report bugs/errors or make suggestions to improve the product?

To report a bug or make a suggestions please send an email to
support@playgroundsessions.com.

Is it okay to use Playground Sessions on more than one computer?

Right now your license will enable you to install Playground on 2 computers.

How many license keys do I get, and how many users can I create per license key?

You will receive one license key for which you can create two users, so even if you install Playground on two computers, only the two users you created will be able to log into your install no matter which computer it is installed on.

I can’t remember my password. How do I sign in?

If you have forgotten your user name or password, Playground gives you the option to enter the email address with which you signed up and you user name or a new password will be sent to your email address.

What kind and size of a keyboard do I need?

Any keyboard that has a USB or midi connection will work with Playground Sessions. The majority of keyboards, both those that have speakers built in and those that need to be connected to a computer or external synthesizer, will have either a USB or midi connection.

Playground Sessions has partnered with an E-retailer ProAudioStar to provide you with some of the best keyboard options.

What is included in the free trial and how long does it last?

The free trial last for up to 7 days. The trial comes with your choice of one Song download and one Bootcamp download. You can create one user name for your trail. At any point during the trial you can decide to purchase by clicking “Buy” when you open the software.

FAQ

Playground Sessions™ Software License Agreement

This Playground Sessions™ Software License Agreement (the Agreement) was last updated on October 12, 2011.

PLEASE READ THE AGREEMENT BELOW AND INDICATE YOUR ACCEPTANCE BY CLICKING ON THE “I ACCEPT” BUTTON AT THE END OF THE AGREEMENT. BY CLICKING ON THIS BUTTON AND INSTALLING AND USING THE PLAYGROUND SESSIONS™ SOFTWARE YOU ARE AGREEING TO BE BOUND BY ALL THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THIS AGREEMENT.

Playground Sessions™ is a software solution owned by Playground Sessions, Inc. (“PSI”) that allows end-users to download, play and use interactive video lessons for the piano as well as specific song lessons from the PSI online music library (the “Software”). When used in this Agreement, the term “Software” includes the initially downloaded solution and any updates thereto as provided by PSI, as well as all interactive video lessons (the “Videos”) and song lessons made available through our online music library (the “Song Lessons”).

Additional Terms and Privacy

The terms of this Agreement are in addition to the terms and conditions regarding use of the PSI web site, located at www.playgroundsessions.com, which also constitute a binding agreement between you and PSI. A copy of PSI’s current terms and conditions can be found here. You should also read our privacy policy, which can be found here to understand how PSI collects and uses information about you.

Ownership and Restrictions on Use

PSI and its licensors shall retain all right title and interest in and to the Software, and all intellectual property rights therein, except for the copyright to the songs taught in the Song Lessons, which are owned by their respective copyright owners. The Software is protected by the copyright laws of the United States and other countries and by international treaty provisions, and contains trade secrets of PSI. Upon your payment of the fees described below, PSI grants you a limited, non-transferable, non-sublicensable, revocable right and license to download, use and display the Software on up to two (2) machines (for a maximum of two (2) users), solely in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Agreement. Except as expressly stated herein, this Agreement does not grant you any intellectual property rights in the Software and all rights not expressly granted are reserved by PSI and its licensors.

You may not reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble or otherwise reduce the Software to human-perceivable form. You may not disable any functionality which limits the use of the Software. You may not modify, adapt, translate, copy, rent, sublicense, assign, loan, reseller or distribute the Software. You may not copy the Software onto a server which permits multiple machines to access the Software, nor may you allow third parties to access the Software via an internet-based hosted solution.

System Compatibility

The Software is intended to be used on most available computer configurations. While you are responsible for ensuring that you have your computer configured properly to use the Software, if you are having problems running the Software, please reach out to our support team at support@playgroundsessions.com

Fees and Payment

The license fee for the Software is $149, which includes the initial software solution download, access to all of the Videos, and up to three (3) Song Lessons of your choice from the PSI music library. Additional Song Lessons may be purchased from our music library located here for an additional fee. The current fee per Song Lesson is $6.00; however, PSI reserves the right to increase or decrease this fee at any time in its sole discretion. The fee for Song Lessons includes royalty payments to the copyright owners of the songs taught in the Song Lessons.

Payment of all fees shall be made online, either via direct credit card payment or via PayPal. If you pay via PayPal, charges will appear as “Playground Sessions” on your account.

Disclaimer, Indemnification and Limitation of Liability

EXCEPT AS EXPRESSLY PROVIDED HEREIN, THE SOFTWARE AND ANY RELATED CONTENT ACCESSIBLE THROUGH THE SOFTWARE ARE PROVIDED "AS-IS," AND TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, PSI DISCLAIMS ALL OTHER REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, REGARDING THIS SOFTWARE, AND ANY SUCH CONTENT, INCLUDING THEIR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, THEIR QUALITY, THEIR SECURITY, THEIR MERCHANTABILITY, OR THEIR NONINFRINGEMENT. PSI DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THE SOFTWARE OR ANY RELATED CONTENT IS FREE FROM BUGS, VIRUSES, ERRORS, OR OTHER PROGRAM LIMITATIONS. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OF IMPLIED WARRANTIES, SO THE ABOVE EXCLUSIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, PSI SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO: DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF BUSINESS, LOSS OF PROFITS OR INVESTMENT, OR THE LIKE), WHETHER BASED ON BREACH OF CONTRACT, BREACH OF WARRANTY, TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE), PRODUCT LIABILITY OR OTHERWISE, EVEN IF PSI HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES, AND EVEN IF A REMEDY SET FORTH HEREIN IS FOUND TO HAVE FAILED OF ITS ESSENTIAL PURPOSE. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE LIMITATION AND/OR EXCLUSION OF LIABILITY FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, SO THE ABOVE LIMITATION OR EXCLUSION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. THE ENTIRE LIABILITY OF PSI FOR ANY REASON ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THIS SHALL BE LIMITED TO THE AMOUNT PAID BY YOU FOR THE SOFTWARE.

You agree to indemnify, defend and hold harmless PSI for any and all damages, including reasonable costs and attorneys’ fees, arising out of or relating to any third party claim resulting from your breach of this Agreement or your use of the Software, including, without limitation, any claims that you have violated any applicable laws or regulations.

Export Control Laws

You agree that the Software will not be shipped, transferred or exported into any country or used in any manner prohibited by the United States Export Administration Act or any other export laws, restrictions or regulations (collectively the “Export Laws”). In addition, if the Software is identified as an export controlled item under the Export Laws, you represent and warrant that you are not a citizen of, or located within, an embargoed or otherwise restricted nation (including without limitation Iran, Syria, Sudan, Cuba and North Korea) and that you are not otherwise prohibited under the Export Laws from receiving the Software. All rights to use the Software are granted on condition that such rights are forfeited if you fail to comply with the terms of this agreement.

Termination.

Should you fail to comply with the terms and conditions of this Agreement, PSI reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to terminate the licenses granted to you herein, effective immediately. In the event of such a termination, you will not be entitled to a refund of any license fees or any fees paid for additional Song Lessons.

Miscellaneous

Entire Agreement. This Agreement, together with the PSI web site terms and conditions and privacy policy, contains the entire understanding and agreement of the parties with respect to the subject matter contained herein. This Agreement supersedes all prior oral or written understandings and agreements relating thereto except as expressly otherwise provided, and may not be altered, amended, modified or waived in whole or in part, except in writing, signed by duly authorized representatives of the parties.

Severability. If any provision of this Agreement shall be held by a court of competent jurisdiction to be contrary to any law, the remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect as if said provision never existed.

Assignment. You may not sell, transfer, or assign your rights under this Agreement without the prior written consent of PSI; however, PSI may assign its rights and obligations hereunder without your consent. Subject to the foregoing, this Agreement shall inure to the benefit of the parties, their successors and permitted assigns.

Governing Law. . This Agreement and all matters and issues collateral thereto shall be governed by the laws of the State of New York, without regard to its conflict of law principles. Any action or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement shall be brought in a court of competent jurisdiction, federal or state, located within the State of New York. The parties hereby irrevocably consent to personal jurisdiction and venue in, and agree to service of process issued or authorized by, any such court; provided, however, that nothing in this Agreement will prevent either party from seeking injunctive relief to enforce the terms of this Agreement in any competent venue or jurisdiction, and each party irrevocably submits to the jurisdiction and venue of any such court in any such action or proceeding.

Force Majeure. PSI shall not be responsible for failing to perform any of its obligations imposed by this Agreement, where such failure is caused by fire, flood, explosion, lightning, windstorm, earthquake, subsidence of soil, failure or destruction, in whole or in part, of machinery or equipment or failure of supply of materials, discontinuity in the supply of power, governmental interference, civil commotion, riot, war, strikes, labor disturbance, transportation difficulties, labor shortage or any cause beyond its reasonable control.

I HAVE READ THIS SOFTWARE LICENSE AGREEMENT IN ITS ENTIRETY AND ACCEPT THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THE AGREEMENT SET FORTH ABOVE.

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