Instructions for Firefox browser

Instructions for Chrome browser

The most common reasons are, either you've missed the notification asking if you would Allow the web browser to access your microphone or, you haven't selected the correct microphone if you have mutable options. Eg: you sometimes use a headset.

To allow your browser to access your microphone follow the instructions for Video, above.

When you log into the app you should have seen the Enter Class, clicked on that then gone through the equipment checks after which you should be able to enter class.

If you are sent a link you can could have entered then gone through the equipment tests without logging in. It will say Waiting for teacher or Enter Class. It's easy to miss this last step.

Refresh the page, wait for the teacher to invite you in or click the enter class button.

Please be patient. Sometimes these files are large and slow to load or it can be because your internet connection is running slow. Refresh your screen, you may need to re-enter the classroom.

If certain files are always slow to load please inform your teacher.

The LearnCube Issue Diagnostics tool can be accessed from the Settings cog on the right of the whiteboard. Click on the settings cog and you will see Run Diagnostics at the bottom of the menu.

This is the screen you will go to after Running Diagnostics. It will tell you where you have an issue.

You can use an iPad running the Safari browser. On Android mobiles you can use Chrome, Firefox or Opera. The camera and audio quality is good but there are some serious limitations.

As you can see, we normally have 3 screens in columns. When you get to the mobile phone sign you can only view one of the screens at a time. There is a TAB function at the bottom of the screen to select one of the three views, the Whiteboard, the Chat facility or the Video feed. This obviously hinders the lesson but we have taught successfully with students using them. We have one student who uses his mobile phone as a webcam whilst viewing the pages on a larger computer screen.

Online teaching is great using Video links but we also need to share written information, scores, TAB, images etc. Our Whiteboard enables us to embed PDFs, other images, even mp3 music files, without you having to share your screen. Our Whiteboard is interactive so, as well as allowing our teachers to write notes and notation live on the screen, our students can also use the whiteboard. This is great to highlight areas the teaching is working on or for the student to highlight areas they are concerned about. Your Teacher can have several different files loaded on separate 'Whiteboard Tabs'. Your Teacher can change these screens at will. Your Teacher can also load files directly onto the whiteboard during a lesson.

• Files can only be added by the your Teacher
• Any notation you write on the whiteboard will not alter the original file
• Notations can be erased without affecting the file
• Notations not erased are saved and can be used for a subsequent lesson
• If you cannot write on the whiteboard your Teacher has turned it off

Our system divides the screen into 3 sections. You have the Video feed where you can see yourself and your Teacher. Then there is the Whiteboard where you can interact with your Teacher. Finally, we have the Chat facility.

Chat is available at all times although, depending on whether your Teacher is using the Whiteboard or preferring the larger views on the Video feed, it can be sidelined to the side of the screen.

You can write in the Chat column at any time. It is particularly useful when you are having connection issues. Generally, your Teacher will be able to see and hear you even if you can't see and or hear them. Chat is a method you can use to get to a solution.

This is a great feature. Our teachers will usually send you files by email after your lesson that are either for revision, practice or to prepare for the next lesson. But, what about the notes that were made on the whiteboard during your lesson?

You can down load the content on the whiteboard, that is the original file plus any notes made by you for your teacher, directly to your computer. If you go to the tools palette on the whiteboard screen, the first tool up from the bottom is the download button. Just let your teacher know you are going to download it in case he wishes to add any notes first.

Imagine standing outside a cave and saying one word. You will probably hear your word repeated. Now, imagine saying the same word to your teacher. That word will appear through your teachers computer speakers and be picked up by their computer's mic which will send it straight back to your computer where you will hear your word a fraction of a second after you said it. The length of time it takes to get back to you depends on the speed of the internet. If your computer is turned up loud enough this echo can start to loop round and round through the two computers causing howl or feedback.

To negate this effect, our teachers always teach wearing headphones. That means their computer mics are unlikely to pick up your word and send it back. However, if your instrument is too loud there is still a chance that some noise will feedback to you. This is a particular problem with Piano lessons as they are so loud.

A bigger problem is for your teacher. If you are not wearing headphones they will be subject to lots of echoes at their end. This can make it almost impossible for them to hear clearly. If your teacher ever asks you to wear headphones it will be because they are having problems hearing you.

When we teach Acoustic Guitar, the sound is picked up by the computers mic or on your headset mic. The same is true for electric guitars, bass guitars, keyboards and other instruments. The general rule is not to have your amplified instrument too loud. Conversely, you could use an interface to play your instrument directly into the computer. This will undoubtedly provide a cleaner sound for your teacher but you might not then be able to hear your instrument yourself.

If an instrument is amplified, keep the volume down and use headphones.

As with all things, the more you practice the easier it becomes. With most instruments there is a steep learning curve. You have to learn the fingering, learn where to place your fingers, learn how to moved the strings or keys and learn how to coordinate your movements. As you learn though, you will reach small plateaus where you can play simple songs, then simple solos, maybe even learn to write your own music. The only common denominator is, the more you practice, the easier it becomes.

Did I mention that you have to practice?

All instruments have their easy side and their hard sides. The Piano starts of relatively easy but gets progressively harder. Woodwind and Brass instruments can produce nice melodies fairly quickly but you have to practice to build your mouth and chest muscles up and learn to control your diaphragm. Guitar is horrendously difficult for the first few months but gets progressively easier the more you learn.

The joys of playing an instrument will far outweigh the demands made to learning how to play it and once learnt, the skill will stay with you forever.

Did I mention you have to practice?

You will have to learn a method of reading music whether it is standard Notation or TAB. There are different ways to write music for guitar. Let's start with the notes of the open strings on your guitar. In the image below you can see each of the notes written on a stave.

If you want to learn to play Classical Guitar, this is the type of music you would need to read. It's called Notation and is the standard way of writing music.

Now let's add some TAB underneath it. TAB is an abbreviation for Tabulature. We assume this is the modern method of writing for guitar but it was used 100s of years ago to write out music for the Lute.

Now we have a second stave under the first one. This stave has six lines across the page. Each line represents a string on your guitar. The thickest string is the bottom line and the thinnest string is the top line. On each of the six lines there is a '0'. The '0' represents an open string.

Standard Notation can have more than one stave. This is music for piano. It looks fairly similar but in fact the top stave and the bottom stave are showing the same notes. The open strings of your guitar. Music for piano is slightly more complicated than music for guitar.

So, now we have two methods of writing for guitar. You will see TAB written and put on the internet a lot. Very rarely will you see it correctly written with Notation above. Even if you can't read the notes on the Notation, the standard manis, you will learn to identify the lengths of the notes and the timing of the notes. You need this information to be able to play the TAB correctly.

Most guitar music for Acoustic and Electric guitars is written in TAB nowadays. However, we have one more trick up our sleeves. When you see chords, a chord is when you play 2 or more notes together, written in Notation or even in TAB, they can look very complicated. So our third method of writing for guitar is called the Chord Diagram or Chord Box.

In the example below we have the notes of the Chord of E minor played individually, one at a time. They are written in Notation and TAB. Then, on the right side, they are played altogether as a chord. Look how complicated they are with notes and numbers stacked up.

Above them, on the right side, is a Chord Diagram. In the Chord Diagram the strings are now represented by six vertical lines. The lines that go across are the frets and the black dots are where you put your fingers. The white dots are where you pay an open string. Em is short for E minor and where it's positioned in here is where the headstock of your guitar is.

That is an excellent question but first, if you are playing a Classical or Nylon Strung guitar it's best not to use a pick. The strings are designed to be plucked with the fingers. If you feel you must use a pick get a very thin, flexible, nylon one. We have plenty of picks in stock if you can't find any.

Now. Take your right thumb and rest it on your curled up index finger so it's resting on between the finger joints. Insert the pick under your thumb so that the point is facing away from your thumb. Two thirds of the pick should be under your thumb leaving just the pointed part sticking out. Place your hand over the guitar strings with your fingers facing the headstock and your wrist just level with the thickest string. Your pick should now be pointing down at the strings.

This is the strumming position. The pick held like this will have a bit of movement letting your strum more easily. If you need to play solo notes then you can place your middle finger against the pick as well to make it stiffer.

If you are learning to play Classical or Acoustic Guitar the best seat is one with now arms to get in the way. A stool or dining chair is perfect. In addition to that, if you are learning Electric or Bass Guitar it is always advisable to use a guitar strap as well. This does not need to be tight but it will stop your instrument slipping off your lap and can assist in taking the weight of the neck allowing you to finger the fretboard more easily. I would also recommend using a strap with a full size Acoustic Guitar.

We would say yes. Some of your lesson material will be shown on the screen but if you are trying to follow a whole song you will only be able to see one page at a time and, depending on the size of your computer screen, you might even have to scroll that up and down. Printing the larger parts off is a good idea plus, if you're using a grade book you will need a stand to place it on. We have plenty of stands in stock if you need one.