Should you be learning tunes from a MIDI player? Maybe.

There are several sites on the internet that offer traditional tunes in a MIDI format. You can just click on the tune and something that sounds a little like a piano dinks out the notes of the tune. This is pretty cool. It serves a purpose, but it's important to keep the limitations of this format in mind. The main problem with it is that it drains all the rhythm out of the tune. Duh! It is, after all, a computer reading a piece of sheet music. If you use this method to learn a tune, and you don't already have a clear idea of what the rhythm is, you won't be any the wiser for learning this way. If you are a beginner or intermediate player, you should consider staying away from the MIDI format until you are sure the rhythmic shortcomings of the technology won't lead you astray. Remember that most of these tunes are dance tunes. When they are played well, they reach out, grab people, and make them tap their feet whether they want to or not. This is magical. This is glorious. It's not the melody that makes it happen; it's the rhythm.