For those of you whose basic keyboard technique has lost out to the desire to make new and more cataclysmic noises on your synth, Hotlicks Keyboard Tapes may be the answer. Following the successful Hotlicks guitar series, they begin with a Rock Piano course by John Jarvis and will cover other types of keyboards and techniques over the next few months. The first set of six tapes covers notation, 12-bar blues, time signatures, soloing, minor keys, reggae and rock ballads, advanced jazz stylings, improvising and songwriting; each tape costs £7.95 and is an hour long (about the going rate for a single keyboard lesson). Further information from Labtek Music Products Division, (Contact Details).

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Alpha Syntauri go into the education market in a big way with Simply Music, a new software package coupled with a velocity-sensitive keyboard available in four or five octave versions. The five major screen displays given on the Apple computer used are Orchestrate, Record/Playback, Instruments, Songs and Displays, each with a menu and tutorial functions. 16-part recording, playing along with melody lines, key transposition exercises and improvisational tuition are all available. All notes entered can be displayed on a stave and sight reading skills can be developed. Prices for keyboard, sound synthesizer, software and manuals are $995 (four octave) and $1295 (five octave). For UK availability and prices consult Computer Music Studios, (Contact Details).

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A Japanese fad comes to the UK in the form of 'Karaoke', a form of musical entertainment using a combination amplifier/cassette deck/8-track/microphone unit. JVC are those responsible, and there are three models at the moment from a 24W unit to a 54W stereo unit for £529. The K-56IIK has an 8-track cartridge player, 24W amp with 10-inch and 2-inch speakers, a recording cassette deck, pitch controls, 9-programme music scan, BBD echo, tape/mike and line/mike mixing, tone controls and a wide variety of power supply options. A range of backing tracks on 8-track is available for the budding entertainer, while applications such as PA and lecturing are fairly clear. The K-77K has two 8-track players which can be set to repeat, line inputs and outputs for hi-fi connection and Bass/Treble controls in addition to the smaller model's functions and the largest model has two cassette players and one 8-track, two speaker cabinets, LED level indicator and multiple inputs/outputs. Further information from JVC UK, (Contact Details).

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Vox have announced that their 1984 series amps, the 'Venue' line, will start from £189 and feature several high-technology facilities. The Vox 100W Lead Combo has LED indicated reverb and overdrive, a Fane 12" speaker and a recommended price of £199. The 100W Bass has 15" Fane speaker, three-band active EQ, effects sends and return and a recommended price of £189. The 100W Keyboard amp has three separate channels, reverb, effects send, 15" speaker plus high frequency horn and a recommended price of £299.

A PA system is also part of the range and comprises a 120W amp, 80W Vox speakers with HF horns and effects send on each channel. All of the new series amps have Line Out, Headphone Out and Extension Speaker Out jacks and have matching accessories such as stands, castors and footswitches. More information from Rose Morris, (Contact Details).