Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Good Points
Animated fretboard, chord dictionary, electronic metronome, electronic tuner, recording/playback capability. It'll get your feet wet if nothing else.
Bad points
Lots of holes in the information that you will probably still seek through Google or other search engine to connect some of the dots when you realize the holes. Also, the pace of most of the songs are not for the beginner in my opinion (to play along at least). The chord transition is a difficult skill to master, and there weren't enough confidence boosters in the songs used. Of course you can play the chords and execute the chord transitions at a slower pace without the play along, but I ended up going to a music/book store and finding some good books with limited chord ranges per song and songs that interested me (motivation).
If you want to skip to skill sections that you want to learn, you will be at the disadvantage of having not learned chords presented in previous lessons, which every lesson builds upon. 75% of the program is the introduction of new chords in each successive lesson, working up to a song at the end of each lesson. When I finally got to power chords and reading notation for instance, it was months after purchase in my case. I was like, "gee I didn't know this was in here!" I had already gotten those tricks off of the web. There are many finger exercises, warm up exercises, scales, fretboard memorization techniques, etc. that never get mentioned in this program. I found these topics in other places and they seemed like essential tools to have as soon as possible. But, I guess maybe that is what they sell in volume 2 of this program.
General comments
Mostly covered above. I would still recommend to absolute beginners with this one qualifier: be prepared to supplement your learning through other sources. I've purchased many books and viewed many online resources; none of them have been all inclusive with information (maybe it wasn't very wise to expect such, but the packaging on these programs make some pretty grandiose claims). I need them all, and I know where the information is between them. If I don't have what I'm looking for, I hit the internet. When I'm ready to get back on some more structured path, I continue with the lessons in the program.
True story: when I started getting the music books and actually applying learned chords to familiar tunes, my family would come into my office one at a time and say "how did you get so good all of a sudden?" So, I guess everything played a role in my progress, including this program.
Conclusion:
I'm fairly immersed in learning guitar, having gotten a rather late start in music (by about a couple of decades!). So, I'm grabbing hold of as many avenues of learning that I can pursue. This is by no means a one-stop solution to learning guitar. But, if you can spare the cash though, it ranks as the best software available from any side-by-side feature comparison reviews that I've read. Learning guitar is a long process, don't expect miracles.
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Product Description:
The new version of the world's best-selling beginning guitar CD-ROM! Over 160 comprehensive lessons cover everything from the basics to chord strumming, playing melodies, and fingerpicking. A modern rock chapter includes various strumming styles, movable power chords, and power chord riffs. Over 50 large-format videos from instructor Kevin Garry, Ph.D., include split-screens and close-ups of both hands. Learning guitar is made fun with over 70 songs, including famous hits from artists such as Bob Dylan, the Grateful Dead, and Steve Miller. Many of the songs are recorded live with multi-track full band accompaniment. As the songs play, an animated fretboard guides you through the fingerings, and MIDI tracks allow you to slow down and loop parts of the music for practice. This new version includes larger easy-to-read screens, enhanced audio and video, and custom animated fretboard skins. eMedia Guitar Method is the ultimate way to learn how to play guitar!Guitar Method 1 features many hit songs, including:Knockin' on Heaven's DoorAcoustic version - Bob DylanRock version - in the style of Guns N' RosesLittle Red Rooster- made famous by the Rolling StonesRock N' Me- Steve Miller BandDowntown Train- made famous by Rod StewartUncle John's Band- the Grateful DeadScarborough Fair- made famous by Simon & GarfunkelOde to Joy- Ludwig van BeethovenHouse of the Rising Sun- made famous by the AnimalsLa Bamba- made famous by Ritchie Valens and Los LobosMidnight Special- made famous by Creedence Clearwater RevivalNewsweek"Top 50 educational CD-ROM of the year!"Peter Frampton"The ultimate way to learn how to play guitar!"Jon Chappell, editor of Guitar One magazine"eMedia's Guitar Method 1 is the best CD-ROM package I've seen for guitar instruction."
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