Learn your way around a six-string with Guitar Wizard
by Griffin McElroy 
{ Jan 13th 2008 at 10:00AM }
Think your ability to five-star "Green Grass and High Tides" means you can actually handle a real guitar? We're not talking about a five-buttoned plastic peripheral, mind you, we're talking about the real thing, steel and strings. We understand that some of you might be scared off by the transition from digital to analog, and the idea that big boy guitars are played without colorful tracks and Star Power. Luckily, the Music Wizard Group has developed a system for Guitar Hero-spoiled technophiles like us to learn how to shred on a real axe.
While we're not sure how well the system will handle, the teaching methods in Guitar Wizard are pretty clever. Each string is designated a specific shape, and each fret on that string is designed a specific color. On a side-scrolling track, colorful shapes move across the screen in a manner that the Rock Band crowd would be very comfortable with. While we're fairly certain that Hendrix didn't learn to play by watching Lucky Charms float across a computer screen, we're excited to get our rock-thirsty hands on the Guitar Wizard bundle (which includes software, a MIDI pickup and a real Washburn guitar) when it drops this fall.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Stink Snake @ Jan 13th 2008 10:30AM
If it was tablature and not colors I'd think about picking it up.
eldee @ Jan 13th 2008 11:16AM
or even if it had the option to switch to tabs once you get past the point of needing the colors as a crutch
TWiNKiE @ Jan 13th 2008 5:54PM
I agree. You might be able to learn with this method, but it would be a waste of time since you can't just go up to someone and tell them to push the green triange fret. That's just making it harder for you. You would eventually have to switch off to notation, which can be scary, and a setback to beginners.
Kinda what happened to me. I stuck with tablature for my 3 years of guitar playing, and i have no idea what are the names of each note. I'm good at playing, but i'm still far behind. I take classes next week (thank god)
WiiFTW @ Jan 13th 2008 10:27AM
[Insert "lrn2play reel guitar" joke/comment here]
Yea, everyone's gotten tired of those by now for you reel guitar players/guitar hero haters.
/end rant
This seems like a big step from 5 colored fret buttons to 6 buttons/fret and lots of frets. I play the violin, but trying to play the guitar seems more confusing for me with the chords and whatnot. I'm not very good at the violin, but most of the stuff I play doesn't go on two strings at once (double-stops)
tmacairjordan87 @ Jan 13th 2008 11:34AM
personally i laugh at the people who say learn to play real guitar because there's hardly any modern guitarists worth mentioning if any at all. Now, if they happened to be eddy van halen or somethin...well that's another story.
JRM @ Jan 13th 2008 11:44AM
you don't need a modern guitar-god to make you want to pick up a guitar. Most people start with easy folk songs anyways, not modern rock music (and guitarists now go for sounds/effects a little more than EVH-type shredding...for whatever that's worth. They're actually more like audio-tech/computer geeks now)
Captain Cornflake @ Jan 13th 2008 12:16PM
@ tmacairjordan87
There are a few good modern guitarists out there right now I'd still give some credit to: Josh Homme, Tom Morello, Jerry Cantrell and Mike McCready. Hell, even Kim Thayil, though I haven't heard much out of him recently. :/
Dan CiTi @ Jan 13th 2008 5:30PM
@ tmacairjordan87
Actually, there are a lot of good modern guitarists. You are just looking in the wrong places. My favorites are modern. Check out Dave Knudson (from Botch and Minus the Bear) and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez (from The Mars Volta & At The Drive-In).
Jagzi11a @ Apr 1st 2008 10:33AM
@ tmacairjordan87
Dude just listen to some of today's metal, like Between the burried amd me or through the eyes of the dead. If you can play any of that stuff, then your a master. Plus that was the dumbest statement ever.
vidGuy @ Jan 13th 2008 10:30AM
Interesting, though these "learn guitar via an interactive guide" programs have been around a while. I started guitar with a program that had me plug into the computer so that it could judge my tempo and tone to score my accuracy. Fun, but ultimately not that helpful. The good thing is that anyone can learn to play guitar if they just stick with the practice.
Geist @ Jan 13th 2008 1:34PM
And if they don't mind the blisters. Oh god the blisters.
vidGuy @ Jan 13th 2008 2:32PM
Yeah! And wrist cramps when you learn bar chords. Ok, you need to be willing to deal with all of that ;)
bill @ Jan 13th 2008 1:24PM
If you're looking for a way to learn to play songs on guitar that's similar to Guitar Hero, go to www.musicnotes.com/guitarguru/
skunkworks @ Jan 13th 2008 10:40AM
tabs and the song on cd is the way I learned. it would have been even easier if mp3s were available then. there is plenty of free tabs and mp3 software out there that can slow the track and what not. the idea of colors and shapes streaming across the screen sounds more confusing to me then basic tabs.
Triforceowner @ Jan 13th 2008 10:59AM
Wait, why don't you just learn the letters? (A, B, C, D, E, F, and G?) I feel like guitar and stuff get over complicated too easily with colors and shapes. Instruments aren't that hard to play, all you need is a little bit of background in math is all. Can you count, OK you can play the guitar.
Mav33 @ Feb 26th 2008 10:40PM
Can you expand on that.
Triforceowner @ Feb 27th 2008 3:58PM
Well, the strings on a guitar are EADGBE. They sound like "edge be," so you can remember that. Each fret puts the tone up a step. The steps are A A# B C C# D D# E F F# G and G# and than it repeats. So, you can play any single note on one string or make up any chord by combining fret presses and open strings to play only notes of that particular chord.
Have fun.
RobT @ Jan 13th 2008 11:01AM
thats pathetic
capt_carl @ Jan 13th 2008 11:07AM
Being a classically-trained pianist I thought the guitar would be fairly simple, but it really isn't. But I also suffer from what I like to call "fat finger syndrome," so it's not exactly easy for me to just press on ONE fret/string at a time. I've tried multiple methods of learning, but lack of time really has kept me. This does seem interesting though. I think I'll look into it a bit more.
It does seem a little kiddish, but if it works it works. Now I wonder if it'll work with an acoustic guitar.
Triforceowner @ Jan 13th 2008 2:33PM
Guitar was easy to pick up after Piano for me.
Dragod @ Jan 13th 2008 11:08AM
God. Why don't people just learn to play REAL Guitar Hero?
Geist @ Jan 13th 2008 2:59PM
OMG stop playing Guitar Hero, don't you know it's not as cool as playing a real guitar? Stop having fun already!
eldee @ Jan 13th 2008 11:18AM
Listen to that video crowd kid! I haven't heard a video crowd go that wild in a long time...
Adam @ Jan 13th 2008 11:41AM
How about this:
I play guitar a bit in real life but I am foremost a percussionist. I'm not going to bash people who play guitar hero/rock band and tell them to pick up a real guitar; that's pretty pretentious. But I will say that guitar hero itself (I haven't played much of Rock Band) is a pretty crappy game as far as development goes. The crowd has a small amount of animations which on most occasions they are completely synchronized instead of offset like real people. The venues do absolutely nothing than provide different eye candy to the people who are watching you play and the game hasn't changed much since it's first installment. If I were a fan of Guitar Hero from the start I'd probably feel a little disappointed by now. When I played Guitar Hero 3 I felt like it could be the first iteration of a game series. Not that I hate the game, but I don't understand why so many people are accepting the game and praising it when it could be so much better in its third installment. The game just feels like it wasn't polished enough.
Boogey131 @ Jan 13th 2008 11:54AM
The issues you brought up were graphical and ultimately add up to nothing, since if you're playing the game you aren't paying any attention to what the crowd are doing so really, graphics shouldn't come into the equation when judging the series and why people like it so much
GH3 was the worst of the 3 as far as I'm concerned but it had the core gameplay from 1 and 2, which were pulled off really well. Being able to entertain a wide audience from casual gamers to guitar players(which I am one of)with an intuitively designed controller/gameplay mechanic is a sign of GOOD game development.
vidGuy @ Jan 13th 2008 2:34PM
Not a single thing you mentioned detracted from the game. How much crowd animation or venue decorations are you watching when you are jamming out? Guitar Hero and Rock Band could have static backgrounds with simple colors or even album art and they would be just as entertaining.
playwhutyalike (kinda digs Manhunt 2) @ Jan 13th 2008 11:42AM
This is halfway a good idea. The best, I think, would to go to an actual instructor. That way if you have questions, they can get answered.
DCBlack @ Jan 13th 2008 12:22PM
You can still go to a real instructor, but I think this is a decent idea. Anything that helps someone who is inspired but intimidated about picking up a real guitar. I will look into this, wondering what it will cost seeing as it comes with a guitar. I wonder if that includes an amp as well?
JRM @ Jan 13th 2008 12:26PM
Even a real instructor can only do so much. When beginning to play a guitar, you have to accept that you'll sound terrible for, at least, a couple of years--whether with software, books, or teachers helping you.
playwhutyalike (kinda digs Manhunt 2) @ Jan 13th 2008 12:35PM
Can this show you how to tune a guitar without a guitar tuner? I didn't read the article. I do agree when taking any lessons, help from all sides is good.
Example, I've been messing with making my own beats for years. Last year I started taking piano lessons. Suddenly, things started clicking for me. Even though I had all the piano chord hang-ups and what not, the instruction helped alot. Everybody learns differently I guess.
MasterInsan0 @ Jan 13th 2008 2:49PM
Instructors are very expensive unless you have a willing friend or relative who is also a good teacher.
playwhutyalike (kinda digs Manhunt 2) @ Jan 13th 2008 6:28PM
Don't let the price of instructors keep you from learning something you really want to do. The money I have spent has been well worth it. I could have cheaped it and got the learn to play piano software for $50 dollars and still be at square one.
playwhutyalike (kinda digs Manhunt 2) @ Jan 13th 2008 12:45PM
I just want to add that if there is anything that makes a child want to pick up an instrument and learn it, more power to it.
mccomber @ Jan 13th 2008 1:56PM
This is a decent idea, but I can't help but wonder what happens when they encounter an actual page of notes without colors and shapes to tell them what is what...
Slayer @ Jan 13th 2008 2:14PM
Agreed. I started learning the guitar a year ago. If you pick up a really nasty habit while learning it will stick with you for a long time. Using colored pages and shapes might screw you up.
JRM @ Jan 13th 2008 10:12PM
Nah.
Eventually, you'll be using your ears to learn songs. Colours and diagrams won't mean anything by then. In the world of music, your ears become your eyes. You learn to "see" songs with your ears.
For this software, though, I'm sure the colors and activities are more to get used to the different sound combinations on the fretboard--which isn't a bad idea, as long as it's affordable enough (around $40).
Mitochondria @ Jan 13th 2008 2:17PM
First things first, their are a lot of great and amazing guitarist today and now more than their have ever been, especially since the guitar is such a popular instrument other wise why have a game based around it? I mean, yeah people wanna be rock stars but you gotta be able to play or at least sing, maybe not well but yeah those people are making money some how.
Anyway, yeah this is a good idea, but I don't think a lot of people would really want to invest the time it would take to be good at playing guitar, it's not something you just pick and play unless you're some sort of prodigy.
ThornedVenom @ Jan 13th 2008 9:31PM
For once we're teaching kids valuable skills through a game, so don't hate it if it's doing something positive. =)