You Rock Guitar – When Your Guitar Teaches You How To Play

A little while ago I wrote about how the guitar of the future might integrate electronics to open new possibilities for our favourite instrument. I recently discovered an interesting new guitar that has already taken several steps into the future. Read on to discover the You Rock Guitar, among its many talents it can help you learn to play better.

 

You Rock Guitar

You Rock Guitar is a MIDI controller guitar with a built-in synthesizer and learning features. It is made easily portable by a clip-on neck design and the instruments body is smaller than a normal guitar. You should be able to fit it easily into a travel bag.

 

MIDI Sound

With its MIDI sound it can produce sounds of different kinds of electric or acoustic guitars. But that’s not all, it also has 50 quality samples of piano, synths and strings and you can download additional samples or create and save your own sounds. That definitely opens up some creative possibilities.

 

The You Rock Guitar will also play backing tracks for you to jam along with. A useful feature for learning guitar or one-man bands.

 

With all those different sounds and a built-in recorder to capture what you play it also makes for a handy tool for coming up with musical ideas that you won’t lose.

 

Touch Sensitive Fingerboard

The guitar works with a touch sensitive fingerboard that has real frets and string guides. There are strings at the body of the guitar that you strum or pick just like a real guitar.

 

The neck doesn’t seem to allow bend techniques so it may not be for you bluesmen out there. You can play slides and tapping techniques though.

 

Learn From Your Mistakes

One cool feature for learning is a mode that will give you real-time feedback when you make a mistake. The guitar plays a clunky sound, that sounds kind of like a hoarse dog’s bark, instead of the actual note.

 

And of course, you can analyse the guitar’s recording of your playing to see how you did and identify recurring problems or weaknesses to work on.

 

Conclusion

You Rock Guitar doesn’t look and feel exactly like a traditional guitar. But I’m sure it’s small size and ease of playing will appeal to many, especially gamers who seem to be one of the primary targets for this instrument. It will also appeal to MIDI fans and composers for whom it can be a fun tool for creating music.

 

It definitely opens intriguing possibilities for guitar music making of the future. It’s learning features could help to identify and correct weaknesses in your playing and let you know when you’re improving them.

 

Resources

Learn more at the You Rock Guitar web site. There are some demo videos that show off the guitar’s capabilities very well.

Comparison of Guitar Practice Amps

I am looking for a small practice amp for electric guitar. I’ve been comparing some models including the Roland Cube and Fender Mustang series and came across this helpful series of videos produced by Anderton’s Music that compares these two amps as well as similar modelling amps from Vox and Line 6.

 

Part One

Part one pits the Fender Mustang II 40W against a Roland Cube 40XL.

 

 

Part Two

In part two the Vox VT40+ and the Line6 Spider IV 30 battle it out. You also get to discover the final verdict…

 

 

Special Bonus Part Three

If you’re interested in a simpler amp with less extra features, this special bonus video shows the Blackstar HT1 1W tube amp, a small tube amp designed for home practice.

 

On Being A Band Member

"People have been after me for a long time to do another solo album, but I don’t care about being center stage. That’s not my goal. I’m a band member; always been a band member." -- Steve Cropper

 

I’ve been an admirer of Steve Cropper for a long time. You see, I’m not one of those flashy lead guitar type guys; I love to play rhythm guitar.

 

For me, there’s nothing better than laying down a solid rhythm track to give drive and energy to a song. There are several great players out there who were masters in that art. The regretted Cornell Dupree was one of my heroes, and Steve Cropper’s work with numerous artists at Stax Records is another inspiration.

 

Being a band member means knowing how to fit into a group context. Yes, music really is a team sport. Keep that in mind and turn your amp down a little, cut back on those solos, and leave room for your fellow musicians.

 

If you’d like to read the rest of Gibson’s interview with Steve Cropper then click here.

 

Photo by Jsome1.

Beginner Chord Progression

Today’s exercise is a four-chord progression in the key of C major. The first three chords should be fairly easy for beginner guitar players. The last chord is an F major that might be a little harder for beginner’s to play, but you’ll learn a position that doesn’t require an F bar chord.

 

The progression uses the I-ii-V-IV chords, respectively C, Dm, G and F in the key of C. Take a look at the progression below, you’ll find the chord shapes and some playing notes below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Chord Shapes

The diagrams below show suggested fingerings for the C, Dm, G and F chords.

 

I’ve chosen a fingering that doesn’t require a bar for the F chord. This shape is easier for less experienced guitarists but I also like to use it when playing acoustic guitar because it’s less tiring than a bar chord. Lean your first finger down slightly to block the first string. If you want you can use the F bar chord shape instead to play this chord.

 

All content copyright (c) 2007 - 2011 Gary Fletcher. All rights reserved. Not Playing Guitar

The Secret To A Great Sounding Guitar…

"We all know the secret to a great sounding guitar.....go home and PRACTICE!"

 

I was watching a review of the Fender Telecaster Blacktop guitar in a YouTube video the other day when I read that comment. I plan to keep it in mind while I make my choice of electric guitar; it’s not how much money you put in that counts the most :-)

 

If you’re interested in the review you can watch it on You Tube by clicking here.

Easy Beginner Chord Progression

Today’s lesson is an easy beginner chord progression in the key of C major. This exercise uses three open chord positions shown below.

 

 

In the key of C major these three chords are the I, ii and V. In music, Roman numerals are used to denote chords by their relative position in a key.

 

• The first chord, also called the root, gives the key its name and is denoted by the Roman numeral I. The capital ‘I’ indicates that the chord is major.

 

• The second chord in the key of C major is D minor. It is denoted by a Roman numeral ii; the small letters indicate the minor nature of the chord.

 

• G major is the fifth chord in the key of C and it is denoted by the Roman numeral V.

 

The Roman numerals allow progressions to be described in a way that is independent of the actual key. You just substitute in the appropriate chords for whatever key you’re playing in.

 

The I, ii and V are often found together and the V is most often followed by a return to the I chord. The exercise below shows a I-ii-V-I progression in the key of C for you to practice.