Amazon.com Product Description

Learn to play acoustic and electric guitar with the convenience of watching a movie and the interaction of a software program. Voyetra Complete Teach Me Guitar offers step-by-step instruction with 3-D graphics and play-along tracks. Learn how to tune the guitar, play chords, scales, and licks, and finally, entire songs. Practice techniques used in rock, blues, country, and other popular music styles. On the video, an instructor explains and then demonstrates each lesson. Synchronized video and animation show you guitar fingerings in real time, while the digital video format lets you loop, pause, or slow sections for practice. You'll also learn about basic music theory, as it relates to the guitar. Then--when you're ready--mute this two-DVD set's guitar track and jam to all the songs. ... Read more

Features

• Video instructor demonstrates techniques in each lesson
• Clear illustrations and diagrams show exactly where to place your fingers
• Music Glossary describes and illustrates music terms
• Tempo and loop controls for focusing on specific song sections
• Animated fret board shows different views of guitar fingering techniques

Reviews (1)

Very user friendly, accept...
I'm a musician, and I'm trying to learn guitar as well. This is great, it really goes through the basics, and has been very helpful.

However, it doesn't teach you accuratly how to tune. I can't stand doing all these exercises out of tune. It drives me crazy, and makes me want to put the guitar back in the case, untill someone can tune it for me.

I don't want to invest in a tuner, untill I know I want to keep learing how to play, and I don't want to play while I'm so out of tune! What a vicious circle :). ... Read more

Features

• Get complete instruction on reading standard notation or guitar tablatures
• Jam along with the band, using the Real Instrument Multi-Tracking tool
• Discover the similarities and differences of rock, folk, country and classical guiatr
• Learn to play 21 classic guitar songs by world-famous artists
• Celebrity performances bring the music to life and show you how the masters did it

Features

• This interactive guide gives you step-by-step instructions on how to tune and play your guitar
• Print out pieces and chords to read and practice
• Watch video clips as an expert shows youhow it's done
• Learn about the history of the guitar, from classical to rock

Features

• Learn to read both standard notation and tablatures
• Follow right along with music right on your screen
• Interactive song player shows you exactly how each song should be played
• Adjust tempos and mix accompaniment audio
• Record your performance and play it back(requires microphone)

Amazon.com Product Description

Voyetra's Teach Me Rock Guitar is a self-learning package that allows you to learn to play guitar by first learning three classic-rock songs: "Crossroads," "Little Wing," and "Freeway Jam." Teach Me Rock Guitar offers an easy step-by-step method, complete with videos, charts, and diagrams. The animated fretboard shows you the fingerings on the guitar neck in real time as you play. You can control tempos or loop sections, which makes it easy to learn songs at your own pace. And, when you're ready to jam, you can even play along with the band. The self-paced course lets you begin with concepts and basic theory, or skip right to the lessons. A video overview introduces you to each phase of the course. Each phase focuses on particular chords and techniques, which are described by your instructor, written in text passages, and demonstrated by video clips. You don't have to read music to play guitar. Clear and simple illustrations, diagrams, and charts show you exactly where to place your fingers.

At the end of each section, take the chords and techniques that you've just learned and put them to work by playing the included classic-rock songs--complete with chord charts, tablature, music notation, and an onscreen backing band. Music glossary animations that cover melody, harmony, rhythm, and notation are linked to the songs and lessons to help you learn music easily. Each section ends with a complete song for you to play. When you're ready to jam, mute the guitar track and sit in with the band. Watch the notes appear on the guitar neck as you play along with songs. Full MIDI control lets you adjust the mix, loop particular sections, and change the tempo so that you can learn the part slowly. Choose from four different views of the neck, and find the one that works for you--there's even a special view for lefties. Teach Me Rock Guitar comes with picks, a pocket guitar-chord dictionary, and even a software-based tuning system. It's perfect for beginners and advanced players alike. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

intermediate players a prerequisite
The instuctional part is good but the animated fretboard does not always follow what the instuctor is doing on the guitar, it sometime plays the notes in a differant position on the guitar.
It is very helpful to know the notes repetitive postion on the fretboard other wise you may have a hard time following how the instuctor is playing.
good cd but probably not for the beginner.

Great Product
I totally disagree with the last review. I've had this product for the last year and use it often. I would consider myself an intermediate player and find this very helpful. This isn't meant for beginners as a "learn everything you need to know" type of product. It is meant to show the intermediate player alot of technique. If you have any desire to play Crossroads and Little Wing this is a must. You can slow the video lesson down and go frame by frame to see the fingering and technique that Keith Wyatt uses. The complete music videos are way cool as well. The only thing it lacks is a way to print the tab so you can practice away from the computer. I also have the "Teach me Blues Guitar" and love it as well. I wish Keith Wyatt and Voyetra would put out more products. Both of these products have been a great addition to my practice routine.

Avoid this product
I bought this product on a whim, thinking I could use to re-enforce my "guitar for dummies" knowledge.

While the cover looks exciting (play along with the band, many views of the guitar, etc.), once you load the product and start trying to use it to learn is when you realize how badly you want to get your money back.

I think the biggest complaint, is that there is no order on the lessons. There is a table of contents, but nothing even remotely indicating "start here and go in this direction". It is the most unorganized piece of software I have ever purchased.

Save your money, and run away from this product. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

eMedia Guitar Method, Vol. 1 eliminates any excuse you may have forleaving your guitar sitting dormant and dusty in the corner. Designed with thebeginner in mind, this software offers more than 150 lessons, includingeverything from how to hold your guitar to chord progressions and fingerpickingtechniques. Plus, the exercises are accompanied by full-motion video, helpfulaudio advice, and an animated fretboard. Add in a digital metronome, digitalrecorder, and an automatic tuner, and your rationalizations for not learning arenull and void.

After setting aside just a couple of minutes for installation and setup, you'reready to go. Upon launching the software, you're given a complete table ofcontents, making it easy to access whichever lesson you want to start on. Ifyou've never picked up a guitar, the first few lessons are handy, guiding youthrough different types of guitars, how to string a guitar, tuning, holding, andfinger position. All the language is simple and easy to understand, and beforelong you're playing your first song.

Two of the nicest features are the animated fretboard and full-motion videos.The video demonstrations are perfect for people who may need to hear things morethan once or twice. Want to see just how your fingers should be positioned forthat full G chord? Just click and watch as many times as you want. And forlearning to play songs, the animated fretboard is great, showing you just whichfingers go where and when. And the more than 70 songs included are good, too,ranging among such artists as Bob Dylan, the Grateful Dead, Heart, and the SteveMiller Band.

Teaching yourself to play guitar can be frustrating and boring. Fortunately,eMedia has made learning guitar interesting, uncomplicated, and just plain fun.--Joshua Goldman ... Read more

Reviews (17)

Well worth the price
If you want to learn to play the guitar, get this course. Before using this course I had never even picked up a guitar. In a month, I was playing. Here it is 6 month later and I'm playing well enough to play with just about anybody. The course layout is logical and makes learning something you can't help but do.

Chords are introduced one or two at a time and each lesson builds on previous lessons so that what you learned early on in the course remains fresh in your mind. Couple that with the video of the author demonstrating various techniques, animated fretboard, chord finder (with a diagram and audio of the chord) and metronome and you have a great course that makes learning to play the guitar very easy. As with any learning tool, you have to want to learn and you have to practice. But, this course is a great tool to get you to playing a guitar.

Loads of material. You"ll be inspired for months.
I've been using the Emedia Guitar CD-ROM for almost five months now and my progress is remarkable. Each newly taught guitar skill is backed up with songs and exercises to practice and refine that technique. My only problem with this product is the recorder is no better than the one included with most computers. The other built-in features (tuner, metronome and chord dictionary) are all very helpful. I've been going to a lot of free guitar tab sites and the chord dictionary is a great help for all those chords I haven't learned yet and are rarely written out. There is also a way to slow down any song on the program, which is very helpful now that I'm working on some more difficult stuff.

I highly recommend this for anyone serious about learning.

Very useful and eMedia will exchange.
In response to a previous review, eMedia will take back their products. I got Guitar Method 2 from a store and it was a little too difficult because I've only been playing for about 2 months. eMedia was very nice and exchanged it for Guitar Method 1. Make sure you do it in 30 days. The program is very helpful and my progress has rapidly accelerated. I'll probably end up getting the second level after all. I also really like Zen and the Art of Guitar for a little inspiration.

Product is cheaky
This product doesn't do the justice of teaching guitar well

Get's you playing fast!
I've really struggled with guitar books for many months now but I got this CD-ROM for X-mass and I've really made a lot of progress. Having an instructor on call to see first hand how to play a chord or strum is such a plus. You can slow all the songs down to whatever speed you need them, which is also handy. I'll definitely move on to the next level. ... Read more

Features

• Software to help teach music at the elementary-school level
• 180+ exciting, ready-to-use lessons that support MENC standards
• Save hours of preparation; cross-curricular and creative music lessons
• Hundreds of music clips and printable pictures; 99-track audio CD
• Full explanations of musical concepts for non-specialist teachers

Amazon.com Product Description

Discover why this beginner's guitar CD-ROM tutorial is a bestseller. No previous music experience is needed to learn acoustic or electric guitar at your own pace. Sixty comprehensive lessons include more than one hundred songs/exercises (many hit songs) and range from basics like stringing the guitar to playing chords, melodies, and fingerpicking. A built-in automatic tuner allows you to interactively tune your guitar. In addition, a digital metronome, recorder with playback, and 250-chord dictionary are included. Guitar Method 1 is complemented by more than thirty videos and over three hours of audio from guitar lessons and hard-to-follow books. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Designed for the beginning to intermediate guitar player, eMedia's Guitar Method 2 gives you plenty of new techniques to boost your playing chops and extend your range of musical styles. With over 60 lessons on solo guitar licks, rhythm guitar, blues, and fingerpicking techniques, this CD-ROM is a great choice for musicians seeking to extend their range and craft.

The lessons in Guitar Method 2 build up new playing techniques, beginning with hammer-ons, pull-offs, trills, and vibrato techniques. Short musical excerpts using blues, rock, folk, and even classical tunes let you practice these skills for yourself. You can play along with a recording while viewing the score (both in guitar tablature or in standard music notation). The CD-ROM bundles plenty of short video and voice tips, too.

Besides playing leads, Guitar Method 2 has a lot to say about learning new rhythm techniques, particularly for blues and rock (including an excellent introduction to barre chords, a must for any serious guitarist). You'll learn the essence of 12-bar blues, shuffle rhythms, and the like. The final set of lessons concentrates on finger-style guitar, illustrating a variety of picking techniques.

With songs by many of the greats--including Willie Dixon, Eric Clapton, Jerry Garcia, Jeff Beck, Bob Dylan, and Jim Croce--Guitar Method 2 lets you learn from the best. Many lessons end with links to the Online Guitar Archive (OLGA) for songs by newer artists who use the same playing techniques.

Beyond the main lessons, additional sections show how to read music and the scales used for a variety of music styles. Added perks here include an electronic metronome, a nifty electronic dictionary of over 150 chords with diagrams, plus a utility to help you tune up. In all, Guitar Method 2 can make you a better guitarist as you learn at your own pace and gain exposure to an appealing range of styles and new techniques. --Rich Dragan ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Bored Without the Fretboard...
This is the heelball sequel to my favorite cdrom, Guitar Method 1. It shares many songs with the original version! Why would anyone want to buy the same information twice?

I wish I could say what it does have is the worst part, but it isn't. This software doesn't include the animated fret board. This is a moving picture that shows you exactly how to play a song. It was the reason I bought the cd I was stunned that the best feature from the first edition was omitted!

Even so, there are new techniques to be learned here. Even so, their Blues or Guitar Songs offerings are probably better picks. Less expensive too!!s ... Read more

Features

• A complete encyclopedia of orchestral and band instruments
• 50+ instruments; 20+ types of bands, orchestras, and ensembles
• Lesson plans, student assignments, and recommended listening
• Quiz with 500 listening and general questions; guide to ensembles
• High-quality audio recordings of each instrument

Reviews (5)

Unique and magnificent
There is no other software in the world that does this: give you a complete encylopaedic guide to everything for band and orchestra, with really great detail and GREAT audio examples of every instrument of the orchestra and band. Plus a fun quiz too!
If your kids are doing a project on instruments, every school library (every public library) should have a copy of this. Like an Enkarta for music.....

This is Fantastic!!
I'm such a Sibelius fan!

I just got "Instruments" today, and couldn't help but boast about it. I just can't stop diving deeper into this program. It's like the most wonderful interactive musical encyclopedia you could possibly imagine. Nothing comes close to this if you want a one-stop way to learn EVERYTHING about instruments, ensembles, etc., including HOW THEY SOUND!!
Every musician (from beginners to pros) should have this program. I imagine it would be a very popular learning tool in schools. I wish this was around when I went through music training! Funny thing is, it's a bit humbling because you're likely to LEARN something from it, no matter how educated you are. :-)

A must-have Resource for Music Educators
Instruments by Sibelius is a must-have software for every music educator. Musicians who have an interest in band and orchestra instruments will also find this interactive, multimedia guide to be a valuable resource. Installation is very simple, even for the novice.

Instruments provides a fairly comprehensive presentation of the instruments, including notated and sound examples, playing techniques, listening lists, pitch ranges, and writing for the instrument family.

Of special interest to the music educator are the student assignments, lesson plans, and a quiz. The student assignments are designed to help students understand the evolution of the orchestra, bands, and other ensembles. Permission to photocopy any of the assignment pages is given to schools and colleges that own Instruments-a big plus. The lesson plans are particularly effective if you have a computer projector to use as a teaching tool. The quiz is designed in a multiple-choice format to test knowledge about the instruments, ensembles, and playing techniques as described in the software.

I highly recommend Sibeluis Instruments to all enthusiasts of band and orchestra instruments, but especially to teachers of music education.

Everything you wanted to know about instruments!
I'm a composer here in the West Midlands, and I also teach in various schools in the area. I bought this software for my students recently, but after using it for a while and realising just how useful it is I've now bought my own copy for when composing at home.

Basically it's got comprehensive information about almost every orchestral/band instrument you can think of (and a few you won't even have heard of) - but presented in a very useful & interesting way. There are pictures, orchestral & band layouts, instrumental ranges, notated examples from well-known pieces, historical context, plus (most importantly of all) hundreds of excellent audio recordings.

What's more there's complete information about every technique in the orchestration books, from bowing to multiphonics to percussion mallets, again all with recordings. This is completely invaluable stuff, even for a professional composer. Where else (in one place) can you actually *hear* the difference between jete and spiccato, or a cup mute and a Harmon mute? (Or a fingered trill and a lip-trill!) The orchestration books naturally *mention* all these things, but don't of course come with recordings.

There's also a quiz, intended for students I suppose, to test what they've learnt - I tried it out (at the advanced level) and I confess not even I got full marks! (Some of those questions are really tricky...)

Overall, I'd say this is invaluable both as an approachable introduction to instruments for students (even beginners), and as excellent reference material for professionals.

(Disclaimer: I do already use their Sibelius 2 notation software, of which I'm a big fan, so I'm already a bit of a convert.)

Everything you wanted to know about instruments!
I'm a composer mainly, and I also teach in various schools in the area. I bought this software for my students recently, but after using it for a while and realising just how useful it is I've now bought my own copy for when composing at home.

Basically it's got comprehensive information about almost every orchestral/band instrument you can think of (and a few you won't even have heard of) - but presented in a very useful & interesting way. There are pictures, orchestral & band layouts, instrumental ranges, notated examples from well-known pieces, historical context, plus (most importantly of all) hundreds of excellent audio recordings.

What's more there's complete information about every possible technique, from bowing to multiphonics to percussion mallets, again all with recordings. This is completely invaluable even for a professional composer. Where else (in one place) can you actually *hear* the difference between jete and spiccato, or a cup mute and a Harmon mute? (Or a fingered trill and a lip-trill!) The orchestration books naturally *mention* all these things, but don't of course come with recordings!

There's also a quiz, intended for students I suppose, to test what they've learnt - I tried it out (at the advanced level) and I confess not even I got full marks! (Some of those questions are really tricky...)

Overall, I'd say this is invaluable both as an approachable introduction to instruments for students (even beginners), and as excellent reference material for professionals.

(Disclaimer: I do already use their Sibelius 2 notation software, of which I'm a big fan, so I'm already a bit of a convert. The Sibelius people really seem to know their stuff.) ... Read more

Features

• Self-paced; begin with concepts and basic theory, or skip to lessons
• Clear, simple illustrations, diagrams, and charts show finger placement
• Animated fretboard shows neck fingerings in real time
• Choose from 4 different views of the neck; special view for lefties
• Practice by learning classic rock songs; play with the band

Features

• Have you ever wished you could play the piano but didn't know where to start? Well, Easy Piano is the answer
• Just follow along with the step-by-step video lessons, and you'll be playing tunes for your friends in no time
• Watch as an expert shows you the right way to play
• This includes lessons and tunes at basic and advanced levels, pieces and chords to print and practice, a complete guide to reading music, and information on piano history and famous players
• CD-ROM for Win/Mac

Features

• Session with MAGIX midi studio SE included
• Piano and keyboard instruction software
• Five instruction modes
• Step-by-step progressive interactive lessons
• Sheet music from any imported MIDI file

Reviews (3)

Put it down, walk away...
I had previously used Jump Software's Piano Discovery System (now out of business).But I got a new keyboard, and thought that I would get new tutor software to go with it.Well, this was on the shelf at my local electronics superstore, and it was THE MOST EXPENSIVE package.However, I could not imagine a worse package.I would like to point out that, unlike other reviewers, I had no installation problem on WinXP Pro.First of all, this is NOT for beginners.For example, the first lesson never even tells you which hands or fingers use to use.There are ABSOLUTELY NO VIDEOS anywhere.All this program does is is load MIDI files, play them back, and grade you as you play it.That is it!I would expect better from shareware.Even the text instructions do not tell you anything about how to read music, the difference between a half-note and a quarter-note, which fingers to use, etc.So this was a complete waste of $40!

For a point of reference, Piano Discovery System had recorded voices talk you through each lesson.It had videos of a person playing the music properly.It had a couple of games which were actually fun to play.Unfortunately, the company is out of business, and the software does not work on XP.

MAGIX PIANO & KEYBOARD WORKSHOP 2ND EDITION
THE RATING FOR THIS PROGRAM IS ZERO STARS. I CALLED CUSTOMER SERVICE AND WAS PUT OFF WITH NO REPLY MY HOME PHONE IS 703 685 4935.WHEN I TRIED TO MAKE A BACKUP DISC MY COMPUTER SAID THAT THERE ARE ERRORS ON THE DISK. THE SAME RESPONSE WITH TWO DIFFERENT COMPUTERS. I WASTED TWO BLANK CDs.I WANT A PROGRAM DISK WITH NO ERRORS. MICROSOFT SAID THAT IT DOES NOT RECOGNISE ANY OF THE "E" MAIL ADDRESSES I COPIED FROM THE INSTRUCTION BOOK. THE PROGRAM HANGS UP ON WINDOWS 98. IT MAY BE DUE TO THE ERRORS ON THE DISK REPORTED WHEN TRYING TO MAKE A BACKUP. NOT BEING ABLE TO CONTACT THE MANUFACTURER IS NOT HELPFUL. THE OTHER THREE PROGRAMS I BOUGHT FROM AMAZON ARE ALL WORTH FIVE STARS BUT I REGRET HAVING BOUGHT THE MAGIX PROGRAM.

Please Read the Fine Print!
Okay, I can't say whether version 2.0 stinks or not.I believe I may have a previous version, but can't say for sure.All I know is that my Magix Piano and Keyboard Workshop program didn't even install properly, since I use Windows XP.I checked the company's web site and there is only one vague reference to this program, and no patches available. When I bought the software, it said it is for Windows OS.Copyright is year 2001. Go figure.All I can say with certainty is to MAKE SURE YOUR OPERATING SYSTEM VERSION IS SUPPORTED IN BEFORE YOU BUY THE SOFTWARE! Otherwise it is an abject waste of money.I wrote to Magix and informed them that I would post a negative review of their product until such time that they find someone in software development to create a patch for XP users.If anyone else out there has had better luck than me, more power to you! ... Read more

Features

• Transpose MIDI file to playback to any key
• Adjust tempo and mix in audio accompaniment
• Record your performance and see how you sound(requires microphone)
• Features rock, jazz, blues and other popular styles
• Learn the basics of singing - Breathing, posture, warming up, reading music

Features

• Turns your computer into a powerful piano tutor
• Unlimited downloadable song list; learn any song you want
• Live video demonstrations show technique and performance
• Over 40 music lessons; learn at your own pace
• Interactive, multimedia learning environment for ages 8 and up

Amazon.com Product Description

Mix your tune, add your art, and grab the mic: Radio Disney, featuring music from Lill J, lets you run your own music jam/mixing sessions and create your own songs and music videos. Choose mixes from a wide variety of music styles, and customize each song by moving the music around, changing the volume, pitch, tone, speed, background sounds, and vocals. Then take the mic and step into the recording studio to lay down a vocal track. Next, make an animated video to match your music. You can even create a customized desktop player that you can use to play all of your CDs, MP3s, and WAV and WMA music files. Save your creations to your own personal play list, and send your Jam Gram to all your fans. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Music fans...check this out!
I was excited to finally buy the Radio Disney Music Mix studio, and even more excited to try it out! It was a little complicated to figure out at first. I had to read and re-read the directions, and then fiddle with it for a few minutes before I understood what it did. But once you know how to work the "controls" you'll have a blast! You get to choose what kind of music style you want to use. Then, there are three pre-written songs you can use, each with different sounds, beats, and tunes. You can use these, or create your own from scratch. One you have your song, you can record your own voice, plus distort it in different ways. Next you create a music video by choosing from backgrounds, animations, etc. All in all, this game is great...especially for the future star in the family! ...

Great Game
Radio Disney created a wonderful electronic game. My little brother recieved this game and was entertained with Music Mix Studio. It was a little dificult to work with, you need to read the directions. It is a little confusing but still a ball. I hope you enjoy the game! ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Learn to play any guitar with eMedia's easy-to-follow Guitar Method 1. Arranged in six chapters with an appendix, this program offers 85 comprehensive lessons. Cover everything from the basics of holding, stringing, and tuning your guitar to playing chords, melodies, and even learning fingerpicking styles. Guitar Method 1 teaches you how to play hit songs in rock, blues, classical, country, and folk genres. Learn to play Scarborough Fair, House of the Rising Sun, Ode to Joy, and many others. An easy-to-follow animated fretboard and fretronome helps you learn songs in either guitar tablature or standard music notation by displaying the fingering and highlighting the notes.

Step-by-step lessons are presented by Kevin Garry, Ph.D., in 30 full-motion video clips. A built-in tuner allows you to interactively tune your guitar, while a digital metronome, recorder with playback, multitrack audio for hit songs, Internet song guide, and a 250-chord dictionary round out the score! ... Read more