Description:
Capably hosted by respected session guitarist and veteran instructor Ross Bolton, Voyetra Turtle Beach's Teach Me Guitar Deluxe won't teach you how to solo like Carlos Santana. The program instead distills the most important elements of beginning and intermediate rock guitar into bite-size bits that promote extensive hands-on practice and self-discovery. Like a Reader's Digest Condensed Book, it smartly conveys the flavor and styling of its subject matter without overwhelming the user, thus allowing aspiring players to begin the move from bumbling amateur to nimble-fingered virtuoso. Starting with basic open chords and progressing sequentially through chord variations, power and movable chording, basic melody positioning, scales, picking techniques, and several standard blues and rock progressions, Teach Me Guitar Deluxe features 30-plus lessons amid a wide variety of compelling visual accompaniments. Students have access to such perks as animated fretboards, graphic fingering demonstrations, charts, and live-environment music videos featuring Bolton and his made-for-software band. While only four complete songs are offered, each is paired with an impressive tutorial that covers every note from the beginning of the introduction on through the verse, chorus, solo, and conclusion. Fortunately, the program is designed to adapt to varying abilities. At any point during the proceedings, players may opt to loop and repeat a given passage, decrease or increase musical tempo without affecting the key, skip sections that seem too simplistic, or consult the enclosed chord dictionary booklet for more comprehensive fingering instructions. Teach Me Guitar Deluxe distinguishes itself from Voyetra's earlier Teach Me Guitar in several respects, the most notable of which is an electronic tuner that allows you to connect your axe to the computer's sound card for error-free digital setup. The package also includes a new audio-visual presentation of its printed chord dictionary, a hard-copy tablature pad, and a trio of guitar picks. Sadly, all three of the latter are equally thick and perhaps a bit too stiff for some. Those who already know their basic chops and feel the need to move on to advanced soloing and phrasing are advised to check out Voyetra's more sophisticated Teach Me Rock Guitar or Teach Me Blues Guitar. Yet rookie and sophomore players wanting to supplement their learning curve with a grab bag of the essentials should find Teach Me Guitar Deluxe a helpful, enjoyable, and easily navigable instructional aid. --Gordon Goble
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