Guitar Coach

Rating:
Summary: Great Beginner Product!
Review: As a dad, and otherwise busy guy, I had just about given up on learning to play the guitar. I had looked into regular classes, but could not find the time, and had tried the eMedia intro product with little success.

After reading the other reviews I decided to try once more with Guitar Coach, and I am glad I did.

My musical tastes run the gamut from classical to metal, with bits of everything in between, so I was hoping to get a good start on the classical and finger-style end of playing, and then work my way to other styles. I seem to have found exactly what I needed.

The lessons have been set up as a series of building blocks, with an emphasis on learning correct finger and fret hand position and use. As you continue and practice, the exercises build on each other and lead into more difficult bits. I am currently half way through and have been taking about a week to go through each separate lesson. It could probably have been done faster, but (see the section above, "dad") I have been taking my time to make sure that I learn the section correctly.

The video and diagrams are very helpful and playing with the accompaniment is challenging and really helps to get your playing up to speed. TAB notation is well explained and there are plenty of helps available in the reference section.

Your mileage may vary, but I have been so pleased that I also purchased the Electric Guitar Coach product and have been spreading big hints about the upcoming Intermediate product to my wife.

Enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: Great Beginner Product!
Review: As a dad, and otherwise busy guy, I had just about given up on learning to play the guitar. I had looked into regular classes, but could not find the time, and had tried the eMedia intro product with little success.

After reading the other reviews I decided to try once more with Guitar Coach, and I am glad I did.

My musical tastes run the gamut from classical to metal, with bits of everything in between, so I was hoping to get a good start on the classical and finger-style end of playing, and then work my way to other styles. I seem to have found exactly what I needed.

The lessons have been set up as a series of building blocks, with an emphasis on learning correct finger and fret hand position and use. As you continue and practice, the exercises build on each other and lead into more difficult bits. I am currently half way through and have been taking about a week to go through each separate lesson. It could probably have been done faster, but (see the section above, "dad") I have been taking my time to make sure that I learn the section correctly.

The video and diagrams are very helpful and playing with the accompaniment is challenging and really helps to get your playing up to speed. TAB notation is well explained and there are plenty of helps available in the reference section.

Your mileage may vary, but I have been so pleased that I also purchased the Electric Guitar Coach product and have been spreading big hints about the upcoming Intermediate product to my wife.

Enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: Guitar Coach Software
Review: GC has visually pleasing and interesting approaches to learning the guitar that is not found in most other books or software. (Maybe because this is developed by a UK vs US based company.) It includes numerous tips and excellent video illustrations(simul of both hands)as well as demonstrations on what not to do. From the beginning, GC covers playing tunes with 10 frets instead of just the first 3. Primary emphasis is fingerpicking(PIMA)although use of the pick is covered as well. The music theory/TABs is easily explained with diagrams. Playing with accompaniment enhances the learning. The pleasant British accented narrative is a plus.
Although well organized,this software could use an update(1997). For instances there is no pop up help and links require several clicks.
I have 4 Beginner lvl guitar books and the v.good eMedia's Guitar Method 1 software however, I have learned the most from this product. I consider it a very worthwhile investment, and for the price a bargain.

Rating:
Summary: Let's you jump straight in
Review: Guitar Coach is a well presented, intuitive product that lets you jump straight into playing songs, avoiding the risk of a beginner losing interest before they get to the good stuff!

I'd been playing guitar for a few months before I bought Guitar Coach, so I initially thought I was too advanced for the beginning lessons, but the more advanced lessons were quite challenging and as I progressed, I found myself referring back to the earlier lessons to ensure my technique was correct. By the end of the course - there are five levels each consisting of a series of lessons to develop different aspects of your playing - I found I really did need to have a good technique to have any hope of mastering one of the more difficult pieces (a rollicking version of La Bamba).

The product is really easy to use, advances at a nice rate and has great videos to ensure you are doing things correctly along the way. My main gripe with the videos is that you find yourself continually clicking on the mouse to rewind and play again (I notice this problem has been overcome in the Guitar Coach Intermediate version with a loop option). So in this regard a new release of the product to fix the issue would be most welcome. One of the best features is the variety of songs and styles that are provided across all of the lessons.

A possible downside for the purists is that all of the material is presented in TAB format, and there is little music theory presented. I would argue that adding this material could be at the expense of a beginner's enjoyment, which seems to be a real focus. I must admit that I am at the stage where I'd like to have a few different scales and theory elements to work into a more regimented practice routine, but hey, I can always buy a book or even better, get myself a human coach ($$$). For value, I'd say Guitar Coach is the real deal.

Rating:
Summary: Great For Beginners
Review: I am a beginner. The videos on the disk help to show you how to play what they are teaching. It allows you to skip around, so if you prefer to learn a certain chord or style, you can jump to it. I had no problems loading it or learning to use it. Very user friendly, with little need for a manual.

Rating:
Summary: Great For Beginners
Review: I am a beginner. The videos on the disk help to show you how to play what they are teaching. It allows you to skip around, so if you prefer to learn a certain chord or style, you can jump to it. I had no problems loading it or learning to use it. Very user friendly, with little need for a manual.

Rating:
Summary: Very nice product!
Review: I bought this software after having started beginning work with a teacher who really was more geared toward advanced players, when I was just starting out. This software allows you to learn basic classical techniques, strumming, and fingerstyle. You learn several chords, and it provides practice exercises. The software teaches how to read tab, but not music notation. The neat thing is that you can learn some nice songs and they provide accompaniments for your practice, so practicing is fun. You begin learning very basic songs like Love me Tender and Morning Mood. You learn the simple classical version, and also the strumming version. It has a metronome to work up your speed. At the fifth level (highest) you learn a portion of La Bamba and Maleguena. In between are some other very nice little pieces like Amazing Grace and Study in Eminor. I am looking forward to the next, more advanced CD, which they promised would come when I wrote to them. Don't know when, but I found this CD to be a very good investment for someone beginning classical or acoustic guitar. You can learn at your own pace, and you have a good foundation for more advanced study.

Rating:
Summary: Building Blocks Method of Learning Guitar
Review: I have Guitar Coach and Intermediate Guitar coach and find both to be excellent learning tools. I have several video lessons, and a shelves full of books on how to play guitar. I have found that I am making the most progress with Charanga (Guitar Coach) CDs over everything else I've tried, not to mention I'm having a lot of fun in the process!

Thanks to Charanga for the effort they put into making such a fantastic product!

Rating:
Summary: Building Blocks Method of Learning Guitar
Review: I have Guitar Coach and Intermediate Guitar coach and find both to be excellent learning tools. I have several video lessons, and a shelves full of books on how to play guitar. I have found that I am making the most progress with Charanga (Guitar Coach) CDs over everything else I've tried, not to mention I'm having a lot of fun in the process!

Thanks to Charanga for the effort they put into making such a fantastic product!

Rating:
Summary: Guitar Coach falls flat
Review: I tried both Guitar Coach and Emedia's Guitar Method but was disappointed in Guitar Coach. Guitar Coach has flashy videos but the lessons are mostly dull exercises and awkward to move about in. There is no animated fretboard showing where to put your fingers as there is in Guitar Method. Also, the tuner in Guitar Coach is not as convenient to use as an automatic tuner. I found it much easier to learn songs with Guitar Method.