Real guitar teaches you to play as easy as Guitar Hero

It's cool, but there are others like it.

But IMO, it's still just a game interface. In a way, it's just taking tablature one step farther - instead of reading what fret to play, you see the instrument light up where you should play it.

As far as a learning tool, I don't think it will be very good. Here's why:

1. Having lights on the fretboard means you'll have to tip the instrument to see where they are. That means you'll be holding it in the wrong position, and it will foster not just bad technique, but potentially harmful technique - you'll be encouraged to strain your fretting wrist.

2. Because it's an interface and not an instrument, you won't get some very basic elements of musicianship. In fact, if you read the text it says so, just not in so many words: "Tune is always tune, reducing the time a student uses on this elementary task." Not having to spend time tuning means you won't learn how to tune. And tuning isn't just an elementary task - it's an essential one. If you don't know how to tune, you will ONLY be able to play by using the interface - pick up a real guitar that's out of tune and you'll sound awful. And you won't know why... because your fingers are going to the right places.

3. As a consequence of being just a game interface, it can only teach two things: the note to play, and the timing of the attack. While it's essential to play the right note at the right time, there's a heck of a lot more to musicianship. To name just a few examples: phrasing - how can you develop proper technique for slurs (hammer ons and pull-offs), variation in dynamics, palm muting muting, or harmonics?

4. Although this design looks like it has optical readers to sense string vibration, it's not clear how good the coordination between the hands has to be in order to score. Tiny discrepancies between the hands (and I'm talking milliseconds of difference) can lead to poor results - if your pick attack occurs just prior to your finger placement, you'll get an appoggiatura, not a clean note.

5. Just like tab, this would teach you only ONE way to play a sequence of notes. Really learning the instrument means understanding the relationship between the strings and frets and the pitches they produce. So you might be able to play some songs - within the limits of the technique points above - but that's a bit shy of becoming a well rounded guitarist.

I'm all for anything that gets more people interested in the guitar - or music in general. But I think the claims made are over-selling the actual benefits.

In my opinion,your ears are one of the best teachers.For easy lessons,there's good ones here on this site. Tabs are very limited,it will allow you to play like the player note for note. My brother is a good student of the guitar.I was playing a song once on my acoustic, and he said,it sounds like it note for note,but I'm not seeing that in the tabs". Once you learn notes and scales,your ears are your friends to the guitar.I like explore different ways in playing songs,not just the ones in tabs.

I don't think it a real shipping product - its just a 'design'...

I'd have thought most basic guitar could be taught with a computer that actually listens to you play. Some kind of high speed tuner with live analysis...

I'd have thought most basic guitar could be taught with a computer that actually listens to you play. Some kind of high speed tuner with live analysis...

Something like having a real live teacher in the room, then.

I think you have to go a long way to beat the conversation "Hmmmm, your D doesn't sound like my D does it. Ah, that's because you're playing a C#" or something very similar. A computer is likely just to say you've gone wrong and offer you the "Retry?" option without telling you why.

... A computer is likely just to say you've gone wrong and offer you the "Retry?" option without telling you why.

no it wouldn't - things have moved on a bit...since 1980!

What ever happened to just using the instrument you are trying to learn? I don't see the point of using a computer to learn how to play a guitar how would it make it any better.

Is this to appease young children who maybe won't stick with it? Maybe from that angle it might be OK.
I must be missing something here.

Well heres the deal guys and gals...

Harmonix, the makers of Guitar Hero, sold the rights to Guitar Hero and made Rock Band. Rock Band and GH have been going head to head with each other for a few iterations (GH:3 vs. Rock Band, GH World Tour (full band) vs. Rock Band 2).

In the meantime:

Many players have converted their plastic axes into crude electronic guitars and started "real" bands.
Even more players of these games have realised that learning the GH way would be great if it were a real instrument.
Some small software developers have even tried to get the input from a real guitar into a GH like game and seemed to be doing really well (I've been watching a few projects like the OP posted).

Now the final battle has commenced (not really, but probably lol) Rock Band 3 vs. Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock.

Now Guitar Hero has gone back to hard rock instead of the easy pop stuff that was far too mainstream and alienated the fanbase somewhat. Other than the setlist, this seems to be the main trick up the GH sleeve.

Harmonix however has been busying themselves innovating the genre even further...

In Rock Band 3 we will be able to have the 3 part vocal hamonies present in "the Beatles Rock Band".
In Rock Band 3 we will be able to rock out on a Keyboard, which is essentially a real instrument!
In Rock Band 3 they've added Pro Mode to the guitar and drums! Pro mode guitar is a REAL guitar!

You won't be able to do pinch harmonics in the game, but the controller is basically a real guitar with 6 strings. It has a midi output, and can be plugged directly into an amplifier. The press video also says each song on Pro Mode will have its own training mode. Watching the demo guy playing the hardest song on expert pro mode is ridiculous. Theres no way you could play that song by reading the fret numbers and chords flying down the screen, but you could learn those songs using the training modes then use the game to get up to speed. When playing it you'd basically be playing from memory. Some songs will be excellent flat picking exercises.

I'm so excited! Release date is only October :D
Forget your small software houses...Harmonix has done it again with Rock Band 3.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_Band_3#Pro_Mode
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5De9eCH1EU