Guitar Coach

by Charanga

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00005YTYW
• Item model number: GCA1
• Date first available at Amazon.com: January 18, 2002
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #12,682 in Software (See Top 100 in Software)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Guitar Coach is a complete introduction to playing acoustic and classical guitar. Its flexibility allows you to tailor the program to your individual needs. The software details the crucial steps to follow to get started, but if you're already familiar with the basics, you don't have to go through it again. The methods are focused on developing good hand skills, musical awareness, and a thorough understanding of the guitar. More than 50 hours of video and audio instruction teach the solo, picking, and strumming techniques important for playing. Guitar Coach has more than 200 video clips and backing tracks, all set in a multimedia environment that makes learning fun. The video uses innovative technology to bring you the clearest possible views of exactly what to play. There's even a camera shot from inside the guitar looking out through the sound hole, letting you clearly see all the strum hand techniques.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very nice product!, July 23, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Guitar Coach (CD-ROM)

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.

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Guitar Coach Software, September 27, 2002

By 

Ernest L Ehlinger (Woodbridge, VA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Guitar Coach (CD-ROM)

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.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Let's you jump straight in, March 12, 2004

By 

"keezeemee" (Bronte, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Guitar Coach (CD-ROM)

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.