MaximumPC 2004 09

I

t’s a well-known fact that girls like guys who can play

guitar. Why else would almost every lonely college stu-

dent make at least a halfhearted attempt to learn “Tears

in Heaven”? Of course, most wannabe guitarists quickly

abandon all hope of ever rivaling Eric Clapton upon dis-

covering the sad truth that playing the guitar is hard. It

takes a lot of patience and dedication, and yes, your fin-

gers will hurt until you develop calluses.

Fortunately, we have some good news. Armed with

the right software, you can master the guitar from the

comfort of your very own PC. This month, we pit

PlayPro’s Interactive Guitar against eMedia’s Guitar

Method, two packages that promise to eliminate much

of the frustration and tedium that make the learning

process so unappealing. Read on for the results.

—OMEED CHANDRA

THIS MONTH: Guitar Software!

PLAYPRO INTERACTIVE GUITAR

Head 2 Head A showdown among natural PC competitors

18 MAXIMUM PC SEPTEMBER 2004

Basic instruction: PlayPro’s software

thoroughly covers all the basic instructions,

and even points out common pitfalls for

beginning guitarists. The music you’re

supposed to play is simultaneously

displayed in both musical notation and,

for those who can’t read music, tablature.

However, eMedia’s superior multimedia

integration makes learning the basics less

painful and more fun. Winner: eMedia

Guitar Method

Intermediate/advanced instruction:

Rather than making you shell out an

extra 50 bucks to learn more advanced

guitar techniques, PlayPro offers

everything in a single package. Plenty

of intermediate and advanced material

is covered, including string bending,

vibrato, hammer-ons and pull-offs, finger

tapping, and more. Interactive Guitar also

delves into elementary music theory,

helping to mold you into a well-rounded

musician instead of just a two-bit hack.

Winner: PlayPro Interactive Guitar

Multimedia features: Like eMedia’s

Guitar Method, the PlayPro software

boasts a plethora of instructional videos

and audio clips, as well as an animated

fret board that plays along with the

examples so you can see the correct

fingering. Meanwhile, the innovative

“Comp-U-Pare” technology compares

your playing with the examples and

offers advice on how you can improve.

Interactive Guitar also comes with two

audio CDs with additional sound clips of

the techniques taught in each lesson, so

you can practice on the go. Unfortunately,

most of PlayPro’s multimedia features

aren’t integrated into the lessons as

smoothly as eMedia’s are. Winner: Tie

Covers beginning to advanced topics, emphasizes

technique, and includes lots of multimedia features.

MOTOWN

0-TOWN

Poorly designed interface, some multimedia features

seem tacked on, and it doesn’t teach you any songs.

$50, http://www.playprosoft.com

Ease-of-use and interface: Interactive Guitar unnecessarily MAXIMUM PC VERDICT^7

surrounds itself with a vast black border that prevents you

from seeing any other windows while you have the app open.

Meanwhile, the interface tries to be clever (for instance, the lesson

window is supposed to look like an amp—cute), but ultimately

winds up frustrating to use. Learning to use the PlayPro software

is about as fun as repeatedly slamming your hand in a car door,

and feels all the more excruciating next to eMedia’s user-friendly

approach. Winner: eMedia Guitar Method

Reference tools: As a nice bonus, Interactive Guitar

ships with a book that includes every lesson in

printed form, which is handy if you’re on the road

or don’t have a computer near your practice area.

Unfortunately, while PlayPro does teach you how

to figure out any chord on your own, its list of pre-

formed chords is not nearly as comprehensive or

accessible as eMedia’s. Winner: Tie