Guitar Training Directory – Section 3: Guitar Learning Aids

This list covers guitar learning aids (such as metronomes, ear training software etc), as well as those guitar-related courses and guides that don’t fit into the other sections of this directory. Prices and other details are correct at the time of writing, but may have changed in the meantime. The inclusion of a product in this list does not constitute an endorsement by NetGuitarist.com unless otherwise stated, so please do your due diligence before buying.

You might also be interested in Section 1: General Guitar Lessons, that cover pop/rock styles of acoustic and electric guitar playing, and Section 2: Specific Musical Styles, Techniques & Guitar Types.

Guitar Learning Aids & Other Miscellaneous Guides

Ear Training

GuitEarIt!

GuitEarIt! is a fun ear training software program from the makers of the Jamorama guitar lessons course. It is geared towards guitar players in that it trains you to learn to recognise the chords that you’re hearing, so you can more easily learn to play and transcribe songs by ear. GuitEarIt! covers major, minor and seventh chords, and takes the form of a multiple choice game that awards you points for correct answers. It is suitable for musicians of all levels, including complete beginners. GuitEarIt! costs $29.95 to buy separately, or you can get it for free as a bonus if you buy Jamorama.

Find out more about GuitaEarIt!

Hear and Play P.I.T.C.H. Ear Training Software

The P.I.T.C.H. ear training software from Hear and Play is aimed at guitarists and musicians of all types. This is an interactive system that trains you to recognise melodies, intervals, chords and chord progressions in songs, and provides immediate feedback on your results. You can adjust the speed to make the training more challenging, and it also tracks your progress and tailors the exercises to your performance, so you automatically get more practice in your weakest areas. This system will help you to play favourite songs by ear, as well as improving your writing and improvisational skills. Hear and Play P.I.T.C.H. software costs $69 to download, but is currently available on a 7 day trial basis for $2.95.

Find out more about Hear and Play P.I.T.C.H. Ear Training Software.

Pitch Master Pro

The downloadable Pitch Master Pro software consists of two modules, which claims to teach you to develop relative and absolute pitch skills respectively. You will learn to recognise and name individual notes, intervals, chords and modes. The software provides randomised quizzes, which prevent boredom and ensure that you don’t simply memorise the answers. It is recommended that you use the software for just 15 minutes a day, to see results within a few weeks. Although Pitch Master Pro is aimed at all musicians, it may be of special interest to guitarists, as it also comes with the Guitar Tutor Pro guitar training package as a bonus. Pitch Master Pro currently costs $99.95.

Find out more about Pitch Master Pro.

Pure Pitch

The Pure Pitch method is a 39-lesson plan that helps you to develop both relative and absolute pitch skills. The author claims that by following this method, you will learn to recognise any note or chord purely by ear. The Pure Pitch course appears to be produced by the same person as Pitch Master Pro [above] – I don’t know if it’s the same course or not, so be cautious if you’re considering buying both. Pure Pitch costs $97.

Find out more about Pure Pitch.

Guitar Playing Tools

Get It All

Get It All offers a number of resources for guitarists who are looking for riffs and licks. Lick and riff sets are available for lead, blues, bass and rhythm guitar, as well as arpeggio licks and bass scales. Each pack includes notation and tab, as well as instructions on how to adapt the material to different musical styles (where relevant). Audio versions are also available for a small additional cost. The packs cost between $6.99 – $18.95, although you can purchase multiple packs for a discount.

Find out more about Get It All.

Lick Library

Lick Library is a membership site for guitarists, bassists and drummers that offers a range of resources, including video-based guitar lessons and jam tracks. Live performances and interviews are also available, as are community networking features so you can interact with other musicians. A basic free membership is available, which offers free samples of the lessons and jam tracks, although full access to most of the material is only available to paid members. Membership costs £1.50 (Elite) or £2.95 (DVD Premium, which includes DVDs also) per week, depending on the option you choose.

Find out more about Lick Library.

Planet of Rock

Planet of Rock is a site that offers a wide range of guitar backing tracks. The tracks are professionally recorded (not MIDI), and are available in a variety of musical genres, including blues, various rock styles, country and more. Numerous tracks are also available for the music of specific gutiarists, such as Jimi Hendrix, Carlos Santana, Steve Vai and others. Most of the tracks are in CD format, although some are available to buy as MP3 downloads also. Prices vary according to the tracks or compilations you select.

Find out more about Planet of Rock.

QuickBeat Human Drummer

QuickBeat is a simple software app that plays a variety of drum tracks that you can jam along to. It features 12 different styles of drum beat at preset tempos, including rock, country, jazz, Latin, Blues and more. The drums are recorded by human drummers, rather than machines, so it feels like playing with a real drummer. QuickBeat is very easy to use, and is a great practice aid (I’ve purchased it myself, and will be writing a more detailed review soon). QuickBeat costs $29.99 to download, or $49.99 for the CD-ROM version (with free shipping worldwide).

Find out more about QuickBeat Human Drummer.

Riffmaster Pro

Riffmaster Pro is software that helps you to learn any riff, solo or song easily, by slowing the tempo right down. You can also zoom in to any section of the song, or change the key. This makes it easier to learn songs by ear, as well as to transcribe music. Various file formats are accepted, including MP3 and WAV, and Riffmaster Pro also comes with a selection of bonus materials, including jam tracks, ebooks and chord charts. Riffmaster Pro costs $49.00, and there is a 10 day free trial option available.

Find out more about Riffmaster Pro.

Song Surgeon

Song Surgeon is a software application that allows you to slow down (or speed up) and change the pitch of the songs that you want to learn, so you can more easily hear what is being played. You can also loop particular sections for more intensive practice, and there is an equalizer, so you can highlight particular frequency ranges. Song Surgeon costs $49.

Find out more about Song Surgeon.

Ultimate Metronome

Ultimate Metronome is a software tool that aims to help you improve the speed and precision of your playing, while making practice sessions more effective and enjoyable. It offers features such as the ability to speed up the tempo as you’re playing, so you don’t need to keep stopping to reset the metronome. Ultimate Metronome is a downloadable product, and also comes bundled with several bonus ebooks and applications. It costs $29.95.

Find out more about Ultimate Metronome.

Guitar Construction & Other Technical Topics

Build Your Guitar

The Build Your Guitar website provides information for those who are interested in constructing their own guitar. Instruction is available in ebook form, and the books cover building electric guitars and lap steel guitars. Both English and German versions are available. The books cost $20 or 15 Euros each.

Find out more about Build Your Guitar.

Professor String

Professor String’s ebook is called ‘Think You Know Guitar Strings?’ and provides an in-depth guide to choosing the best strings for your playing goals. It is suitable for both beginners and advanced guitarists, as it starts with the basics but later goes into much more depth about string-related topics. This ebook costs $19.95.

Find out more about Professor String.

Rae Guitars Set Up Tutorial

The Rae Guitars Set Up Tutorial shows you exactly how to set up and maintain your own guitar, so you get the best out of it and don’t need to rely on others to do this work for you. The tutorial is applicable to most brands of electric guitar. The instruction is provided in a step by step format, and photo illustrations are included. This is a downloadable ebook, and costs $5.95.

Find out more about Rae Guitars Set Up Tutorial.

Home Recording For Guitarists

How To Record My Guitar

How To Record My Guitar provides a series of step by step video instructions by professional recording engineer and teacher Jon Kubis. The instruction is targeted at musicians rather than engineers, and assumes no previous knowledge. It covers topics such as setting up and getting the most from your recording rig, mic technique, recording software, mistakes to avoid and more. The course is accessed via the member’s area of the site, and currently focuses on the electric guitar, although according to the sales page, new videos for the acoustic guitar will be added soon. How To Record My Guitar costs $17.

Find out more about How To Record My Guitar.

Music Theory

Guitar Theory Secrets

Guitar Theory Secrets is a 12 month online course from Dan Denley. Instruction is delivered in video format, and you get one new video each month. The course begins with basic theory, and progresses to cover more advanced topics that will be of use to anyone who wants to write their own music or just be a more accomplished musician generally. Guitar Theory Secrets costs $29.95 per month, although if you pay for a year in advance, you get one month free. You can also cancel at any time.

Find out more about Guitar Theory Secrets.

Jayde Musica

Jayde Musica is a software program that teaches you how to read musical notation. It takes the form of a game, where notes pass across the screen, and you accumulate points by identifying them, helping you to develop fast note recognition skills. Treble, bass, alto and tenor clefs are included, and there are three difficulty levels. Jayde Musica is free to download and use, although you also have the option of making a contribution if you find the software of value, and a $20 donation will buy you an additional book on reading music as well as an upgraded version of the software with extra features.

Find out more about Jayde Musica.

String Theory: Guitar and Piano Chords in Parallel

String Theory is an ebook which covers over 120 common guitar and piano chords, along with an explanation of the music theory behind them. It is a handy chord reference, and is especially useful for guitarists who play (or are learning to play) the piano as well, as it will help you to easily play guitar chords on the piano, and vice versa. The String Theory ebook costs $19.95, and versions are also available for the iPhone and Blackberry.

Find out more about String Theory: Guitar and Piano Chords in Parallel.

Psychology

Beyond Bedroom Guitar

Beyond Bedroom Guitar is an ebook that aims to help you to use NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) techniques to improve your guitar playing and play more effortlessly. It claims to help you move beyond learning plateaus, improve your technique easily, and improve skills such as sight reading, transcription and pitch recognition, as well as beating stage fright and more. Beyond Bedroom Guitar is aimed at both beginners and advanced players, and costs $19.95 to download.

Find out more about Beyond Bedroom Guitar.

Songwriting

Elmore Songwriting

Elmore Songwriting is one of several music courses produced by Chris Elmore, and this one focuses on providing songwriting advice from award-winning pro songwriter Jonah Nadir Omowale, also known as Nadir. It covers lyrics, melodies, hooks, song structure, idea generation, writing for different musical genres and more. Elmore Songwriting is a downloadable 4+ hour audio recording (plus a selection of songwriting-related bonuses), and costs $27.

Find out more about Elmore Songwriting.

Teaching Guitar

How To Make Money Teaching Guitar

How to Make Money Teaching Guitar is a downloadable ebook that is aimed at aspiring guitar teachers, as well as current teachers who want to increase their income and opportunities by taking a more business-oriented approach. It covers topics such as advertising, increasing enrollment and business strategies for maximising your time and income. How To Make Money Teaching Guitar costs $19.95.

Find out more about How To Make Money Teaching Guitar.