An Aid For Guitar Playing
So we all hear that everything can be done digitally, be it special effects in movies or A.I. writing book reports. But one of the great joys of life is music, and for those who play guitars, A.I. has nothing to do with it. But for those who haven’t learned to play a guitar but want to, the time needed for learning and practicing just might not be available — the trials and tribulations of life getting in the way of being able to learn to play just a fact of life. So how about an analog method that can help a novice learn to play quickly? We’re talking about a mechanical device, not digital, that works with the person to play a guitar. We’re talking about ROCKDREAMER’s GuitarBar.
To start using the GuitarBar, you’re going to need a 6 string guitar — electronic or acoustic. Playing the part of a newbie, we’ll pull out our Ibanez acoustic 6-string guitar.
The GuitarBar Helps
So the obvious first step is to get the GuitarBar mounted on the guitar. Following the directions provided, we placed it just below the guitar’s nut at the top of the fretboard, so that the four silver feet on the underside of the Guitar Bar touched the fretboard without contacting any strings. Then, holding the GuitarBar in place, we pulled the attached rubber straps around the back of the neck and connected them to the opposite side. Once it was mounted, it felt comfortable to the touch and pretty well-attached.
The GuitarBar Holds Its Own
The GuitarBar maintains its hold well as it’s used — no adjustments needed. It can be left on the guitar without causing damage or affecting tuning since the buttons ride above the strings (otherwise, they’d buzz). Because of this, the guitar is easily tuned as needed with it on. Obviously you’ll need to remove it if a string breaks, but it can easily be removed and then reinstalled — after the first install repeated installs will only take a minute or two.
A good question might be as to how the GuitarBar functions with an electric guitar. We’d expect it to probably work about the same. However, it certainly looks like the GuitarBar was tailored for beginners who are starting out with a full-size acoustic guitar and learning how to play folk songs on it. But that’s just our take on it.
Overall there’s no doubt that it’s a lot easier to physically play chords with the GuitarBar than only using your fingers when first starting out. That is because you don’t have to press real hard to form chords without buzzing and you don’t have to figure out how to change finger configuration as you move from chord to chord. But as helpful for playing the guitar as the GuitarBar is, using it is a little more challenging than you might expect. In addition to being limited to eleven chords, you’re only supposed to strum the top four strings (the F chord is only the top three). If you accidentally strum the two lowest strings, the chord will sound a bit strange, so you have to be careful to avoid strumming those strings with your right hand while you make sure to press the proper button combination with your left hand, all in time with the song. So yes, even with help you’re going to have to learn to adapt to what the GuitarBar offers. Perhaps ROCKDREAMER could figure a way to mute those bottom strings, as that would make using the GuitarBar easier and maybe more fun right out of the box for a novice.
Songs Can Be Simple
A bit of thinking has us believing that the GuitarBar works best/is really designed for simple songs — since the device has only six major chords, four minor chords and one seventh chord. There are no minor seventh/sixths or major seventh/sixths which add more depth to songs. Also there are no flats or sharps, which means that songs in those keys need to be transposed before playing. Now granted, most folk songs and a lot of pop music can be played with the eleven chords provided, which is probably why ROCKDREAMER included a limited number of chords. Also there’s the consideration that they might have have to balance between the number of chords and the size of the GuitarBar.
The GuitarBar comes with an instruction booklet and installation manual, a pouch for transporting it and a bag of stick-on rubber adjustment pads that help the device fit different-sized guitar necks. More details can be had at https://www.indiegogo.com/en/projects/rockdreamer/rockdreamer-guitarbar-premium-guitarassist-device
