Offbeat Guitar : The Ultimate Guitar Game, and Simulator, and Tutor, and a Lot More

Game Experience: I downloaded the software "Offbeat Guitar" after doing a search for applications/software that would allow the user to learn specific songs with a scrolling display of some sort. After a little while I managed to find pretty much exactly what I was looking for.

The program is easy to set up, and a snap to use - even for someone who isn't all that knowledgeable about computers. Once I downloaded the program, I started using it immediately - coming back and forth here to UG to download the "guitar pro" files to a folder on my desktop to feed into the program.


Lo and behold... It was BETTER than I thought it would be.
After uploading songs into the program, I was able to grab my guitar and follow along with the notes displayed on the screen as they scrolled along, and I have to say - this program is a dream come true for me!

It's still in beta, and it's been around for a few months, but it's excellent as is, and the few minor bugs that are present are sure to be worked out soon by the developers - JamOrigin.

Overall, I've been happy with the software so far, and I will continue to use it until something better comes along, which I'm sure will happen once the value of this type of application is noticed. I'm still surprised that there is no fee for Ultimate Guitar, and hopefully as a beta tester, either a free licence or a discount will be available... we'll see. // 9 Extras: This program isn't LOADED with features, but the ones it has make all the difference. Here's a list:

Three display modes - notes/chords/overhead of fretboard Polygonic translation - uploaded tabs are interpreted automatically MP3 Playalong - Sync MP3 files to the tabs for enhanced play/practice Reference - Displays Sheet music during playback Tempo of any song can be changed in the interface an easy-to use "webcam" feature a "recording" mode The "display" option allows you to change the speed of the scrolling action without disturbing tempo.

Keep in mind that this product is in beta, so it will only get better. I'd definitely encourage those of you who are learning to play to check out this program. It's almost like playing Guitar Hero, but better - you're actually learning something real ( a feature that Rock Band 3 will have with it's modified Stratocaster early next year).

The "gameplay" option in this program does require an interface of some sort - either an amp, guitar interface plugged directly into computer, or even playing directly into your computer's microphone. I like to play along without plugging in - they've done well with this one. // 8 Impression: I'll be looking for updates on this program in the future. As of right now, it's still available for free from offbeatforums, which is another online community - pretty small, but it HAS proven itself to be useful.

I can't wait to see more, and if you want to try it out for yourself, you can download it on the site's forum. Of course you have to join, but it's a small price to pay for an application of this sort. Here's the link for those of you who are interested.