In this lesson, we'll explore Guitar Pro and how that software can help you develop your musicianship and explore and create music on many different levels! It's been 10 years now that I've been using Guitar Pro all the time, and you probably encountered Guitar Pro files in my free lessons before.
Guitar Pro is a fantastic tool for guitar players, and you have endless ways of using it. I'm also a big fan of the company developing that software; they're constantly striving to improve it! Guitar Pro has grown incredibly and recently introduced very helpful new features!
๐จ This lesson is not an ad. Guitar Pro didn't pay me to do this video! I genuinely believe this is a great moment in your guitar journey to start exploring that software if you haven't already.
๐ธ However, if you buy Guitar Pro through any link on this website, you get a discount on their current price, and I also get a kickback. Use code JUSTINGUITAR on the checkout, and off you go. :)
Now let's explore how you can benefit from a Guitar Pro license!
I use Guitar Pro in mainly four different ways:
Transcribing
Practicing
Creating
Teaching
In the video, we'll discuss some basic things you might want to know when using Guitar Pro. You'll notice how adding rhythm notation to your transcriptions is easy when using Guitar Pro. You'll surely need to understand how rhythm works; however, Guitar Pro makes it easier to experiment with the rhythms in real time.
๐จIf you get the wrong number of beats in a bar, Guitar Pro makes that bar turn red so that you know something is going wrong! You still have to do detective work, but use your ears. You'll learn a lot from this exercise.
There are better ways to learn how to read and write rhythms than experimentation. To go that far, take advantage of my Rhythm Maestro Course - Grade 4! When you have an understanding of rhythm, then inputting the notes into Guitar Pro is easy! You don't need to write the dots; Guitar Pro does that. :)
Adding Audio to Your Transcriptions
This new Guitar Pro feature is incredible! It allows you to add audio to your transcription. The general idea of having the bar line scrolling along with the audio is good for many reasons; check the video lesson to learn more, with a practical example!
๐ I'm using a song by Ariel Posen in this video lesson! He kindly said I could use his tune to walk you through Guitar Pro. :) Posen is an incredible artist and guitarist. If you don't know his work already, check him out.
You'll notice that being able to get the audio into where you're adding the transcription is very cool and helpful! You can also add drums and bass, which is great for getting used to the sound and feel of different instruments. Exploring things like this is beneficial for your musicianship!
Guitar Pro can help you practice! You will frequently find that you must slow down a song when first learning it. Whether you use a real backing track or a midi, Guitar Pro allows you to slow the track down easily! You can also loop certain song sections, which is useful for practicing and transcribing.
You can benefit from Guitar Pro even to nail things like scale practice! You can program the scales you want to learn and then play along with them. It's easy to ensure you stay on time and have all the notes.
๐ Be patient! Learning Guitar Pro might take time and effort, but it's intuitive software! Check out my friend Levi Clay for an awesome series of excellent tutorials on how to work effectively in Guitar Pro. Clay is a professional transcriber and uses Guitar Pro all the time.
Notice that on Guitar Pro, it's really easy to hear back to something you're doing or when you need help nailing something a bit more complex! Commonly, I use Guitar Pro to figure out what a trickier finger-style pattern is. Slowing the original down and looping it is my way to go!
Guitar Pro is also a fantastic creative tool. You can just start experimenting with many things, including different instruments, and create your music! If you've always wondered how drums work, you could start with a basic drum and experiment; visualizing the rhythms will be an incredible add-on and help you develop your overall musicianship.
Here's an extra tip. :) Teaching with Guitar Pro is a fantastic thing! You can give things to your students to work on and creative interactive sheet music rather than just having to write things on a piece of paper! Teaching is an awesome way to learn and consolidate your skills, even if you don't want to teach for a living. ;)
