Learn how to use Guitar Pro as a pro, and improve your songs and scale practice, transcribing sections, and loads more!
Justin mentions that he has included Guitar Pro files with some of his songs (about 1:30 in the video). Is there any way to search for songs that include GP files?
@don_washburn
Any GP files Justin has created will be under the Resources links of lessons which show under the video pane.
There is no dedicated function to search for them however I’m afraid.
Just wanna give my experience and opinion. Loved the lesson as usual Justin delivers! I need to transcribe one quite complicate piece of music (this one BRAVEHEART MEETS CLASSICAL GUITAR - YouTube) not by ear but just want to type it down from sheet I bought. Tried Guitar Pro 8 trial and it was nightmare using it. Overly complex with, IMHO, useless features like effects for soundvank instruments. So I gave up and searched for alternative. Found out Tux Guitar which is free but also sort of a hidden gem. In instant managed to transcribe the sheet I struggled with transcribing. I never dabbled into any of guitar tabbing software so I am impressed how simple and easy Tux Guitar was. Seems like pattern is same for DAWs, I use free DAW called tracktion waveform and it’s simplest and bloatfree DAW that can do really everything for free. Usually free software is much more begginer friendly and I think unless you wanna really do some business and career out of music you really needn’t any other paid for DAW.
But then again, it’s just my opinion and love DAWs and software which isn’t bloated with features but just basics so you can focus on perfecting your guitar playing and not waste hours fiddling with options in DAW.
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One man’s bloat is another man’s essential features. Did you take the time to learn to use GP8? I’ve watched a guy fly through transcribing notes with it. There’s lots of keyboard shortcuts that make a huge difference
I have tried out TuxGuitar as well:
- Last update is nearby 5 years ago! It seems that it will not been developped further more!
- If you go indeep you will see that it has a lot of errors.
- It has a import-/ export functionality but the quality of result is not like GuitarPro. A lot of notations are lost or go wrong.
I’m using GuitarPro a lot:
- You only need to use the features you need at the moment and believe me sooner or later you will use other features as well.
- For editing most of the time you can use the keyboard, e.g. “+” and “-” keys will toggle beetween the note types, “T” will include a text and so on.
- GuitarPro is very cheap for what you’ll get, “big” updates only come in about 2 or 3 years for little money.
- It is updated regularly!
- There are a lot of tutorials available on YT - also on the channel of the producers!
- Other free notation software like MuseScore are way to complicated.
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@jthev hmmm can’t say I experienced any errors. Due the trial period I did export the overly complicated attempt from Guitar Pro and imported into Tux guitar and actually it even fixed some issues I had woth rests. +/- shortcuts and many other work perfectly well in Tux guitar.
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for basic guitar editing I don’t think I’d need any guitar pro features. For whole band setup I guess guitar pro could really be better choice. I am doing only single acoustic guitar arrangements with or without vocals and that as hobbyist so I don’t understand what features exactly Tux guitar lacks as notation software that guitar pro offers? Someone suggested on forums when I asked about DAW software called reaper. For single acoustic guitar recording w/ or w/o singing I think that software (and any non free is overkill) for recording whole bands probably it is good. There is no occasion I see soundbank FX in notation software useful. Isn’t that what DAW is for? I simply need to write and perhaps simple play along notation, or rather guitar TABs. I’m not writing composition for orchestra in which case guitar pro and other paid software are preferable.
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I do agree musescore is even more complicated that guitar pro. Well, I guess it’s in the name Guitar Pro is certainly good for professional use, for hobbyist I see much easier and simpler alternative in Tux guitar. On top of fact it’s free program.
But hey, whatever floats someone’s boat… Just thought about sharing some ideas to those looking for simpler, free program. I spent half of my time in GP8 and some paid for DAWs just fiddling with endless features and effects which in the end distracted me from my main goal, that is playing guitar.
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I wasn’t sure if I wanted to invest in this Guitar Pro 8 but this video convinced me to go ahead. I use it mainly as an aid to learn a new song. I like fingerstyle guitar and once the sheet music is entered, it is a great tool because you can play along and change the speed of play for those difficult parts. »I wish I had done it sooner.
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I use transcribe for transcibing which Justin also recommends. Is guitar pro better for transcribing as well or is it just better if you want to add drum tracks etc. I suppose one of the advantages would appear to be that you can notate the transcription as you go along and immediately hear it back. in transcribe i need to use good old-fashioned pencil and paper and then play it back on the guitar to check if it’s correct. From the demo Guitar Pro would seem to offer a lot more.
Lance
You could run them concurrently. Identify the notes/chords in Transcribe! and then write them up in GP8. Listen check, review, repeat. Simples.
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That’s exactly what I do.
GuitarPro and Transcribe are two entirely different, and complementary, applications. Neither is “better” than the other as they do entirely different things.
Using GP in conjunction with Transcribe is a very good fit.
Exactly so. In in doing so you can make sure that what you notated is actually correct. That’s especially important for rhythm because capturing some rhythmic parts can be quite tricky to get right.
If you are simply playing your pen and paper transcription back on the guitar, if you have notated it incorrectly, the chances are you will still play it correctly (i.e. not strictly according to the notation), because you are probably actually playing it back according to the rhythm of the original song, rather than exactly as the notation states.
Using something like GP will highlight notation errors that you may have missed, as it will interpret the notation exactly.
And it will also highlight and enforce things like the correct number of beats per bar.
Cheers,
Keith
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I’m a beginner and I’m using GP as a means of tabbing out songs in time with the original recording to help me play along them. While I’m learning and developing my ear, it’s not easy to play along with a recording without a few hints to stay on course and GP helps with that. It also means that I can tab it out to whatever version of the song I’m playing (which at the moment will often be a simplified version)
Interesting to hear about Transcribe. I notice that on the developers website there’s a licence that’s free until the end of January if anyone wants an extended trial of it.
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To add to this…I used Tux for awhile because I just wanted to play back files as practiced and learned songs. It’s fine for that. But it’s older and a bit clunky, locking up occasionally.
On Black Friday weekend, Guitar Pro was reduced 20%. I also used the JustinGuitar discount code so the one time license fee became very affordable with the two discountes and I bought it. I think GP has more flexibility. Playback is more accurate and I find the icons and menus more intuitive. I have NOT used the editing tools to-date to date.
Hi Dean, so is it a one-time payment? I had a quick look and wasn’t sure, if it’s a yearly subscription or one-time payment. Do you know how the charge updates?
Guitar Pro 8 is a one time payment
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Thanks!
What Matt said 
You do get to download updates to the GP8.x release when they come out as part of the license. But, when GP9 comes out in 2 or 3 years you have to pay for a new license if you want the major upgrade.
Ah, ok. That’s what I thought. Couldn’t believe, that the licence is for lifelong use. So you pay for the updating or better say new version again. Thanks!
Just to mention that I took the plunge and got myself GP 8.0, courtesy of the JG Christmas offer, so as to help me with some tabs that I have that I have no clue how they should sound! First hurdle was to find a way to write down a fingerstyle tab, where the thumb usually picks out a steady beat, and the melody / chords are often syncopated (i.e. aligned on odd eights). Before I found that little tie symbol I was stumped, took me a while!
However, in staff notation, what should be a half note, is shown as four eight notes connected with ties though. Not entirely sure if that was how it should be… Does anyone here have experience with this?
Hi
A while ago, I was hesitant about getting Guitar Pro and having just another app that I would never end up using.
But, it is extremely useful and helpful, not only for Justin’s lessons. There are other instructors who post lessons and songs in GP and Ultimate Guitar Tabs has songs in GP (if they are done correctly by the poster).
You can slow down/speed up tabs, loop sections, use a metronome etc.
It is a daunting app if you want to try to compose your own songs, but that’s not for me.
I did make a couple of simple scales tabs.
There is an optional (extra cost) My Songbook which has hundreds of songs, albeit a very odd collection of songs including lots of classical.
The only thing I wish is that they would add more educational examples such as strumming patterns, more scales, arpeggios etc.
In the end, I think it is worth it even if you are only following Justin’s course. It’s only a 1-time purchase unless they do major upgrades which they offer at a discounted rate.
And, no I do not work for them and I’m not pitching it
Try the free GP trial with some of Justin’s GP files, and I think you will find it worthwhile enough.
Andrew