I wish each song had a easy version a intermediate version and a original version. That was as I progress I’m working towards playing the original version.
I’m getting kind of bored playing these songs and they all seem kind of simple. I could see myself cancelling and using ultimate guitar tabs instead. I would rather continue to support Justin and his app though.
I also think a short video to go with more complex songs would help. Not really a lesson but more of a quick guide explaining the tricky parts. I think for the price we should get a little bit more since the lessons only go to grade 3.
Look Justin lays out these lessons for us starting easy to hard if it’s easy for you, you must be ready to play harder stuff. Step into a harder lesson and learn more Justin has harder lessons.
It’s about the songs not the lessons. Let’s take Hey Joe for example. I can play the simple version on the app. I wish there was a more advanced version of it on the app to play with. Not as hard as the original but a level up from what’s on the app. You don’t see how that would help someone along there journey?
Tim, as Jeff mentions, the app is a tool for beginners. I use it to go through all the lessons when I started Grade 2 & Grade 3. Then, as I actually work through the lessons on the website, they don’t show up as complete.
Also, when I want to learn a new song, I look on the app first to do an easy play-through. When I feel ready, I look elsewhere for a more complex lesson or for the tab or try to work it out myself.
Think of it like a hammer or screwdriver… it’s a basic tool , when I want to do something more complicated, I reach for a different tool to do the job!
Check out the song lesson on the website, as these level exist for many of the songs and they are free. However subscribing for Tabs is also a good investment. As folks have said, they app is a beginners aid and once you develop a decent foundation and skill set, its time to move to the website for further developments. I would argue if you are an app users, also use the website from day one. JMHO.
As others have said, the app is specifically aimed at beginners. If you’re really that bored of the simple stuff then it’s up to you to use your initiative and find the challenge you personally need to progress and keep things interesting. Indeed, I would suggest that this is an important thing to learn, as opposed to relying on an app for the rest of your life. There are so many other resources out there for those that bother to look, many of which can take you in directions you may not have considered before. Putting your guitar journey on rails by sticking to an app… or even one teacher, however good he may be… is never the best route, in my opinion.
It’s also worth pointing out that having at least three different versions of every single song, along with short videos showing how to play them, would be ridiculously time consuming and expensive for Musopia… it’s why most of the songs (at least the last time I used it) are midi rather than a proper band. Adding all that content would bump up the already (in my humble opinion) inflated subscription fee, putting the app even further out of reach for those on a tight budget.
This is not accurate and as such the subscription is good value. Maybe I’ve been lucky but of the dozen plus songs on my favourites list, none are midi and in fact one that was now has a proper recording with vocals
It is entirely accurate, because I’m not just pulling this out of thin air. I used the app myself for a year long subscription, so I know exactly what I’m talking about. Your sample size of “a dozen songs” out of the hundreds in the app is hardly representative, is it? I spent hours going through hundreds of songs specifically to find which were real and which were midi, because I had no interest in the midi songs. There were even complaints on this very forum at the time at an influx of a few hundred “new songs”, every single one of which was midi.
While I don’t doubt that Musopia is making progress with converting some of the songs to a real band, I very, very highly doubt they’ve done even half of the songs available, let alone the majority. If someone goes through as many as I did and proves me wrong then so be it, but suggesting I’m talking rubbish when you admit to such a small sample size is in itself “inaccurate”.
Also, “value” is a matter of opinion. If you feel you are getting what you pay for, then I’m happy for you. I did not, hence why I did not renew my subscription.
So the app is for beginners and after that you don’t want to grow the app so people stay after they are not a beginner? That seems like a bad business plan too me and kind of weird. I also think it’s weird that when someone makes a suggestion someone makes excuses instead of maybe looking into it when it would help with customer retention. I never met someone who had or ran a app that didn’t want too keep customers.
Lots of good points already made by the others. But I think you’re missing the point of the app Tim. When you are no longer a beginner you don’t need an app. You now have the skills to follow Justin’s website lessons and song tutorials, to try and transcribe songs for yourself, to read songbook chord/tab charts. You know some chords, some strumming patterns and techniques.
Carve out your own guitar learning path.
It seems a lot of people don’t want to figure out anything on their own and want to be told how to do everything. The point in learning is so you can do it on your own and have your own wings and create.
That’s what it says on the app description. The app provides beginners with a structured and fun learning experience developing the foundations required to be able to take control of their own learning path as they embark on the intermediate grades exploring specific styles that appeal to them.
The app isn’t the only focus for Justin’s business. It is the tool to get people interested and confident in playing so that they continue learning to play more complicated music.
I stopped the app at the end of 2 years because I had advanced to where I was using it as a comfortable crutch, but needed to stop using the crutch in order to advance. I’m very glad I did because I now have the confidence go after techniques that are far beyond the beginner tool.
At this point there are other tools that have become useful because you have the skill set to utilize them. Things like the tabs subscription, strumming course, practical music theory course. The free curriculum teaches enough of these topics to keep you moving, but if you want to get a more in-depth understanding, you can pay for the detailed course.
I suspect you have not been into grade 3 yet. By the time you are through that, you have been encouraged to make decisions about how you want your journey to proceed. You will be concentrating on the music style you are interested in and targeting your own goals accordingly. This is where the fancier techniques are taught.
I understand that it’s not Justin’s only focus. I like the app because I don’t know of any musicians around were I live and it’s nice to play with a band. Maybe not a real band but fills the void. You are correct I’m more than halfway through gade 2. I have the music theory course which is very good and I’m finishing up the first part of grade 4. I already had a basic understanding of music theory. The course just went deeper into it. I do use ultimate guitar tabs and it’s ok. I will figure it out. I always do. Do you know of any sites that have backing tracks to famous songs? I have tried other online lesson sites and I like Justin the best. I have tried live lessons on lesson face, fender play, guitar tricks, Tony’s acoustic challenge, guitar jamz.com, jam play, artist works and you guitar sage. So I pretty much have tried them all. Any resources you recommend?
I use Stemroller. It runs locally and is pretty good at splitting out basic elements of a song. The result has some dynamic range trouble, but it is good enough for me. There are several pay-for services that are web based you can dig around for. I reject web based and a lot of paid apps because they are too often based on free software that if you dig a little deeper, are perfectly fine for home use.
I also play along with a full recording. Nothing wrong with just being another guitar in the band. I can really hear the difference between my play and the original, and it is fun/interesting to either try to match or be unique enough to add to the song.
The last thing that I do is transcribing. I am not all that good at it yet, but I am also not transcribing the easiest stuff. I resort to this when I either cannot figure out a section by listening (usually timing) or for a song that is not a popular one to teach (medieval lute for instance). I use Guitar Pro for this. If you are interested, feel free to do those lessons in the first transcribing module. Nothing too new in the first ones (I think you are into power chords by now). Yeah- it says grade 5, but the first module is something you can get thru with what you know now, or will see in another few lessons.
Hello Tim @mrpickles
You already have the best learning app out there - your guitar. Explore it.
Did you know - every song that’s ever been written and every song that’s yet to be written are all right there on the fretboard of your guitar. All you have to do is find them!
Have fun
And playing with the original recording on YouTube 
