Fretlight – guitars that help teach you to play

March 2, 12:43 PMGadgets ExaminerDan Appleman

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Fretlight guitars look and feel like any other

It’s a simple idea – a guitar fretboard that lights up to show you where to put your fingers. And in the hands of some it might be just a gimmick. But in the hands of Fretlight it is far more – possibly even the tool parents can use to get their kids to put down Guitar Hero and pick up the real thing.

As if often the case, the real magic is in the software. Fretlight offers a number of applications including guitar lessons and their AxMaster software that allows you to see any chord or progressions on your guitar instead of having to look it up in a book or tablature. But the really exciting applications are the music player and new video player software.

The folks at Fretlight (and most guitar teachers) know that if you want someone to stay enthusiastic about learning to play, it’s important they be able to sound good quickly. Guitar students often want to try to mimic their favorite musicians – but that can be a very frustrating process. Not only is it often hard to find the arrangements, a beginner can’t match the speed of the pros.

With the M-Player or Video Player application, you can start with music or video that has been tagged for the Fretlight guitar. As the musician plays, the guitar neck lights up with the chords or notes played. The software allows you to slow down the action, adjusting the pitch so the music sounds correct even though it is slower. This allows players to follow and learn even the most complex songs.

Fretlight offers a variety of guitars in different styles, and make no mistake – they are real guitars, not toys. Until the polymer fretboard lights up, you can’t tell the difference between this guitar and any other.