Learn Songs The Easy Way, Tascam MP-GT1

Tascam MP-GT1 Portable MP3 Guitar Trainer

   When I was first learning how to play songs by ear from the original recordings it was a huge struggle for me. I was trained to read music from a young age and playing by ear was a whole new world for me. I remember sitting on my bed and working on a song for several hours before I finally had it down. The hardest thing of all was learining how to play the guitar solos. The notes flew by so fast that I couldn’t begin to pick them out.

I still remember the feeling of elation when I learned to play my first guitar solo note-for-note along with the record. That solo was on “Lady” by Little River Band. Years later my band got to open for Little River Band and I was able to tell the guitar player his solo was the first guitar solo I had ever learned. It was sweet!

   Later on I got an old reel-to-reel tape recorder that would let me play songs back at half speed. This would slow the guitar solos way down but also drop them an octave in pitch and the note articulation would become all muddy. I used to wish there was some way to slow down the song while retaining the pitch and note articulation. Well, today that dream is realized in some great offerings from Tascam. Let me tell you a little about the Tascam MP-GT1 and the Tascam CD-GT1mkII Guitar Trainers.

   First, the main difference between these two trainers is simply that the GT1 is an MP3 player and the GT1mkII is a portable CD player. So depending on which medium you want to use, CD or MP3, there is a Tascam Guitar Trainer that’s right for you.

   Both of these trainers feature the ability to slow down the tempo of the song up to %50 without altering the pitch. Thus allowing you to easily learn high speed solos note for note. Not only can you slow down the guitar parts, you can also change the pitch of the song if you want to learn it in a different key. That makes it nice since a lot of songs are recorded in different guitar tunings. You will be able to change the pitch to match standard guitar tuning so you won’t have to re-tune to learn a song. You can even eliminate the guitar part from the original recording allowing you to play along with all the backing parts. That will make you good very quickly.

   Tascam takes things even further by giving you built in guitar and vocal effects for your instrument or microphone. You will also get a built in tuner and metronome. The looping feature will let you loop a section of the song, such as the solo, over and over so you can keep working on it at different speeds until you have it down. There is a headphone output as well as a line output to hook the trainer up to speakers.

   The Tascam Guitar Trainers are also extremely useful for drummers who need to slow down complex drum patterns and fills so they can learn them. You can hear the drums a lot better a half-speed. Again, the fact that the drums stay at the same pitch make it a lot easier to hear them.

   SIngers and vocalists can really benefit by slowing down the speed when learning complicated vocal phrases. It’s really hard to copy the great singers note improvisation because they slide through the notes so quickly.

   Keyboard players can use the Tascam Guitar Trainers the same way guitarists do. Now keyboard players can learn the Jordan Rudess solos at half speed too!

   For the low price of these Tascam Guitar Trainers you just can’t go wrong. They will make your life a lot easier when it comes to learning new songs and practicing songs you already know.

TASCAM MP-GT1 Portable MP3 Guitar Trainer TASCAM MP-GT1 Portable MP3 Guitar TrainerTASCAM’s MP-GT1 is the first MP3 player designed for musicians. Based on the award-winning CD-GT1mkII, this fun mobile guitar trainer includes enough memory to store up to 240 songs. Guitar parts can be slowed down, looped and even eliminated to help you learn new riffs. Play back MP3s using Variable Speed Audition, which slows down the speed without changing the pitch, and sections can be seamlessly looped while practicing tricky passages. Songs can even be pitched up or down to match the tuning of your guitar, so you don’t have to re-tune for every song.The guitar input lets you rock along with thick overdrive and multi-effects, including a guitar canceler so you can play along with your favorite bands. A tuner, metronome, and rechargeable battery are also built-in. All of this is packed into an MP3 player smaller than a stomp box, so stuff it in your backpack, gig bag or back pocket and hit the road.The MP-GT1 uses a high-speed USB connection to load up MP3s and charge the built-in battery. Zip through your MP3 collection using a data wheel, dedicated buttons and a graphical LCD display. A rechargeable 9-hour lithium ion battery is built into the unit, and an optional power supply is also available.


TASCAM CD-GT1mkII Portable CD Guitar Trainer TASCAM CD-GT1mkII Portable CD Guitar TrainerThe TASCAM CD-GT1mkII Portable CD Guitar Trainer is the ultimate training and jamming tool for guitarists, vocalists, and other musicians. Take any favorite CD, plug your guitar directly into the CD-GT1’s 1/4″ input, put on some headphones, set the volume, and start rocking! Vocalists can do the same with a mic. The Slow Speed Audition feature lets you learn licks note-for-note by slowing down the CD up to 50% without changing the pitch. You can also increase the tempo in steps until you match the original performance. Added features include a guitar-cancelling function, built-in metronome, and oscillators for tuning, and split monitoring.Advanced players can use the CD-GT1’s pitch and speed controls to audition various keys and tempi for CDs they’ve burned of their own music. The CD-GT1 has 57 great-sounding, customizable effects including distortion, delay, chorus, and more. There’s also a nice selection of vocal reverbs and processed sounds so you can sing along with rockers, hip-hoppers, divas, and everything in-between! You can set seamless in-out loop points with the CD-GT1 so that it plays the same passage over and over again so you can nail phrases. Use the footswitch input to start playing the CD from any designated point or to scroll through effects. You can listen on headphones, or use its line output to plug in speakers. The CD-GT1 even provides a chromatic tuner and operates on batteries to take your show on the road. Optional AC power supply. (See accessory box on this page.)



Author: Live Musician Central

My name is Matt Rushton. I have been playing in bands for 27 years. I've been playing professionally for 21 years. I have opened for Sheryl Crow, Barenaked Ladies, Joan Jett, Little River Band, and Quiet Riot.

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