The Fretlight Guitar Bloghttp://blog.fretlight.comQuick BlogcastIntroducing The Fretlight Video Playerhttp://blog.fretlight.com/2008/09/22/introducing-the-fretlight-video-player.aspx?ref=rssOptek Music Systems is proud to announce the release of the Fretlight Video Player software. This newest addition to the Fretlight family of software is now available for download directly from the Fretlight website. We're very excited about this amazing new piece of software, and believe that it will truly revolutionize the way that people learn to play the guitar.
The Fretlight Video Player provides a truly interactive learning experience for guitarists of all levels. Start by plugging in your Fretlight guitar - you'll see the small guitar icon in the lower left corner of the software ...]]>
Company infoProductsNate Comp2008-10-10T01:27:16ZRepetition, Repetition, Repetitionhttp://blog.fretlight.com/2008/08/26/repetition-repetition-repetition.aspx?ref=rssDuring the summer I teach at a few music camps where I get to work with young guitar students in a classroom setting. This year, after finishing a two week session at the University of New Hampshire and a one week session at Berklee college in Boston, I really rediscovered my appreciation for the value of repetition when it comes to becoming a better guitarist. In one of my guitar ensemble classes at Berklee, I had the students working on a Steely Dan song that was filled with some pretty complicated chord changes. During one of our rehearsals, ...]]>TipsNate Comp2008-08-26T20:53:44ZIt's All About Taking Chances...http://blog.fretlight.com/2008/07/01/its-all-about-taking-chances.aspx?ref=rss
When I first began playing guitar, I often found myself somewhat overwhelmed with all of the information that I had to absorb. Years later when I began teaching, I found that many of my students would often feel the same way. One thing that I always try to remind my students of (as well as myself) is this: as important as it is to learn the proper techniques and musical concepts that go into learning your instrument, you should never lose sight of the fact that there are some amazing things can be done on the guitar if ...]]>TipsNate Comp2008-07-01T21:45:22ZThe Magic Of Harmonic Rhythmhttp://blog.fretlight.com/2008/05/12/the-magic-of-harmonic-rhythm.aspx?ref=rssOne of the coolest ways to get the most out of writing and practicing chord progressions is to experiment with ‘Harmonic Rhythm'. The term ‘Harmonic Rhythm' is used to describe
the length or duration of each chord that is played in a progression. By experimenting with different types of harmonic rhythm, a single progression of chords can take on many different sounds. After
many years of playing, I've found that many songs actually use the same combinations of chords, but by changing the harmonic rhythm or duration of each chord, many different variations can be
created.
]]>TipsNate Comp2008-05-12T21:32:06ZMac Users: It's Fretlight Timehttp://blog.fretlight.com/2008/05/04/mac-users-its-fretlight-time.aspx?ref=rssToday we’ve delivered on one of the most requested additions to our software line-up: M-Player for
Macintosh. Now Mac users have a full-featured application to light up songs on the Fretlight guitar. M-Player for Macintosh comes complete with seven popular MIDI demo songs, with hundreds
of popular songs available individually or in bundles on the Fretlight Store.
A free, two week trial is available on the Fretlight website. Mac users can download it today.
...]]>Product InfoRusty Shaffer2008-05-05T09:01:59ZDeveloping Your Musical Vocabularyhttp://blog.fretlight.com/2008/03/26/developing-your-musical-vocabulary.aspx?ref=rssOne of the most important concepts that I teach my private students is the development of a good musical vocabulary. A good understanding of musical terms is
essential, and is often the main difference between just being a ‘guitarist’ and being a ‘musician’. To be able to communicate ideas with other players, you must understand exactly how the
language of music works. I have many students who know HOW to play their nstruments fairly well, but really have no idea WHAT they are playing. And as much as I applaud them for the physical ability on the instrument, my ...]]>TipsNate Comp2008-03-26T08:37:10ZSo You’ve Had Your Fretlight For A While…http://blog.fretlight.com/2008/02/23/so-youve-had-your-fretlight-for-a-while.aspx?ref=rss… and you’re having a blast learning new things, but you feel a bit overwhelmed. After all, there is so much to learn, and sometimes it’s hard to know how to organize it all and
really make your practice time count. In this post I’m going to outline four really important ways to get the most out of the Fretlight learning experience.
]]>TipsNate Comp2008-02-24T14:25:33Z2008 Fretlight Product Cataloghttp://blog.fretlight.com/2008/02/08/2008-fretlight-product-catalog.aspx?ref=rssProduct InfoRusty Shaffer2008-02-08T12:02:14ZAttention Mac Users!http://blog.fretlight.com/2007/11/26/attention-mac-users.aspx?ref=rssIn an effort to better serve our Mac customers, we're looking to get some user feedback from Fretlight guitarists who are running Parallels Desktop for Mac. Just tell us which version of
Parallels you are using, which version of the Mac OS you are using, and the specific Fretlight software that you are using. Most importantly, tell us what you think about learning guitar the
Fretlight way. We're looking for some honest user feedback in an effort to get a dialog happening in this blog with our Mac customers.
...]]>ProductsNate Comp2007-11-26T17:09:09ZBuilding Blocks - Part Fourhttp://blog.fretlight.com/2007/11/19/building-blocks--part-four.aspx?ref=rssIn the previous three posts, I outlined several different ways to develop your knowledge of intervals on the neck of the guitar. My all time favorite tool for practicing intervals on the guitar
is the Interval Training tool found in AxMaster. The great thing about this tool is that it is designed to help you develop several different areas all at once: Your understanding of note locations
on the fretboard (fretboard knowledge), your ability to play the many different types of intervals used in music (both major scale intervals and altered intervals), and also your ability to hear the
difference ...]]>TipsNate Comp2007-11-19T11:47:25ZBuilding Blocks - Part Threehttp://blog.fretlight.com/2007/09/27/building-blocks--part-three.aspx?ref=rssIn the previous twoposts, I outlined the difference between Major Scale Intervals and Altered Intervals. Now it's time to put all of this stuff
on the neck of the guitar. One of the best tools for studying intervals can be found in the Chord/Scale Library section of the Fretlight
Lesson Player. Begin by opening up Lesson Player and clicking on the menu button that says "Chords And Scales".
This will take you to the Chord/Scale Library section. Scroll down the page until you find the section labeled "Intervals":
Let's begin by working with Intervals from the Root ...
]]>TipsNate Comp2007-09-27T20:47:40ZBuilding Blocks - Part Twohttp://blog.fretlight.com/2007/08/26/building-blocks--part-two.aspx?ref=rssOnce you have spent some time working with Major Scale
intervals, then it's time to move on to some more advanced ideas
using "Altered Intervals". Essentially, an altered interval is any
interval that is not found in the Major Scale. Each altered
interval is created by raising or lowering a Major Scale interval
by a half step. Let's begin with altered intervals that are created
by lowering a Major Scale interval by a half step.
The first altered interval to learn is the Minor 2nd. This
interval is often called a "Flatted 2nd" (abbreviated b2nd). To
create a Minor 2nd ...
]]>TipsNate Comp2007-08-27T20:06:44ZBuilding Blocks - Part Onehttp://blog.fretlight.com/2007/08/19/building-blocks--part-one.aspx?ref=rssThe study of intervals is one of the most important parts of
developing a deeper understanding of music and the guitar in
general. A good knowledge of intervals will help you to further
develop your knowledge of various chords and scales, and will
greatly improve your ears. The ability to hear the sound of
different intervals is an important part of developing you skills
as a musician.
An interval is nothing more than the distance between two
specific notes or pitches. I like to think of the study of
intervals as a "musical yardstick". By learning the many different
...
]]>TipsNate Comp2007-08-19T15:15:42ZFretlight Reviews Rounduphttp://blog.fretlight.com/2007/08/15/freflight-reviews-roundup.aspx?ref=rssFretlight continues to get very positiive reviews from guitar
publications and blogs along with more general news outlets.
I posted a few last
month. Here are some more recent ones.
Techiecrossing - Fret It
...
]]>Press CoverageCompany infoRusty Shaffer2007-12-07T14:20:46ZFretlight on TVhttp://blog.fretlight.com/2007/07/17/fretlight-on-tv.aspx?ref=rssHi. I’m Rusty Shaffer, founder and CEO of Optek Music Systems. This is my first post on the Fretlight Blog but plan to do quite a few more. Nate will continue to focus his posts on helping you get the most from your Fretlight with his educational tips and tricks. My posts will cover more about the market response to Fretlight and our new product introductions.
This week I want to provide a quick update on some great meetings I had last week with some journalists in the SF Bay Area. I’ve demoed Fretlight ...]]>Press CoverageCompany infointrosRusty Shaffer2007-08-19T15:39:30ZPlaying Songs The "Right" Wayhttp://blog.fretlight.com/2007/07/06/playing-songs-the-right-way.aspx?ref=rssOne of the most confusing aspects of learning to play songs on the guitar is that many tunes can be played more than one way. I often have private students who have learned how to play songs on their own that I play a completely different way. This often leaves the student with the impression that they're playing something 'wrong' and I must be 'right', but most of the times this isn't true. The guitar is one of the few musical instruments that is full of 'unisons', and this can lead to endless arguments among guitarists about the 'right' way ...]]>TipsNate Comp2007-07-06T13:14:13ZBuilding Technique With "The Big 60"http://blog.fretlight.com/2007/06/20/building-technique-with-the-big-60.aspx?ref=rssBuilding good guitar technique requires patience and motivation. I find that many of my private students expect to build amazing technique in a matter of weeks, and when it doesn't happen right away, they begin to lose there drive to practice. It is important that you remain dedicated to a steady practice routine, and try not to get too caught up in how long it will take you to reach your goals. ]]>TipsNate Comp2007-10-01T00:02:19ZA Family Affairhttp://blog.fretlight.com/2007/06/11/a-family-affair.aspx?ref=rssGrowing up in a very musical family, I consider myself fortunate for having the support of my parents as well as my older brother when I decided that I wanted to play guitar. Looking back, I realize that having the support of my family in those first few formative years was the single most important part of my early growth as a player. ]]>TipsNate Comp2007-06-11T09:29:39ZNaming Those 'Mystery Chords' With Guitarz 6.6http://blog.fretlight.com/2007/06/05/naming-those-mystery-chords-with-guitarz-66.aspx?ref=rssOne of the questions that I often get when working with my private students is "What is this chord I‘m playing?" I find that many guitarists who spend time writing their own original songs will often create interesting chord voicings that sound great but they have no idea what the chords they are playing are actually called. Part of my job as a teacher is to be able to explain to each student HOW different chords are named and more importantly, exactly WHAT goes into building the many different types of chords used in ...]]>TipsNate Comp2007-08-19T15:16:44ZLine It Up With Improviserhttp://blog.fretlight.com/2007/05/28/line-it-up-with-improviser.aspx?ref=rssIf you've ever walked into a music store and picked up a guitar scale book, you'll notice that almost every method teaches scales by position. While position playing is certainly important, one of the most overlooked aspects of scale practice is single string scale playing, also known as linear playing. While most intermediate guitarists are proficient with position scales or "box" scales, many players never develop the ability to play scales on a single string. Linear playing is an important skill to develop for many reasons. The obvious advantage of linear playing is that it ...]]>TipsNate Comp2007-05-28T21:41:55Z