iLife ‘09 is finally available on store shelves, and while most of the attention will probably go to iPhoto’s spiffy new face-recognition, there’s a feature tucked into GarageBand that might be making headlines very soon: premium lessons for piano and guitar, presented by the artists themselves. Dubbed ‘Lesson Store’, Apple’s online marketplace for music lessons has all the makings of a revolution in music learning that could prove to be incredibly popular and lucrative. We’ve known about it since its unveiling at Macworld, but only after trying it out can I confirm what many initially suspected: this thing is going to rock.
I’ve played guitar on-and-off for the last six years (I am mildly talented, at best) and have been exposed to a wide range of the learning tools available. The most popular by far are online ‘tabs’ – text based files that are easier to read than traditional music and are readily available. Unfortunately, the vast majority of tabs available on the web are laughably incorrect. Tab sites also have to deal with constant copyright infringement threats from record labels and publishers, who allege that the user-created tabs violate their IP. But the ‘tab books’ published with the consent of these labels are often just as inaccurate as the ones on the web (they’re rarely written by the original artist), and tend to be ridiculously overpriced.
Another alternative are DVDs and VHS tapes that feature artists showing off how to play their songs. Besides being pricey, these can be frustrating because DVD doesn’t lend itself well to repeatedly playing the same segment or slowing down a song without altering its pitch. The artist makes it look easy (and it’s always fun to watch them), but you’re never able to keep up.
Apple’s Lesson Store is the perfect compromise. Each lesson offers a lengthy video of the artist discussing how to play their song section by section, which is displayed alongside the music being played (either in tab or traditional notation) and a diagram of where your fingers should be on your instrument. And because you’re dealing with the original artist, you know you’re learning the song as it was meant to be played.
True to Apple tradition, the interface shines. You can quickly jump between sections, slow down video playback to half speed without distorting the notes, and can easily set the program to loop any segment of music until you’ve got it down. I honestly can’t think of anything that would make it any better. Update: Tabs in GarageBand don’t have any indicators for bends or hammer-ons, which really should be shown.
But the Lesson Store still has a ways to go. At launch there are only four songs available for each instrument, and while they include artists like Sting, Ben Folds, and John Fogerty, I can’t help but want more. Much More. Give me Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, and Billy Joel (for you piano fans out there). At $5 a piece, these lessons are much cheaper than any DVD or Tab book, and they are much more helpful.
My other major gripe with the Lesson Store is that its interface for actually buying a song is awful, considering this is the company that built the iTunes Store. Buying a song involves leaving the GarageBand application, getting redirected to a webpage that apparently asks you to verify your credit card number every time you buy a song, and then having your browser ask what application should be used to open the incoming file. Seriously Apple? I know this is probably something of an experiment for you, but this seems a little absurd given the streamlined process in iTunes.
Depending on how many artists sign on, the Lesson Store could do more than drive $5 song sales. The Mac could become the computer of choice for fledgling musicians (if it wasn’t already), driving the company’s PC market share even higher. For those about to rock, I salute you.
yeah, but I bet concertina isn’t one of the supported instruments……
You think there are limited choices for good guitar tabs, try to find some squeeze box music!
They all offer tab, video, audio playback, etc. and a whole lot more content. Apple doesn’t innovate everything you know.
http://kisalt.net/d2
Could we mark all comments with that link as spam ?
Brilliant. Another home run for sure. It’s amazing how no other company comes close to the innovation and ‘thinking’ that comes out of Apple.
dk
I’d rather have quality teachers than celebrities. This is piff for the celeb-obsessed.
Honestly I think most of the artists do a really good job, but I wouldn’t mind if someone else was teaching (besides, you’ll need someone else to play songs recorded by deceased artists).
Laughable comment, how is watching a video of someone demonstrating how to play their song fall into the category of celeb obsessed? Frankly, I think most aspiring musicians wouldn’t really care who was delivering the lesson as long as it’s accurate.
Apple and revolution in music? A joke of XXIst century!
$5 for learning to play a single song doesn’t sound that cheap to me.
Besides, being a good musician does not automatically make someone a good music teacher. If you are willing to pay for learning an instrument, just get private lessons with a real instructor.
I don’t think this will replace a real instructor – you still need to get your form down and someone to point out where you’re making mistakes. But it beats the music books and videos hands down.
First of all, the point of these is to get a lesson from someone who has distinguished themselves on that particular instrument. Your point is at least disingenuous.
The main lessons are being done by a nobody.
Some people would gripe if you hung ‘em with a new rope.
I would be thrilled if David Gilmore would show me how to play “Shine on You Crazy Diamond”.
Are you people nuts? The guy who wrote the song is showing you how to play it. You want a real instructor to tell how this guy’s music is supposed to be played?
I want David Gilmore showing how to play “Shine on You Crazy Diamond”.
Arent’ there a bunch of other online services that have been doing this for a while now. guitarport.com, guitartricks.com, and workshoplive.com just to name a few.
They all offer tab, video, audio playback, etc. and a whole lot more content. Apple doesn’t innovate everything you know.
I never said they were the first to do it. But they’re going to have their store pre-installed on millions of computers.
Of course you didn’t. You only called it Apple’s “Next Revolution in Music” when it’s really more like Apple exercising its market share to profit from good ideas already executed elsewhere by start-ups without Apple’s control.
The company Apple seems to be cribbing most from here is Line 6. GuitarPort’s had accurate tabs, video lessons by celebrities and teachers, and the same track isolation and guitar tone features for years. Their interface is as targeted at beginners as GarageBand’s without the platform lock-in. Apple charges $5/lesson, Line6 has a $8/month unlimited subscription.
If it was Microsoft bundling GuitarPort in WMP or with Zunes – hell, if it was YouTube finding a way to sell access to the lessons already on it for free – maybe you guys wouldn’t be howling angry about it, but I doubt it’d be called a revolution in music.
How do you sign on to be a teacher?
Get famous… I think
A company called IMV offers celebrity lessons with a video tablature that works really well: http://www.behindtheplayer.com The celebs they feature are actually really good teachers (eg, Duff McKagan, George Lynch, Munky), based on what I’ve seen so far. Not sure if they have online streaming, but worth checking out.
Oh Apple, is there anything you can’t revolutionize (or at least get the fanboys to claim you revolutionize).
The only they can’t revolutionize is revolution itself! Hah!
Here’s a new site that teaches beginner guitar lessons for free.
http://www.strumschool.com
Excellent! Lower the price, add variety; are original artists necessary or just preferred? Authorized teachings by someone else sold for half the price perhaps?
It is a great idea / product but one taken pretty much from iplaymusic.com. I worked with that company (full disclosure) and they had video lessons for Mac, PC and DVD that let you play and then record in GarageBand or ACID. Apple got the real artists but much of the features and UI look like iplaymusic. iPlayMusis was a Mac developer- so it is not like they were not aware…
Yeah Apple thats what I’m talking about this truly will ROCK and is better then that “LOUSY” MICROSOFT SINGING something that was posted a few weeks back at techcrunch the thought of Microsoft lousy music product research still makes me shiver and vomit.
soon there will be professional lessons for everything we can imagine. all located at a strategic natural language professional lesson website. there is definitely a value chain here.
StudentLocator.com – find know
Will there be someone who can teach me how to spam message boards with meaningless pseudo-intellectual marketing crapspeak?
Great review Jason!!!
Can’t wait to get my hands on this! I really want to learn how to play a guitar.
If Apple opens this up to allow regular guitar players to posts lessons (free and paid like the App Store), I think it could really take off.
They should move into selling digital sheet music same as they do with iTunes. As Jason mentioned the current user-generated tabs are often times pretty inaccurate. If they could figure out a way to sell the real sheet music or tabs to individual songs for a few bucks, I’m buying. Especially if it’s a quality and complete tab.
Is Apple seriously trying to drive this country into a deep hole – never to come out. This is crazy, they need to leave it up to the professionals to teach the younger generations. For GOD sake, let some people keep their jobs, hasn’t their been enough damage done to the economy?
I hope they allow users to post their own lesson videos as well. Unofficial versions of songs that could sell for less. Users could rate them just like youtube.
Will Slash teach me how to play Guitar Hero?
What about jamplay?
One of the best guitar sites out there with lots video lessons & songs for ~$20 a month. Also covers all genres.
$5 per song is not cheap at all.
We’ve seen a few people teaching music classes on eduFire already. It’s an interesting possibility. The ability to combine pre-packaged lessons from a place like iTunes with live video lessons from an actual person.
Damn, we may never need to leave our houses for anything at some point.
Nice write-up.
I’m wondering though… am I the only one that wishes this software actually showed the notes you are playing on the screen in real-time? That to me would seem to be the next logical step, and while this is nice, I’m not sure I’m blown away.
I mean, yes, I will get this and yes it’s the best option available, but I really expected apple to take it to the next level from a learning standpoint – not just a commerce standpoint (which I don’t have any problem with and actually think is a great idea too).
Anyway, I’m sure someone will point out you need extra gear to connect a guitar to your mac – true. But a) said gear is pretty cheap now and why not support it anyway, it is possible, and b) this isn’t just for Guitar.
Hooking a USB music keyboard up to your mac to learn with this tool would be really revolutionary. Approaching Rock Band/Guitar Hero: World tour type innovation but taking it to the next level where you are actually really learning – not playing a game.
Adding that element of interaction to this software will knock the ball out of the park. As is, yes, it’s good stuff, the best available right now, but there is some excellent room for growth here, I hope Apple comes through.
I haven’t tried the piano part much, but I know whenever you play a piano lesson it asks you to plug in your USB keyboard if you have one.
Wow, nice. Now I’m even more intrigued. I need to go buy this tonight.
Thanks!
interesting
Having the actual artist teach his song is very cool if you can get enough of them to do it. While most onine tabs are inaccurate, there are some good tab books out there (by hal leonard for example), many that have been edited by the actual musician who wrote the song.
I teach guitar online for $19/month through 5 online video courses for people that want to learn how to solo, they can submit videos of their playing and get feedback, interact with other students and so on. It’s great to have a social networking component to learning as well.
I’ve known for years that playing a song back in quicktime (audio) allows you to slow down the song so that you can pick out the notes without changing the pitch. So if you don’t mind hunting and pecking at the beginning quicktime is the method for figuring out songs.
Very interesting,
Another great online service that has already done a great job in this area is GuitarInstructor.com. Video lessons are $2, tabs are $1, and I believe Hal Leonard is the company that produces it – the same company that sells many of those guitar tab books, so there’s a ton of content.
I’m not saying that the Garage Band feature isn’t cool – but they’re going to need more content and cheaper prices to make a dent in this market.
I love apple products there always one step ahead of the game. Great blog.
Recipe for Apple
Take what people like. Figure out how to make easier, or better, or smarter. Repeat.
Jason:
I have played the guitar on-again-off-again for 30 years or so. I am still so-so. I have used a number of websites with TABs that are not half bad. Yes, a number of the TABs are inaccurate, but by at large they are at least OK, close enough, to pretty good. So … I do not agree with you.
Also, I have used GarageBand for the last 3 to 4 years. I have always loved the tool. For the price … man … it is awesome. And if it was costlier, it is still awesome. I use it all the time to record my own music. And while it does not have the best synthesizer, it is still pretty good and I am happy with it.
I have not tried the new version. I will eventually buy it and install it. The power of the tool, is in the tool. I do not want to learn from Sting, I want to listen to him. The same with John Fogerty. So, that to me is a non-starter. Or a non-issue probably addresses it best.
Is it a platform where people can learn to play an instrument, albeit now only limited to two? yes. I think it is. Is the power of the platform in that Sting is teaching? No it is not – it is a nice novelty however. Is it a revolution? In my opinion it is not. There are a number of incredible resource on the web, in print, on DVDs/CDs.
Regardless, it is a fantastic tool for music production.
I think what makes this really cool is that you can learn just about anyway you want to. I don’t think there is really is another learning product like it.
I just bought iLife ‘09 today myself and I have to agree with Jason it is pretty amazing. I have tried all of these ‘incredible resources’ as mentioned by Fabian but none of them offer all these aspects. (Slowdown, original master songs to play to, a cool mixer, lefty support YAHOO!, accurate notation etc) Using DVDs for learning, or even web video is such a pain in the ass since I can never see the proper fingering. This totally helped me learn Roxanne pretty fast, and Sting just happen to be a pretty cool teacher. Sting is there anything you can’t do???
Its very cool but I don’t think this is the end all be all for learning music but I am definitely going to use it!! ROOOXANNNNE!!! Just think of the kids who will get into guitar or piano from messing around with this at home.
It sounds like some of the posters here would probably feel different after they get a chance to see it in action. Apple has some video tutorials on their garageband site that I watched. Brilliant post Jason.
Makes sense as Sting was a teacher before his music gig.
I’ve played guitar for about 6 years as well and the best online free resource I’ve used is Ultimate-guitar.com and YouTube videos…. I get the tabs or chords from the first and watch a how-to video on the latter. This is a rock solid combination of learning tools. I’d rather use this than a janky iphone app that is probably pretty limited in its offerings… could be a good idea if there is an app that focuses on specific types of music… i’m also not going to sit and stare at my iphone screen to learn how to play… that would get really annoying.
@ Ryan
janky iphone app? What are you talking about? This is a program on the Mac called GarageBand.
I think most people would agree that GarageBand lessons, created by professional musicians, would be preferable to the bazaar of youtube’s and tabs out there. But will this become just an expensive, glossy way for beginners to get started, or an useful tool for musicians of varying levels? Unless Apple makes a real (and expensive) effort to push a lot of content into the app, it will just be the former.
Hi, I’ve was looking for a dedicated Garageband blog for tips, news, samples etc but I haven’t found one yet. So I started one…
garageband360.com
Can you buy the guitar lessons in the UK?
Anyone know.
Bought a Garrison G25 a few months back and still plodding along. Playing is a great way to escape all the tech rubbish I do all day. Much better than vegging in front of the TV.
Cheers
Mr P
I’m surprised no-one has mentioned iVideoSongs. I’ve used their downloads for a while now and they cover big artists, including the Beatles and often have the actual players showing the songs.
I tried iVideosongs but they are pretty expensive 9.99 for a lesson from an artist. I have tried the piano instruction which is hopeless since you can’t see the keyboard very well. Garageband has a cool graphical keyboard so you can see where their hands are and where to put yours.
This is awesome – if expanded properly, it could lead to great new opportunities for artists and labels to make a living.
More thoughts at http://www.musimuse.com
I laughed laughed laughed so hard when I saw GarageBand demo on Macworld – thought what a cheesy way to learn music (being a musician myself). And why would anyone be interested in paying $5 to learn few chords (while there are zillion of sites who give free chords, and some even free video lessons), and more so, just because its being spoken by Sting or John Fogerty (so much for celeb worshipping) – but guess what, I am wrong! There are enough suckers in the world than I can think of.
You know, when you’re learning guitar every little bit helps. I’m an older fellow, started guitar late, just a few years ago in fact. I’ve bought books, DVD’s, Lessons, CD’s and all of it. What works for you might not work for the next guy. For free on youtube you can learn from guys like siggi5153, Lazyfret, Goldhat , Chesneyfan, and JustinSandercoe – for lots of theory and learning how to play various styles (blues, twang, jazz, acoustic, fingerstyle) from beginner to advanced there’s Truefire.com which has tons of free content including tabs on everything they do and sell. For folks who want to hear from folk, banjo, mandolin, blues artists with DVD lessons there’s Homespun. The Mac application here is a good start but needs a heck of a lot more content before it’s a must buy and I buy everything to help me learn guitar. And from the article – Five Dollars a song is not cheap, really.
i notice that gizmodo posted this tour of the new garageband and talk about the price as being ok. Myself I wish they were cheaper but I don’t think $5 is too too high considering what you get.
http://i.gizmod...tually-includes
All on line lessons are great but I have to say that Breakdownway.com has been doing this now for four years and they simply have the best technique if you are inclined to do this on line. They have Jorma Kaukonen teaching various levels of fingerstyle guitar and Jack Casady teaching bass like no on else, Barry Mitterhoff teaching mandolin, Woody Mann teaching Guitar, Oteil Burbridge teaching bass, David Wolff (the creator) teaching beginner level fingerstyle guitar, Michael Falzarano and more quality instructors joining monthly. It is time tested and student approved. I think it’s is great that there is even a market for this…..but go to Break Down Way and check them out!!! They are the best I have seen all around
I have always wanted to learn how to play the piano, and yet I’ve never been able to stick through any of the mundane beginner lessons and loop-de-loops that piano teachers charge you arm and a leg for. Last night, I downloaded Ben Folds Five’s “Brick” and learned the first half the of the song in an hour. And I am a beginner, knowing key’s names if I look and count from my reference key. ONE HOUR! I almost cried when I realized I was playing a song I really loved all by myself. This is an absolute breakthrough in the music world for me, and Apple has now given me hope that I may someday become proficient enough to do this on my own. Thank you, Apple!
Thankyou for the heads up on this. It is something I will watch very closely because my blogs are strictly about acoustic guitar and cover numerous aspects that are often forgotten in learning music. It may be difficult for them to personalize things. I’ve seen a lot of stuff on the web and as a guitar player with 40 years playing behind me, I am horrified at what I see at times. There are major elements that are missing in a lot of online and off line teaching and often it’s just the quick fix, give it to me now, make me a rock star stuff that we see. The emotional side of music is nearly always left out, and is only ever covered as “play with feeling”, whereas there is a whole world needing attention such as why we play, when we don’t feel like playing, why am i not enjoying this.
What has been going on is marketers have been selling packages on the web that are lousy and as you say, the tab is incorrect in a lot of cases.
What this will do will force people like myself and some of the great guitar players out there to create resources in new formats and think smarter about the way we work.
Maybe it will be great, maybe not. I will contact a friend of mine at Apple, I guy I used to work with as a guitar player and see how much I can find out about this product and discuss the problems that I think there will be.
I am a guitar lover and my role in guitar has never been about business but I have wanted to see the standard of guitar raised on the web for one reason only,….so people can play beautiful music