Writing for Qwowi is a really fun gig.  We get to try out the latest and greatest products coming to the market, we get to play with all sorts of neat ideas, and this time around I discovered a few great products while also fulfilling a lifetime goal that had been lost in the shuffle of my everyday life.  iPlayMusic sent me their Family Guitar Bundle and their Level 2 Beginner Guitar Lessons DVD for my review and when they arrived I realized that I have always wanted to learn to play an instrument, particularly the guitar.  I have fond memories of listening to my father, stepdad, and brother playing guitar.  As a teen and young adult I loved going to open mic nights locally to hear budding musicians play, I went to college at the same school that is home to the reknowned Crane School of Music, and I even married a bass (guitar) player.  I had a lot of exposure to music as a first hand experience during my formative years, but no one ever placed an instrument in my hands.  I never understood the exquisite delight that comes from holding your own instrument and knowing, even in the most basic terms, how to make it sing.  I always wanted to learn to play the guitar, even if I only got good enough to play nursery songs to my children, but I admit that I never put forth any effort to try because  I have never associated myself with the label of musician.  This year, with the onset of the Qwowi Tech Guide and the iPlayMusic Family Guitar Bundle and DVDs, that all changed for me.

The Family Guitar Bundle: Basics

The Family Guitar Bundle consists of two Stagg guitars, one full size for an adult and one 3/4 size for a child or young adult to learn on.  It also includes extra Stagg strings for both guitars, a Qwik Tune Electric Tuner (batteries included), two Fender guitar picks, the Level 1 Beginner Guitar Lessons DVD, and the Play Music Together DVD.  The buyer gets to choose the guitar color of the full size guitar; the 3/4 size guitar arrives in a natural finish.

I chose red for my guitar, and when I took it out of the box the aesthetics of the instrument did not disappoint.  The color is a deep red and when the light hits the guitar body it shines like a ruby.  Needless to say, I was not disappointed.  Other colors available to choose from include: Natural, Violinburst, Black, Sunburst, and Green.  The natural 3/4 sized guitar is also very good looking, and is small enough for a child to use but not so small that it is useless for teens or young adults.  I am able to comfortably hold and play both guitars.

Breaking Down the Family Guitar Bundle: Qwik Tune Acoustic Guitar and Bass Tuner

The first step to playing guitar is getting the strings in tune, which I immediately set out to do.  The digital tuner comes with very simple directions, which I found easy to use.  It took me awhile to get the hang of tuning, but after tuning the first guitar the second one went much quicker.  Enthusiasm was running high in our household that afternoon, with my son and I both eager to get our hands on our guitars, so we turned on the DVD  and sat down to play.

Breaking Down the Family Guitar Bundle: Level 1 Beginner Guitar DVD

Let me start by saying that there are instructional videos, and then there are instructional videos that are done exceptionally well.  This video falls into the latter category due to its customizable options (which I will go over in greater detail below), its friendly, encouraging tone that never goes over the edge into patronizing, and the teacher whose engaging style and calm instruction makes you feel as though he’s a buddy who stopped by your living room to jam for the afternoon.

The DVD is broken into four sections: Basics, Songs Step by Step, Songs, and Riffs, Techniques, & Bonus Videos.  There is a “play all” option, as well as a chapter index for ease of mobility through the DVD.  Being a novice, I start with the Basics section and I am immediately encouraged because there is no section labeled “Learning to Read Sheet Music”.  I understand the value of being able to read music, but in past attempts my ventures into the musical world were stopped short when I realized that I am incapable of understanding the ‘notes on a page represent notes on an instrument’ concept.  The Basics section begins, instead, with a basic tour of the guitar that reveals the name and purpose of each part (frets, neck, body, etc.), how to hold the instrument, and how to make sound.  The DVD uses a finger, string, and fret numbering system that allows you to get playing immediately by following the teacher, without the need for lessons in sheet music reading.  There are lessons on constructing chords, strengthening exercises for your fingers, and strumming basics, all delivered in a visual, hands-on approach.

The second section, Songs Step by Step, goes through five songs:

• Sloop John B
• Corinna, Corinna
• Midnight Special
• Salty Dog
• Will The Circle Be Unbroken

Each song is broken down to the basics.  You begin by learning the chords of the song, the strumming pattern, and the chord transitions.  During these lessons the television screen displays the name of the chord you are working on at the top and the remaining screen is broken into four windows.  Three of the windows allow you to view the teacher’s finger placement on both strings and frets from different angles, and the fourth window shows the body position of the teacher as he sits and plays.  At the bottom right of the screen there is a “loop” option, allowing the viewer to see the section over and over in a continuous loop until it can be played effortlessly.  The final two sections under each song take you through a song lesson and playing the song itself.  The song lesson shows you how to put the chords, chord transitions, and strumming patterns together to construct the song, and also gives you the first introduction to the lyrics.  The song is played fairly slowly at this point, allowing your mind and hands to get the feel of the piece before taking you up to full tempo.  This lesson employs the same four window split screen we saw in the previous lessons, as well as the loop option.  The final lesson in this section, playing the song, takes you through playing the entire song at full tempo.  The screen is again split into four sections, and the middle of the screen has a marquee showing the lyrics and chords.  The most noteworthy part of this last lesson is the ability of the viewer to play the song with just the rhythm,  just the music, or with the full sound on; these options allow you to train your ear to play along with other instruments.  There is also a quick view option to refresh your memory on finger placement for each chord, as well as a refresher on strumming patterns, without having to lose your place on the DVD by going back to previous lessons.

The third section of the DVD, Songs, is a compilation of the final lessons (playing the song) of each of the five pieces learned in Songs Step by Step.  Basically, you can play all of the songs, back to back, at full tempo with the same options to loop, refresh your memory on chords and strumming patterns, and play with different sound options.

The fourth and final section of the DVD packs in a lot of information, with 22 lessons including, but not limited to, barre chords, power chords, riffs,  metal and punk strumming, stringing the guitar, and finger strengthening.

Breaking Down the Family Guitar Bundle: The Play Music Together DVD

This DVD reaches out to the younger child in your family, with the same teacher from the Level 1 DVD and a puppet named Capo singing and playing seven children’s songs:

• If You’re Happy and You Know It
• The Wheels on the Bus
• Whole World In His Hands
• I’ve Been Working on the Railroad
• Crawdad Song
• ABC Song
• Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

The video is both captivating and engaging for young children.  They are encouraged to follow along with the music by using hand motions and getting up to dance along with Capo.  The DVD includes sections similar to those in the Level I DVD  that show you how to play each part of the song (chords, chord transitions, and strumming patterns) as well as putting all of the components together to play the full song.  The teacher starts you out playing the songs at a slower tempo to allow you to get used to playing, and then speeds things up to full tempo.  Again, there is a marquee of chords and lyrics to help you play and sing, and a loop option to allow you to continuously play until you’ve got the song down.  Also included is the Play Music Together Song Book with fun illustrations and words to the seven songs so young readers and grown-ups unfamiliar with the lyrics can sing along.

My children have especially enjoyed this part of the Family Guitar Bundle.  They love Capo and they have asked to watch the song video repeatedly since it arrived.  Once again, iPlayMusic delivers lessons in an encouraging, friendly manner that engages the whole family.

Overall Review of the Family Guitar Bundle

I can sum this up in one sentence: Our family is having a blast with this bundle!  Playing together, as a family, has been more fun than I could have imagined.  We have really learned to laugh at ourselves in the past few weeks, but we’ve also made great progress in our skills and great memories of time spent together.  The Family Guitar Bundle really delivers: the guitars are of a respectable quality for a beginner guitar; they look and sound great.  The Qwik Tune digital tuner works well and takes the guesswork out of tuning the guitar for beginners.  The Level 1 DVD is fantastic and gets you playing your new instrument within minutes, allowing you and your children to maintain your enthusiasm for music without getting bogged down in particulars, like reading sheet music, that can prove frustrating for beginners.  The manueverability of the DVD is superb compared to other instructional videos I have tried using, with plenty of options to allow you to customize your experience.  The Play Music Together DVD is a fun introduction to guitar for little ones, using songs they are familiar with to encourage their interest in playing.  Also worthy of mention is the fact that both DVDs come with videos formatted for the video iPod screen, allowing you to take your lessons with you anywhere (I was unable to test this portion of tha package, as I sadly do not own an iPod).  The Family Bundle is a versatile product that appeals across generational lines, allowing the entire family to try something new together.  It also allows you to learn a skill that can be built upon; the ability to play an instrument is something your children can take with them throughout life, unlike video game versions of the real thing that only entertain them for the moments when they are plugged in.  In my opinion, this is the best family oriented gift I have seen in years.  In a time when we are all scaling back due to economic concerns, the Family Guitar Bundle from iPlayMusic brings the focus back to shared family experiences, time spent together, and education – what could be better than that?

The iPlayMusic Family Guitar Bundle is comfortably priced at $199.95 and can be purchased at your local Apple Retail Store or online at the iPlayMusic Store.  iPlayMusic has similar guitar bundles for children, youth, and adult beginners, as well as electric guitar bundles.  Save 30% on your purchase from the iPlayMusic store through December 21, 2008 and still receive your gifts in time for Christmas!

Add Ons to the Family Guitar Bundle: Level 2 Beginner Guitar Lessons

The Level 2 DVD is laid out much like the Level 1 DVD; it uses the same section and lesson format to break down the basics of handling the guitar, learning songs step by step, and playing songs at regular tempo.  The main differences in the Level 2 DVD lie in the song selections and the fourth section, Riffs, Techniques, & Bonus Videos.  The song lessons on this DVD are for the follwing songs:

• Goin’ Down the Road Feelin’ Bad
• Careless Love
• Red River Valley
• Sinner Man

The lessons are taught in exactly the same manner as the Level 1 DVD, with all of the same customizable options.  The Riffs, Techniques, and Bonus Videos Section includes, but is not limited to, lessons in hammer ons and pull offs, bends, slides, sliding chords, Blues riffs, and harmonics.

The Level 2 DVD is the logical next step to follow the Level 1 DVD and delivers the same engaging and encouraging teaching methods we saw in Level 1.  This DVD would make a great stocking stuffer for the guitarist who knows just enough to be dangerous, but would like to know even more.

The Level 2 Beginner Guitar Lessons DVD is priced at $19.95 and can be purchased at your local Apple Retail Store or online at the iPlayMusic Store.  The entire stock of the iPlayMusic store is on sale until December 21, 2008.  Save 30% on your purchase and receive your gifts by Christmas!

Check out all of our reviews in Qwowi’s 2008 Tech Gift Guide