How AI Helped Me Learn Guitar
When I decided to pick up the guitar a few months ago, I received some solid advice: choose a guitar that looks cool! After all, a cool guitar makes you feel good. I’m definitely obsessed with my blacked-out acoustic Fender. However, hitting a sour note always made me feel less cool. While I have a background in the arts, music is new to me. I’ve been navigating the challenges of reading sheet music, mastering guitar techniques, and troubleshooting instrument issues.
As a tech journalist, I wondered: Could artificial intelligence help me improve my guitar playing and stick to my practice schedule? Surprisingly, the answer is yes. While AI can’t replace the guidance of my in-person teacher and group lessons, it has become a valuable resource. Here’s how I’ve incorporated AI into my guitar learning:
AI Can Answer Guitar-Related Questions
As a new guitar player, I’m often bombarded with questions: What’s the best guitar for beginners? What are some basic chords? What is a fret? When I used the free version of ChatGPT, I was impressed with its thorough and accurate answers. For instance, I asked about the best beginner guitar. ChatGPT provided a solid answer, listing several acoustic, electric, and also offered brands and models. When I checked other websites and customer reviews, it seemed like every model recommended was indeed beginner-friendly.
ChatGPT also listed tuner, picks, strings, and other important accessories to buy as a beginner and the factors you should consider when purchasing your first guitar.
Always verify information with reliable sources, such as guitar manufacturer websites or other guitar experts.
AI Can Help Tune Your Guitar
One of my biggest worries when I started playing was being able to tune my guitar accurately and knowing when it needed to be tuned. While ChatGPT can’t listen to your guitar, it offers comprehensive instructions on checking and tuning. For more advanced assistance, you will need to look for an AI tool other than ChatGPT such as apps or devices.
AI-based guitar tuning has limitations, though. These tools depend on the quality of your microphone. Environmental noises or poor microphone sensitivity can also interfere with their accuracy. However, AI is convenient and effective for basic tuning.
AI Can Help You Find the Chords to Your Favorite Songs
An excellent piece of advice when learning the guitar is to prioritize playing your favorite songs. This makes practice more enjoyable and also helps you develop a deeper understanding of rhythm, chords, and techniques. I use AI-driven tools to locate the chords to songs I listen to and enjoy, which has made learning guitar less of a chore.
Apps like Chord ai and Chordify use AI in real time to generate the chords to songs, which makes it easier to follow along and learn.
For example, I wanted to learn to play The 1975’s “About You.” I saved a cover to my phone and uploaded it to Chord ai. It instantly displayed the chords – D, A, Em, G, and then back to A. I validated the chords I was trying out were right, thanks to AI. Unfortunately, AI only provides basic chord progressions; it often skips nuanced changes or fingerpicking patterns. This means that complex songs or non-standard tunings may not be accurately transcribed by AI. For more accuracy, it’s always best to check the chords with tabs or official sheet music.
AI Helps Me Create a Practical Guitar Practice Schedule
My biggest issue when I first picked up a guitar was maintaining a consistent practice routine. I’d play for hours one day and not touch my guitar for days after. As a chronic procrastinator, I needed a solid practice schedule to hold me accountable. ChatGPT was an incredibly helpful resource for structuring my study schedule.
I told the AI how long I’d been playing (three months), how many hours a week I wanted to practice, and the days I can’t practice because of other obligations. The schedule ChatGPT generated incorporated warm-up exercises, technique drills, chord and scale practice, and improvisation. The schedule provides me with a balance between review and free play. This means I always have an excuse to practice, and I can’t blame not knowing what to practice next for slacking off.
In my experience, AI can significantly enhance a beginner’s guitar learning experience by creating personalized practice schedules and identifying chords to my favorite songs. AI’s features will help with any questions you have during your journey through learning guitar. Remember that AI’s capabilities are limited and cannot replicate the personalized guidance of in-person instruction. But, it can be a reliable tool for anyone looking to learn and play the guitar.
