Does this game really teach how to play guitar?

[Sargon]

I am a novice guitar player and have taken lessons in the past, but I would like to get back into it. Does this game teach someone how to actually play a real guitar? If I learn a song in Rocksmith, would I theoretically then be able to play it note-for-note without even having to use the game anymore?

[MyDarkHome.com]

It can if the game worked right. LOL!

[GuitarDan]

Originally posted by Sargon:

I am a novice guitar player and have taken lessons in the past, but I would like to get back into it. Does this game teach someone how to actually play a real guitar? If I learn a song in Rocksmith, would I theoretically then be able to play it note-for-note without even having to use the game anymore?

Yes it teaches you how to play.

[Pleazard]

Yup, there are no corners cut, no emulation of success. It pushes you towards playing original songs, on a real guitar, with all the solos, intonations and stuff, and ultimately without looking at the notes.

[wraith7201]

Yes, but it requires a lot of practice, and you may need to do some additional studying of techniques using YouTube videos, etc.

[gfellmer]

Yes, this is a great method for learning guitar. It should not be your only source, but it could easily be your main one.

[Trembar]

Yes, ive been playing guitar for 3 years and i saw able to play songs (the easier ones) on my 4-5 try just by sightreading. i mostly play thrash metal like Metallica,Slayer, and Megadeth and i learn my solos by ear but this probably wouldn't be a that bad method to learn solos.

[h4iku_m4ster]

Originally posted by kdobbs74:

It can if the game worked right. LOL!

what doesnt work?

[Viper78]

No it does not really teach in my opinion, it's however a great tool for learning songs. Start with justins Sandercoe free course on his website if you are real new to the guitar. Otherwise you may have a lot questions that are not answered by the game.

[Juppstein]

Rocksmith teaches you how to play guitar but it does not really teach you how to play music.

For that you still need to do extra hours and make a visit to music theory country. Things the game will not show you:

- Reading tablature
- Reading staff notation
- Understand the fretboard
- Chord construction
etc.etc.

It looks like boring stuff but those are the essentials that will allow you to do things aside from playing after color coded lines :)

RS is a good tool but it is only one part in the whole picture

[AustinRhythmWorks]

Sargon - I have played the original Rocksmith and now RS 2014. The game is great if you want to start learning how to play with others. Initially, you are just trying to play the song - eventually, you gain skills and confidence to adapt your playing along with what others are doing. I suggest you try to find people in your area to jam with - it is a blast. I have been playing rhythm guitar and bass in a hard rock band for 2 years and playing guitar for 4. I attacked this on my own (with youtube) prior to Rocksmith being available - it would have been easier to learn if this was available at the time. The KEY is getting feedback either from Rocksmith or your jam buddies when you are a little off. Practice every day and in a few months you will be very happy with your progress.

[Cab]

Yes, it does teach. More importantly perhaps, it can help motivate. I started playing guitar 10 years ago and quit once/twice due to lack of motivation - I was pushing myself too hard, focusing on mechanics and not having fun. I picked it back up, then I quit again for many years due to personal reasons. The criticism that it only teaches songs is not fair, but even if it were... you can breakdown any section of any song that is giving you fits, adjust the speed, difficulty, etc - then play just that section to create your own lesson of sorts. There are all kinds of techniques locked away in the tracklist.

I have experience with a lot of self-teaching methods with guitar, and Rocksmith has been integral to my recent progress - I've shaken off the rust and begun learning again. Keep your guitar out, play it often, correct your technique when you notice you're slacking, but overall just have fun. The rest will come with time as you keep playing, and there are many other resources out there for a self-taught guitarist: Justinguitar, Guitarjamz, Guitar Pro, ultimate guitar tabs/community, etc...

Again, you've just got to put in the effort and pick up the guitar to practice, and I think that's where RS shines brightest. It provides direction and motivation - things that can be lacking for many fledgeling guitarists.

[wraith7201]

I agree with Cab. RS is going to give you the ability to practice and learn the techniques and skills to play guitar. It is not going to teach you music theory (other than scales), and it is not going to teach you how to write music.

The biggest disadvantage over a live instructor is that RS is limited in how it can identify and point out incorrect techniques. So, if you rely solely on RS, it would be easy to develop bad techniques that will be limiting in the future.

[Ultaan aka REEJ]

The lesson section is utterly awesome, I play for over 7 years and I still found a lot of stuff to be usefull. Well worth the money.

[HooksNHaunts]

I would say it teaches you familiarity with the guitar but not the actual guitar. More than anything it is a practice tool that motivates you to play and honestly that is the most important part anyway. You are still going to want to look elsewhere for guitar based music theory and will still want to follow outside lessons but for just getting used to the guitar, muscle memory, learning chords, techniques, and practicing Rocksmith 2014 is amazing.

You will probably want to flip the strings in Rocksmith, though. It doesn't cover all the important parts of reading tab but it can get you used to how tablature is set up by inverting them. If not the game defaults to what you would see if you would just look down on your guitar with the thick E string on top.

[I BLESS THE RAINS DOWN IN AFRICA]

Originally posted by j-gvk:

No it does not really teach in my opinion, it's however a great tool for learning songs. Start with justins Sandercoe free course on his website if you are real new to the guitar. Otherwise you may have a lot questions that are not answered by the game.

I think it is wrong to say it doesn't teach because it does offer a whole lot of moments where you can be taught something but it really depends on where you are already at. If you have already been playing guitar you probably won't be learning a ton or new things or anything at all but for the new/first time guitar players you will learn a large amount of information and techniques. I have only been playing myself for around 1-2 yrs and learned a couple new things or learned to improve on things I was doing. It is all subjective to where you are already at in your knowledge of the guitar.

OP I don't recommend the game as your sole source of learning to play though, while it is a great modivator for playing it still is going to lack the whole package that you can get from an actual guitar teacher. If you really wanted to though you could probably still be fairly decent at guitar with just Rocksmith if you really really went to town with learning scales and songs but again your still missing some fundamentals that Rocksmith just sorta skims over. It takes most people years and years to become "good" at guitar. More or less as you become better at guitar Rocksmith and future Rocksmith games will feel more like just a good tool to use for practicing new songs and doing some warm ups with scales through mini-games but it wouldn't be a long term tool in your guitar education process...that being said if it encourages you to play and turns what would normally seem boring and tedious into fun and exciting go for it.