Downloadable Phrase Trainers

[elrrek]

Hello folks:

I've started taking lessons and one of the things my instructor has suggested is that I learn other peoples stuff. Having played for nearly 14 years and really never done that sort of thing before I'm sort of slow on picking things up by ear.

My instructor has this thing called an Akai Riff-o-matic and he uses it to grab bits of songs, recod them and slow them down (while remaining at the same pitch) to learn them. I've tryed getting a hold of something similar but they are pricey - $200 and there abouts. Does anyone know of a similar thing that I could get online?

Cheers for any help you might be able to offer.

[VitaminG]

Re: Downloadable Phrase Trainers

I know it's not quite what you were asking about, but have you checked out Guitar Pro? It doesn't sample bits of songs, but it does have a phrase trainer function that I've found useful.

You can download songs from www.mysongbook.com & open them in Guitar Pro. Then you can see the tab & listen to a midi rendition of the tune that you can play along to. Anyway, the phrase trainer in GP allows you to select a passage of the song (anything from 1 bar to the entire tune), set a starting speed (if you're struggling with a section you can start the passage at much slower than playing speed) and set the increments of beats-per-minute that you'd like it to speed up on each pass through.

So, for example, if you're having trouble with a two bar phrase at the start of a 144bpm solo, you can select bars 79-80 (the problem area), start the loop at 100bpm and set it to increase in speed by 2bpm on each pass-through. You play along with the midi track and tab, and before you know it, you're wailing along at full speed. Or faster.

[hollow08]

Re: Downloadable Phrase Trainers

What you want is a plugin for WinAMP called Chronotron II.

You'll need WinAMP as well. Get both at WinAMP.com

[ April 09, 2003, 04:02 AM: Message edited by: Aaron Fox ]

[Alexi7]

Re: Downloadable Phrase Trainers

you can also download Pacemaker, type Pacemaker winamp plug in in yahoo...you can slow down stuff by up to 43%, in real time, so no 10 second limits on recording and sampling etc. Also, you can play along to songs that are downtuned by turning up the pitch, works a treat.
Cheers

[charvelguy]

Re: Downloadable Phrase Trainers

the riff o matic is ok.. but it is pain to work with at times the quality suffers at slower speeds. They're older units, there are better units on the market...as far as used, these things are going pretty cheap nowadays. The Boss SP202 or 303 is a sampler with optional extended memory card, you can loop at actual pitch, works similar to the akai. There are a few internet software downloads for phrase slowdowns, you can try this one on a free 30 day trial..(actually about 45-60 days) it's a little pricey at 40.00 to purchase, but worth every penny if you use it enough.. check it out.

http://www.seventhstring.demon.co.uk

they also are so confident in their product, they post links to other downloadable phrase trainers

http://www.seventhstring.demon.co.uk/links.html

[ April 09, 2003, 02:00 PM: Message edited by: charvelguy ]

[JacksonJuiceBox]

Re: Downloadable Phrase Trainers

My Boss Me-33 multi effects pedal does the same thing, pretty easy to use, up to 12 seconds of recording. I got mine for 250$ but I'm not sure you want all the effects.

[Newc]

Re: Downloadable Phrase Trainers

If you've been playing for 14 years, surely by now you have some sense of identifying scalar patterns and chord progressions by ear? I had only been learning Pentatonics for a coupla months and could pick out Pentatonic-based solos.

Newc

[elrrek]

Re: Downloadable Phrase Trainers

Cheers folks, some of this looks very promising, I'll let you know how I get on - if your interested [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

I hear what people are saying about playing for 14 years, I should be able to that sort of thing. It's just that I've never felt any real compulsion (spelling? correct word even?) to learn someone else's stuff, that's not why I started the guitar though I am quickly learning that it could well be a way to improve my "chops" amd playing. The music I listen to isn't exactly condusive to this playing-by-ear sort of thing unfortunately, I'm into the heavier and decidedly left field end of metal. While I reckon it's pretty easy to pick up something like a Sabbath, Ozzy or Metallica riff (these are all reference points by the way - not me slagging anyone, there are bands I have learned stuff by) I have real difficulty picking up what's being played by bands like Godflesh and Knut for example. That's part of the attraction of getting a phrase trainer. That and the fact that after I spent 2 weeks trying to nail the damn thing and doubting whether the tab I had for "Wasted Years" by Iron Maiden, my instructor rips the solo into his riff-o-matic, slows it down, literally glances at the tab, noddles for 2 minutes then plays the damn thing 99% perfect having never heard the song before that day - gah!

[rodrigo_echeverri]

Re: Downloadable Phrase Trainers

Dude, Power tab is the way to go. The thing gives you the tab for the song and plays it. You can repeat any section at you will and I believe you can change the tempo as well. Also I have been able to find all the songs I wanted on the internet for it.