Can the ipad be used effectively for teaching pupils to play the guitar?

GE_Tyrone

I run a music school and I'm always looking to expand and make it better. One of the ways we do it is by technology.
Since the launch of the ipad I have been seeing allot of my pupils and mates use them and I've seen the music/guitar apps which were great!

I have done a bit of research into the apps and the way we could apply in lessons but my only questions are...

1. Will it add any value to the lessons for the pupil??
2. Is it easy to transfer docs like tabs ext to a pupils PC?? ( cant find this on Google anywhere )

Maybe some of you techno junkies out there can help me answer these.

I'm an old school player so I still use valve amps and play by ear but kids these days.... ?

Jack-Flash-Jr

Hmmm... played with a couple of these.
1. not always easy to transfer from mac to pc.
2. getting the kids to practice is the most effective method of teaching them guitar ?
The apps are cool but nothing you can't explain from a piece of paper or indeed a laptop/pc. My opinion is music is becoming too visual and gadgety these days.
All you need is six strings and ears IMHO.

Squonk

A cheap Memory stick will suffice ?

Samsung have brought out a Galaxy Pad, which is smaller but has acouple of extra features added.
MTN are offering at R429 per month for a 500MB data bundle.
It runs Android and it has telephony capabilities, the talk in the tech world is that Android will become the mobile platform of the future!

guitarboy2828

Squonk wrote: A cheap Memory stick will suffice ?

Android will become the mobile platform of the future!

+1! I think it's going to come A LOT sooner than people imagine. Android is the way forward! ?

Jack-Flash-Jr

Squonk wrote: A cheap Memory stick will suffice ?

Only if snow leopard is in no way involved...

Warren

I can't say the iPad on its own is going to do anything too revolutionary for music tuition, however I agree with the idea that technology can help.

When I started playing there was no internet (not in its current form anyway) so you either had to go for lessons or buy videos / books for self-study. One of the great advantages of the net is the sheer amount of exposure to different guitarists and playing styles which you can get while sitting in an armchair.

There are lots of great sites out there now (such as LickLibrary) which offer wonderful video-based tuition, and for me this is exactly the sort of stuff I'm after. It's so useful to be able to actually SEE someone play a piece: especially to watch their hands as they play. Sitting on my own I sometimes can't imagine getting certain passages up to the right speed, or something might just seem impossible. Then you watch another person play it with ease and precision, and suddenly you realise that it IS possible, and that maybe you can get there too!

Devices like the iPad and the continued proliferation of internet access and ever increasing bandwidth caps means that it is becoming easier to get access to this stuff wherever you might be, and it also means that there is a lot of choice out there for the student.

Another really cool area of technology is the ability to produce great sounding recordings using sequencer software or dedicated devices which are relatively cheap and easy for the novice to get going with. I think that the ability to record yourself is an invaluable learning tool. The iPhone and the iPad (and other similar devices I'm sure) have some great apps for doing this sort of thing on the go.

Seventhson

Jack Flash Jr wrote: Hmmm... played with a couple of these.
1. not always easy to transfer from mac to pc.
2. getting the kids to practice is the most effective method of teaching them guitar ?
The apps are cool but nothing you can't explain from a piece of paper or indeed a laptop/pc. My opinion is music is becoming too visual and gadgety these days.
All you need is six strings and ears IMHO.

Agreed. Put down the paper and ipod and just play?

Squonk

http://www.ideafordummies.com/

Talking about Gadgets etc. The Ovation iDea, mp3 player, recording etc.
It seems absurd but I wouldn't mind having one ?

GE_Tyrone

Thanks for the replies guys!

Well I have looked at each response but the old school plug in and play is great for the more advanced pupils and serious guys with technology to help aid them.

The more beginner pupils strive for the easy approach and really use what is out there to help them often me having to correct them from either bad technique or totally wrong transcriptions.

I do see some value in the ipad having the transcription there in the lesson with the real song off of itunes to play then possibly youtube video lesson to aid also guitarbt.com tracks and bandinthebox program of the song all there in the lesson at the touch of a screen. Saving printing costs and environmentally saving paper to produce more guitars ?

AndrewD

One thing that could help is iRig for the iPad, iPhone or iPod touch - http://www.ikmultimedia.com/irig/features/

It's not "teaching" but it's a very cool toy and will definitely encourage the "not so disciplined" to play more.
It could also be used to educate students about various effects and amps - possibly helping them find a setup that works for them in a virtual world before committing to spending cash on the real deal.

(this post comes to you courtesy of my Macbook running Snow Leopard - so there may some bias towards Apple ? )