Guitar Guru Editor's Review

Available as a freeware download, Guitar Guru allows you to break down the guitar component of your favourite tracks virtually – allowing you to apply it in real life.

The interface features an interactive fretboard, which can be adapted to suit your visual needs (changeable skins, etc). Each stroke, chord, note, effect and finger-style pattern is depicted with finger dots on the screen. The graphic clarity is excellent, with bright, simple to read markers.

Users can pick tracks from a huge database of songs, which can then be played back either in MIDI or with your own MP3s or CDs. The most useful feature is the ability to set your own tempo to learn a track, without changing the pitch of the original music (and therefore impacting the key register you play in). It is not possible to transpose scores into another key, but only advanced players would notice this.

The programme can loop passages on command, in order to allow you to perfect a song in stages. There is also an option to view the tab and score as you play, which highlights the instruments as they are played. A voice command action is also available.

Guitar Guru is available across Windows OS (Me, 2000, Vista, 7, Server 2003, XP, NT and even 98). Few compatibility issues have been reported in more recent OS downloads.

Pro's: freeware, compatible across the Windows OS range, clear graphics, voice command, tempo change, MP3 or CD synch

Con's: not available on Linux or Apple OS, no key transposition facility

Conclusion: Guitar Guru is the perfect way to start learning guitar today. The functions are simple but perfectly attuned to what guitar players of all stages need to improve technique and ability. An expansion across to other operating systems would be the major improvement.