When I was a teenager, I wanted to learn how to play the guitar. There was even a small bit of sibling rivalry, with a bet that my older brother would master it before I did.
He won that one; he can play actual songs and owns a few guitars. I, on the other hand, can tune a guitar and play a few chords here and there, strung together into a basic song if I push it hard enough. I do much better on Guitar Hero.
But when the Roadie Coach landed on my desk, I thought it was time to go back to my earlier goals. Learn more than one song and add a few more chords to my repertoire but do it quietly so no one could hold me to it if I decided to drop it.
The product comes from a company better known for its smart guitar tuners. But somewhere along the way, it decided to adapt and expand its range,
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Roadie Coach is a smart music tutor for the guitar and ukulele. And not only will it help you improve your guitar playing, it will help you master the vocals and is also a portable recording studio and a guitar tuner in one, with a touch-screen control and Bluetooth support so you can use it as a MIDI controller.
The small device clips to your guitar, using its dual microphones to pick up both your playing and vocals. It then uses AI to analyse your performance in real time to let you know when you are on track or veering wildly off course.
Much of that comes through the Roadie Coach app, which will guide you through the content and lessons suited to your skills.
It took me a while to get going, mainly because I thought I would need a better grasp of the guitar before I started with Roadie Coach. As it turns out, it is suitable for players of all skill levels, even stalled learners.
For those who have never even picked up a guitar before, there is a beginner’s course to follow. It covers how to hold a guitar correctly and how to read chord diagrams before you even get on to your first chord.
If you have a basic grasp of the guitar, you will be able to progress more quickly, but as an unskilled player, I picked up a few pointers straight away.
You can start with tuning, with the app guiding you through the process quickly. You can also take a quick look at the full guitar tabs.
When you progress to learning to play songs, it follows the same lesson plan: learn the chords; play at your own pace; then progress to a basic play along. Level four deals with the strum pattern. If the song supports learning the vocals, that will follow, before combining the two. The last step is playing the original song.
Along the way, each level grades your performance with stars so you can see your progress and return to improve your score at some point.
Some content in the app is free to access. Players can access the basic songs – royalty free – without signing up to a monthly (€6) or yearly (€60) plan. But that section is largely Christmas carols and kids’ songs, with the bulk of these classed as easy to play. If you want to stretch your abilities and branch out from Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, you will have to sign up for the free trial and an eventual subscription.
That gives access to bands such as Radiohead, Foo Fighters and Muse, with a selection of songs from pop acts such as Arianna Grande, Billie Eilish and the Bee Gees also available. Indie or jazz may be more your thing; Roadie Coach offers a decent selection, along with R&B and country.
There is enough there to keep most musical tastes satisfied, and Roadie Coach adds new songs regularly.
Although the preview of the guitar tabs tend to be complete, when you play along with the songs it is not; the app edits the songs to cut out the repeating parts that you have already learned. It is enough to give you the information you need to play it through without getting tedious, and once you have the skills mastered you can simply use the guitar tab feature to go through the full song.
The app also serves as another access point for your recordings that you have saved to the Roadie Coach, with the device promising full studio quality. It has two 3.5mm jacks, so you can connect an electric guitar, and headphones to listen back to the audio – if you can bear to listen, that is.
Am I going to be wowing anyone with my skills in the immediate future? Will I be recording a one-hit wonder from the comfort of my own home? Not likely. I am still practising when no one can hear me. But Roadie Coach has taken my extremely limited skills and added a few new tricks.
Good
If you want to improve your guitar or ukulele skills, Roadie Coach is a flexible way to do it. Lessons are suitable for complete beginners up to those who want to bring their skills to the next level.
The recording function is useful for those who need it – even if you just want to check your progress – and the content is varied enough to justify paying for it.
Bad
The free-to-play section is limited in its scope. The subscription cost may put people off, but at €6 per month, it is on the lower end of the scale.
Everything else
The device comes with a few sizes of clamp to suit assorted sizes and styles of guitar. The tuning feature is welcome too, although I was placing a lot of trust in the device’s expertise, given my complete lack of experience.
Not all songs support vocal practice, and the style of playing might not suit everyone.
Verdict
For beginners, this is a soft introduction to playing guitar in the privacy of their own home. For those at a higher skill level, though, it could be an even more useful device, thanks to the recording features. A versatile tool for budding guitar players.
