The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    I notice that many of the lessons offered on jazzguitar.be are offered in Guitar Pro file format. I have used Ultimate Guitar for song information and note they too, have GP files. Wanting to know more, I searched for reviews on this program and found nearly everyone raving about it, especially the latest 7.5 release. So, I downloaded it and am on my 30 day free trial. I did notice that through their site, free access to mySongBook is free through May 31. That site has a lot of really interesting, professionally created song files, too.

    So, I'm only on day three of my trial, and I'm still working despite the COVID-19 issue, so my time with the program has been limited. I've used MuseScore 3.0, which is a nifty program for the price (free!), but I find it difficult for my purposes. GP seems to have a lot of features -- possibly more than I can use -- but I like what I've seen so far. I'd like to be able to isolate a few bars and repeat them, so I can practice specific parts of a song, perhaps slow down the tempo until my fingers get adjusted to the piece, and so on.

    There aren't a lot of references to GP here on the forum. Is that intentional? Does everyone use it so no mention is needed, or do people hate it and go elsewhere? If so, where?

    Seventy dollars U. S. (about 65 Euro) isn't going to break the bank, but I tend to buy software that I wind up never using. Is this something usable?

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    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #2

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    Tuxguitar is actually the same (or almost ?) and it's free. You may want to give it a try.

  4. #3

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    Not to me.

  5. #4

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    I write out a lot of songs and licks, so I though that Guitar Pro would allow me to make them more exact and professional looking. I bought it but then had health issues that took time away from using it.

    I still don't have the time (and according to all of my older friends, will never, ever have enough time) to be so detail-oriented, but it is still a dream to write out several of my original songs so that I can share parts (if I want to).

    I am glad I bought it because MuseScore just kicked my butt, and I had a hard time figuring it out. Guitar Pro seems more intuitive with my way of thinking. I will eventually get around to using it more. Especially to write out my "licktionary."

    Have fun and ...(play the clip below)


  6. #5

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    Quote Originally Posted by TOMMO
    Tuxguitar is actually the same (or almost ?) and it's free. You may want to give it a try.
    Thanks for the tip. I actually looked at TuxGuitar a few years ago, but was less than impressed. There are two things about it that turn me off: first, it's written in Java, and the second is that I use a Mac, and it was less than intuitive when I looked at it.

    So, I just downloaded it again. It's better, but I notice it hasn't been updated in two years. The current release is 1.5.2. It did open a GP file, and played it, displaying the score as it did so. The sound wasn't as good as Guitar Pro's and neither was the display. But for free, it's not a bad choice. I still may go for the Guitar Pro, but now I have two to work with to decide.

  7. #6

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    I have a license that I got many years ago, I think I had to upgrade it once or twice... Tons of files on the web come in gp format, and it's satisfying to open and "play" them. The midi instruments aren't great but that's not the point either. I also make lead sheets sometimes, you can tweak it to get some nice clean looks. This is from the perspective of keeping all music in the laptop, I don't print out music much.

    What is irritating - if you have it open on the macbook pro all the time it eventually crashes after a day or so. Also they added some stupid online sheet music shop that you can open inside the program, instead of putting dev time into fixing bugs.

    I used to input notes and make tabs, it's ok for that, I have yet to try any software that isn't irritating when inputing music...

  8. #7

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    IMO Guitar Pro 7 is worth the price. Over the years it has become more and more user friendly and versatile. It seems the developers really listen and respond to what their users want.

  9. #8

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    I'm a happy MuseScore user.

    $69.95... That seems pricey for notation software these days (and by that I mean given you can have MuseScore for free).

    I guess it just depends... on how much you'll use it, how price sensitive you are, and, well etc.

  10. #9

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    Quote Originally Posted by fep
    I'm a happy MuseScore user.

    $69.95... That seems pricey for notation software these days (and by that I mean given you can have MuseScore for free).

    I guess it just depends... on how much you'll use it, how price sensitive you are, and, well etc.
    I tried MuseScore years ago when you recommended it. I must have been under some sort of temporary mental decline because I could not figure the darn thing out. Now, I could probably use it.

    I think I just needed to get accustomed to the way menus are set up and how to navigate modern programs. But, at the time, I really felt like a dumb a#$Ss~!

  11. #10

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    i wouldn't buy anything these days. Musescore is fantastic.

  12. #11

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    I really like Guitar Pro 7.5 and think it is worth the money. I upgraded from GP6. I did a couple of transcriptions recently for a jazz course using Guitar Pro. I just did one of 32 bars of a Kenny Burrell solo and one by Eric Johnson ( the Jazz guitarist Eric Johnson - great player by the way) Like any software it's got a learning curve but it's quite easy to use. Its designed for guitar so it's perfect for transcriptions and writing out ideas and arrangements. I find it very easy to try out different articulations and timings when writing something and tweak it so it sounds how you want it. You can enter notes in either tab or notation. You can write other instrument parts as well, such as drums. It's not got all the engraving tools like Sibelius but then I found that had far more than I needed. Muse score is great and I use that, but when it comes to writing any guitar music I find Guitar Pro the best and it is my go to software. I also use Guitar Pro for producing handouts and MP3s for teaching lessons. I like that Guitar Pro is created by just a small company and I'm happy to pay for something I find so useful.

  13. #12

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    I just purchased Guitar Pro 7.5 a few moments ago...The features are way better and more upgraded than Guitar pro 6.