Rocksmith

[Gojimaster]

A lot of negative comments about rocksmith so far. I don't think they reflect the true value of rocksmith. If you want to see some more positive comments, visit the rocksmith forums on the ubisoft forums. There are tons of great threads on how to get the most out of the game. Rocksmith is pretty much the only video game I play these days. Sure, there are problems with it, but I think there is lots of learning value in this game.

I set up my rocksmith so it plays in an inverted tablature like view. I don't have an electric guitar, so I plug in my acoustic-electric. I can hear exactly what I am playing, and it is super-sweet sometimes because what I play sounds really great.

Rocksmith challenges guitar players to learn new techniques, play at faster speeds, play complete songs (most beginners focus primarily on licks), and work up to the actually real-world song. I go into the riff repeater to work on each section until I get it down.

I also spend practice time in technique challenges such as scale runner and chord of the dead. These are really useful. After playing rocksmith, I know that I am much better. Rocksmith 2013 looks to be a great fix of all the problems with Rocksmith, and it fixes the issues the earlier posters made. It will also players to change speeds when learning songs. I am personally excited about the jam mode in the new game.

As a player, I spend my practice time in the following ways:

1. ear training (I use Ear Trainer Pro and spend time transcribing songs)
2. technique drills (spend 10 minutes, there are many youtube videos)
3. Learning new songs (tons of tablature out there for that) and honing songs I already know
4. singing exercises (I do these in my car)
5. Having fun on things like Rocksmith

Justinguitar is a great reference, and I have spend many hours going through his material. Build a foundation. Rocksmith alone won't do that, but when you add it with other practice methods it is helpful even for skilled musicians.