The "not cool" aspect of the product itself includes syncing, recording, and clustering. In order for the iOS device to recognize the notes and chords being played, it must record through either its built-in mic or an external mic attached to it. This can lead to delay and lag between the audio input of the guitar and the video output from the iOS device. The faster the song, the more difficult it will be to account for the faults in the syncing as the user's timing will not be perfectly in-time with the notes on the screen. This may be further amplified by the fact that it can be difficult for the built-in mic to pick up all the sounds coming from the guitar, thus needing the guitar to be played relatively close to the iOS device at all times. Any sound that is not recorded will be considered a missed note and an error.
User
reviews have claimed that the notes on the screen as seem clustered at
times. This is a combination of being limited to a small screen as well
as having a continuous stream of multiple notes flying across the screen
that are challenging to individually distinguish.
There
are limitations on Rock Prodigy's functionality, one of which being
only being compatible with iOS devices. That means that a large number
of people will be unable to use the application
simply due to lack of access to an iOS device, or people will have to
spend more money to purchase a compatible device, which seems unlikely
that they would do so in order
to just be able to use Rock Prodigy. More costs are added to the use of
this application as users have to buy songs that they want to play.
Each song costs a minimum of $0.99 and there is a limited number and
variety of songs that are available for users to purchase and learn. In
other words, users cannot use Rock Prodigy to learn any song that they
would like to learn as they can only buy and download songs that have
been programmed and listed on the list available for purchase. This
problem is not aided by the fact that users cannot program their own
songs into the format that is used in Rock Prodigy, thus further
limiting the number of songs users can learn.
The implications of Rock Prodigy and its technology may be harmful additions to the accelerating transition to a technological and digital-dependent society. Learning how to play the guitar from Rock Prodigy is significantly different from the traditional way of learning how to play an instrument, using sheet music. As a result, new learners will be unable to understand the theory behind music and never gain the ability to sight-read, transcribe music, or teach themselves another instrument, all of which are possible with a true understanding of how sheet music works. The learner will become too overdependent on the application and on the iOS device that they cannot play the guitar without them, making it inconvenient and inflexible.
Nicholar Carr in The Shallows discusses this idea that we are becoming overdependent on technology and further distancing ourselves from the traditional methods. He says that technology and the internet is changing the way our minds function and that he is unable to focus when reading long-passages or articles, and instead finds himself skimming and skipping from places via hyperlinks. It is sad that we are unable to grasp a full and rich understanding of things the more we rely on technology and in terms of music, we are losing the appreciation of its beauty as an expression of art.
The implications of Rock Prodigy and its technology may be harmful additions to the accelerating transition to a technological and digital-dependent society. Learning how to play the guitar from Rock Prodigy is significantly different from the traditional way of learning how to play an instrument, using sheet music. As a result, new learners will be unable to understand the theory behind music and never gain the ability to sight-read, transcribe music, or teach themselves another instrument, all of which are possible with a true understanding of how sheet music works. The learner will become too overdependent on the application and on the iOS device that they cannot play the guitar without them, making it inconvenient and inflexible.
Nicholar Carr in The Shallows discusses this idea that we are becoming overdependent on technology and further distancing ourselves from the traditional methods. He says that technology and the internet is changing the way our minds function and that he is unable to focus when reading long-passages or articles, and instead finds himself skimming and skipping from places via hyperlinks. It is sad that we are unable to grasp a full and rich understanding of things the more we rely on technology and in terms of music, we are losing the appreciation of its beauty as an expression of art.
I think that Nicholas Carr's ideas in The Shallows apply perfectly to this situation. Many people who want to learn to play guitar are going to think that they can fully grasp playing the guitar from an iPad app the same way they would if they had learned traditionally. This just isn't true. I do think Rock Prodigy can be useful, it just shouldn't replace traditional learning for people who are serious about learning to play.
ReplyDeleteOur discussion in class perfectly grasped my feelings toward Rock Prodigy. We discussed in class the difference between enjoying a hobby and mastering an art. Rock Prodigy does provide some fundamentals, however, there is no comparison between truly learning with a personal teacher. One of the plus sides of this application is the ability to instantaneously see different notes and play an assortment of songs. The creators pride themselves on the fact that users can learn guitar both faster and easier than other ways. There are limitations with this device such as delay and not being able to pause quickly enough to see the incorrect notes. In his book, The Shallows, Carr writes, "the seductions of technology are hard to resist, and in our age of instant information the benefits of speed and efficiency can seem unalloyed, their desirability beyond debate" (Carr, 224). This site has many "seductions." For example, being able to learn guitar quickly has its appeal. However, I feel that this site will better prepare someone for a small gig as opposed to truly learning scales and the fundamentals to understand the art of guitar. If we as humans go towards technology to teach us instruments, our understanding as well as our abilities will decline over time. We must learn the balance between using technology as a teacher and as a supplement. I feel like Rock prodigy is a great complement, but it would not be an ample supplement to traditional guitar lessons.
ReplyDeleteI think this app definitely has potential once all of the syncing issues are worked out. I believe Rock Prodigy is marketed to an audience of more casual learners. Guitar lessons can be expensive and time consuming, and some people may just want to pick it up as a hobby without investing too much time and money. This app is definitely not as thorough as a traditional music education, but it is cheap, efficient, and practical. As our lifestyles become more busy, we judge the feasibility of learning something new, and Rock Prodigy can definitely make learning how to play the guitar more feasible for more people with busy lifestyles.
ReplyDeleteThis technology obviously has limits on its own performance, but also places limits on the performance of its users. If Rock Prodigy is or becomes the only source of musical learning, then I agree with the statement that the app will cause its users to become dependent upon it, losing or even missing out on true understanding of music. The limited number and variety of songs only shrinks the box users put their naturally imaginative and creative minds in. I believe there are benefits in learning music the traditional way, but also benefits in obtaining a different perspective from the visual representation that Rock Prodigy provides. This technology should not be the only source of learning music, but there is something mentally to be gained by seeing the notes streaming across the screen, rather than static on a sheet.
ReplyDeleteRock Prodigy, although a cool idea, doesn't seem very useful to me. I personally would get fed up with the app, especially since it has syncing issues. I feel like syncing issues really inhibit the one thing it should be able to do. I also don't like that that are limitations to song selection. Plus, the songs cost money. I feel like it would be easier and cheaper to just look up the tabs online. It's pretty much the same thing, since most tabs have an automatic scrolling mechanism that you can adjust to the speed that you want. Education-wise, I think it might help someone start learning how to play guitar, but I think that person will eventually grow tired of the app and explore other options.
ReplyDeleteI originally thought that Rock Prodigy was useless, agreeing with what Wen and others here have said. However, in class, we learned that most people who voted this as Not Cool actually knew how to play a musical instrument already. That said, this technology appealed to a student who had zero musical knowledge whatsoever. Therefore, agreeing with Claire, Anna, and Jared, RockProdigy can certainly find it's place in society. A classically trained musician will likely scoff at the musical learning stylization of Rock Prodigy, however, Rock Prodigy can appeal to certain people which may get them involved in music for the first time ever.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the explanation as to why the heck this app isn't picking up the open 'e' on some of the songs. I was attempting to use it as a tool to practice fingering, but it isn't worth the frustration. Can anyone recommend an app that actually works?
ReplyDelete