Virtualoso® Guitar User's Manual

version 5.5

Copyright 1998-2001, RubyCliff Computing  


This User's Manual accompanies the Virtualoso® Guitar Software. Music Theory applied to the guitar can be found in a separate manual "Guitar Theory - Learning with Virtualoso® Guitar". This manual shows you how to use the software, and describes all of the menu options and features of this software. Note: This software contains multiple top level windows, that work together to train you. These windows are the Mode Window, the Sheet Music Window, the Virtualoso Guitar Window and the Key Signature Window.


Table of Contents

 

Mode Window
     File Menu 
          About Virtualoso® Guitar... 
          Luthier... 
          Register Step 1... 
          Register Step 2... 
          Logon/Change User... 
          Change Password... 
          Startup Preferences... 
          Setup Email... 
          Progress Report... 
          Close 
          Quit 
     Mode Menu 
          Explore Music 
          Explore Chords 
          Explore Scales 
          Learn Notes 
          Learn Harmonics 
          Perfect Pitch 
          Relative Pitch 
          Interval Names 
          Interval Notation 
          Interval Frets 
          Interval Ear Training 
          Play Tunes Anywhere 
Sheet Music Window
     Key Signature 
     Notes 
     Snap 
Virtualoso® Guitar Window
     Notes 
     Mouse 
     Size 
     Hand 
     Sound 
Key Signature Window
     Key Name 
Mode Window

The Mode Window is the main controlling window. You will use the File menu items from this window in order to perform administrative tasks, such as changing your Email setup, Emailing your Progress Reports, and using the Quit menu item when you are finished. You will use the Mode menu items from this window in order to change the tests and modes of operation, allowing you to Explore Chords or Learn Harmonics, etc.

File Menu

The File Menu contains 5 groups of menu items, that:

About Virtualoso® Guitar...

Shows a 3D view of our Splash screen, including the copyright dates, our web site http://www.RubyCliff.com and the version number.

Luthier...

Shows a 3D view of our Luthier sticker, residing in our Virtualoso® Guitar, entitled "Jose Mayo, Constructor de Guitarras Virtualosos", a signature, and Jose's email address: Jose@RubyCliff.com , it also includes a copy of the location of the place where the original construction of the Virtualoso® Guitar took place; San Diego, California, we believe it to be the first true digitally rendered and sampled guitar with natural notes and harmonics in the world..

Register Step 1...

This is the first step required in registering this software to enable all of its features. First enter a name that you are comfortable with other people seeing, as there is no easy way to change this name. After making sure that you have typed the name correctly and there are no spaces, click on the "Make Registration ID" button. This will generate a registration ID. You must SAVE THIS NUMBER. Then point your browser at http://www.RubyCliff.com and click on Register. You will be taken to a Secure server to enter your credit card. Do NOT email us your credit card numbers over direct email.

Register Step 2...

Click on a name to register in the top list. After having performed Register Step 1 and taking that number to the RubyCliff web site, and registering, enter the number that you obtained there in the middle text field. If you would like to use a password (suggested in multi-user environments), then enter the password here twice and click on "Register". You may continue to register other users, or click on "Done". For information on registering a large number of users at once, please email reg@RubyCliff.com.

Logon/Change User...

Select on a name in the list, click on "OK", if you have a password, you will be prompted for it. If you have not registered yet, click on "Run in Demo Mode" or "Cancel", and you will be allowed access to only those features that will tell you whether or not this software will be able to run on your system. If you have a sufficiently capable computer, with a good quality screen and sound, you should find the performance of this software to be excellent.

If you are currently logged in, and someone else wants to use the computer to study with this software, click on a different name in the list and click on "OK". All Quiz results will then be credited to the new user.

Change Password...

This option allows you to change, or start using a password. Simply type in the old one, (or if you don't have an old password, just click in the new password text field, and confirm it by typing it in again exactly the same as the first time. Upon starting Virtualoso® Guitar, you will then be asked for that password, so don't forget it!

Startup Preferences...

The startup preferences per user, are

Setup Email...

This option allows you to setup your Email parameters, so that Virtualoso® Guitar can directly Email your Progress Reports to yourself or your teacher. (Or anyone else who is interested in seeing your progress). First you must enter your email address, your Instructor's Email address (or whoever else you'd like to email to), your Domain Name, (generally a "name"."name" format, e.g., "yourInetProvider.com" or "someothername.net"), and your SMTP mail server name (generally a "name"."name"."name" format, e.g., "mail.yourInetProvider.com" or "mail.someothername.net"

Progress Report...

This feature of Virtualoso® allows you to see how you are progressing. This detailed report prints out your name, the Date, the Progress this session, and your Overall Progress to date. Simply click on Print or Email to make a copy.

Each of the "QUIZ..." menu items in each of the modes (such as Learn Notes), contribute to your overall progress. Each QUIZ also keeps track of the Key Signature that was in use during the QUIZ, so that you can study all areas of the Guitar in all keys. This is a powerful feature and one that gives you great satisfaction as you cover more and more material.

Close

Select Close in order to close the Sheet Music Window, Mode Window, Virtualoso Guitar Window, (and Key Signature Window if visible), down to a smaller icon. To get these windows back on the screen simply click on the Icon's picture.

Quit

It is very important to use this Quit menu item as it is the only way that your progress is saved. If you terminate the program in another way, your progress will not update.

Mode Menu

The Mode Menu contains 4 groups of menu items, that:

Allow you to Explore Music, Chords and Scales in a unique way applicable only to the Guitar.

Allow you to learn the location of single Notes, Harmonics and Pitches on the Guitar.

Allow you to learn the location of Notes in relation to other Notes, i.e., Relative Pitch and Intervals.

Allow you to master the entire fretboard, by playing a group of notes in multiple places on the guitar!

Explore Music

This is the default mode of operation of Virtualoso® Guitar. This mode allows you to explore the "Equivalence of Sound", or the equivalent representations of Notes (Name, Notation, Instrument Location and Sound). E.g., The name of the Note could be "C", while in the Sheet Music Window, that note would be displayed as a round circular note or diamond shaped note known as a Natural Harmonic, while in the Guitar that note would be displayed on the appropriate frets, and if played would produce the sound of a "C".

If you click (and hold the mouse down!) in the Sheet Music Window or the Virtualoso Guitar Window, then you will hear the note play (assuming you have speakers on your computer). This software contains sampled sound for all frets on the Guitar and you can hear the difference in all of the sounds of a given pitch by dragging the mouse left or right while in the Sheet Music Window (don't move it up or down, simply move left or right). If that particular note can be found in more than one place on the guitar, you will hear the slightly different sound quality, though the fundament pitch will remain the same!

You may shift-Click on a note in the Sheet Music Window, or Virtualoso Guitar Window and "Fret" the note. This will allow you to fret multiple notes (a real Guitar and this Virtualoso® Guitar can only play one note on a string at a time). Once you have fretted more than one note, you may hear them play all at once by clicking on the "Play All" button. Clear all fretted notes with the "Clear All" button.

You may also get rid of the "instructions" portion of the window by clicking on the tiny version of the instructions button (leftmost button on the bottom of the window).

In the Sheet Music and on the Guitar, in this mode Red notes suggest that the mouse is on the same string as this note and that if the mouse is shift-clicked, this Red note will be deleted. Remember that the Guitar can only play one note per string.

Natural Harmonics are diamond shaped notes and these notes are played on a real guitar by lightly touching the string over a Node (n-o-D-e) on the guitar. These Nodes are found at fret 12 (half the length of the string), at fret 7 (on third of the length of the string), etc. Note that each node lies on an integral division of the string. When playing a Natural Harmonic, you don't press the string down to the fret, you merely touch the string at this Node, and then move your finger away from the string, so as not to dampen or kill this sound.

You may also play equivalent Natural Harmonics by moving the mouse into the Sheet Music Window and moving the mouse right or left. You will note that if the guitar is displaying multiple diamonds, that there are other locations on the Guitar where this harmonic exists!

It is these special features of the guitar, Natural Harmonics and multiple Guitar locations of single Sheet Music notes that make studying music theory on the Guitar unique. Virtualoso® Guitar can never be bettered in this respect, as it completely covers the fundamental equivalence of sound on the Guitar.

Explore Chords

This mode of operation allows you to explore chords. Chords on the Guitar are unique. There are several different shapes or "Forms" for a given chord on the Guitar. We concentrate on showing you the "Movable Forms", i.e., the forms that you can generally Bar and play anywhere on the guitar. (Bar chords require you to use your index finger on your fretting hand to make a "bar" and cover up to 6 notes at a time with this one finger).

Chords are made up of multiple notes, the most important of which is the "Root Note". This note is special in the respect that your mind creates a focal point for the chord. We concentrate on showing you this Root Note (in a different color) since it is so fundamentally important in terms of naming the Chords on the Guitar.

Colors displayed in the Virtualoso® Guitar Window are explained on the right hand side of the window.

This mode allows you to see and play 22 different chord types, with 12 different Root Notes, in 13 different positions (we make use of open chords in Open position) for a grand total of over 3400 different chord shapes. The amazing thing is that if you just know a 3 different shapes or "Forms" of the 22 chord types (66), you basically can play any chord by simply moving the Form to a different location!!! We would rather have you learn about 60 types of something as opposed to more than 3400 of something any day, and hope that you appreciate the power that this gives you as a guitarist.

We don't show you fingerings for the chords for two reasons:

Fingering chords in their easiest Form is trivial. The notes on the frets nearest the tuning pegs are played with successive fingers on successively higher pitched strings. For example, if there are two notes on fret V, and two notes on fret VI, then you simply Bar fret V, (using your index finger and leaving three other notes that can be played with the remaining three fingers). You next use your middle finger to fret the fret on the lowest pitched string on fret VI. You next use your ring finger to fret the other note required at fret VI, leaving your little free. Chords can always be fretted using this algorithm. Sometimes the context of the notes that you are playing require you to break these rules, you would believe some of the stretches we've seen in playing Flamenco. These chords could be played more easily by using our algorithm, but in the context of where they are being played, you don't have time to switch since you would hear a small gap in time.

This mode can test your knowledge of Chord shapes by selecting the "Chord" menu and selecting "Make Me Guess". This randomly picks a chord for you (you choose Fifths, Sevenths, Ninths, Any). Once the chord is displayed, you can click on the "Play Chord" button in order to hear the chord. To see if your guess is correct, select the "Chord" menu again. This mode of operation doesn't show up in your Progress Report, but is none the less valuable in training you to "see" and "hear" a Guitar specific Chord. When you watch other Guitarists play, you can easily pick out what chords they are playing if you know the Chord Forms.

By selecting the "Root" menu, you can change the location of the Chord on the Guitar -- displayed with the same Form so that you can see how you could play this different chord (C Major vs. G Major), with the same shape at a different position.

The "Key Signature" menu is a convenience so that you don't have to go into the Sheet Music Window.

You may manually move the Form with the arrow buttons on the bottom of the window. The double arrows move the Form to the next "Easy" position in which to play the Chord. The single arrows move one Position (i.e., fret) at a time.

A great way to use this mode is to set the Chord and Root via menus, and then shift the chord to a different location (different Form) with the double arrow buttons. Then attempt to play this chord on your Real Guitar in all of the different Forms! (Note: forms above fret twelve can only be played on certain types of guitars, try and keep the form between the Open position and about fret IX.)

Explore Scales

This mode of operation allows you to explore scales. Scales on the Guitar are unique. There are several different shapes or "Forms" for a given scale on the Guitar, (this is also true of chords).

Scales are made up of multiple notes, the most important of which is the "Tonic Note". This note is special in the respect that your mind creates a focal point for the scale. We show you this Tonic Note in a different color since it is so fundamentally important in terms of naming the Scales on the Guitar.

Colors displayed in the Virtualoso® Guitar Window are explained on the right hand side of the window.

Virtualoso® Guitar allows you to see and play 16 different scale types.

You may allow this mode to test your knowledge of Scale shapes by selecting the "Scale" menu and selecting "Make Me Guess!". This randomly picks a scale for you. Once the scale is displayed, you can click on the "Play Scale" button in order to hear the scale. To see if your guess is correct, select the "Scale" menu again. This mode of operation doesn't show up in your Progress Report, but is none the less valuable in training you to "see" and "hear" a Guitar specific Scale.

By selecting the "Key Signature" menu, you can change the Form of the Scale on the Guitar -- so that you can see how you could play the SAME scale type (with a different Tonic) at this SAME location on the guitar. This works fundamentally different than Explore Chord mode, where the Root note is set explicitly. This is an important difference since sheet music generally implies a given tonic from a given Key Signature. I.e., once you see a given Key Signature the 7 notes (without accidentals) that lie in the Major Scale are determined for you. All you have to known is the pattern that these notes form on the guitar fretboard, and you are automatically playing in the scale!

In fact, the most important pattern on the Guitar can be set by selecting the Major Scale with a Key Signature of C Major (no accidentals). This pattern (no matter the color of the notes on the Virtualoso® Guitar), corresponds to the white keys of the piano and you can always use this pattern to "offset" to other keys. For example, to play in G Major as opposed to C Major, you would simply make all of the F's sharp instead of natural. Try changing the Key Signature to have one sharp (# that makes all F's sharp) and see how the pattern shifts in the Virtualoso Guitar Window!

You may manually move the Form with the arrow buttons on the bottom of the window. The arrows move one Position (i.e., fret) at a time.

A great way to use this mode is to set the Scale via the menu, and then shift the chord to a different location (different Form) with the arrow buttons. Then attempt to play this Scale on your Real Guitar in all of the different Forms! Try to start and end on the Tonic notes, and you are playing in that Scale.

Learn Notes

This mode teaches you the locations of all of the Notes on the Guitar on a one-at-a-time basis. See Play Tunes Anywhere to play the same notes at different locations on the Guitar. The Play Tunes Anywhere mode finishes off where this mode leaves off in thoroughly drilling you on the equivalent locations of notes all over the fretboard.

Click on the "Show Lesson" button in order to see the notes that you are going to be tested on. You can set the notes that you are going to be tested on by selecting the "Position", "String" and "Accidentals" menus. If you want to learn the notes in a different Key, then change the select the "Key Signature" menu.

After you are finished learning the notes on a given String within a given Position, you may select "QUIZ...on All Strings" from the String menu. This menu item tests you on any note within the Position, and the results of this QUIZ are saved in your Progress Report.

You may click on the "Replay" button in order to hear the Note again. When you have completed the test, you will hear a "Done" message.

Learn Harmonics

This mode teaches you the locations of all of the Natural Harmonics on the Guitar on a one-at-a-time basis.

Click on the "Show Lesson" button in order to see the notes that you are going to be tested on. You can set the notes that you are going to be tested on by selecting the "Position", "String" and "Accidentals" menus. If you want to learn the notes in a different Key, then change the select the "Key Signature" menu.

After you are finished learning the notes on a given String within a given Position, you may select "QUIZ...on All Strings" from the String menu. This menu item tests you on any note within the Position, and the results of this QUIZ are saved in your Progress Report.

You may click on the "Replay" button in order to hear the Natural Harmonic again. When you have completed the test, you will hear a "Done" message.

Perfect Pitch

This mode teaches you the locations of all of the Sounds on the Guitar on a one-at-a-time basis. Perfect Pitch mode allows you to learn the different "colors" of the different notes. (Although we only explicitly teach you Perfect Pitch with regular Notes, if you really want to do this with the Natural Harmonics, simply hide the Sheet Music window in Learn Harmonics mode.) This is a skill that is learnable, but generally takes a while. You are first tested on the open strings. After this you can be tested in Open Position. Keep guessing, and use the Replay button in order to solidify in your mind, the fret that corresponds to this sound.

Click on the "Show Lesson" button in order to see the notes that you are going to be tested on. You can set the notes that you are going to be tested on by selecting the "Position", "String" and "Accidentals" menus. If you want to learn the notes in a different Key, then change the select the "Key Signature" menu.

After you are finished learning the notes at the Open Position, you may change the location of testing with the "Position" menu. The Open Position testing quizzes you on all six strings. If you move to another Position, you may switch the test to be on a given String within a given Position, or you may select "QUIZ...on All Strings". This menu item tests you on any note within the Position, and the results of this QUIZ are saved in your Progress Report.

You may click on the "Replay" button in order to hear the Note again. When you have completed the test, you will hear a "Done" message.

Relative Pitch

Relative Pitch mode teaches you where a second note is based upon the sound and location of another note. This mode thoroughly teaches you Relative Pitch in a truly unique Guitar approached way.

You can set the notes that you are going to be tested on by selecting the "Position", "String" and "Accidentals" menus. If you want to learn the notes in a different Key, then change the select the "Key Signature" menu. By setting the String testing to be "QUIZ...on Same String", you perform Relative Pitch testing with two notes on a single string. You can progressively jump more and more strings. The results of each QUIZ are saved in your Progress Report.

Interval Names

Interval Names tests you on the Interval Name that corresponds to the two Note names that are displayed. Each Interval Name can be calculated by one of two methods. The first method involves constructing a Major Scale on the lower note and determining "how far off" the second note is from the given Name note within that scale. This method is the method that all beginning music theory students learn. We describe a different technique in our "Guitar Theory - Learning with Virtualoso® Guitar" hyper text manual that can be obtained FREE from http://www.RubyCliff.com.

You enter your answers with the buttons on the right side of the window. Select a Specific Interval Name and a General Interval Name (e.g., P 5 - for perfect 5th).

This mode and the Interval Notation mode are related in the respect that the actual Interval Names depend on the exact Names of the Notes in question. This is not true of the Interval Frets and Interval Ear Training modes since each fret and sound can have enharmonic equivialents (a given fret might be a F sharp or a G flat which is the same note), and therefore those modes test you on the most common name of an interval.

You can set the notes that you are going to be tested on by selecting the "Position" and "Interval" menus. If you want to learn the notes in a different Key, then change the select the "Key Signature" menu. By changing the test via the "Interval" menu, you change the Intervals that you are tested on. The results of each QUIZ are saved in your Progress Report.

After entering an answer, click on "Next" in order to continue the testing, or click on "Replay" if you want to hear the notes again.

Interval Notation

Interval Notation tests you on the Interval Name that corresponds to the two Sheet Music Note names that are displayed. Each Interval Name can be calculated by one of two methods as described above in the Interval Names section.

You can set the notes that you are going to be tested on by selecting the "Position" and "Interval" menus. If you want to learn the notes in a different Key, then change the select the "Key Signature" menu. By changing the test via the "Interval" menu, you change the Intervals that you are tested on. The results of each QUIZ are saved in your Progress Report.

After entering an answer, click on "Next" in order to continue the testing, or click on "Replay" if you want to hear the notes again.

Interval Frets

Interval Names tests you on the Interval Name that corresponds to the two Frets that are displayed.

You can set the notes that you are going to be tested on by selecting the "Position" and "Interval" menus. If you want to learn the notes in a different Key, then change the select the "Key Signature" menu. By changing the test via the "Interval" menu, you change the Intervals that you are tested on. The results of each QUIZ are saved in your Progress Report.

After entering an answer, click on "Next" in order to continue the testing, or click on "Replay" if you want to hear the notes again.

Interval Ear Training

Interval Names tests you on the Interval Name that corresponds to the two Sounds that you hear.

You can set the notes that you are going to be tested on by selecting the "Position" and "Interval" menus. If you want to learn the notes in a different Key, then change the select the "Key Signature" menu. By changing the test via the "Interval" menu, you change the Intervals that you are tested on. The results of each QUIZ are saved in your Progress Report.

After entering an answer, click on "Next" in order to continue the testing, or click on "Replay" if you want to hear the notes again.

Play Tunes Anywhere

This mode tests you on multiple notes at multiple locations on the guitar. This mode, if used consistently will give you a complete knowledge of the fretboard.

You can set the notes that you are going to be tested on by selecting the "Position" and "Accidentals...Order" menus. If you want to learn the notes in a different Key, then select the "Key Signature" menu. By changing the test via the "Accidentals...Order" menu, you change the type of accidentals allowed in the test and the order of the Notes that you are tested on. The results of each QUIZ are saved in your Progress Report.

After entering an all of the answers for the given Notes, you will automatically be tested on these same notes in a different Position on the Guitar.

Sheet Music Window

The Sheet Music Window provides a Staff and Key Signature in which to hold Notes that you are quizzed on or shown. No matter what mode you're in, you may always change the Key Signature by selecting the "Key Signature" menu.

Key Signature

This menu brings up the Choose Key Signature Window. It is described in the Key Signature Window section.

Notes

The Notes menu determines whether or not you are entering regular Notes (Fundamentals), or Natural Harmonics. Some of the tests disable the Notes menu items.

Snap

The "Snap" menu determines how the mouse behaves when in the Sheet Music Window. By snapping to the Key Signature, you are basically snapping to the Major Scale implied by the Key Signature. This implies that if you move the mouse up from one line to the next higher space, you may or may not move one fret "higher" on the guitar. (For example, E to F moves one fret, while F to G moves two frets, since E to F is a half step and F to G is a whole step). By snapping chromatic, you move one fret at a time. If you are in a Sharp Key (Key Signature contains only Sharps), then you alternate between naturals and sharps. If you are in a Flat Key (Key Signature contains only Flats), then you alternate between naturals and flats as you move. You may also snap to a given accidental, e.g., only show Sharps.

Virtualoso® Guitar Window

The Virtualoso® Guitar Window provides a 3D view of a Guitar Fretboard as if you were holding it. You may alter it's size or handedness at any time no matter what mode your in. You will enter most of your answers into this window.

Notes

The Notes menu determines whether or not you are entering regular Notes (Fundamentals), or Natural Harmonics. Some of the tests disable the Notes menu items.

Mouse

This menu controls the way that the Notes appear in this window. If "All Equivalent Notes" is set, then faintly outlined notes appear all over the fretboard to show you that they are equivalent to the main solid color mouse note.

Size

You can set the size of the guitar to Large, Medium or Small. All you are limited to is the size of the screen that you are viewing this software on. Note: Set your Monitor Colors to 16-bit or higher if possible in order to get the true benefits of the high resolution Guitar rendering. By setting the "Remember Window Locations" to true (under "File" and "Startup Preferences"), this size of the guitar will be remembered the next time you logon.

Hand

You can set the Guitar for Right handed or Left Handed view. The setting that is used after you logon is controlled via the "Hand Preference" setting (under "File" and "Startup Preferences").

Sound

You can set the Guitar to play or not to play Notes by choosing this menu. The setting that is used after you logon is controlled via the "Sound" setting (under "File" and "Startup Preferences").

Key Signature Window

This same window is created by the Sheet Music Window and all of the modes that provide a Menu to set the Key Signature. This menu controls the Key Signature on the Sheet Music as well as the implied note names that are entered into the Virtualoso Guitar Window.

Key Name

This menu lists the Key Signatures by Name, e.g., (G Major...or...e minor). If you do not know the names of the Key Signatures yet, you may select "Make Me Guess!" from this menu, and then guess what the name of the Key Signature would be. Select "Key Name" again to see which one is selected. The Major Scale names of the Sharp Keys are always named one half step higher than the last accidental in the key signature, e.g., if the last accidental is D sharp, (there are 4 accidentals in that key), then the Note one half step higher is E. The Major Scale names of the Flat Keys are always the second to the last Note in the Key Signature (and B flat which has only one flat), e.g., for a Key Signature with 3 flats, the second to last of which is E flat, so the name is E flat. C Major has no accidentals.

The "...or...minorName" portion of the Key Signature corresponds to the equivalent minor name for the Key Signature. This implies that a given Key Signature can have more than one name. What really determines the name is if you are playing a Major or Minor piece of music. But generally, people usually just refer to the Major Key Signature, i.e., key of C.