So, you want to learn how to play the guitar.

Maybe you’ve got ideas and want to be a songwriter. Or maybe you just want to impress your friends or the ladies with some massively tasty riffs on your acoustic guitar. Whatever the reason, there’s just one problem…YOU DON’T KNOW HOW TO PLAY!

What do you do? Well, you can buy a chord book and teach yourself (which I did starting out), or you can find an instructor to show you the ropes and transform you into the next Frampton. There is a third, and incredibly fun option, however. 

Meet Fret Zealot. 

Born from the mind of founder Shaun Masavage in 2012,  Fret Zealot is an amazing tool that teaches you how to play guitar. The company launched an incredibly successful crowdfunding campaign last year and exceeded their expectations. There is definitely a demand out there for a product like this. In fact, for all of you aspiring bassists out there, they’ve got you covered, too. 

Fret Zealot is great for novices and experienced guitarists alike. For beginners, the familiar interaction with smartphones and other touchscreen devices offers a friendly learning experience. The app doesn’t have a lot of distractions and the color scheme gives the ability to easily read. For the seasoned pro that wants to brush up on his or her chops, there are scales, modes, and some of the less common chords available to learn. Of course, there is also a list of songs by popular past and current artists, so here’s your chance to finally learn Alice Cooper’s “Feed My Frankenstein.”

There are only a few hang-ups I have with the Fret Zealot. As someone who already knows how to play guitar, it may be a challenge to teach an old dog new tricks with the new way of learning. “Why, back in my day, all we had were books! We had to turn pages…with our HANDS!” Of course, being adaptable is the way to be with everything as we grow, and the Fret Zealot at least makes it easy to do just that. 

The other thing is that the adhesive strip that contains the LED lights is pretty delicate, which makes it hard to carefully remove and transfer to another guitar. Say you’re in a situation and you break your beloved six-string. We’ve all been there and guitars don’t always last forever. You’d need the utmost patience to peel the display from the fret board, more so the longer the strip has been on the guitar. Long-term sustainability might be an issue, although until that is tested, no one can be entirely sure. By then, you’ll be shredding anyway!

All in all, I love this nifty learning tool. It’s a fun and engaging way to get young kids into learning an instrument, as well as adults. The light sequences available give off that “ooh, ahh” vibe and the folks at Fret Zealot are working on more features for the future. With gadgets and inventions, there are always great ideas. The people at this company took an idea, figured out how to make it work, and have succeeded in changing the landscape of consumer electronics with true purpose. 

To find out more about Fret Zealot and purchase one ($199 USD), click here. Check it out and tell us what you think!