Yamaha EZAG Self-Teaching Guitar

Product Description
The EZ-AG is a new musical instrument that provides all the fun and excitement of a guitar without the sore fingers, broken strings, poor tuning and tedious exercises. Now, anyone, of any age, can learn chords and strumming by following lights.

It features 12 lighted frets that show beginners the actual hand positions for chords, plus six "strings" that emulate strumming or finger-picking. The onboard selection of songs can be expanded via the Web - songs can be downloaded into the guitar's Flash ROM via MIDI IN/OUT connections and a quick connection to a computer.

This Self Teaching guitar reproduces realistic guitar sounds, bass guitar sounds and the timbres of a banjo, piano and more through its built-in speaker.

Yamaha technology has made the EZ-AG one of the first, and certainly the easiest pathways to playing and having fun with the guitar. You're literally playing in minutes. And, as easy and fun as the EZ-AG is - you're really learning to play.

"Guitar"-type features include volume, tempo, and balance controls, standard and open tuning options, plus an electronic capo for pitch adjustment. You can plug the EZ-AG into a standard guitar amplifier, or use the mini-headphone jack for private practice.

Sore fingers?
No sore fingers because there are no strings to press.

How do I learn to strum?
The EZ-AG lets you learn to strum while it plays the chords.

How do I learn to play chords?
The EZ-AG shows you the notes for chords using the lights.

How do I tune this thing? Which one is the "E" string? "A" string?
This guitar is always in tune - no tuning required.

Where do I buy strings 'cause I just broke one?
No strings required.

It's boring learning to play an instrument with no music to play along with!
The EZ-AG comes with 25 built-in songs and riffs to play along with.

I want to learn to play my favorite song.
Find your favorite MIDI song file on the Internet and transfer it into the EZ-AG.

It's been a month and I'm tired of guitar.
Change the voice on the guitar to a piano or bass sound & play those instruments.

Lighted frets: Help you learn to play
The EZ-AG has 25 built-in songs and riffs for you to learn to play separated into left and right hand parts, allowing you to learn to strum and play chords at your own pace.

Chord Training: Start one of the songs and the EZ-AG will show you the chords by lighting the frets. Just press the lighted frets and the chord will sound (the EZ-AG strums for you). You can slow the tempo or put the guitar in ?Waiting mode? where it will actually wait for you to press the correct frets and then continue on through the song to the next chord!

Strumming: The EZ-AG plays the chords (left hand part) for you while you concentrate on strumming (right hand part) in time with the music.

Full Play: You strum the chords (both hands together) to the current piece of music.

Sounds like a guitar to me
One of the differences between the EZ-AG and a conventional guitar is the LED and the series of switches that surround it. This control center allows you to:

1. Adjust the volume of the guitar and the balance between the lead voice and song/riff tracks

2. Select a new song

3. Choose a different lesson mode

4. Select a different sound

5. Adjust the tempo

6. Change the tuning using capo controls

7. Select Standard Tuning or one of the Open Tunings.

Buttons are clearly labeled and the guitar is easy to operate. There are a total of 20 voices or sounds for you to choose from including 9 guitar, 8 bass, banjo, shamisen and piano. For learning and playing along with, the guitar comes with 12 songs and 13 riff-based patterns. In addition, the guitar is GM (General MIDI) and Yamaha XF compatible, allowing you to add new songs from your computer via MIDI.

Note: Although the EZ-AG will play back any GM file, the lighted fret learning function will only work with specially designed XF MIDI files like the selection found at yamahamusicsoft.com.

The EZ-AG uses the PA3C AC adaptor (not included.) For portability, you can also play the guitar using batteries. It has a built-in speaker, so no external amplifier is required. However, there is an output jack so that you can connect the guitar to an external amplifier or to headphones (not included.)

MIDI in/out is also built in and, in addition to downloading songs into the Flash ROM, can be used to transmit data (example: note data, strumming etc.) to your favorite sequencing program. With the EZ-AG, learning to play has become as easy as following the lights on a fret board. It not only prepares you for a future of playing, but also makes learning interactive and fun for those who may prefer the guitar to a traditional keyboard.