Windows Media Player As A Guitar Trainer

[Phostenix]

Just in case I'm not the last person on the planet to figure this out, Windows Media Player has a "Slow Playback" mode that is (pretty) pitch correct. I was having a tough time with a lead line tonight that I even have tab for. I remembered that WMP has a fast playback mode, so I decided to check for a slow mode. It was huge! Really helped me nail it down.

[Steve A.]

Just in case I'm not the last person on the planet to figure this out, Windows Media Player has a "Slow Playback" mode that is (pretty) pitch correct. I was having a tough time with a lead line tonight that I even have tab for. I remembered that WMP has a fast playback mode, so I decided to check for a slow mode. It was huge! Really helped me nail it down.

I believe that feature was introduced with WMP 10 so you do have an excuse; I hate WMP and I use it only when absolutely necessary.

I had tried the Slow Playback feature in WMP over at a friends and as I recall the sound was not that good and I believe that you could only slow it down by multiples of 90%, 80%, 70%, etc.

So I looked around and there are two programs that are highly recommended but they do cost $50 to register: Transcribe! and Amazing Slow Downer. (I will start a new thread on ASD rather than hijack your thread.)

In any case, WMP 10+ is free and it can slow down your audio files.

Thanks for reminding us!

Steve Ahola

[Phostenix]

I don't see that there are any choices in WMP. It goes to 50% speed (102bpm to 51 bpm in this case).

[Steve A.]

I don't see that there are any choices in WMP. It goes to 50% speed (102bpm to 51 bpm in this case).

I have WMP 11 and it took me about 10 minutes to figure out which version I had! It just had damn icons and I couldn't find "Help | About Windows Media Player" to display which version I had. I was going to send Bill Gates a heated letter of complaint because the program was not complying with the basic rules for a proper Windows program.

Finally I found a choice to switch on "Classic Menus"- I don't know where I found it or whether I could ever find it again.

Once there I selected the View Menu - Enhancements and clicked on Play Speed Settings. Voila! The slider to adjust speed appeared out of nowhere! I just noticed that you can uncheck a box that will allow you to select any fractional speed you want.

I also figured out how to do that with "Screwy" Menus selected (as opposed to the Classic Menus). Click on Now Playing - Enhancements - Play Speed Settings.

I have to say that it sounds pretty crappy- to do it right you do not just slow the speed down while keeping the pitch the same. Amazing Slow Downer uses special algorithms to retain a natural sound at the slower settings (like keeping the attack the same regardless of the speed).

Steve Ahola

[Phostenix]

It just had damn icons and I couldn't find "Help | About Windows Media Player" to display which version I had.

WMP, IE, Windows Explorer, etc, have gone away from the old school menu bar at the top (especially in Vista/7). You can hit the Alt key in those programs to bring it up temporarily. There's usually a way to set it so that those menus are always there (typically in the View or Tools menus).

Once there I selected the View Menu - Enhancements and clicked on Play Speed Settings. Voila! The slider to adjust speed appeared out of nowhere! I just noticed that you can uncheck a box that will allow you to select any fractional speed you want.

Cool! That's good to know.

I also figured out how to do that with "Screwy" Menus selected (as opposed to the Classic Menus). Click on Now Playing - Enhancements - Play Speed Settings.

Pretty much everything that was in the old menu bar is now just somewhere else in the user interface. Who moved my cheese?!

I have to say that it sounds pretty crappy- to do it right you do not just slow the speed down while keeping the pitch the same. Amazing Slow Downer uses special algorithms to retain a natural sound at the slower settings (like keeping the attack the same regardless of the speed).

Steve Ahola

I'm sure there are better trainers than WMP, but I thought it was worth mentioning WMP because most people already have it on their computer now. It was enough to help me get what I wanted.

[Phostenix]

It's a little more difficult to find the speed adjustment settings in WMP 12. You have to be in "Now Playing" mode first (icon in the bottom right corner if you are in Libaray mode) & right-click in a blank place of the player to get the Enhancements>Play Speed Settings option.

[Steve A.]

Phostenix:

Thanks for the tips! I've been dealing with Vista over at a friend's house and now that I'm starting to get the hang of it, they came out with Windows 7.

As Patrick Henry said "Give me menus or give me Mac!"

I just checked and WMP Speed Control also works on videos, too! So now there is a better reason to download all of those music instruction videos from You Tube.

Steve Ahola

EDIT: WMP 10 will slow down videos but the pitch drops with the speed. Or maybe there is a setting I didn't see.

[Phostenix]

Remember, change is your friend. Embrace the change.

Window 7 is Vista with the bugs worked out & some new features. I love the new task bar. It was weird at first, but now that I've gotten used to it, I'd never go back.

[Jag]

Change is a marketing strategy

[Tonedeafaudio]

I have wmp9 and it has the feature, while it's not good quality it's good enough to figure out lead licks and such. On Version 9 you can use the slider to adjust the speed.

Years ago I used to record with a Version of Magix Audio Studio Deluxe 12 I believe, and it had a Lead Trainer the worked pretty well. I still use the program for rough recording my songwriting sessions and it's a decent program for that.

Just a thought...
Isaac Mathews

[Steve A.]

Window 7 is Vista with the bugs worked out & some new features. I love the new task bar. It was weird at first, but now that I've gotten used to it, I'd never go back.

If Windows 7 is Vista with the bugs worked out, does that mean that Vista is WinXP with the bugs added?

So how long have you been using Windows 7?

Steve Ahola

"If it was good enough for my grandfather then it is certainly good enough for me."

[Phostenix]

Change is a marketing strategy

I knew I'd have trouble selling change to a tube amp playing guitar crowd.

[Phostenix]

So how long have you been using Windows 7?

Since the public beta was available. January of this year?? I learned from Vista just to wait for the public beta. The versions before that were too much pain for me.

I've installed it twice on the same machine (wiping the hard drive) & it's much better behaved than the Vista laptop that I have. I bought 2 full copies that just arrived & both machines at home will get fresh installs in the near future.

[Phostenix]

I run Windows 7 as a limited user, so I'm not afraid to click on your spammy links. Why would we be interested in yarn, do you think?

[Gtrshop]

Try using Adobe Audition instead of WMP. Apply a filter (or two) to remove vocals and a bit of EQ and the guitar line pops right out at you...