Fretlight offers imaginative way to learn guitar

The "Guitar Hero" series might be all the rage for amateur axers, but those who want to progress beyond five colored buttons and a single strum bar and truly teach themselves to play have another high-tech option.

The Fretlight FG-431 vintage electric guitar ($549.95, Optek Music Systems, www.fretlight.com) is a serious teaching tool masquerading as a classic Fender Telecaster.

It has six strings, 21 frets, a three-way pickup selector and a standard ¼-inch port that links the instrument to any amp or effects processor.

The odd-looking socket next to the audio-out plug is what puts the "light" in the Fretlight's name. Connecting a special guitar-to-USB cable enables 132 tiny LEDs embedded in the neck to glow and guide your fingers through chords, scales, arpeggios and licks.

It's like "follow the bouncing ball" for guitarists.

All Fretlight models -- which range from a $399.95 acoustic to an $899.95 pro electric model with stainless steel frets -- come with an introductory DVD (setup is a snap) and the Fretlight Lesson Player software, which features a chord and scale library, 31 beginner lessons and the option to purchase additional lesson packs online.

As you move beyond theory and technique into songs, play-along computer MIDI tracks synced with the Fretlight's glowing frets guide you through melodies or chord sequences. You can even slow down the pace without changing the pitch for those early tentative practice sessions.

Sure, a talented live instructor is always the best option for the guitar novice. But the Fretlight is great for visual, hands-on learners who would never pick up a book to progress beyond their few well-worn licks.

It's also a pretty good tool for intermediate guitarists wanting to take the next step, but its advanced software tools all cost extra. The best way to describe my guitar skill level is to paraphrase lyrics from the old Dire Straits song "Sultans of Swing." Like Guitar George, I know all the chords, but it's strictly rhythm and I'm not very good at making it cry or sing.

That's where M-Player ($39.95) comes in. Load one of the seven demo songs and let your fingers follow the lights note-for-note, slowing down the rhythm or lead tracks until you can play at full speed. Choices include The Romantics' "That's What I Like About You" and "Every Breath You Take" by The Police.

The Fretlight Web store features a library of more than 450 popular songs from a range of artists -- Alan Parsons to ZZ Top -- and you're sure to find some of your favorites.

Most of the ones I was interested in cost $4 or $5 each, and that could add up as you expand your repertoire. A better deal is the Guitarz 6.6 software, which -- though a bit pricier at $59.95 -- lets you learn intros, solos and other licks using standard tablature files found on any number of free Web sites. (You may have to clean up the files a bit to get the rhythm right.)

Other add-on software tools include Improviser ($49.95), which lets you jam along in any number of styles, keys or tempos, and AxMaster, an advanced fretboard diagram creation tool that supports alternate tunings. All have 15- to 20-day free trials.

Whatever program you're using, it's important to practice in a relatively dark area so you can see the LEDs well and to angle the guitar slightly so you can see the entire fretboard. It's tough to see which string to hit when holding it normally.

The Fretlight guitar can also be disconnected and played as a standard electric. It doesn't sound bad, although I prefer the feel and sound of my regular Fender Strat when I'm not in learning mode.

Overall, the Fretlight is an innovative way to learn guitar.

There should be enough here to keep the beginner or novice busy for a while, but for the intermediate player, it would be nice if more of the software came standard with the instrument.