Steve     

                                   As a songwriter, Steve is always

                                   looking to bypass any obstacle to

                                   his creative process.  

                             By removing the notes that don't

                             fit with his chosen key the RalBar™

                             allows Steve to let his creativity flow.

Steve explores the rhythms, chords and notes, knowing that whatever he plays will sound musically "right" until he finds a combination that expresses his emotions.  You can see how easy it is to write songs with the RalBar™ here.

Jade and Brikk

They don't look similar, but Jade and

Brikk have a bit in common.  They

want the visual of playing an

instrument and actually play along

with the band.

They either can't play a guitar, or don't

play well enough to concentrate on it

and entertain the audience.  

                                   With a RalBar strapped around

                                   their necks, they can throw in

                                   some power chords during the               

                                   breaks in the singing, strum a

                                   sweet chord progression with the

                                   band's instrumental, or put in  

                                   their own pentatonic licks

Guy

Guy has wanted to sound like his Rock heros since he was six.  After a few weeks of lessons, he got sick of pluking out endless bars of single notes and hearing buzzes as    

one barring finger, Guy could go between I, IV, and V within a few minutes and be rocking out with his favourite

AC/DC songs.  Once he was comfortable with the simple power chords, he could add some melody and lead lines interspersed between the chords.  Whether or not he eventually transferred his knowledge to guitar at a later stage, and he could enjoy playing a real musical instrument immediately.

As a hobby luthier, I spoke to a lot of people about guitars.  I was surprised by how many people have a real desire to play guitar for various reasons, even bought guitars and had a few lessons, but couldn’t get past the initial stages to get to the songs they wanted to play.  

The most obvious to me was my son, who at age 6 wanted to learn guitar but lost motivation when he couldn’t easily play the songs he heard on the radio.  He was frustrated when he realised that he couldn’t just pick up the instrument, strum it like the kid in the movie “School of Rock” and sound like a guitarist.  If the RalBar™ had been around then, he could have.

Here are some of the people who represent different markets that the RalBar™ would be ideal for.

Who Is It For?

his left fingers didn't quite get the chord                                        shapes when he strummed with the right.  He got frustrated with the inveitable pauses in the songs as he changed from one chord to another.

With a RalBar™ and

Julian

With 3 children under the age of 6, Julian is always looking for a way to bond with, and entertain them.  After work and on the weekends, he loves to sing with the older ones and to the baby.

They don't have trained voices, but boy, do they have fun.  Julian would love to play along with the singing, but doesn't have time to learn.  Anyway, he doesn't see himself as being particularly adept with musical instruments.

One RalBar™ and some simple chord charts later, Julian is accompanying his kids singing their kindergarten favourites, and singing around the fire on their camping holidays.

Another few years, and maybe the kids will pick up Dad's RalBar™ and become musicians themselves.

Michael

Michael has an amazing voice.  He loves

singing at home and with friends, and they l

ove listening to his smooth, clear tones.  He

doesn't necessarily want to be a musician, he

just wants to be able to play enough to

accompany himself.  Michael doesn't want to

have to think too much about playing while he's

singing, and it takes years of practise on

conventional guitar to make the chord changes

automatic enough that playing won't interfere with

his vocal performance.  

A RalBar™ is just what Michael needs.  And maybe

he'll add some more complex chords or melody lines as his love of the instrument grows.

Andy

At his 45th birthday, Andy was looking for something new in his life.  His kids were growing up and their demands on his time were finally decreasing.  A new hobby was in order, and he'd always regretted not learning an instrument.  As a birthday present his wife organised a series of guitar lessons.  He enjoyed the lessons, but didn't really practice as much as he should.  Once the lessons were over, Andy was still just a beginner and he didn't have the motivation to keep going.

It's not uncommon for older players to find it hard to catch on.  If only his wife had bought him a RalBar™ for his birthday he could have been a weekend warrior playing his favourite 70's hits in minutes.

                                          Eric

                                           OK, maybe EC isn't the target

                                           market for the RalBar™