First, my guess is that if your gf really wanted to play, she’d be playing already. Ask any musician you know: most of us are at least a bit obsessive-compulsive about it. It takes more energy not to play, than to play. A big jones and minimal talent can do well, in the long run. More likely, it’s like I’d like to speak a foreign tongue, but I don’t bother to spend the time and effort it takes to learn one, except just before I go on vacation somewhere.
On the other hand, if your gf is a bit obsessive-compulsive like many gamers are, and would enjoy getting immersed in a game-styled approach to learning guitar, then Rocksmith might be just the ticket. Even if it doesn’t catch in the long run, it’s likely to be appreciated.
I recommend against any instrument that’s bundled with a game, on general principles.
Fortunately, these days there are loads of decent and very inexpensive electric guitars, like this Fender Squier Telecaster for $180. If you know a player, get him or her to take you to a local music shop and see if you can find a better and cheaper one. That said, an instrument is a personal item, and is usually best picked out by the player (with help from someone who can separate the wheat from the chaff, for a beginner).
But there’s a cheaper option, a soundhole pickup for acoustic, like this $60 one from Fishman. Fishman is a great brand for this sort of thing, and there are others. Just plop this in the soundhole and bingo: you have an instant “acoustic-electric”. One that doesn’t really sound like an acoustic OR and electric, but is nevertheless useful for playing music and especially for something like Rocksmith. Ah, here’s a less expensive one from Duncan ($30).
I assume her guitar is set up well; if you know any players have one come by and verify it. If not, most guitars can be improved significantly without spending a fortune, and it’s a waste of time to struggle with a poorly set-up instrument. A well-set-up cheapo is way better than a poorly set-up gem, especially for a beginner.
I’m interested to hear what anyone with experience with Rocksmith has to say about it as a learning experience. My biggest hesitation is that when starting, you have to learn to play the chords, involving placing multiple fingers on the fretboard at once. Every beginner I’ve helped (including myself, nearly 50 years ago) has had to take a lot of time positioning the fingers to play a chord, and couldn’t possibly do that in real time playing along with a game, even at a very slow speed.
It takes a lot of practice to get to the point where you can play a simple chord promptly, and I have a hard time seeing how a real-time game would get over that hurdle without being terribly frustrating. I hope I’m wrong, though!
Adults have a hard time learning to play an instrument. Kids have three huge advantages:
- they have lots of free time
- they have those amazing child brains that learn quickly
- they haven’t developed a lot of judgment, so simple things can sound good: the bar is way lower.
Of those, IMHO, the last is really the biggest hurdle, because the other two can be overcome in time, but the 3rd discourages spending more time. But, if your gf is the kind of person who can get joy from making small progress (without letting her more sophisticated judgment based on pro music kick in), then she has a chance. That and, as I said, a good dose of OC.
Even better if you pick up the bass, so the two of you can play together. Whoever is the more natural will wind up guiding the other, if your personalities don’t get in the way of that. It’s a lot easier to help at music than golf, thank goodness!
One more suggestion for learners: have the instruments sitting out, where they’ll get picked up frequently. Don’t leave it in a case. Instead, get an inexpensive guitar stand. My guitars hang on the wall. Not only is that the cheapest stand, it’s also pretty good protection, assuming you’re not playing indoor baseball.
Good luck!
