Beat Your Buddy is a game created by Mister V, Director at Guitar Starz Club.
"Two of the Yousician features that I find most valuable are the Tempo Slider and the Auto tempo in Practice mode. Having the possibility of slowing down the tempo of a phrase and automatically increase it as I master it is something incredible! It has made me a much more accurate player and has made practice a more enjoyable experience."
At Guitar Starz Club we emphasize this to all our students at all times but they can’t see the value of it yet. They all want to score points and achieve stars every time they play! I can totally relate to this since I love beating my records and gold starring songs as well.
To make them realize the importance of playing slowly and gradually increasing the tempo of a phrase, I made up a game that one of our students named “Beat Your Buddy”. This is a very addictive game we play with all our groups at Guitar Starz Club and since it was introduced, the kids love it when we play it in class. They end up mastering the most difficult parts of the song without realizing it. This game is a fun way to create a healthy competitive atmosphere while having lots of fun.
To play “Beat Your Buddy” I go to practice mode and with the loop sliders I select a phrase or a pattern that I want my students to master. The first student begins at 50% and his mission is to bring the tempo slider 5% higher to make it to the next round. The next student will have to play the phrase at 55% and play enough correct notes to bring the tempo slider to 60% and make it to the next round as well. As the game progresses and only a few are left, the tempo keeps rising until there is only one person left. The idea is to go over 100% until we reach 125% if possible. If at the end there are 2 students capable of playing the phrase at 125% there will be two winners. I make all my students play softly during their friend’s turn, that way, the seventh student has played it already seven times in seven different tempos.
My students love playing this game and I love it too because by playing “Beat Your Buddy” they have been able to gold star the most difficult parts of lots of songs. It has also taught them the power of repetition and the power of conscious and focused practice."