Guitar Rising is a forthcoming educational

Educational software

Educational software is computer software, the primary purpose of which is teaching or self-learning.-Early History, 1940s - 1970s:The use of computer hardware and software in education and training dates to the early 1940s, when American researchers developed flight simulators which used analog...

 music video game

Music video game

A music video game, also commonly known as a music game, is a video game where the gameplay is meaningfully and often almost entirely oriented around the player's interactions with a musical score or individual songs...

 developed by GameTank to teach the guitar. It is to be similar to Rock Band and the Guitar Hero franchise, but use an actual guitar

Guitar

The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...

, which can be of any model, by plugging a guitar-USB adapter or jack plug

TRS connector

A TRS connector is a common family of connector typically used for analog signals including audio. It is cylindrical in shape, typically with three contacts, although sometimes with two or four . It is also called an audio jack, phone jack, phone plug, and jack plug...

 into a microphone port or directly to the sound card

Sound card

A sound card is an internal computer expansion card that facilitates the input and output of audio signals to and from a computer under control of computer programs. The term sound card is also applied to external audio interfaces that use software to generate sound, as opposed to using hardware...

. The on-screen fretboard scrolls from right to left, reading much like a tablature

Tablature

Tablature is a form of musical notation indicating instrument fingering rather than musical pitches....

, with the notes lying on the corresponding string showing the number of the fret on which the note is to be played. A playable demo was given at Independent Game Conference West on November 5, 2009.

Release for Microsoft Windows

Microsoft Windows

Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...

 and Mac OS X

Mac OS X

Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...

 was scheduled for late 2009, but the game was not released in 2009, and as of September 2011 no release date has been given. The Guitar Rising homepage has not been updated since early 2008 and emails go unanswered.

A similar free release, LittleBigStar, was in beta testing but failed as a product. LittleBigStar has been succeeded by a product called Jam Origin that is in beta.

A commercial version of Guitar Rising, called Rocksmith

Rocksmith

Rocksmith is a music video game produced by Ubisoft similar to Guitar Hero, Rock Band, Power Gig: Rise of the SixString and Offbeat Guitarist, and based on the technology in Guitar Rising. The game's main focus is the unique feature that allows players to plug in virtually any electric guitar and...

, was released on October 18, 2011. The game features a similar USB to 1/4" interface, allowing any guitar to be used with the game.

Soundtrack

GameTank CEO Jake Parks has told IGN

IGN

IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...

 that Guitar Rising will feature at least 30 songs on the finished product, and that 5 of them will appear on a forthcoming demo of the game. The following songs appear in a setlist shown in the game's official trailer, except "Enter Sandman" which appeared in a separate demo video.

Song title	Artist	Year
"Vital Signs"	Rush Rush (band) Rush is a Canadian rock band formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario. The band is composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart...	1981
"Break on Through (To the Other Side) Break on Through (To the Other Side) "Break on Through " is a song by The Doors from their debut album, The Doors. It was the first single released by the band and was unsuccessful compared to later hits, reaching only #126 in the United States... "	The Doors The Doors The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...	1967
"Electric Funeral Electric Funeral "Electric Funeral" is the fifth song from Black Sabbath's second album Paranoid, released in 1970. The song deals with nuclear war and its aftermath... "	Black Sabbath Black Sabbath Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...	1971
"In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" is a song by Iron Butterfly, released on their 1968 album In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida.At a little over seventeen minutes, it occupies the entire second side of the In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida album. The lyrics are simple, and heard only at the beginning and the end... "	Iron Butterfly Iron Butterfly Iron Butterfly is a US psychedelic rock band best known for the 1968 hit "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida".Their heyday was the late 1960s, but the band has been reincarnated with various members. In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida is the 31st best-selling album in the world, selling more than 25 million copies.-History:The...	1968
"Money Money (Pink Floyd song) "Money" is the sixth track from English progressive rock band Pink Floyd's 1973 album The Dark Side of the Moon. Written by bassist Roger Waters, it opened side two of the original vinyl LP, and is the only song on the album to enter the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100... "	Pink Floyd Pink Floyd Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...	1973
"Achilles Last Stand Achilles Last Stand "Achilles Last Stand" is a song by the English rock group Led Zeppelin, featured as the opening track on their 1976 album Presence. It was written by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant at Page's house in Malibu, California where they stayed for a month while Plant recovered from a serious car accident he... "	Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...	1976
"Bible Black Bible Black (song) "Bible Black" is a song by heavy metal band Heaven & Hell from their 2009 album, The Devil You Know. The song was premiered on 20 March 2009 by Eddie Trunk.-Details:... "	Heaven & Hell	2009
"Venus in Furs Venus in Furs (song) "Venus in Furs" is a song by The Velvet Underground, written by Lou Reed and originally released on the 1967 album The Velvet Underground & Nico. Inspired by the book of the same name by Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, the song includes sexual themes of sadomasochism, bondage and... "	The Velvet Underground The Velvet Underground The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in New York City. First active from 1964 to 1973, their best-known members were Lou Reed and John Cale, who both went on to find success as solo artists. Although experiencing little commercial success while together, the band is often cited...	1967
"Perfect Strangers Perfect Strangers (Deep Purple song) "Perfect Strangers" is a song by the British hard rock band Deep Purple. It is the title track of their 1984 album Perfect Strangers.The words tell of the sorrow of remaining "perfect strangers" after the end of a relationship. It is one of the few Deep Purple songs not to feature a guitar or organ... "	Deep Purple Deep Purple Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre...	1984
"Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" is a song written by Bennie Benjamin, Gloria Caldwell and Sol Marcus for the singer/pianist Nina Simone, who first recorded it in 1964. "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" has been recorded or performed by many artists, and is widely known by the 1965 blues rock hit... "	The Animals The Animals The Animals were an English music group of the 1960s formed in Newcastle upon Tyne during the early part of the decade, and later relocated to London...	1966
"The Call of Ktulu"	Metallica Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...	1984
"El Mañana El Mañana "El Mañana" is a song from the Gorillaz's second album, Demon Days. It was released as a single on April 10, 2006 in the UK as double A-side with "Kids With Guns" as the fourth and final single from the album Demon Days... "	Gorillaz Gorillaz Gorillaz is an English musical project created in 1998 by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett. This project consists of Gorillaz music itself and an extensive fictional universe depicting a "virtual band" of cartoon characters...	2005