Now Play It – Downloadable Music Lessons

For some reason, I’m on the Lily Allen mailing list. I think I signed up to get some free song. I saw her play the Metro (Sydney) on Friday night and it was damn good. Slightly surprisingly as I was expecting it to be just okay.

She was funny, dressed in gray blue sack dress rather than usual 50s fluffy dress/sneakers. And while she doesn’t come across a terribly nice person generally, she was lovely to her audience. She was using an asthma puffer (”very rock n’ roll” in her words) on stage and all seemed very soft until later when I think she realised it was Friday night and/or started to get quite tipsy. Anyway, she skulled a cup of Jägermeister and then opened up a present that a girl in the audience gave her – another bottle of Jägermeister which she passed around the audience. Security stepped in finally when the bottle ended up with the giver of the gift who then tried to skull the whole bottle.

She also has this funny little giggle that punctuated almost every thing she said. She was pretty drunk by the end of it and despite the asthma, she lit up a few ciggies near the end. She said she was shattered and for the first time, I saw the band as they were leaving the metro. They were in some Tarago-esque stationwagon/van thing and she was in the front seat and so small (and probably slouching that we could barely see her.

All round, it was just really fun. The audience was about 90% female and while the fashion, as always at these things, was hilarious it wasn’t particularly pratty. It was great crowd, enthusiastic but not aggressive.

Anyway, back to my Lily Allen mail – it was promoting a downloadable music lesson service called Now Play It:

‘Now Play It’ is a new and exciting way to learn and play your favorite songs. This unique  video service features real music and real artists all backed by real learning techniques. It has been developed to help offer a more instant and direct way of learning, for every range of musician. ‘Now Play It’ aims to get people as close to the artist and songs they love as simply as possible. If you want to play a song, there is no better way to learn than from the artist who wrote or performs it…welcome to ‘Now Play It’.

From a quick look around, prices seem to start at around 1.99 pounds to download their “Lite” tutorial (basically the artist’s video with
superimposed instructions like chord charts), 3.99 pounds for a ‘Full’
tutorial (the artist themselves spending 15-25mins explaining how to
play the song). You can also get the “In House” tutorial (not the artist but a Now Play It tutor) for a bit
cheaper (2.99 pounds).

As Lily herself pointed out when she played one chord (aand not terribly well) on Friday, she’s only just learning how to play the guitar so there aren’t acutally any “Full” tutorial from her. Only the “Lite” and the “In House”. Same deal for Radiohead though I don’t know what their excuse is.

Explaining the “In House” version:

We have this 3rd option available so that we can make sure that we can
offer as many different tutorials in the Now Play It style, even if an
artist isn’t around to teach them anymore.

“Isn’t around… anymore”? Sounds like they’re dead. Anyway, only “Lite” and “In House” versions for David Bowie and Coldplay. Gorillaz only have “Lite” versions (understandable given they are supposed to be cartoons but a “Full” version would have been way cool).

You will find full versions from Blur, KT Tunstall and Supergrass though.

You can see short previews before purchase/download.