Step 1: Two Guitarists Upload MP3s of Their Best Playing

MasterTang uploaded his song "Stitched" and entered it into Guitar Pro War against challenger Jon. Jon uploaded his song "Epicness" and accepted the specific rules of Pro War.

Step 2: Members Listen and Vote on Which Entry is Better

Members like Kernel Panic, Shudue, Faust, and more voted on which entry they thought was better. They voted according to established rules: "Judge on the elements of composition, creativity, sound production and overall technique using the focal instrument." Each member's vote is weighted based on the member's status. If a top-ranked guitarist votes for you, it carries more weight than a lower-ranked guitarist.

Step 3: Members Comment on What Could be Improved in Each Recording

Members spent hours listening to the two songs, and submitted helpful criticism about guitar technique, harmony, production, creativity, composition, catchiness, contrast and melodic arc: Example: "The clean theme in the beginning followed by it's metalized counterpart really set the tone for me. The breaks you had through out the song ranging from brutal to quirky kept things interesting."

Step 4: Competitors Learn, Improve and BECOME BETTER GUITARISTS

Master Tang retained the Guitar Pro War Champion title, while Jon went back to the woodshed to hone his skills and consider ways to make his compositions more interesting. Jon later went on to soundly defeat AxeGrinder in a King of the Hill style metal match. Each competitor remained motivated to practice, practice, practice and so all of them improved.