Guitar Hero/Rock Band: Opinions?

PretentiousApe

Figured I'd see what the metal community thinks of the whole craze, seeing as how some musicians are really against the concept as a whole. Some people seem to think it undermines the integrity of music itself, reducing the artform to scrolling colours, while others (like me) seem to just enjoy it for what it is and not take it too seriously...

Opinions? :pac:

chillin_penguin

Its a way for normal people to come from a hard days work and pretend that they are a rock star for a hour or 2 whats wrong with that?

D.Q

i just worry about younger kids.

for them music is being processed, packaged and reduced to scrolling colours on a screen.

I dont think music should be about difficulty levels, that sort of mentality is very common in all the little shredders around the place who seem to believe that superior dexterity = a superior musician.

music, is or should be about self expression.

that said, i suck at guitar hero.

Kess73

Personally I think it is quite good. My friend's 15 yo son is mad into it, and it has gotten him asking me for Iron Maiden albums, Dragonforce albums etc which in turn got him listening to Rammstein, Thin Lizzy, Megadeth etc., when before guitar hero it was all Linkin Park, or whatever the latest fad metal band was.

Now he listens to a broader spectrum of metal and will also take a punt on non metal bands where beforehand he would not do that.

ride-the-spiral

I've got absolutely no problem with it and I enjoy playing it. There are alot of people wanting to play guitar because of it, and as far as I can see it's actually possible to learn a bit of drums from it.

People say that it's "poisoning" peoples minds into thinking that they're really good at guitar, only a handful of people act like this and I've never met one.

The only thing music is about is you like the way it sounds, and guitar hero gives people who can't play an instrument the opportunity to feel more apart of the music they like. It's a good idea and a fun game.

And I'm absolutely sick of people over-generalising it by saying stuff like "Oh if they spent as much time learning real guitar rather than pressing buttons to pretty colors!" :mad:

Catari Jaguar

I love it! It's such a laugh especially if you get the whole band up with some friends and you get a proper stream going. A real rush. Hahah! I've only ever played GH. I'm not interested in RB at all. It took loads of practice for me to get to the level I'm at so I definitely think there is skill involved. If you have no rhythm/ aren't dextrous then you have no chance at being able to play. As soon as the drums/ mic came out I chose them over the guitar though.

I've wanted to play drums all my life and have a natural ability but was too scared/ self concious to try in case I was rubbish. Being able to practice GH drums in a quiet way, by copying and learning basic form was great imo. I reckon I'd have the guts and skill to play simple stuff on a real drum kit now.

I think the mic is great too in terms of learning about pitch, tone, timing, dynamics.

In the end it is just a game but I find it introduces instruments in a less intimidating and more accessible way. It also gives younger teens/kids a chance to hear some really rockin' old tracks that they might have turned their nose up at in favour of say, Metallica.

QOTSA90

Yeah I just has the one point to make and its been made twice, it introduced people to really good music that they otherwise wouldnt have heard of or would have simply sneered at in the past

And for the people who say "..if you spent half as much time learning a real guitar...," ..look at yourself playing fifa and/or call of duty, do I tell you to join a team or go fight a fukin war?..no, so stfu :D

my opinion:- it fukin rocks! I only played GH for the first time this week, beautiful disaster by 311 is class

seanfromshankil

Not liking the whole drums thing...
It's annoying when people who play these things think they can compare against people who've been playing for years -_-

Sarky

Before Guitar Hero, I could never remember that More Than A Feeling was originally made famous by Boston. Now remembering that little fact is second nature to me. For that alone, I shall praise it.

FxckShxt

GT so owns Rock Band. Rock band is just irritating. Whatever about GT and the guitar, but those drums genuinely suck. I love GT tbh, it's fun, and it's exposing younger kids to older music in the case of Rock Legends. That can't be bad, can it?

DOC09UNAM

Has anyone tried this new DJ Hero thing?? I'm not sure if they're just cashing in on the market, or whether it might actually be good?

TheStickyBandit

Anything that encourages young people into rock music is great imo. Most kids are listening to the likes of chris brown and ne-yo crying on a track (let me love you.....or some sort of tripe like that!)

Metal FTW:D

Somnus

I went through a craze of loving GH, it's fun and you get to listen to good music too. I don't see why anyone would have a problem with that. Maybe it wil inspire people to play real instruments, maybe it won't. It's still just a bit of fun with music involved.

Don't own RB but I enjoy playing it in my mates house, it's just a bit of craic with a few people involved and it definitely introduces you to bands you might never have listened to.

Bunny_Ears

Guitar Hero and Rock Band are both fun. But none of them has anything to do with the real music and is far away from playing guitar.
If I want to play a Guitar hero, I grab my guitar and jam with my friends. We don't have a band anymore but it's still fun to play together from time to time.
Rock band and Guitar Hero are just games. Maybe some kids get interested in heavy metal after playing it but they'll see how different the realuty is. It's just like Need for speed - it's also quite different from driving a real car but nevertheless people enjoy it.

robby^5

FxckShxt wrote: »

GT so owns Rock Band. Rock band is just irritating. Whatever about GT and the guitar, but those drums genuinely suck. I love GT tbh, it's fun, and it's exposing younger kids to older music in the case of Rock Legends. That can't be bad, can it?

wtf is GT?

ride-the-spiral

robby^5 wrote: »

wtf is GT?

Why he would compare Gran Turismo to Rock Band is beyond me.

Malice

robby^5 wrote: »

wtf is GT?

ride-the-spiral wrote: »

Why he would compare Gran Turismo to Rock Band is beyond me.

I'd say FxckShxt probably got the T and H keys on their keyboard mixed up. They are kinda close together .

I've never played Guitar Hero or Rock Band but I can understand the appeal. The nearest I've gotten to either game is playing Frets on Fire which was fun for a few minutes.
I also agree that it's a good thing for people to be introduced to good quality music that they might otherwise not have heard of.

Thankfully I've never met anyone who thinks that tapping buttons on a little plastic guitar is anything like the real thing. Anyone who comes out with a statement like that deserves a sharp dose of reality to the back of the head .

Lil Kitten wrote:

I've wanted to play drums all my life and have a natural ability but was too scared/ self concious to try in case I was rubbish.

I was like this too until the drummer in my band left his kit in my house for storage. One day I thought I'd have a go at it. Since I was living by myself at the time there was no one around to tell me to shut up . I was surprised how quickly I managed to get a basic beat down so that I could play along with songs from my MP3 player. So I would recommend that if it's something you've always wanted to do then go ahead and do it. Don't worry about thinking you're going to be rubbish, I don't think anyone masters an instrument the first time they play it.

gerrybbadd

I'm utterly addicted to Guitar Hero & Rock Band, and had been playing real guitar for a long time before discovering these games.

I've found some great new artists, and tracks through these games that I may never have heard of (or wanted to) prior to playing.

Also, love the drums! I now find myself listening to beats in songs, that I never really passed any heed on before!:)

RossFixxxed

I paly guitar, it doesn't make me believe I can play any better, BUT it does remind me to practice and by it's nature it is crammed full of great riffs to learn It's fun, relaxing and it has introduced me to new music.

Angron

I like the games, think it's just a bit of fun, but I wouldn't say that someone who is great at GH or RB automatically means they are a good drummer/bassist/guitarist or singer, or vice-versa. I just think, like someone else said, it's a fun way to pretend to be a rockstar for an hour or two.

calex71

Totally addicted to Rockband (See Sig )

Agree though it's not just like playing a real guitar, if it was then I don't think so many people would play it However just like real instruments it does take time and practice to get good at it.

Also got me into loads of stuff that I'd never have given any time to otherwise.