Guitar Hero impact?

Not sure, but my nephew has about $20,000 worth of Mac (music) hardware and software - he can cut complete albums using all instruments sitting at his keyboard.

It started 40 years ago with electronic keyboards, then a few years ago with electronic drums, now an electronic guitar...

I personally don't think it's a good thing, we can throw all music theory out the window.

 

I really ought to be going to bed but I'll bite......

1. I believe that Guitar Hero is both a blessing and a curse to this and the next generation. It's a good thing because it gets kids into music. Not just the pre-packaged, auto-tuned-up-the-ying-yang-hyper-mega-promoted-music-by-untalented-hacks type, but classic music.

I've seen a family friends' son complain about the music his father was listening too, hours later we were playing rock band and the son was suggesting we play the very same song that he was complaining about earlier. It adds legitimacy to the music, bands like Boston, Fleetwood Mac, The Who, Cheap Trick, The Allman brothers have all had record sales jump in recent years because of the games.

2. The main confusion in kids is they have the clearly deluded view that they are "making" music. When you and I and anyone that has played the guitar knows that that couldn't be farther from the truth. It's merely a way to interact and enjoy the music more.... In other words: IT'S A GAME

I personally realized this a couple of years ago when I went into the "practice" mode on guitar hero to "practice" this song so that I could "learn" how to "play" it on expert. Within the week I had hit a pawn shop and purchased a MIM Strat. I still suck at guitar but I'm at least comfortable with the instrument and can pick it up and play other peoples stuff, I'm now looking for good books on beginner's music theory.

Let me tell you this: Rock Band and the rest of the music/rhythm games may be a blast (I still play them, because they're FUN) but they are a GAME; Picking up a guitar and making music waft through the air will ALWAYS be more satisfying.

I look forward to hearing Remix's thoughts on this topic as well as his thoughts on the upcoming DJ hero game....

 

It's Dance Dance Revolution with instruments.

 

I think games like Guitar Hero and other music games are a positive influence on gamers and actually serve to cultivate a greater appreciation for rock music.

Aside from being a fantastic game, I think it helps to get people started on learning how to play the real instruments. I started playing Dance Dance Revolution when I was 13 and progressed on to Drummania and Guitar Hero. Along the way, I actually went out and learnt how to play real drums and took up dancing lessons as well. I don't think this would have happened if I hadn't played these games.

 

My 14-yo son, who plays real guitar as well as 'pretend' guitar in Guitar Hero
constantly complains that friends at school brag about what 'songs' they know
from playing GH - it seems that knowing how to do a difficult Hero song has
become its own skill, to be compared to real guitar playing. Pathetic.
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I've been playing rock band for a year, and I play on expert. I love the drums so much on it, I bought myself my own drum set, been playing that for almost a year too

 

My girls (13 & 9) play PS2 GH (3 diff't guitars, GH1, GH2, GH80s, GH Aerosmith) and I've jumped in on it a few times too.

I see it as not only fun and improving hand/eye coordination, but it gives them (or girls at least) an appreciation for music that isn't Jonas Brothers/Hannah Montana/Pink/Avril Levigne/Kelly Clarkson.


Besides, its fun to watch a 9yr old girl sing Judas Priest's Electric Eye from start to finish, or sing Nugent's Cat Scratch Fever (which she sings as Cat Crap Fever LOL).

 

i dont like guitar hero, and i am an avid adult gamer.

i have been playing real guitars for 20 years, and the finger memory i have when hearing music is for actual notes and scales on the fretboard. the actions you memorize in guitar hero is nothing like the finger actions required to play the actual songs. so in short, i "cant" play the damn game, because certain songs i know "for real" and the game finger action confuses the hell out of me and my fingers.


just my .02

a few of mine:
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Will it create a whole new set of instruments?

I play Rockband at least 2 times a week and I love it. Played last night and cranked up RATT all the way to Eleven.

 

True, but it's a precursor to much much more than that.

The first PC was 'just a PC', the first cell phone was just a phone, so there is no reason to think that GH will NOT
evolve into something much more. I mean: we had a guitar, then Les Paul added electric to it..... and someone else said it also: 'drum machine'.

GH WILL evolve.

 

My niece got a real acoustic guitar a couple years ago from her grandmother but she has a very short attention span, she found it too hard so gave up on it. The guitar sits in the corner collecting dust on it's stand of the family playroom. Last Christmas I gave her Guitar Hero III & she still plays it to this day, she often tells me how good she's gotten at it. I really wish it was the other way around but she would rather have instant gratification mashing colored buttons to a video screen rather than learning & creating her own music. At some point the GH fad will fade away like so many others.

 

I can't believe how polarizing this genre has become. I am both an adult gamer and adept at playing / creating music. I've played the guitar and drums for over 20 years, and taught myself how to play a keyboard over the past 2 years (I'm no virtuoso, but I won't embarass myself either).

I have 2 young daughters that I would love to share my love of music with. I have eclectic music tastes, but I thought the best way to get them interested would be good, simple music like the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Four Seasons - both my girls flip when we play them on our iPods or even my old records. Yet, no matter how often I play the songs on my keyboard or guitar, they just don't respond. There's very little interest on their part to strum my guitar or bang on my keyboard.

Well, I got Rock Band for my 40th birthday, and we all love it. My 5 year old daughter is the "drummer", and she's so into the game that she asked for a real drum set. Bingo - interest in music is now seeded with her. My older daughter (she's 8) is still slightly latent, but she's really into the game and I can see her interest growing as well.

IMHO, you shouldn't be threatened by this game. If a kid wants to play GH or RB and "think" he's a musician - so what? Heck, I know people that specialize in "air guitar" and we don't bristle at it - we laugh and celebrate it! If it inspires kids to want to play music, or form a band one day, that's fantastic. I don't see in any way how it discourages it or diverts someone away from music.

WJHMH - I'd bet your niece would still be frustrated by the guitar, even if GH didn't exist. My own story is very similar. I quit playing music as a young kid because I wanted to be Eddie Van Halen after lesson one. Video games didn't cause that - it was youthful impatience. Will this fad pass? Maybe, but I still believe that it's a great way to get kids more interested in music and transition them to the "real" thing!

 

HA! The name of my band is Polarized, LOL. On guitar... me, Drums... my friend of 30 years a physician, on vocals sometimes my sister other times the drummers friend a nurse who I am now friends with and when his son is home from school he plays bass. Great times with old friends and family, making some new friends too.

 

I feel some jealousy in the air that someone got beat by a child in a video game

 

Which game - GHWT or RB? What platform?

I have RB2 on Wii - scored a top-10 worldwide with my band on "Let There Be Rock". Trying to assemble a group of expert players to make some more top-10 assaults...anyone game?

 

Might want to keep this topic on subject a bit Ask people through PM.

But honestly, if you're saying a music game might take away people's will to try and learn. Then apply that to shooter games, people think it's a bad influence on children, but on your approach, having guns in a game would mean that there would be no need to get out and do thing pertaining to that game. >.<

But stuff like that does happen.

It's a game, some people don't want to spend hours practicing to become great at an instrument, some want instant gratification and know that they have accomplished something.

 

I have a couple of little cousins that are all taking up guitar and it is because of guitar hero's influence.

 

Yea, didn't mean to thread jack - apologies.

On your other point - I am saying the opposite. I believe this game WILL influence people to learn - my own daughter is a proof point. As a person that plays "real" music, I have no ill feelings towards this genre...in fact, I love it.

FWIW

 

AHHHHHHHHHH but I liken shooting games to alcohol. Alcohol doesn't MAKE you say mean things or act like an idiot it only lessens your inhibitions

I think it's safe to say that the VAST majority of people who play violent video games DON'T go and shoot up their school/work/church/other social function. Those that do are probably off-kilter to begin with. It's like alcohol.....

just my 2 cents....

 

Wasn't based towards you, just towards everyone in the thread in general who is thinking IMO in a wrong POV.

 

No I completely agree, it's just, you can't say that all music will die because of some social game. In a nut shell.

 

GH might, but what it brings won't. I remember when PC's were a fad, and cell phones were thought to be a fad, and MP3 players were being called a fad.

It won't die, folks still want to tour and do concerts, but recorded music itself will change moreso.

Music is an ever-evolving industry, and if you know the history of it, especially the last 70 years or so, you know exactly what I mean.

 

Yes and life changes, so you have to change with it to. It's pretty much inevitable..

You can't take 1930's military gear into war today, it has evolved and so we grew with it.