Rock Band

[Papa Tom]

I'd imagine this has been discussed here ad nauseum, but have any of
the musicians in this bunch found The Beatles Rock Band to be total
crap?

I guess I thought it would be a test of the player's musical ability,
but it seems to just be a hand/eye coordination game. You watch the
dots move on the screen and you try to "shoot them down" with the fret
buttons and the strum bar. Much of the time, the dots don't even
cross the line exactly on the beat, where a real musician would feel
them. Other times, dots appear in places where there is absolutely,
positively no note being played.

I was a professional musician for many years. More importantly,
having listened to the Beatles music for forty years plus, I've
subconsciously memorized all the bass lines, guitar lines, and drum
parts. When I sat down to play the game for the first time the other
night, I was completely frustrated, as I soon found the only way to
get a good score is to tune out the music and just try to keep up with
the dots flowing by.

Am I alone?

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All follow-ups are directed to the newsgroup rec.music.beatles.moderated.
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[Dr. Strangemonde]

"SOUTH PARK" had a great episode where Stan's dad was in your
position. Here's a clip:

http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/155858/?searchterm=Guitar+Queer-o

...and an article that mentions it:

http://blogs.reuters.com/mediafile/2009/06/04/e3-watching-rock-band-thinking-south-park/

- Dr S

[troglodog]

Coming from a similar (but non-professional) background and mindset,
my experience with Guitar Hero was the same. I do remember Dhani
Harrison saying on the Tonight Show that musicians fare better with
the game if they play it in "expert" mode - I imagine it's still all
about shooting coloured dots, but maybe they're in time with the music
at that level.

[Donz5]

I think it's not really intended or marketed for professional
musicians but rather gamers. The goal is to generate a new generation
of Beatles fans via an entirely new venue. We'll see if it pays off.

[John (NJ)]

On Oct 5, 9:23�pm, Papa Tom <tommontalb...@gmail.com> wrote:

> I'd imagine this has been discussed here ad nauseum, but have any of
> the musicians in this bunch found The Beatles Rock Band to be total
> crap?
>
> I guess I thought it would be a test of the player's musical ability,
> but it seems to just be a hand/eye coordination game. �You watch the
> dots move on the screen and you try to "shoot them down" with the fret
> buttons and the strum bar. �Much of the time, the dots don't even
> cross the line exactly on the beat, where a real musician would feel
> them. �Other times, dots appear in places where there is absolutely,
> positively no note being played.
>
> I was a professional musician for many years. �More importantly,
> having listened to the Beatles music for forty years plus, I've
> subconsciously memorized all the bass lines, guitar lines, and drum
> parts. �When I sat down to play the game for the first time the other
> night, I was completely frustrated, as I soon found the only way to
> get a good score is to tune out the music and just try to keep up with
> the dots flowing by.
>
> Am I alone?

I haven't played the Beatles version but I have played Guitar Hero.
My experience is that musicians suck at it, myself included. I try to
actually play the song instead of the game and end up doing poorly.

[dustykeg]

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> - Show quoted text -

I have a good friend who plays drums and has no issues playing
difficult Zappa material. However, he said his experience trying to
become Ringo was a bit frustrating. It appears that the "turn down the
sound and rely on hand/eye coordination" method is pretty common.
Especially, if you're a longtime practicing or pro musician.
---
Regards,
Dusty Keg
"Stunt Vocals, 12-String, and 3rd Bass"

[Crisstti]

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>
> - Show quoted text -

I actually think it's very different with Guitar Hero. There the dots
are actually when a note sounds and theya re on the beat. At least I
think they are, lol.
Rock band on the other hand could hardly be more boring.

[Papa Tom]

Thanks, all, for your input. I was starting to feel either crazy or
inadequate as a fake musician!

Now, would you please tell my Beatle geek buddies that it was THE GAME
and not ME that was screwing up so much :)