6 ms·

It may have an impact on drums but not on guitars. Playing guitar on Rock Band and playing guitar in real are totally different things. But playing drums on Roc

by bbx 17y ago

It may have an impact on drums but not on guitars. Playing guitar on Rock Band and playing guitar in real are totally different things. But playing drums on Rock Band gets you to learn how to associate a body part to a seperate rhythm. I know I've improved in drums while playing Rock Band.

krschultz 17y ago
Which makes me think an input device that allowed you to put hit switches on an actual drum set would be fun, cheap, small, and fix the aversion to a plastic drum set. You can buy a used drum set and guitar off craigslist for less than it takes to buy an Xbox and Rock Band.
- flooha 17y ago
  The "hit switches" are called triggers and there are hacks to do exactly what you are suggesting, like this one http://www.otronicon.org/InDash_Display.aspx?PGID=440 http://www.otronicon.org/InDash_Display.aspx?PGID=440
flooha 17y ago
Totally agree. My son can play every song on expert and I always razzed him about never playing my real drums. So, yesterday I suddenly hear some amazing drummer beating the living shit out of my drums and was in shock that it was him and not my other son who plays the real drums all the time. If you want to learn how to play drums, I don't think there is a better way.
defunkt 17y ago
But playing guitar in Rock Band can make you want to learn real guitar, regardless of whether you've actually built up some skills yet.
quantumhobbit 17y ago
I would argue with that. Granted Rock Band Drums, and singing, is a much closer analog to the real thing than the guitar, but the fake guitar is not completely useless for learning to play real guitar. I've played guitar off and on for about seven years. Rock band guitar has to some extent improved my sense of rhythm. I would also imagine that a beginner could improved his left hand(fret hand) dexterity and flexibility somewhat. Not enough to play bar-chords but maybe enough to play scales and cowboy chords without hand cramps. Not nearly the real thing but not entirely useless.
blhack 17y ago
Agree 100%. Playing rock band drums is essentially the same as play practice pads. I remember going over to my parents house one year...my sisters asked me if I wanted to play with them. Naturally, being a drummer, I sat down at the drums (and then went to my car to grab some no-crappy sticks...and into the garage to steal the drum stool from my old kit that is still sitting at my mom's) and chose "expert" mode. My sisters laughed and told me, since I had never played the game before, that there was no way I would be able to do it, and to choose something lower so we didn't just fail the song... They were...kindof correct...it was harder than I had anticipated, but I still finished with a pretty respectable score. The hard part about playing the drums on this game is that, as a drummer, the rest of the band follows you. It's really frustrating to have the machine tell you that you're off with you're rhythm, haha. One mode I really wish they would add to the game is...like..."free play". Assign a sound to each of the drums and treat the kit like a midi controller. I know people that already do this in their home studios (although as more of a novelty than anything else) and they actually work :). Point is: rock band is a really fun game, and playing the drums in it is very similar to playing the drums in real life. Doubly so if you've ever done any work in sequencing software. Playing rockband is like what I used to "see" as I was playing the drums after spending hours and hours in a sequencer.
- stevejohnson 17y ago
  Rock Band actually has this feature. I believe it's called "practice mode" or something.

by bbx 17y ago

krschultz 17y ago

Which makes me think an input device that allowed you to put hit switches on an actual drum set would be fun, cheap, small, and fix the aversion to a plastic drum set. You can buy a used drum set and guitar off craigslist for less than it takes to buy an Xbox and Rock Band.

flooha 17y ago
The "hit switches" are called triggers and there are hacks to do exactly what you are suggesting, like this one http://www.otronicon.org/InDash_Display.aspx?PGID=440 http://www.otronicon.org/InDash_Display.aspx?PGID=440

flooha 17y ago

Totally agree. My son can play every song on expert and I always razzed him about never playing my real drums. So, yesterday I suddenly hear some amazing drummer beating the living shit out of my drums and was in shock that it was him and not my other son who plays the real drums all the time. If you want to learn how to play drums, I don't think there is a better way.

defunkt 17y ago

But playing guitar in Rock Band can make you want to learn real guitar, regardless of whether you've actually built up some skills yet.

quantumhobbit 17y ago

I would argue with that. Granted Rock Band Drums, and singing, is a much closer analog to the real thing than the guitar, but the fake guitar is not completely useless for learning to play real guitar. I've played guitar off and on for about seven years. Rock band guitar has to some extent improved my sense of rhythm. I would also imagine that a beginner could improved his left hand(fret hand) dexterity and flexibility somewhat. Not enough to play bar-chords but maybe enough to play scales and cowboy chords without hand cramps. Not nearly the real thing but not entirely useless.

blhack 17y ago

Agree 100%. Playing rock band drums is essentially the same as play practice pads. I remember going over to my parents house one year...my sisters asked me if I wanted to play with them. Naturally, being a drummer, I sat down at the drums (and then went to my car to grab some no-crappy sticks...and into the garage to steal the drum stool from my old kit that is still sitting at my mom's) and chose "expert" mode. My sisters laughed and told me, since I had never played the game before, that there was no way I would be able to do it, and to choose something lower so we didn't just fail the song... They were...kindof correct...it was harder than I had anticipated, but I still finished with a pretty respectable score. The hard part about playing the drums on this game is that, as a drummer, the rest of the band follows you. It's really frustrating to have the machine tell you that you're off with you're rhythm, haha. One mode I really wish they would add to the game is...like..."free play". Assign a sound to each of the drums and treat the kit like a midi controller. I know people that already do this in their home studios (although as more of a novelty than anything else) and they actually work :). Point is: rock band is a really fun game, and playing the drums in it is very similar to playing the drums in real life. Doubly so if you've ever done any work in sequencing software. Playing rockband is like what I used to "see" as I was playing the drums after spending hours and hours in a sequencer.

stevejohnson 17y ago
Rock Band actually has this feature. I believe it's called "practice mode" or something.