Guitar Hero: renowned guitarists say it's not an ideal way to be exposed to music
 

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Jack White just broke my heart.....AGAIN! :crying:

^ that's cos he's a knob :tongue2:

It is a bit sad that the only way people are exposed to a bit of good old rock and roll is through a game...but to be honest they shouldn't complain.

A lot of the bands featured on Guitar Hero are old (Warrant, Sabbath, Cheap Trick etc) and don't exactly get any air play. Even the more recent records featured aren't mainstream enough to be heard by the masses (some may argue this is a good thing lol)

Unless you know someone who owns one of the albums then exposure is going to be limited...or completely non existant.
I bought several albums off the back of Guitar Hero and it introduced me to some bands I would have otherwise never heard of.

What exactly are they complaing about? That the mainstream world is lacking in good music? Or that we are all so glued to our computer screens this is the only way to get into music?

(His point about learning musical instruments is a fair point though)

Thank god they agree with me :P

It's true that playing Guitar Hero isn't exactly an ideal way to learn an instrument... but White and Page seem to be forgetting that some people play Guitar Hero for an entirely different reason:

For FUN.

Some people may not have the time, talent or interest to invest years into learning an instrument, perfecting technique and getting to know all it's little nuances. That doesn't mean they shouldn't enjoy picking up a plastic guitar and pretending to be a rock god for an hour or two.

And I disagree with it being a bad way to learn about music too. Again, it's not ideal, but as a stepping stone into the world of, say, classic rock, it's not so bad. You might hear a great song on Guitar Hero and go out and buy the album it appears on, get into that band, buy more of their albums, and start branching out and listening to other bands from that era, and so on, and so on.

I also disagree.

For a start: What difference does it make if you hear it on the radio or on a game? Actually I would even argue that seeing it on a game makes you appreciate the skill involved in certain songs even more. For example I always used to blank out the drums in pretty much everything I listen to, but ever since seeing them on a screen I have much more appreciation for drums and pay attention even to the tiniest fills.

Secondly: Yes, I agree - a little plastic guitar is nothing like the real thing, if you choose to play the bass it's even farther away from reality. But that is the point! You're not supposed to learn how to play an instrument, you're supposed to enjoy yourself. Plus there's always the possibility that some people think to themselves "Hey, I really enjoy that - I want to learn how to play a real guitar now!".

Thirdly: What about other instruments? What about drumming? It might just be four or six plastic pads, but if you can get through some of the hardest songs on these games then you've got everything in your arms and legs that you need to play real drums. And a number of people find out they're actually quite good at it and upgrade to an ion drum kit.
And what about singing? I know my voice got at least ten times better since I started playing.

And lastly: Rock Band is way better than Guitar Hero anyway.

I really don't have a life....

rock band is fun

but it's A GAME. for fun.
i totaly couldn't play a gutair but i like playing these games :P

My boyf gets really annoyed because he can play some of the GH songs on the guitar for real, but can't play them in the game :)

I completely agree with him. Playing a real instrument is such a completely different experience compared to games like guitar hero. Nothing wrong with it as a game, but as an actual musical experience? Ha, it's really not.

My friend who is in a [signed] band has that too. He tries to actually play the song, instead of the game, then goes off in a strop. It's highly amusing to watch.