Guitar Hero: renowned guitarists say it's not an ideal way to be exposed to music
Quote:
Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page and The White Stripes' Jack White have hit out at the popular 'Guitar Hero' video game.
Speaking at a press conference in Los Angeles on Friday (June 19) for 'It Might Get Loud', the forthcoming documentary film that chronicles their musical careers, the two renowned guitarists said they don't believe video games are an ideal way for people to be exposed to music or learn to play instruments.
"It's depressing to have a label come and tell you that ['Guitar Hero'] is how kids are learning about music and experiencing music," White said. He added that although he doesn't try to dictate "which format people should get their music in…if you have to be in a video game to get in front of them, that's a little sad."
Page added that he can't imagine that people are really learning anything significant about playing instruments by playing video games.
"You think of the drum part that John Bonahm did on Led Zeppelin's first track on the first album, 'Good Times Bad Times'," he said. "How many drummers in the world can play that part, let alone on Christmas morning?"
Meanwhile, White's latest band, The Dead Weather, are gearing up to play a series of London gigs this week, as previously reported.
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)
And he brought me into a vast farmlands of our own midwest. And as we descended, cries of impending doom rose from the soil. One thousand, nay a million voices full of fear. And terror possesed me then. And I begged, "Angel of the Lord, what are these tortured screams?" And the angel said unto me, "These are the cries of the carrots, the cries of the carrots! -- Not a vegetarian
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.
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 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 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 :)
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.
Wake me up before I change again
Remind me the story that I won't get insane
Tell me why it's always the same
Explain me the reason why I'm so much in pain.
