Has rock band helped you learn a real instument?

[BhindBluEyes430]

I 've played guitar for about 4 years and im pretty good. Ive been playing guitar hero for about a year. Besides turning me on to music like "dick dale" and "iorn madden" ive found when improvising solos on real guitar i can move my fingers faster this could be because I play guitar alot more than guitar hero but i can definalty strech my fingers more now.

I was also wondering if any real drummers have gotten better at drums from playing Rock band, and if the rock band drums could be used to teach real drums? I wan't to learn real drums but i don't have the money or space for a drum kit.

[FippyDarkpaw]

I'd say GH guitar bears little to no resemblance to playing a real guitar. The Drums aren't far off from real drums though, I would think they could help you get better at real drums.

[Micker]

While playing a real guitar is different, RB does simulate a lot about playing it. First of all it helps dexterity and rythem for sure. Second, it simulates power chords pretty good. It also helps coordination between your strumming hand and fret hand.

Could you play RB then pick up a guitar and play it?? No, but it will help lower the learning curve and help in the physical areas.

[ClinTrojan]

It has help me with real drums quiet a bit and alot on single pedal drumming, usally I play double bass style. As an example of how the single pedal, on the song Nightmare by Crooked X, on expert the double bass part it makes you do half the notes since it single pedal and almost died in the game because I heard the music and doubled the 8th notes into 16th notes with my one foot....kinda confusing but it was awsome.

[Se7enLawliet]

While the guitar bits don't exactly teach you to become some kind of master ripper it does train your hands to be more limber.

[Badosh]

no
but it made me want to learn more than just bass (which i knew to play before Gh1)
but know i wanna learn to play drums guitar etc

[Wildgirl_77]

in an interveiw in game informer the creaters of rock band said that "if you play the drums on hard or expert for a few months,you could get up and actually play the drums.to get that from a video game is ****in amazing."

[Conner Malvecino]

I've been a drummer for 10+ years and in all serious...it at least makes playing drums enjoyable again and gives you little goals here and there to improve.

One thing I love about it is that now I've been able to rip off the drum fills from the great ones such as Matt Cameron and Neil Peart. That in itself is worth half of the cost of the game!

[pvtGramps]

I'm getting ready to make the jump, actually. I'm going to try and use money from Christmas to buy a Bass guitar (Prolly a cheap one to start) and begin learning the songs on the real Bass while I'm beginning to work through the 5-star Expert run on RB's Bass. Should be good, and could help getting that last star out of them.

[Conner Malvecino]

I'm getting ready to make the jump, actually. ...

i'm actually going to get myself ready to make the jump...and buy more plastic instruments. :)

...I'm saving up for GH3 (PS3) In anticipation that this patch will exists somewhere down the line.

If Harmonix doesn't create it, I know there's enough smart people in the world to figure how it can be done.

[xxscorchedxx]

i been playin drums 4 about 9 years and guitar 4 9 and im 13 and it helped me aout qite a bit playin expert drums so yep i can sing to i think it still helps with the singin part 2

[Xzyliac]

Not much really. I guess if anything I learned how to control my voice a bit more and how to preserve it so it doesn't give out as soon. Yeah definitely that last one.

[BhindBluEyes430]

I dono about singing because in the game its hard to not go into falsetto, and some Songs are not like real life alough ive never sang on a real mic before so I dono. plus rock band dosent realy let you put a tone into your voice when you distort your voice at all it dosent register.

Yea rock band dose a good job of simulating power chord placement but its alot harder to change them as fast like the intro to Forplay/Long time the chords are really hard to switch in real life and hard to remember.

[HeXcoda]

Rock Band has made me a better singer. I've seen my scores go up and up; I haven't hit a wall yet and I'm on Expert difficulty now. It really makes you focus on your tone, your breathing, and your timing. So in a way, I have learned a "real instrument".

I kinda get annoyed at people (not original poster, this is tangential) claiming RB and GH are "stupid little toy guitars" and that we should play a "real instrument" though. I make music as a hobbyist myself, using loop libraries and sound editing tools and all sorts of other wacky digital processes, and that's no crazier than RB/GH. Once someone makes software that takes RB/GH input, even guitars, and lets you make your OWN sounds with it... look out, world.