I know why the stratocaster didn't come with a clicky strum bar.

[darknight587]

I personally can not play properly without hearing the clicks of the strum bar on a guitar controller. However last night while playing with a friend of mine playing drums i couldn't hear anything from my guitar as a result i missed alot of notes focusing on the pounding of the drums rather then the clicking of my strums.

I guess harmonix saw this coming and thought why include a clicky strum bar when players wont even be able to hear over the obnoxious sound of the drums ^^;

[Fennz]

good point, but you can still hear it a little when using the Gh controllers.

[batsu336]

It helps if you focus on what you are doing instead of the drummer, as I told my 9 year old when he initially struggled on guitar. With a little practice you should be able to tone out the other instruments and listen only for your track. Until you develop a good internal sense of timing you will miss the "click" sound that kept you in time. I have yet to come across a real guitar that clicks when I play it, though...The click sound always made me recognize more that it was a toy, taking me out of the experience that the game is trying to bring to you.

[darknight587]

normally i probably can focus on my instrument over others however my friend has this thing where he cant play the drums quietly. he always pounds the pads as hard as he can, and he doesnt keep very good beat so i ultimetly get off beat everytime he does -.-

[Misha67]

What batsu336 said.

Also, after having played through all of RB without that G-dawful clicking noise keeping me from focusing on what I was supposed to be doing, I found out when I played through my old GH games that I could breeze through all of the songs, even the ones that I'd been struggling with before, because I wasn't listening for a "click" anymore. I was listening to the music and paying attention to what I was supposed to be doing instead.

[darknight587]

but the click is what i use to keep beat ^^; i dont have a problem with playing the songs, there isnt a guitar hero/rock band guitar song i havent 5 stared yet im just very beat sensitive and the littlest alteration can throw my whole game off =/

[MrCashster]

normally i probably can focus on my instrument over others however my friend has this thing where he cant play the drums quietly. he always pounds the pads as hard as he can, and he doesnt keep very good beat so i ultimetly get off beat everytime he does -.-

Solution: Get a new friend!
or get drum pads to dampen the noise of the drums

[NoD]

I'm lost, what are you listing for. I watch the notes and then if I hit it I hear the guitar. Maybe thats why I'm not that good, should I be listening for something??

[darknight587]

I'm lost, what are you listing for. I watch the notes and then if I hit it I hear the guitar. Maybe thats why I'm not that good, should I be listening for something??

the way i play guitar is i watch the very top of the screen where the notes first appear and just remember the order they are coming in and use my strum bar's click to keep beat rather then watching the indicator bar at the bottom where you hit the notes

[Dartagnan64]

the way i play guitar is i watch the very top of the screen where the notes first appear and just remember the order they are coming in and use my strum bar's click to keep beat rather then watching the indicator bar at the bottom where you hit the notes

turn the volume up on your TV. You should be using the sound of the music to keep the beat not the clicking of a controller. No guitarist would ever use the twang of the string to keep rhythm.

Of course I can't 5 star anything on Hard guitar so I'm no expert. But it doesn't seem right that the click should give you the beat you need. I like the click for feedback as to whether I've completed the strum in time with the music, but after playing with the strats for a while I'm used to their more subtle feedback.

[mrtauntaun]

Its not an issue of hearing the click for me, I can feel the 'click' on my thumb as I play. This helps me a lot, tells me when to move the strum bar back up.

[BhindBluEyes430]

If the drummer is good and on beat then I do alot better on guitar. because i hear the clacking of the drums.

[AllMe]

the way i play guitar is i watch the very top of the screen where the notes first appear and just remember the order they are coming in and use my strum bar's click to keep beat rather then watching the indicator bar at the bottom where you hit the notes


Wow! That's exactly how I play. Everytime I try to explain it to my friends they don't understand a word I'm saying. :D However, when we go head to head I always cream them.

IMO The Strat is too mushy but when I use for a few songs I get used to it. I will always prefer the Les Paul all around.

Distracting noises: My issue isn't crappy drumming because my notes are always where they're supposed to be. It's vocals! When I'm singing and someone is going nutzo on the whammy OMG I can't hold the key to save my life! :o

[PikkuKaiShinto]

As for me... I love it with no click what so ever.
No clicking sound make it sound more like a real guitar... (Do you hear anything from strings other than music when you pick it...? Unless you stratch the strings or something you hear nothing!)
I play so much better with no click. I want to hear the music... not:

Example:
(Mississippi Queen)
Mic/Drums: Knock Knock Knock Knock Knock Knock Knock...
Guitar: Click Click Click Click

[Kurai]

If the drummer is good and on beat then I do alot better on guitar. because i hear the clacking of the drums.
Agreed.

I never liked the clicking on the GH strummers personally, and played by sight for RB, when I'm over at my GF's house and the drums are clacking, I end up using that to help me play. I do much better that way >.>

[MinusTheBear]

use headphones. I have a 2 way and a 3 way headphone splitter that we always play through. I never hear any clicking (we use the GH guitar more than the RB guitar) and I can minimally hear my drumming.

[JiggMaster]

I my friend plays drums like an ANIMAL and we've almost gotten through everything completely, I just tone him out using my mind, course I still laugh when he hits his drumstick.

[sandswipe]

I can't stand the clicky strum. As other people have said, if anything but guitar noises are coming out of a real guitar you're probably failing pretty hard.

On topic: the real reason for the new strum design is almost certainly copyright. In the same way that no one but nintendo is allowed by law to make a decent D-pad, no one but Red Octane is allowed to make a clicky, non-breaking strum bar.

[PrincessJasmine]

umm ppl. It's a plastic guitar. Music isn't coming out of it to begin with like a REAL guitar. Obviously real guitars don't have clicks, yada yada..but to say that having a click takes away the "real" experience...come on, it's not a REAL guitar to begin with. reality check. :)

IMO: Click is good to know that I'm actually strumming properly. Otherwise if I miss a note, I wonder, did i strum it hard enough for it to register? or did i just hit it too late/early?

[Sarge51]

The clicking helped a little. But I grew out of it with GH3. The Les Paul has a less noticable click sound, unless you're playing hardcore songs on expert.

I LOVE the non clicking of the Strat. I just hate everything else...

[popcorn88]

umm ppl. It's a plastic guitar. Music isn't coming out of it to begin with like a REAL guitar. Obviously real guitars don't have clicks, yada yada..but to say that having a click takes away the "real" experience...come on, it's not a REAL guitar to begin with. reality check. :)

IMO: Click is good to know that I'm actually strumming properly. Otherwise if I miss a note, I wonder, did i strum it hard enough for it to register? or did i just hit it too late/early?

YES exactly! I don't even bother playing the strat, its junk! I wonder how many of you actually play on expert and still say its better with no click. I think we all learned to play with the click. Besides not having the click, the strumbar just DOES NOT WORK RIGHT TO BEGIN WITH! Sure its fine on medium, but step it up to hard or expert and you're screwed.

[Thallis]

Why would you want the click? :confused: Without it, you can actually hear the music play

[PrincessJasmine]

TURN THE TV UP!!! MUSIC IS MEANT TO BE PLAYED LOUD ANYWAYS. :p

[oshman187]

TURN THE TV UP!!! MUSIC IS MEANT TO BE PLAYED LOUD ANYWAYS. :p

Exactly!! If the music is loud enough then it doesn't matter if there is a click or not, because you wont hear it :)

[an1m051ty]

I personally can not play properly without hearing the clicks of the strum bar on a guitar controller. However last night while playing with a friend of mine playing drums i couldn't hear anything from my guitar as a result i missed alot of notes focusing on the pounding of the drums rather then the clicking of my strums.

I guess harmonix saw this coming and thought why include a clicky strum bar when players wont even be able to hear over the obnoxious sound of the drums ^^;

I think the buttons click louder than any guitar hero controller. Its so annoying I can't even play with it.

[PikkuKaiShinto]

I think the buttons click louder than any guitar hero controller. Its so annoying I can't even play with it.

Which buttons?
If you mean the Fret... thats not what hes talking about.

[PikkuKaiShinto]

Guitar Newb: Hello there.

Employee: Hi there, how may I help you?

Guitar Newb: I finally decided to try a real guitar after playing Guitar Hero all these years, where are your guitars?

Employee: The Guitars are over there and Basses on the right. The Amps are in the back.

Guitar Newb: Thanks.

*2 minutes later*

Guitar Newb: Excuse me...

Employee: See anything you like?

Guitar Newb: I cant seem to find any guitars that click when I play... you have any clicking guitars? I cant play without a click!

*Kicks Newb out the store*

[oshman187]

Guitar Newb: Hello there.

Employee: Hi there, how may I help you?

Guitar Newb: I finally decided to try a real guitar after playing Guitar Hero all these years, where are your guitars?

Employee: The Guitars are over there and Basses on the right. The Amps are in the back.

Guitar Newb: Thanks.

*2 minutes later*

Guitar Newb: Excuse me...

Employee: See anything you like?

Guitar Newb: I cant seem to find any guitars that click when I play... you have any clicking guitars? I cant play without a click!

*Kicks Newb out the store*

This post wins. End of story.

[PrincessJasmine]

Exactly!! If the music is loud enough then it doesn't matter if there is a click or not, because you wont hear it :)

glad to see we are on the same page.

[Davius_Storm]

I'm glad the strat doesn't have the clicking for two reasons.

1)my wife does not complain that she is thrown off by my clicking. (now she's the clicky one)
2)it always threw me off as well because I play guitar as well and hearing that click just distracted me.

and for the drum pads the last set of drums that I got I don't have to hit very hard at all to register. I'm thinking of putting pads on em just to protect them from damage from guest.

or should I make a "bring your own drums I like mine way too much" policy..

hmmm

[KaYotiX]

i HATE the clicking noise of the gh controller.......soooo annoying. main reaso i love the strat.

[yiddles]

I personally can not play properly without hearing the clicks of the strum bar on a guitar controller. However last night while playing with a friend of mine playing drums i couldn't hear anything from my guitar as a result i missed alot of notes focusing on the pounding of the drums rather then the clicking of my strums.

I guess harmonix saw this coming and thought why include a clicky strum bar when players wont even be able to hear over the obnoxious sound of the drums ^^;

Interesting theory, but there are so many variables involved here that I doubt that was what led to the design of the strum. I assumed it had more to do with the overall design strategy of making it look (and play) more like a real guitar.

What's funny about this is that I find the Strat's fret buttons make a lot more noise than my Les Paul or X-Plorer! So the Strat is practically as noisy as the "clicky" controllers, but far less playable.

I do wish I could use my Strat. It looks fantastic, but I'd have to re-learn how to play this game to get by with that flimsy strum bar. I'm just not willing to go through that effort when I have a sexy, satisfyingly clicky, and wireless Les Paul from GH3 that works far better.

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[ITz Cris]

yea man thats a pretty good point ... and i think its because they said they wanted it feel like a more realistic guitar and when you use a real guitar .... you dont hear CLICK! CLICK! CLICK! CLICK!

[Xenolithium]

I prefer the Strat to the X-Plorer, after a while, the feel of that guitar feels so, awkward.

[eVan_Diesel]

I play waaaaay better when I don't have to hear that annoying click. And that goes for the fret buttons too. In fact, I love that with the RB guitar it feels A LOT less like I'm just pushing buttons.

[Davius_Storm]

Interesting theory, but there are so many variables involved here that I doubt that was what led to the design of the strum. I assumed it had more to do with the overall design strategy of making it look (and play) more like a real guitar.

What's funny about this is that I find the Strat's fret buttons make a lot more noise than my Les Paul or X-Plorer! So the Strat is practically as noisy as the "clicky" controllers, but far less playable.

I do wish I could use my Strat. It looks fantastic, but I'd have to re-learn how to play this game to get by with that flimsy strum bar. I'm just not willing to go through that effort when I have a sexy, satisfyingly clicky, and wireless Les Paul from GH3 that works far better.

---

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The strat did take a bit to get used to coming from gh3 les paul, However I know there is no way I could get through some of the solos on expert without the solo frets, that is unless I spent a lot more time on the game than I do now (some would say I spend too much time already).

[Zechman]

Count me in as one who prefers the Strat to the XPlorer or the Les Paul.

1) I don't care for the click. It's distracting.
2) My GH guitar strummers, going back to the PS2 SG's, have a habit of "bouncing back" after a note and registering another note as if I'd pulled the bar all the way back up or down. That breaks streaks and I hate it. My Strat, precisely because it has a softer spring, never does that.
3) I find the thinner neck on the Strat more comfortable for my left hand than the thicker necks of the GH controllers, which don't allow my fingers to wrap around as far/high.
4) Solo buttons rule. GG&HT on the Les Paul? Not gonna happen. Songs with Big Rock Endings? Oh Hell Yeah!!!

That said, if I could change something about the Strat, I'd add some silent, tactile feedback on the strummer to avoid the "did I strum the bar far enough?" problem that was already mentioned. That is an admitted advantage of the "clicky" strum bar.

Another counter-point is that I have a friend who likes to recline while playing and have the guitar on his stomach. But if you do that with the Strat, the tilt sensor ends up having a mind of its own. The GH controller tilt sensors will work just fine like that, so he TOTALLY prefers the Les Paul.

At least we don't fight over who gets which guitar! :cool:

--Dwayne

[kaiserkreb]

No guitarist would ever use the twang of the string to keep rhythm

To be fair, the musician gets to listen to his own music as it's coming out of his monitor and adjust the rythym accordingly on the fly. We have to listen to a pre-recorded track and try to match perfect beats. Listening to the clicks helps me for fast double strumming parts where you need to keep a specific speed. It's pretty much the same thing as listening to music out of a monitor, as I can adjust it as I'm playing if I start to go too fast or lag behind a bit, where as my music will never change tempo.

[Bukkethead]

Well, one thing that helps me is to use the chart markers on the screen. The thick grey lines are the quarter-note 'down' beats and the thin grey lines are the eighth-note 'off/up' beats. It's how I gauge my tempo as a drummer, and works for guitar as well.

[PikkuKaiShinto]

Well, one thing that helps me is to use the chart markers on the screen. The thick grey lines are the quarter-note 'down' beats and the thin grey lines are the eighth-note 'off/up' beats. It's how I gauge my tempo as a drummer, and works for guitar as well.

Waaaaaaaaaaay too much thought to just have fun for me.

[an1m051ty]

Which buttons?
If you mean the Fret... thats not what hes talking about.

Yeah the Fret Buttons... seem to click louder than any guitar hero strum bar.

They're loud and you have to press them alot harder to register than the GH3 controller, making some of the later songs far more difficult than they should be.

Oh well. /vent

[PikkuKaiShinto]

Yeah the Fret Buttons... seem to click louder than any guitar hero strum bar.

They're loud and you have to press them alot harder to register than the GH3 controller, making some of the later songs far more difficult than they should be.

Oh well. /vent

No, I meant... the OP is talking about the Strum Bar, while he was talking about the Fret buttons.
But yeah, at 1st the fret buttons are very quiet... but after playing so much they do get very loud.
I dont think you have to press them harder... you barely have to touch them for them to push down.