Getting better..

[Urteil]

So here's my issue.

I haven't been playing that long, I started with Rock Band 2. Played some Guitar Hero World Tour on easy and medium, found out I liked RB 2 better - so I stuck with that and managed to be able to play on Medium.

I didn't buy The Beatles Rock Band for difficulty purposes, I adore them. I have since I was a kid. My issue is I can't seem to step up to Hard from Medium. Right now my comfort zone is Medium with Super Speed turned on. Which makes me think that it isn't so much the speed of the highway on hard, it's the damn orange button. My fingers get lost, I get frustrated, and that's the end of it.

So.. pointers, please? Aside from practicing. I've been trying really hard; mostly with a few songs where the bass is low difficulty. ( Yes, I can only play on bass, too. I really screw up trying to hit the red and blue buttons simultaneously, etc. ) My fingers just don't seem to want to learn multi-button mashing. They get sore really fast.

I'd like to play with people online, but I have a feeling if I even bothered that most people would kick me because I can't play on Hard or Expert. I want to get better, but I want to have fun at the same time.

[l-o-t]

Oddly enough, I think Getting Better may be one of the best songs to practice on. Mostly just a pulsing rhythm but still uses the orange note.

Don't worry about online play, most people will probably understand that not everyone can play expert and won't kick you. And if they do, so what? Just look for some cooler people to play with.

Also, I love your avatar.

[Young Bloodlust]

Practice, man. I used to be in the same boat as you. Sure, I was in that boat over three years ago but, practice is what got me to be the good (fake) guitar player I am today.

If you're playing on Hard, try playing with your fingers on the red, yellow, blue and orange, instead of green, red, yellow and blue and just move your fingers up when neccessary. That seemed to work for me.

[Skeleshredder]

If you're playing on Hard, try playing with your fingers on the red, yellow, blue and orange, instead of green, red, yellow and blue and just move your fingers up when neccessary. That seemed to work for me.

Quoted for truth! I's much easier to reach for the green button with your forefinger than it is to reach for the orange with your pinky. Until you get better, just flip on "no fail" and practice sliding your hand back and forth along the frets. That, IMO, is the trickiest part. Once you get the hang of that, you're pretty much home free.

Don't feel bad about playing on medium, though. I can play guitar for real, and I usually play Rock Band on medium. (If I want to be chalenged, I just play something tricky on my real guitar. Rock Band is something I play just for fun, and I like to watch the "performnaces" while I play. Kinda tough to do that on Expert!) If somebody online kicks you because you play on a lower difficulty, they're a douchebag anyhow. Feel free to add me and send a play request if you see I'm online; I won't kick anybody for some stupid reason.

[Zebracakes]

Defintely make the jump with mostly bass songs, and the easier ones at that. My wife's going through the same thing right now and she's starting to get alot better by just doing easier bass songs on hard. She'll fail out at the red level bass songs but she does pretty good on all the others now. Also try it with super speed on and off and see which is easier.

[Greebo_T_Cat]

So here's my issue.

I'd like to play with people online, but I have a feeling if I even bothered that most people would kick me because I can't play on Hard or Expert. I want to get better, but I want to have fun at the same time.

This is why I only play online with a few friends. I can do well on a few songs on Hard, but for the most part (on guitar and bass at least) i'm a medium player, I have a few joint problems, some of which effect my hands, particularly as the weather turns colder in the winter. But I'm happy with being an excellent medium player over a crap hard/expert player. I play these games for pleasure, not for frustration.

[Urteil]

Thanks for the replies everyone, I really appreciate it.

Skeleshredder, I have also sent you a friend request on Xbox.

Greebo, I agree with being a medium player. It's much more relaxed in that respect. I'm not a 'hardcore' Rockband Gamer, so overall my play is for fun too.

I do want to eventually get better, and appreciate the advice others were giving.

On that note, if anyone wishes to add me on Xbox, for any simple fun online play - my Live ID is Urteil. I only play bass though, or perhaps vocals for now.

[BurningTheory]

Ah, reminds me of myself back in GH2 days.

I think the key is getting use to sliding your fingers to the next buttons, rather than lifting them and stomping them down (save for a few songs).

When I started playing music games, I kept my fingers on the middle three buttons, that way you never have to reach for for anything.

You'll get better. Every now and then try a song slightly out of your level, and use practice mode to your advantage!

[vcalzone]

Ditto about sliding your hand. I find that for me, it's easier to consider the Red button to be my natural root and move my index finger.

But more than that, play on hard as much as you can, especially when you are going solo. You'll get better at it and medium will start seeming easy, which raises your confidence. No fail mode is your friend, too. It lets you see what you have to expect and doesn't get you stuck on an insanely hard part. And for really fast solos or weird rhythms, that's what Practice mode is for, so you can slow it down and hear what it's supposed to be.

I'm in your position, except on Expert for guitar. But a few months ago, I was exactly where you are.

One last thing I will say is that Medium guitar is really really worth advancing from. Hard is the difficulty level when you start actually playing something resembling the riffs, and it's SO satisfying.