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Neon
Gamerholic Admin
Posts: 112
Registered: Mar 2009 |
 Posted March 11th, 2009 02:34 IP   
With the ginormous popularity of the Halo tips topic, I've been inspired to make a tips topic regarding a game I actually have expertise on: Rockband (with much of the advice being applicable to other music games like Guitar Hero). I'll be giving advice for all four instruments in the game, as well as tips specifically geared towards different modes of playing difficulty. Transitioning from one difficulty to a harder one can be extremely difficult and intimidating - I'm here to help! =) I'd also be glad to answer any questions that may come up.
I'll start adding stuff tomorrow! Stay tuned.
"What can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence." - Christopher Hitchens
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Neon
Gamerholic Admin
Posts: 112
Registered: Mar 2009 |
Posted March 11th, 2009 14:09 IP
The Drums: Intro for Beginners
I’m going to start this guide with the drums, because they are probably the most intimidating instrument out of the four. Why is that? Because unless you’ve got a drum kit of your own, it’s a brand new experience. Not all but most people have at least played Guitar Hero before starting Rockband, and I think we can all admit that we like to sing along to songs we like. But drums? Those are new!
Drums are one of those instruments that look reaaally intimidating to play. I think most people are turned off by the bass pedal (the thing on the floor). Even if you play guitar on expert, it can be a severe pull from the comfort zone if you’re suddenly required to use a different part of your body to play an instrument.
Just as with any instrument, some people are more musically gifted than others, and that’s okay. But don’t ever think for a second that you can’t work your way up to playing the drums on expert. Playing music for anyone is simply a skill that’s improved through practice, and as unique as the drumming experience is compared to other instruments, the learning process is no different than the rest.
Rockband is an excellent way to start playing the drums if you've never played before because it starts you off slowly. You hardly even have to use your foot. It does expect you to use your hands quite a bit, but it keeps the rhythms very basic and repetitive. Using the palms of your hands against any surface, I want you to try this: Right hand, both hands (simultaneously), right hand, both hands, right hand, both hands. Good! Now try this. Right, right, right, both, right, right, right, both, right, right, right, both. At the beginning of the game, it doesn’t ask for much more. Drumming is all about training your body to maintain a sequence of hits at a certain tempo (or speed). If it's a hard drumming song, the tempo may be fast, or the beat may be “off-rhythm” – in other words, the notes will be more erratic and have a harder pattern to follow. But that's an issue you don't have to worry about for quite some time, and we'll keep things basic at the beginning of this guide.
Let’s sit down at the Rockband kit. You should be sitting comfortably with your body relaxed and your back slightly rounded. It depends on the chair you’re sitting in and the height of the trunk of your body, but the height of the drums is important, and should be adjusted accordingly. If you’d like to try drums out at any upcoming LPGH events, or you’ve been playing and you simply want my opinion on the height, just call me over and I’d be glad to help you adjust it.
Now, let's talk sticks! When you hold them, you should have a relaxed grip with a few inches of the stick coming out below your hand. When you want to strike the drum pad, you shouldn’t have to move your arms much - simply bend your wrist and hit. As an exercise, make a fist and hold it straight ahead of you. Now, without moving your arm, bend your wrist to point your knuckles high, then bend your wrist to point low. Repeat the exercise smoothly with both hands. That’s the kind of wrist movement you’ll be using. A very common error for beginners is to move the entire arm starting at the elbow. This only leads to tightness in the back, inability to drum quickly, and fatigue.
Let's address the bass pedal on the floor. Before you even try pressing it for fun, remove your right shoe. They didn't design the pedals for durability - trust me. Any extra weight being pressed onto the plastic is an extra risk, so try to avoid it whenever possible. Position your foot over the pedal with the ball of your foot (the part on the bottom that sticks out when you pull your toes back) against the upper section of the pedal. When you press, don't bring your whole foot down to cover the pedal. Only press with the ball of your foot. When done correctly, your calf muscle should flex slightly, and you shouldn't feel much tension in your thigh. If you still feel tension in your thigh, you might be sitting too far away from the kit. Pressing the pedal correctly saves an enormous amount of energy, and when you get to higher levels of difficulty, your stamina will truly be tested. If you'd like a demonstration or you'd like your own technique checked, just let me know at any upcoming events. I'd be glad to assist!
If you've never played the drums before, don't feel self-conscious about how well you’ll do your first however many times around. Even if you’ve memorized this guide, it still won’t be easy. If you pick up any instrument for the first time – let’s say a violin - Mozart won’t come flowing from its depths. Instead it’ll most likely scratch and squeal like a dying animal. And that’s normal! How quickly someone catches on is partly genetic and partly previous experience. When I first started playing the drums, I already had years of piano experience, so the transition wasn’t nearly as difficult because I already knew how to maintain a desired tempo, and use different parts of my body in unison. The same may or may not be true in your case, but if it’s not, don’t be discouraged. Getting comfortable with the basics is usually the hardest hump to get over, but once you do, a lot of fun awaits you.
That concludes the intro! The next section will cover how to get through your first few songs by having fun and not getting stressed or overwhelmed. Questions and comments are welcome!
"What can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence." - Christopher Hitchens
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JOEKER 01
Gamerholic Admin
Posts: 361
Registered: Mar 2009 |
Posted March 11th, 2009 16:36 IP
Wows!
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Neon
Gamerholic Admin
Posts: 112
Registered: Mar 2009 |
Posted March 11th, 2009 16:49 IP
Is that, "Wows!" that's really neat!
Or is it, "Wows!" that's way too long!
"What can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence." - Christopher Hitchens
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II QuiDaM II
Gamerholic
Posts: 112
Registered: Mar 2009 |
Posted March 12th, 2009 00:24 IP
Nice!!! 
Don't worry about the world ending today, it's already tomorrow in Australia.
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Neon
Gamerholic Admin
Posts: 112
Registered: Mar 2009 |
Posted March 16th, 2009 11:25 IP
The Drums: Your First Songs
The biggest emphasis of this section of the guide is patience - be patient with yourself as your brain works on coordinating your movements. I've said it once before and I'll say it again: Even on the easiest difficulty, the first few times playing a drumming song can be hard. You're using four different body parts, and at first they usually don't want to work together. If you fail your first song right off the bat, don't freak out! Unlike easy mode on the Rockband guitar, the drums require that you hit two notes at the same time right away (which could be considered a two-note guitar chord in that context). That's a pretty tough way to start, but since the rhythms are so repetitive on the easier songs, once you get the hang of the beat you'll be just fine.
If you're right-handed, your right hand is going to be doing most of the work. The right hand is usually reserved for hitting a hi-hat or a ride cymbal on a real drumset, and the left hand is typically used for hitting the snare drum. This common way of playing holds true for the Rockband drumming experience, so if your right arm tires out faster, that's normal.
Everyone's bodies have a different way of reacting to stress during a difficult song session. If you've ever played a tough song on the guitar in Rockband or Guitar Hero, have your fingers felt cramped or sore? The guitar tends to emphasize stress on the fingers, so it's a common problem. On the drums however, the emphasis isn't in the fingers. Your first guess might be the arms, and that's a logical guess - the most common problem is actually back tension and pain. When people struggle during drum songs, they tend to try to "catch up" to the notes - in other words, they play faster than is actually required. When this happens, the drummer tends to panic: The arms stiffen and the wrists no longer do their job (see section 1 for a reminder on how to use the wrists). As a result of the arms doing all the work, the back carries the burden of the tension. When you're concentrating on hitting the notes, it's really easy to make this common mistake, and that's okay - I would expect it, actually. After each song or during long parts of songs where drums aren't required, roll your shoulders a few times and rotate your head (slooowly) to loosen things up. Take a break for a while if you find yourself tightening up too much.
If you feel that you just aren't getting it, and the frustration and "I'm just not meant to do this" feeling starts setting in, stop playing immediately and go back to it later. Play a different instrument, game, or do a completely different activity for a while. I've been down the angry frustrated road with Guitar Hero, and it's a risky issue to ignore. It's hard enough to concentrate on all the little notes coming down when you're not in an agitated state. As with any skill, trying to get good too fast can be overwhelming and generally unproductive towards the learning process. Take things slowly, and if the going gets too tough, go back to it later.
If you remember anything from this section of the guide, please let it be this: Patience, patience, patience, patience. Be patient with yourself when it comes to learning anything new, and be especially patient with the Rockband drums. Even though Rockband is technically just a video game, I want to emphasize something: With the Rockband/Guitar Hero guitar, it can look similar to playing a real guitar. In one way, it is - you strum and press stuff with your fingers in a certain rhythm. In actuality, playing video game guitar and real guitar is not very similar at all. With video game guitar, the combinations of chords are extremely limited, but there are literally hundreds of possibilities on a real guitar (due to strings and frets). However, it's different with the Rockband drums. I'm a drummer of over 6 years experience, and I can say with absolute certainty that the skills you learn in Rockband can easily be transferred to the real thing. So again, I plead for your patience - you're not just learning how to play a video game, you're learning how to play a real instrument.
Putting everything aside for the moment, let's conclude this section with he most important part of the drumming experience: Having fun! Try not to beat yourself up if you mess up when you play or if your skills progress slowly. The whole point of playing any instrument is to please you (not to impress others) and even though getting over the beginner's hump can be difficult, it should be a fun experience overall. If you've been focussing on improving your skills for a while, a fun way to take a break is to turn on no fail mode and rock out to your favorite songs. Also, feel free to use emotion and let loose during all forms of gameplay! When I play more hardcore songs, I like to headbang and look dramatic for fun. It's okay to sing along, too!
Thanks for reading, everyone. As always, questions and comments are appreciated!
(Edited by Neon)
"What can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence." - Christopher Hitchens
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II QuiDaM II
Gamerholic
Posts: 112
Registered: Mar 2009 |
Posted March 16th, 2009 17:48 IP
lol this is better than may map analysis lol
Don't worry about the world ending today, it's already tomorrow in Australia.
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JOEKER 01
Gamerholic Admin
Posts: 361
Registered: Mar 2009 |
Posted March 16th, 2009 20:02 IP
I'm extatic about both of those topics! I hope they keep growing and we get more based on other games.
I'm giving thought to starting and Unreal Tournament topic. I realize that it's not the most popular game any more, but I've always thought it should be.
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Neon
Gamerholic Admin
Posts: 112
Registered: Mar 2009 |
Posted March 16th, 2009 20:04 IP
Naww, they're too different to compare Quidam. Your map analysis has been very useful as I hope my guide will be. 
An UT tips topic sounds good to me!
(Edited by Neon)
"What can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence." - Christopher Hitchens
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II QuiDaM II
Gamerholic
Posts: 112
Registered: Mar 2009 |
Posted March 17th, 2009 04:00 IP
I loved playing UT. There was a game that I used to play with my brother. It was for the PS2 or PS1 i dont quite remember. It was Tribes Aerial Assult. By far one of the best games ever. You could fly with jetpacks and obtain different things like a mobile base. You had capture the flag and flying and ground vehicles. UT reminds me of that game somewhat. The graphics of TAA wasnt great but my god it was hours of fun. Especially when you had full teams against each other.
Don't worry about the world ending today, it's already tomorrow in Australia.
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JOEKER 01
Gamerholic Admin
Posts: 361
Registered: Mar 2009 |
Posted March 17th, 2009 09:06 IP
I played Tribes on the PC. It was awsome. I have a Tribes 2 poster in my room from like 10 years ago.
Any who. Thanks for the drums guide, Neon. Can we expect a microphone guide next?
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Neon
Gamerholic Admin
Posts: 112
Registered: Mar 2009 |
Posted March 17th, 2009 22:35 IP
If a mic guide is what you'd like to have next, I could certainly do that. If he has time, zen876 could contribute some helpful singing tip, too!
"What can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence." - Christopher Hitchens
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