Seattlest: Sleater-Kinney Guitarist On Rock Band

RayL

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 07:41:13 -0800

what a ridiculous argument. as a person in a band, she should know put 4 people who have no musical training, in a room with rock band. then put another 4 people in a room with no musical training in a room with a drum kit, bass, guitar and a mic. who will be having more fun in an hour? i know how to play guitar, drums and saxophone. i've been in a bunch of bands. and i still know the difference between video games and performing music. i love performing music, but i also love playing guitar hero and rock band. why do they have to be exclusive? and why is it sad?

romulus

Wed, 28 Nov 2007 17:46:26 -0800

Lessee. Some bits she missed: Rock Band: Requires a TV and a living room. Real band: Requires a warehouse or garage, amps, and plenty of juice. Rock Band: $170 for drum set, guitar, and microphone. Real band: $200 for drum set, $100 for guitar, $25 for microphone = $325 not including amps, wires, stands. Rock Band: Sound limited to rapping plastic and the volume of your TV. Real band: Requires having no neighbors or a good rep with the cops. Rock Band: Takes minutes to learn how to use the instruments for dozens of songs. Real band: Takes weeks or months to be good enough to pull off one complete real song. Rock Band: Shows you the notes for each song. Real band: Listen to and play songs over and over while arguing over whether it sounds right. Rock Band: Tells you just how bad you are. Real band: You can suck, and just tell yourself that you sound totally awesome.

8bitjake

Wed, 28 Nov 2007 16:01:43 -0800

What is the point of playing Super Mario Bros? When you can walk outside and smash a real turtle with your foot? I mean I can punch a brick wall with my fist and a bunch of coins and a magical fire flower is going to come out right? I've been playing Rock Band for almost a week now and I love it. I mostly sing vocals (I didn't get the mega bundle but I can use my Guitar Hero controllers) and it actually has made me a better singer and given me a better appreciation of what real musician goes through. I don't think it's right to compare Rock Band to playing in a real band. But it should be compared to playing some other video game where you move your thumbs around a controller. If you look at it from that perspective that it is one hell of an advancement. It's interactive online multiplayer Karaoke and it's a lot more fun that killing monsters in World of Warcraft.

Michael van Baker

Wed, 28 Nov 2007 14:58:40 -0800

"for more than a night"? How long does it take to learn to play guitar? I remember as a kid I practiced for two or three days straight and *still* hadn't gotten the hang of it.