Rock Band drums train you for the real thing
Thu Apr 3, 2008 11:15AM EDT
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It's common knowledge that playing Rock Band or Guitar Hero's guitar does nothing to prepare you for playing a real guitar. Aside from teaching you a little rhythm, maybe, it's pretty much useless as a real musical instrument.
The drums, on the other hand, are another matter. When the game was originally released I posited that it would work well as a training device for an actual drum kit, teaching you the basics of hand-hand-foot-eye-ear coordination, how to switch among different drums and cymbals, and of course the all-encompassing requirement of keeping the beat.
Finally, someone has put this theory to the test: Kevin Pereira, host of G4's "Attack of the Show," got a chance to meet with Coheed & Cambria, whose song "Welcome Home" appears on the Rock Band set list and which he regularly aces on Expert. At the end of the interview (in which it is revealed that the lead singer only scored 84% on Rock Band's vocals while singing his own song on the Expert setting), C&C puts Pereira to the test, sitting him down behind the group's actual drum kit to play the song for real.
Despite having literally no actual drumming experience, Pereira did well. Alas, there's no scorekeeping in the real world, so it's hard to tell if Pereira is quite up to playing in an arena, but the video doesn't lie. Check out this short clip at the below link to see for yourself how well he did. For my money, he looks like the real deal! Throw in a drum stick toss and some twirling and he's ready to go on tour.
So there you go. Next time your parents tell you video games aren't good for anything, you can add "Prepares you for a career as a rock band drummer" to the list of plusses.
Comments on Rock Band drums train you for the real thing
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2 Posted by cakefoo on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:16PM EDT Report Abuse
"Despite having literally no actual drumming experience, Pereira did well" This is incorrect. Kevin Pereira IS an experienced drummer. Rock Band's drums are a pretty good teaching tool, but you can't just get on the set and instantly start beating songs 98% on Expert without months/years of prior experience.
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3 Posted by cakefoo on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:16PM EDT Report Abuse
http://www.g4tv.com/attackoftheshow/videos/9518/Ultimate_Drum_Battle.html
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4 Posted by klacour on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:52PM EDT Report Abuse
I've spoken to the owner of my local music store. Since Guitar Hero, he has not only seen a big increase in interest in guitar lessons, he has also found that the kids are better prepared, because, to Chris's point, not only is their sense of rhythm better and much more advanced that the usual beginner guitarist, their dual hand coordination is way ahead of the non-GH players. As a guitarist, I can tell you that getting the left and right hands to work together is not easy, and along with rhythm troubles is the biggest reason kids stop taking lessons. So the kids have used to get an interest in playing an instrument from seeing Elvis or the Beatles on Ed Sullivan, or their favorite bands on MTV, to now actually "playing" the music from their favorite bands (or bands they never heard of before). But where they used to get frustrated with the early stages of guitar training, they are now better prepared, and come with a list of songs they want to play. There are more kids interested (my local music store just expanded) and they are staying with it longer.
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5 Posted by pinche_ta on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:12PM EDT Report Abuse
I absolutely disagree with your guitar theory. Sure you might not learn notes and such, but one will DEFINITELY learn how to not only play with rhythm, but also develop speed in their fingers. And as previously said, it has also markedly incited interest in people who have never learned guitar before--my own brother AND my girlfriend started on Easy and have now worked their way up to Expert on these games, all while picking up some real acoustic guitars to learn how to really jam on the side. Don't forget the whammy bar is also meant to give the GH guitar a true rock feel, as do more technical things such as tapping 3 notes at a time, which is symbolic of most rock chords on E-A-D. Don't underestimate that GH/RB guitar at all!
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6 Posted by miked_mcse on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:19PM EDT Report Abuse
RB drumming really helped me in the real world. As a noob drummer, I useb RB as a fun/interactive metronome. I learned different beats/etc and with proper stick technique I jumped quickly ahead in kit lessons. Good stuff.
1 Posted by icysapphire64 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:22PM EDT Report Abuse
What's next, saying the mic trains you to sing?