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You're only as good as your drummer

Throughout the month of October every year, I think about what all I'd like to put on my Christmas list. This past Halloween, I decided that a certain item will not be on my list this year: Guitar Hero World Tour.

I have no problem with playing guitar on the Guitar Hero or Rock Band games. I have no problem with friends of mine playing these games and having a good time. It's just that my exposure to the drum parts on Rock Band, and especially Guitar Hero World Tour, has made me rather annoyed with these games.

When I played GHWT at a Halloween party this year, I tried various degrees of expertise and I could barely get through the songs. Super-simple songs, like the Smashing Pumpkins' "Today," were difficult to pull off for me. I can play the songs with no problem on my drumset, but no dice in the virtual world.

Probably my biggest gripe here is that a sense of rhythm is not needed. When it came to keeping a beat, no problem. When it came to doing fills, forget the rhythm. So when I recently played Wii Music, I was very, very happy to see that keeping a steady beat is required not only for drumming, but for playing all instruments. This is probably one of the most fundamental aspects of playing music, and I applaud the makers of Wii Music.

In lieu of the other games, I think the best way to play drums is on a real kit, and playing along to a record is not a bad idea either.

Comments

bill h said…
Hey, do you ever come to teh CBS radio building. You know I work in that building?

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