Now I can sightread pretty much anything you put in front of me, but I can’t play by ear or improvise worth anything. Seeing other people who taught themselves how to play an instrument shows the exact opposite result -- they can improvise and play by ear, but can’t read sheet music at all. This has led me to the conclusion that a good musical education has to involve three things: learning musical notation, musical theory, and genuine interest in the material from the student.
I very much agree with Naia on that while
Wii Music can serve to generate interest in music for younger kids, it can’t supplant the experience of actually playing music.
But when reading the comments after the article, I was struck by how many people immediately took the faults with
Wii Music and immediately jumped over to
Guitar Hero and
Rock Band, saying, “Oh, this is why these games suck too!”
No, they don't, actually.
The major difference between
GH/RB and
Wii Music is that the former two never
claimed to be anything other than a game. Naia’s article merely meant to point out the problems with
Wii Music as an educational tool, not with all music and rhythm games in general. Look at that picture above: does that look like a group of people actively engaged in learning the intricacies of music performance? No, they're just messing around and having fun. While I’m an avid musician, I recognize that
GH and
RB will not automatically make me a better musician, just like playing
Resident Evil won’t actually teach me how to properly handle a firearm.
"Don't try this at home, kids. I'm a professional." However, just like Naia pointed out a few possible uses for
Wii Music as an education tool despite its flaws (recognizing pitch and tempo),
GH/RB have unintentionally shown a couple benefits to me as a pianist. After playing Expert guitar for about a year now, I have much greater hand and finger strength, especially for my left hand, which was my weakest one before. It’s also helped me with hand independence and reading sheet music faster. If
GH does help you play an instrument, I think its benefits are more suited to piano/keyboard, not guitar, ironically. Drums are the same way, and since the peripherals are closer analogues to actual drum kits, the skills transfer easier (learning how to follow colored spots on screen won’t teach you how to improvise your own beats, though).
This is true for pretty much all music games, and even videogames themselves in general. Remember the
Resident Evil metaphor I used up above? While it is no replacement for real-life experience, I’ve noticed that playing games has really helped my vision recognition and hand-eye coordination.
So while music and rhythm games on their own can’t teach you how to play an instrument or give you any musical talent that isn’t there in the first place, they can certainly help generate interest in the next generation of kids, and maybe even help them practice certain drills and more physical aspects of playing music. Those games have their place, but with the technology used right now, my baby grand piano isn’t going anywhere.
Unless, you know, I can play it while it's on fire. Because that would be pretty fucking awesome.
I completely agree. I played electric Bass in HS for the Jazz Band and quit playing for about 4 years after I graduated. Picking up the Bass time to time, I saw that I was slowly forgetting the physical skills that I once knew so well.
After picking up GH2 and playing on expert for a couple months, I picked up my bass again. By playing GH2 for a while I was able to preserve my Bass playing somewhat. Music games like GH/RB can't really teach you much but they certainly helped me regain some of my playing ability.
Nice read!!
BUBUBUBUBU...BUT, what I really want to say is the last pic is fucking awesome. :D
Interesting read! Although correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't recall Nintendo claiming that Wii Music was an educational tool. More of just a toy for people to play around with music together.
Mxy, yes, but others made that claim later on. It may not have officially been Nintendo's stance, but it was a misconception developed by some areas of the media. Much the same way people thought Wii Sports could give you a effective workout.
Im glad someone else agrees with me and can blog about it effectively enough that it gets promoted :). Ive long held that while the GH type games clearly dont teach you how to play guitar, they do improve your finger strength and co-ordination, and probably help timing too.
Not to mention, for every idiot who reckons theyre a guitar god once they can play some songs on expert, theres probably some kid who goes and finds a guitar and starts learning it for real. I know the games have helped motivate me to keep practicing guitar and learning new tunes.
Pianos on fire?
Epic.
I can play the eletric triangle on fire. The triangle not me.
I will never be able to watch and listen to a piano player unless it's on fire now.
This is true.
I play guitar and I had a problem with my technique for a while. I always played too fast and I don't know if this is actually the reason but my rhytmn problems have dimished since I picked up my first plastic guitar a while ago.
Plus as a rock n' roll enthusiast these games are a great way to discover new bands and styles.
Great read, and true!
It's interesting how things work in REVERSE for the Rock Band / GH games though.
For example, I play drums, and have for almost 10 years now.
When Guitar Hero first came out, the reason I was able to get good at it to begin with is my familiarity with Rhythm, Timing and keeping beat.
Then Rock Band gave me drums to play.
There are some songs where if you can play it on Expert, you can play the real song if you know enough about drums.
However, EVERY guitarist I've ever known has sucked at the game or disliked it, because it's nothing at all like the real instrument.
My band's bass player is really good though, perhaps also due to the Rhythm qualities.
Interesting read, indeed. I also have to give these games credit for getting kids and even people my age (college) interested in music that doesn't suck. One person I know, for instance, had never even heard o ZZ Top but after playing "La Grange" on GH2 he's a huge fan now.
Plus the going on to learn actual instruments, coordination, rhythm, etc. That's all good, too.
Great write-up, SWE3tMadness! I took piano lessons for about five years or so, but unfortunately, I never practiced enough to get good at it. I picked up the guitar about six years ago, and I've been casual with it as well (I've never taken guitar lessons). Still, I found that playing GH/RB games is about having a good time, and not necessarily approximating playing a real instrument. And it does indeed help with finger dexterity. Nothing wrong with that!
Very nice my friend.
Also, I too noticed my left hand dexterity increased after moving up to expert forever ago. It really helps my real guitar playing.
Music games can NEVER help you play a real one. It's just a GAME that's all. I'd advise you not to go buy a instrument in a foolish attempt to play the real thing thinking you can shred like a rock star. Guitar Hero's guitar is nothing more than 5 buttons. In fact playing any music game could be essentialy done on a computer keyboard. Although playing piano games on your computer on a keyboard probably helps learning real piano skills.
awesome article. i'm also a kind of musician. i played an instrument all through school but quit after i graduated. i'm still very interested in music theory (crazy i know) and read up on/practice when i can. i agree with most of the things you say here. as a matter of fact since we got rock band.. i have noticed an improvement in my ability to keep a beat going (since i usually play drums) and my left hand is much more coordinated than before (it used to be basically useless.. which is why i'm terrible at piano ^_^;;)
To be honest, the best thing about rockband and other rhythm games is that you can now hook up the drums to you're computer through midi.
I dont care much for the guitar (been a real one for ever, i can play most songs on expert without having tried them before)
but the drums! on a computer! my own drumming! Bashing a rhythm out instead of playing/programming one on a keyboard?
Sickness!!!
By the way, if you want to know what i speak of search for
miditar hero or watch
www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7fqH60F5do
"After playing Expert guitar for about a year now, I have much greater hand and finger strength, especially for my left hand, which was my weakest one before. It’s also helped me with hand independence and reading sheet music faster. If GH does help you play an instrument, I think its benefits are more suited to piano/keyboard, not guitar, ironically. Drums are the same way, and since the peripherals are closer analogues to actual drum kits, the skills transfer easier (learning how to follow colored spots on screen won’t teach you how to improvise your own beats, though)."
I found this interesting. Mainly, because I had the same experience. I think the fact that reading the note charts, while it isn't nearly as hard as reading a page full of black, still strikes the same part of the brain. I noticed after awhile that my sightreading got a little better and my left hand finger strength got better.
Just remember to stretch properly before playing Guitar Hero though..a lot of people neglect to do that and I fear the Guitar Hero/Rock Band craze will bring a wave of carpal tunnel and the like in the next few years.
While that is full of pure awesome, it shouldn't replace the practice of true sightreading.
Also, playing drums on Rockband would only help your bass pedal independence and maybe timing. Just sayin'.
"Also, playing drums on Rockband would only help your bass pedal independence and maybe timing. Just sayin'."
Since I don't play drums in real life, I don't have a chance to apply any skills that I might have picked up. So I'll take your word for it. :3
@Chronic Logic:
Wow. For someone with the term "Logic" in his name, you certainly are showing a lack thereof. And, no, I'm not going to bother to elaborate because I think it would be more worthwhile to try to teach Einstein's theory of relativity to a brick wall. This is especially true since you're blatantly ignoring the number of posts that have been made from trained musicians on DToid saying that the opposite of what you say is the case.
Say hello to John Mayer for us the next time you're hanging out with him.
Guitar Hero games are for fun. Any positive side-effects to your music skill are purely accidental or not intended. Yeah it might make your fingers stronger and improve timing, but it's meant as entertainment not a teaching tool.
Who cares if the benefits were intended by the creators or not? If they help, then they help. I'm not ashamed to admit that I was inspired to pick up the guitar by playing Rock Band and Guitar Hero. I agree that my sightreading has gotten better, likely as a result of playing those games- the RB/GH style is essentially sight-reading, after all. While your skills will not directly transfer to a real instrument, there are benefits, as there will with any physical activity.
Personally, I think those people who like to whine about people needing to pick up a real instrument are incredibly rude. There aren't that many people who actually think that they can play Through the Fire and the Flames- like people have said, the games are fun. Why ruin someone's fun for them? If you want them to understand how fun it is to play a real instrument, you're gonna need to find a better way to do it.
I Agree, Piano on Fire = Awesome
This can be applied not only to rythym games, in some way, any game can help to improve you in something, like the Resident Evil example is obvious a person can learn how to shot, even in with an a arcade machine.
I love Rhythym games, im a Dance Dance Revolution fan and like Swe3tMadness Says, this games can help you to get some motivation to do things, it's a like a ego boost that can help you, now i love to dance, not only on the machine, before that i look like a Faggot dancing.
All depends how you take the games and applis to life
Awesome read, sorry for the delay in response.
Most of my initial training on playing a musical instrument came long before Guitar Hero was ever a household name, but it's nice to see that it has had benefits for some people.
If anything my ability to play an instrument may have helped me pick up using the plastic guitar reasonably well without really spending much time practicing either game.
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