How to Enjoy Guitar Games

Some gamers will swear by either the Rock Band franchise or the Guitar Hero series. You may eventually land in one camp or the other. But to get started, it really doesn't matter much which series you have.

These games all have great songs, thoughtful note patterns, and the same basic playing mechanisms for the virtual guitarist:

• Guitar Hero II
• Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
• Guitar Hero: Aerosmith
  
• Guitar Hero: World Tour
• Rock Band
• Rock Band 2

Pick up a copy of one of these games for your Wii, Xbox 360, Playstation 2, or PS3, along with a matching guitar controller. Your local GameStop or Wal-Mart may have some of the older titles in the bargain racks. Get 'em and go home.

You're ready to rock!

• Easy: 3 fret buttons, sparse note chart
• Medium: 4 fret buttons, more notes
• Hard: All 5 fret buttons, play nearly every note your hear
• Expert: Still 5 buttons, like Hard but with added flourishes

Forget about "Easy." It's actually harder than the next level up. This is the part that most beginners flunk, perhaps turning them off to guitar gaming entirely.

How can Easy be harder? It's all about musicality. If you play Hit Me With Your Best Shot on Medium difficulty (or above), then the notes will generally fall where you'd expect them to. Hear a musical beat, strum the plastic guitar. It's that simple.

But on Easy, your sense of rhythm really won't matter all that much. The note chart has been decimated to the point where you're really just hitting colorful buttons every so often, with some good music playing in the background. There is very little connection between the music and the gameplay, and you might do better with the sound turned off entirely.

Okay, so your left hand (assuming a right-handed player) gets saddled with keeping track of one more button. You'll get over it.

Okay, so you're ready to dive into the Medium level of your chosen game.

• Take the tutorials. Besides showing you finer points like hammer-ons and how to use the whammy bar, they will give you a general feel for the game.
• Start with songs you know. If you've never heard Orange Crush, that tune won't help you enjoy Rock Band. A huge R.E.M. fan, on the other hand, could spend hours on that song alone.
• Play your favorite song. Note the hard parts. Play it again. Lather, rinse, repeat. Repetition breeds familiarity and skill.
• The practice mode is great for figuring out the hardest parts. Can't handle a tricky solo? Practice it in slow- (but not too slow) motion. Bump up the speed when you get the hang of it. Then go back to playing the whole song with your new licks firmly embedded in your prefrontal cortex.