Now, before you rake me over the coals for saying that I just can’t understand Guitar Hero or Rock Band… hear me out.
I must first explain that come from a pretty heavy-duty electronic music composition and garage jamming background. Since probably 8th or 9th grade I’ve been jamming with friends and delving further into the world of electronic music composition.
Way Back…
Going from using really shitty gear to being able to buy some pretty nice electronic equipment has been a long journey. Back in the day I was using borrowed guitars (that needed to be fixed), buying $40 amps out of the back of vans in Park Rapids, MN, and struggling to save money just to buy a drum machine or a synthesizer and 4-track to make some very grungy sounding tracks.
Over the years I got into computers and finally lined up a nice turntable for sampling vinyl, and got some good software such as Propellerheads Reason for composing and sequencing electronic tracks.
After all that, all the rage these days is playing a fake guitar and and a fake drum kit for a video game, all using cover tracks.
I’d rather jam proper
Whenever I see anything that has to do with Rock Band or Guitar Hero, it piques my music curiousity but makes me want to jam. Not on a video game, but jamming proper. If I even think about the thought of playing one of those games I just think to myself that I would be better spending time trying to compose some new electronic tracks.
If I was hanging out with my buddies playing one of these games rather than jamming for real it just wouldn’t seem right. I don’t get it.
Oh well
I understand the gaming aspect of it though. I’ve enjoyed playing games involving car racing, for example, but I’m not a car racer by any means. So I can see it from that perspective. If I was more into car racing I might look at games like Grand Tourismo as kinda rediculous.
