I’m sure all of you have seen or played Guitar Hero. Or perhaps the bigger, and some say better, Rock Band. Here is something even better. Guitar Wizard. I believe it is a new, way better version of this. Done right, it would be very cool. Could be a new way to learn an instrument. Naturally, the company could apply this to any and all instruments, including saxophone. Check out a video of it with the HOT Veronica Belmont.
The trouble I find with this method is that you are constantly following, learning to press a bar to get a food pellet, and that kind of misses the point, doesn’t it?
Now, there is another game that I just love to play: Parrappa The Rappa (and PtR2) and here we have a very very clever device where the machine plays one dj-rapper, and you play the other using only the limited keys of the PS2 controller, but dig, your ‘performance’ is rated by several metrics that are only aesthetic, your adherence to the beat is weighed along with how much you play around the beat, you are rated for inventiveness, flow, groove and all you have for a guide are the geometric symbols laid down by the previous player’s free-form rapping (sometimes moderated by the software)
I don’t know how they doo’d it, but they doo’d it good, this game is a hoot to play if you are a musician, and even better if you are pitted against non-musicians because you have to FEEL the specification to get at the high-score, and the non-musician who knows the genre can beat you
what is key is you are navigating the game by being CREATIVE, not just dull and droll REACTIVE. Why on earth would I want to zombie out in front of a computer to learn how to COPY Santana when I could be in a Zone
trying my best shot to keep up playing WITH my virtual Santana.
What I’d love to see is Parrappa done with the aesthetic heuristics from other genres, for Swing or Bop, “How COOL are you?” or a lydian melodic edition, but even also in traditional musics like celtic or klezmer.
Well, it is a different way to learn something. Some people learn differently. Some seem to take to the strict, do this, then that. Some seem to do better if it is more visual. At least this Guitar thing is a step towards actually learning how to play the instrument. Guitar Hero doesn’t do anything of the sort. Rock Band doesn’t really either. They are GAMES though, and don’t really promote themselves as learning aids.
It is sorta like that Miracle Piano system in the 90s. Games, etc. Perhaps it is a little more modern, but it might end up going the same route (ie dying).
Parrappa the rapper, I’ve seen it, but never played it. I don’t own a PS2/PS3, Wii, or X-Box. I might get a Wii for a game that is coming out. More on that soon….