Guitar Hero Lessons?

Recently, I wrote a post called “Is Your Guitar Hero, Your Guitar Hero“, comparing the game “Guitar Hero” to actual, real-life guitar playing. I was trying to highlight the fact that there are several differences between the game and the instrument.

So I was quite surprised to read this article about a guitar teacher in Vermont, USA who actually uses the game as an educational aid.

Hopefully my post made clear where I stand on the subject- that it’s a fun game, but is no substitute for the real thing. To be honest, I’m not so sure where I stand on the idea of using a computer game to teach guitar. It sounds fun, but is it just a cheap way to get kids to pay for lessons?

I don’t agree that “what kids are really accomplishing via “Guitar Hero” — largely without realizing it — is learning basic music theory”, and surely learning to hit buttons in time to lights on a game is not going to bring out musical talent?

I may not know what to make of this, but I do know that playing guitar well is about more than just playing a set of notes accurately! I think this is something alot of people forget: it’s never about what you play, but how you play it. Something that experience on a computer can never teach you.

January 23, 2010 at 3:59 pm | Music News and Opinions | No comments