Is Your Guitar Hero Your Guitar Hero?

As a guitar teacher, I’m constantly hearing comparisons between “Guitar Hero” (the game where you hit buttons on a guitar shaped controller in response to lights) and actual guitar technique. There are a few similarities, but also many differences and I thought it would be useful to make a list. This should benefit those of you who are “real” guitar players and need excuses as to why you suck at the game, and avid players of “Guitar Hero” who think that because they can hit some buttons it makes them able to shred.

I’m not trying to insult either group here, I’m only trying to point out that there are, in fact, many differences that go unnoticed (or at least ignored). So here’s a comparison table I drew up (after having played various forms of guitar hero, and -of course- various actual guitars…). It’s just a basic “good vs bad”, and if you have anything to add, please just leave a comment below.

Guitar Hero is Awesome Because:	Guitar Hero Sucks Because:
Playing Guitar Hero is good for hand-eye co-ordination- surely someone with improved hand-eye co-ordination is going to play better guitar?	All computer games increase hand-eye co-ordination, and Guitar Hero is so similar to real guitar playing that you may end up confusing the actions of the two (trying to push buttons instead of fretting strings- I’ve actually seen it happen!)
Seeing your virtual self rock out on stage is awesome! Playing Guitar Hero is a great way to get inspired to go and pick up your guitar!	Yes, rocking out on stage is always awesome, but wouldn’t you prefer real life to the virtual world? Games like Guitar Hero can inspire you and give you confidence, but that’s all worth nothing compared to pulling it off in real life!
It’s a fun way to improve dexterity and finger strength without going through tonnes of boring exercises and chord charts.	…but more strength is required for “real life” guitar than for guitar hero. It can, however, improve your finger independence, but not strength- and it doesn’t feel the same as a real guitar
Guitar Hero may prepare you for such activities as: sight reading etc, as the basic idea (seeing something and reacting by hitting keys/buttons/strings) is the same.	Sometimes this can give you a false illusion of competence

The major difference I’ve found from guitar hero is that it is just that: sight reading. There’s no room to improvise. Also, the lights on the screen don’t seem to correspond exactly to the pitches. Therefore the buttons that you’re hitting are in response to what you see rather than what you hear.

This is completely different to actual guitar playing, where alot of the time you are playing something because of how it sounds not how it looks.

So, in conclusion, Guitar Hero: Lots of fun to play as a game, but not to be confused with picking up a real guitar.

I’m not saying you shouldn’t be playing computer games, just let’s hope you don’t make the mistake of confusing them with reality in future

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January 18, 2010 at 2:35 pm | Guitar Technique and Exercises, Music News and Opinions | 2 comments

2 Responses to “Is Your Guitar Hero Your Guitar Hero?”