As promised, I played a Rock Band 2 song on Hard this past weekend. The experience was a lesson in mindset. Just a few weeks ago, I exclusively played songs on Easy; I had convinced myself that Medium was too hard. But after some experimentation with seating and foot positioning, I started rolling through Medium songs. Motorhead’s Ace of Spades reared its ugly head once again and I managed to plow through it on Medium, though with a low score.
On a whim, I fired up Survivor’s Eye of the Tiger on Hard and five starred it with a score in the 90 percentile. Clearly, song difficulty eclipses game difficulty in terms of required skill parameters. Rock Band 2 lists song difficulty via a five star award system for each of the instruments. Especially difficult songs receive five devil heads instead of the stars, like Ace of Spades on drums.
I’m going to practice a bit more on Medium, but plan to play more and more on Hard. Depending on the song and the speed, Expert may just be a drum beat away.
Showing posts with label Rock Band. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rock Band. Show all posts
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Fourth and Inches
I’ve been tearing through Medium level songs on Rock Band 2 these last few nights. One day, I can’t get through Medium, the next I five star nearly every song I play, with 95% ratings to boot.
The difference? I scooted back half a foot from the kit.
The bass drum has long been my Achilles’ Heel (bahaha). I had my foot at a constant 45 degree angle with the floor and the strain of maintaining that position tired my foot and ankle muscles, making it almost impossible to play difficult bass drum parts. I could roll through Easy levels songs because the bass drum is almost non-existent. But Medium adds the bass drum liberally, often pairing it with a red or blue beat. The beat patterns also get more difficult, so much so that hitting the bass drum requires instinctual timing and reaction.
So the other night, I thought about my foot getting tired and scooted my chair half a foot from the kit. At first, I didn’t like this position because the drums felt like they were too far away. But when I placed my foot on the drum pedal, I knew I was in flavor country. To test my new footing, I went back and started playing early songs on Medium. I tore through them just like I do Easy. Less than a foot back and Medium becomes the new Easy. Who knew?
This weekend, I’m going to fire up Hard and see how I fare.
Oh, and before you opine me as some kind of drumming genius, Motorhead’s Ace of Spades came up the other night and I failed it miserably on Medium. It wasn’t even close. Even more embarrassing, I failed the song while Wifezilla kept strumming along. I swear there’s a metal heart lurking deep within the ribcage of my wife. I played the song later on Easy and barely survived at 67%, a three star rating.
God I loath that song.
The difference? I scooted back half a foot from the kit.
The bass drum has long been my Achilles’ Heel (bahaha). I had my foot at a constant 45 degree angle with the floor and the strain of maintaining that position tired my foot and ankle muscles, making it almost impossible to play difficult bass drum parts. I could roll through Easy levels songs because the bass drum is almost non-existent. But Medium adds the bass drum liberally, often pairing it with a red or blue beat. The beat patterns also get more difficult, so much so that hitting the bass drum requires instinctual timing and reaction.
So the other night, I thought about my foot getting tired and scooted my chair half a foot from the kit. At first, I didn’t like this position because the drums felt like they were too far away. But when I placed my foot on the drum pedal, I knew I was in flavor country. To test my new footing, I went back and started playing early songs on Medium. I tore through them just like I do Easy. Less than a foot back and Medium becomes the new Easy. Who knew?
This weekend, I’m going to fire up Hard and see how I fare.
Oh, and before you opine me as some kind of drumming genius, Motorhead’s Ace of Spades came up the other night and I failed it miserably on Medium. It wasn’t even close. Even more embarrassing, I failed the song while Wifezilla kept strumming along. I swear there’s a metal heart lurking deep within the ribcage of my wife. I played the song later on Easy and barely survived at 67%, a three star rating.
God I loath that song.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Oink, Oink, Oink
Remember when the Music Industry was zealously going about the business of suing individuals for the online sharing of ripped CD tracks? That feels like a long time ago, but it wasn’t. I guess it feels like a long time to me because technology has so drastically changed how consumers get their music. Itunes sells millions of tracks a year. At a $1 a pop, their profits must linger not far behind. Rock Band and Guitar Hero have also dramatically changed the landscape. I don’t know what their sales figures are, but they must be strong.
I find all the recent innovations not just interesting, but downright hilarious because the Music Industry, just a few short years ago, wailed so earnestly that consumers should be forced to buy entire CDs. Sales of singles, especially online, would minimize their current business model and likely cripple their sales they cried to anyone who would listen.
Which it did. Of CD sales.
Online sales, of course, took off spectacularly. As more and more Americans bought Ipods, more and more of them wanted their songs delivered straight to that device, in digital form. That bode ill for the Music Industry. They had long fought such a format, to the point of suing their very own customers. If they wielded the same kind of power as the American oil companies, I’m sure they would have done all they could to sabotage the technical development of Ipod devices and the online services that streamed to them.
Which brings me to the free market and the force it can exert on both business and consumers. In the case of online music, both business and consumers won. A business created a device that masses of people love, a market developed to serve that device, and a facet of the larger model was rendered obsolete. In Jurassic Park, Jeff Goldblum’s chaos-theorist says, “Life always finds a way.” So does innovation.
The Music Industry didn’t anticipate the Ipod and online sales of music. Neither could they predict Guitar Hero and Rock Band. In the midst of their whining and complaining, they were so consumed with holding on to CD sales, they never pursued the future of music sales. In other words, they were lazy. Like piglets at the teats, they didn’t want to move themselves past the sure and easy sales of CDs. It was much easier to immobilize the teats, get them to stay put, so the suckling could continue indefinitely.
Which would have been a great plan except Mama Pig decided to get up and wander away.
Games like Rock Band prove that innovation can create an entirely new revenue source for music sales. And I’m not just talking about the initial sale of the game. Rock Band offers weekly downloads of new music. The sweetest part of the deal for the Music Industry and the artists? A consumer can only play a song if they pay for the song. Piracy almost completely disappears as thousands of fans buy those tracks they most want to play in the Rock Band store. Once upon a time the Music Industry quivered and wet itself before the might of technological innovation, gnashing their teeth and pulling their hair out when CD tracks morphed into MP3 files and then traveled seamlessly via all kinds of gadgets. Now, however, the Music Industry rejoices and celebrates that same technology.
It’s amazing what can happen when you don’t cram a failed business model down the throats of consumers who have already moved on.
I find all the recent innovations not just interesting, but downright hilarious because the Music Industry, just a few short years ago, wailed so earnestly that consumers should be forced to buy entire CDs. Sales of singles, especially online, would minimize their current business model and likely cripple their sales they cried to anyone who would listen.
Which it did. Of CD sales.
Online sales, of course, took off spectacularly. As more and more Americans bought Ipods, more and more of them wanted their songs delivered straight to that device, in digital form. That bode ill for the Music Industry. They had long fought such a format, to the point of suing their very own customers. If they wielded the same kind of power as the American oil companies, I’m sure they would have done all they could to sabotage the technical development of Ipod devices and the online services that streamed to them.
Which brings me to the free market and the force it can exert on both business and consumers. In the case of online music, both business and consumers won. A business created a device that masses of people love, a market developed to serve that device, and a facet of the larger model was rendered obsolete. In Jurassic Park, Jeff Goldblum’s chaos-theorist says, “Life always finds a way.” So does innovation.
The Music Industry didn’t anticipate the Ipod and online sales of music. Neither could they predict Guitar Hero and Rock Band. In the midst of their whining and complaining, they were so consumed with holding on to CD sales, they never pursued the future of music sales. In other words, they were lazy. Like piglets at the teats, they didn’t want to move themselves past the sure and easy sales of CDs. It was much easier to immobilize the teats, get them to stay put, so the suckling could continue indefinitely.
Which would have been a great plan except Mama Pig decided to get up and wander away.
Games like Rock Band prove that innovation can create an entirely new revenue source for music sales. And I’m not just talking about the initial sale of the game. Rock Band offers weekly downloads of new music. The sweetest part of the deal for the Music Industry and the artists? A consumer can only play a song if they pay for the song. Piracy almost completely disappears as thousands of fans buy those tracks they most want to play in the Rock Band store. Once upon a time the Music Industry quivered and wet itself before the might of technological innovation, gnashing their teeth and pulling their hair out when CD tracks morphed into MP3 files and then traveled seamlessly via all kinds of gadgets. Now, however, the Music Industry rejoices and celebrates that same technology.
It’s amazing what can happen when you don’t cram a failed business model down the throats of consumers who have already moved on.
Monday, September 29, 2008
She Sells What?
I bought She Sells Sanctuary off the Rock Band 2 store the other day. It’s a touchstone song by The Cult, a great band from the 80s. Surprisingly, it wasn’t all that interesting to play on the drums. I’m sure the guitar riffs are plentiful and satisfying, but the drum part was completely lackluster.
The store also had Kasabian’s Shoot the Runner, a great indy band from across the pond. I’m guessing that drum part will be fun to pound out so I’ll pick up that song next.
The store also had Kasabian’s Shoot the Runner, a great indy band from across the pond. I’m guessing that drum part will be fun to pound out so I’ll pick up that song next.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Rock Band 2
I can't personally attest that Ike did no good. The hurricane afforded me some solid playtime with Rock Band 2. I drummed hours yesterday, much less today. I've unlocked a good chunk of songs so far, most of which I like, a few I could do without ever hearing again.
The sequel remains largely unchanged from the original. Harmonix did remove solo play, merging it instead with Touring. Which mean everyone forms a band and tours, even if you solo play the entire time. They also added some quality metadata into the song titles, including album covers and boxes that indicate what level you've mastered the song.
So far, some of my favorite songs are Duran Duran's Hungry Like the Wolf, Interpol's PDA, Ratt's Round and Round, and The Silversun Pickup's Lazy Eye. I unlocked the latter this morning, to much hooting and hollering.
I was a bit disappointed that there wasn't an option to transfer my rock star from Rock Band to the sequel. Instead, Wifezilla and I had to recreate our stars. For some reason, RB2 didn't offer me the option to two-tone my hair blue and lime green, so Eddie seems very plain to me. After knocking out some gigs, I did repurchase his famed Dragon armor. So all is not lost. I once again dubbed our band Moldy Garbage and took the Peanut Reaper as our band icon. The caped peanut wielding a scythe even appears on the bass drum.
I consistently five star songs on easy mode so I'm going to have to start playing medium more often. The problem with medium is that it's greatly more difficult than easy. The songs play totally differently, with more complicated beat combinations and much more liberal use of the bass drum. I often can barely get through a song on medium that I can play flawlessly on easy. I wish the difficulty were a bit more graduated than that, but until I get more accomplished on the bass drum, I bear more resemblance to a monkey banging away with pots and pans than a professional drummer.
The sequel remains largely unchanged from the original. Harmonix did remove solo play, merging it instead with Touring. Which mean everyone forms a band and tours, even if you solo play the entire time. They also added some quality metadata into the song titles, including album covers and boxes that indicate what level you've mastered the song.
So far, some of my favorite songs are Duran Duran's Hungry Like the Wolf, Interpol's PDA, Ratt's Round and Round, and The Silversun Pickup's Lazy Eye. I unlocked the latter this morning, to much hooting and hollering.
I was a bit disappointed that there wasn't an option to transfer my rock star from Rock Band to the sequel. Instead, Wifezilla and I had to recreate our stars. For some reason, RB2 didn't offer me the option to two-tone my hair blue and lime green, so Eddie seems very plain to me. After knocking out some gigs, I did repurchase his famed Dragon armor. So all is not lost. I once again dubbed our band Moldy Garbage and took the Peanut Reaper as our band icon. The caped peanut wielding a scythe even appears on the bass drum.
I consistently five star songs on easy mode so I'm going to have to start playing medium more often. The problem with medium is that it's greatly more difficult than easy. The songs play totally differently, with more complicated beat combinations and much more liberal use of the bass drum. I often can barely get through a song on medium that I can play flawlessly on easy. I wish the difficulty were a bit more graduated than that, but until I get more accomplished on the bass drum, I bear more resemblance to a monkey banging away with pots and pans than a professional drummer.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Rock Band Song List Transfer to Rock Band 2
G4 reports that Rock Band 2 owners will be able to transfer the original game's song repertoire for a mere $5. Three songs won't transfer though, presumable because of licensing issues. Da man gots to be paid!
Rock Band 2 is due out in less than two weeks and I'm starting to get tingling all over thinking about playing my new favorite band, The Silversun Pickups. Their song, Lazy Eye, made the Rock Band 2 cut and I can't wait to pound the hell out of that song. I'm also looking forward to belting out Billy Idol's White Wedding. I've had his classic sneer down for years and I sing White Wedding to grand applause when I'm showering.
Rock Band 2 is due out in less than two weeks and I'm starting to get tingling all over thinking about playing my new favorite band, The Silversun Pickups. Their song, Lazy Eye, made the Rock Band 2 cut and I can't wait to pound the hell out of that song. I'm also looking forward to belting out Billy Idol's White Wedding. I've had his classic sneer down for years and I sing White Wedding to grand applause when I'm showering.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Rock Out with Your Wife Out
Wifezilla and I jam together a few times a week. Yes, Rock Band. I doubt I have any better idea of what to do with a real drum kit despite my two month Rock Band expertise. Wifezilla plays a real violin, but she says that translates to a plastic guitar only so far. After hearing her play, I readily agree.
We named our band Moldy Garbage. And by “we” I mean I. To be fair, I gave Wifezilla two choices: our current name or The Sluts. So she really has no one to blame but herself for our band’s moniker. I must admit, Wifezilla pieced together a really hot rock star. She crafted long flowing auburn hair on top of a tight little package for a body. When she leaps into the air during particularly dramatic guitar solos, I frequently get distracted and fumble my sticks.
Drum sticks you filthy bastards.
Eddy, my drummer, sports blue and lime green hair. My drummer shows way more of his pelvis than I like, but he’s got a six-pack that sends the honies into convulsions. Some of the dudes too, unfortunately. He’s earned some money during his solo career, so he dons Dragonscale armor when he takes the stage, a mixture of black leather and gleaming steal, bristling with eye-gauging rivets. He’s made a practice of sacrificing a fan if he’s ever boo’d off stage. As a result, he is more often than not cheered even when he has dropped his sticks staring at his guitar player’s ass.
Last night, Wifezilla and Eddy we’re playing in Gay Paree. I don’t remember the venue’s name, but it’s the third one down since we’ve already unlocked the first two. The venue held no single song plays, just sets of three, four, and six. For the first set, Wifezilla got cocky and tried the medium setting. She crashed and burned on her solo. Eddy tried to pound the animal back into some stretched hide but he fell short of pulling them back from the brink; the crowd quickly boo’d the duo right off the stage. After Eddy got done ripping the beating heart from the chest cavity of the loudest heckler, the two retook the stage and plowed through all three songs effortlessly.
I have to confess, there’s something surreal in the realization that my wife is jamming out to the song Run to the Hills. The only people that could be more puzzled—perhaps even dismayed--would be the members of Iron Maiden themselves The entire scenario borders on the comical. She hates metal, to the point that she would leave the room if it ever seized the room’s air waves. And yet, there she was, in her bath robe and hair curlers, an unconscious sneer painted on her face, throwing the guitar’s arm into the air as she strummed titanic chords and face-melting riffs. Last night I found my wife just a tattoo away from genuine rocker.
I can’t wait to see her Billy Idol face.
We named our band Moldy Garbage. And by “we” I mean I. To be fair, I gave Wifezilla two choices: our current name or The Sluts. So she really has no one to blame but herself for our band’s moniker. I must admit, Wifezilla pieced together a really hot rock star. She crafted long flowing auburn hair on top of a tight little package for a body. When she leaps into the air during particularly dramatic guitar solos, I frequently get distracted and fumble my sticks.
Drum sticks you filthy bastards.
Eddy, my drummer, sports blue and lime green hair. My drummer shows way more of his pelvis than I like, but he’s got a six-pack that sends the honies into convulsions. Some of the dudes too, unfortunately. He’s earned some money during his solo career, so he dons Dragonscale armor when he takes the stage, a mixture of black leather and gleaming steal, bristling with eye-gauging rivets. He’s made a practice of sacrificing a fan if he’s ever boo’d off stage. As a result, he is more often than not cheered even when he has dropped his sticks staring at his guitar player’s ass.
Last night, Wifezilla and Eddy we’re playing in Gay Paree. I don’t remember the venue’s name, but it’s the third one down since we’ve already unlocked the first two. The venue held no single song plays, just sets of three, four, and six. For the first set, Wifezilla got cocky and tried the medium setting. She crashed and burned on her solo. Eddy tried to pound the animal back into some stretched hide but he fell short of pulling them back from the brink; the crowd quickly boo’d the duo right off the stage. After Eddy got done ripping the beating heart from the chest cavity of the loudest heckler, the two retook the stage and plowed through all three songs effortlessly.
I have to confess, there’s something surreal in the realization that my wife is jamming out to the song Run to the Hills. The only people that could be more puzzled—perhaps even dismayed--would be the members of Iron Maiden themselves The entire scenario borders on the comical. She hates metal, to the point that she would leave the room if it ever seized the room’s air waves. And yet, there she was, in her bath robe and hair curlers, an unconscious sneer painted on her face, throwing the guitar’s arm into the air as she strummed titanic chords and face-melting riffs. Last night I found my wife just a tattoo away from genuine rocker.
I can’t wait to see her Billy Idol face.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)