Music videogames stir strong opinions in some musicians, and Part-Time Musicians (PTMs) as a group are no exception. But with the latest round of gameplay improvements and controller updates, have we now reached the point where playing a music videogame can really improve our music-making skills?
This is a large topic that can be approached from several perspectives, and we’ve covered two of those before (see From virtual musician to real musician and Videogaming helps your mad music-making skillz!), but this zeroes in on the typical configurations that are seen in most homes – or the setups that the Rock Band folks hope soon will be.
In this article from our friends at cnet, Dan Ackerman puts Rock Band 3 to the test and finds that it comes very close to the “real thing”. And while they take a slightly different tack, Dan notes that the people behind First Act are working to close the gap between “play music” and playing music, too. It’s a great article that has had me mulling since I first saw it, and I suspect it will you, too.
So what do you think? Will music videogames eventually get to the point where (we) real musicians use them as a training aid? Or will adding sophistication spoil the fun for the larger market and kill the games before we get there? Are we already there? 
Drop us a line and share your thoughts! And whether you take an occasional videogame break or not, keep that music coming…
All the best,
Mark
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Tags: better, controller, First Act, game, instrument, play, Rock Band, video, videogame
General, Guitar, Learning, News, Percussion | Mark September 8, 2010 | 
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It wasn’t always the case, but I now believe that music video games can contribute to the Part-Time Musician’s development in some ways – and they’re a lot of fun! That last part – the fun – is what draws the vast majority of gamers to pick up Rock Band or Guitar Hero. But why should the fun stop when you shut off the game console?
It’s common sense, regardless of the activity: if you enjoy it, you’ll be more committed, you’ll do it better, and you’ll reap more benefits…which leads to deeper commitment, better performance, more benefits…well, you know where this is going.
I’ve already written about the benefits of music video games to current PTMs, but what about those who have yet to discover their longing to play real music? Don’t we all want to get others hooked on our playing addiction? Well…of course we do!
Fender's Rick Heins rocks out with the new G-DEC 3 amp
I ran across this article about some great things Fender is doing to entice new musicians into the fold and to appeal to current musicians as well. Check out these nuggets:
“Guitarists using Fender’s new $299 G-DEC 3 amplifier, on sale in April, will get the traditional boost, echo, reverb and other heavy amplified sounds. But the G-DEC 3 is also a “band in a box,” letting musicians play along with 100 music tracks in various styles created by guitarists such as Brad Paisley and Keith Urban. There’s an SD slot for adding MP3 files to the amp.”
“Fender just launched ejamming.com, a site where guitarists can plug into the Net and jam with musicians around the world. The site features free downloadable software that allows musicians to connect. The music can be recorded and saved. There’s a one-month free trial and $9.99 a month subscription.”
I’m excited enough about these developments to give ejamming.com a try myself, and if anyone has any connections at Fender, I’d be more than willing to do a review of the G-DEC 3…so put me in touch, please! 
What do you think? While these developments can’t fully replace a live, in-person jam session, they certainly could help keep one driving toward their musical goals with a smile. Interested? Leave a comment! We’d love to hear from you.
Keep playing,
Mark
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Tags: ejamming.com, Fender, G-DEC, Guitar Hero, musician, real, Rock Band, videogame, virtual
General, Guitar, News | Mark January 21, 2010 |
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