In the 90s, I became addicted to playing rock guitar. I bought a Les Paul, fender amp, discovered the joy of guitar tab, and soon experienced the thrill of matching Slash note for note on those killer GNR tunes.


I could understand why rock legends like Eddie Van Halen could spend 8 hours a day practicing guitar. It just feels freaking amazing once you have built up your ability and can rock out along with tunes or write your own material. I bought an effects board that opened up a huge array of musical possiblities, different distortion types, ranges, phaser, flanger, wah pedals etc....

Unfortunately, it all came to an end for me in 2002 when the volume knob on my guitar amp got kicked full blast and I didn't know it until I started playing. The shock wave immediately damaged my hearing and gave nonstop ringing in both ears. I could never play electric again as the sounds were now painful.


Long story, but I am curious if I can experience a taste of those past joys with Guitar Hero. I've never tried the game, and too self conscious at stores to try it and suck while everyone is watching. lol I honestly don't see how it can make you feel like you are playing with the band. You are just pressing a button and racking up a score. The buttons don't actually create the music, right?


I would like to hear from real life musicians and get their take on the game.

In short: yes!

I play both guitar and drums, and it's a really fun game.

I do not play, but have played with really good real guitarists and they love the game. It would be similar to Lennox playing Fight Night or LeBron playing NBA 2K9...if it is a good game and you are a gamer, I think you possibly would find enjoyment.

I've played guitar for about 20 years (also some bass & drums), and I find the Guitar Hero/Rock Band games to be somewhat fun while playing at a party with a bunch of other people. But I can't stand playing them alone.


I mean, why would I bother with this:



When I can be playing this though my Marshal JCM800:

Musicians are people.

People have differing opinions on everything.

Some love it. Some like it. Some hate it.

I would recommend trying it.

FWIW, 2 of my best friends have been playing guitar for as long as I've known them (20 years or so) and they both love the games. One has become a good drummer from the games as well.

Sorry about your hearing damage, BTW - that sucks.

I've been playing 15 years now, and I'm now a plastic guitar addict. Rock Band is better than Guitar Hero though. Well, GH: Metallica is pretty good.

Thanks man. I am able to play acoustic fingerstyle which is fun. Guys like Trace Bundy make it sound very cool on youtube.

I played for over 20 years. I started in '84 which was the prime time to start because of the quality of guitar-driven bands that were hitting the scene. In the mid to late 90's, the skilled guitar music was fading fast with the exception of a few bands (Metallica/Alice, etc...) so I was kind of slowing down my playing time a bit. It was getting harder to find people that wanted to play (and hear) Motley Crue, Scorpions, Van Halen, etc... In 2000 we had our first son. I pushed on with playing even though it was tough, but when we had our second in 2002, it was time to hang up the 6 & 7 strings (and my Triple XXX Peavey stack).

When Guitar Hero 2 came out for the Xbox, I was super excited, but sucked at the game at first, which was really frustrating. I was learning on easy, but was pissed that all of the notes that I was hearing weren't there (on easy), but I couldn't get used to the guitar enough to play hard/expert. Once I got the hang of it, it was over-the-top excitement. GH3 was a bit of a let down, but with RB 1 & 2 and the DLC keeping it fresh, the game consumes my soul. I love playing, and the feeling of accomplishment is awesome, even if it is a plastic guitar. Nothing can truly replace the real thing, but this is as close as it can get, and I get introduced to alot of songs that I would've never played on real guitar...and they're fun as Hell too.

Buy the game...play the game...enjoy the game!

I went the other way. As a result of playing Guitar Hero and Rockband I am now taking guitar lessons. Both are fun in their own way. GH and Rockband are much easier than a real guitar that's for sure. I think after a slight learning curve you will enjoy the guitar based games.

Pardon me while I wipe the drool off my monitor...

For the record, I've been an aspiring guitarist for many years and always put off actually getting a guitar and playing. Guitar Hero and Rock Band did a good enough job bridging the gap in between.

I've been playing guitar for 26 yeas now, and I am pretty much a Rock Band / GH addict. It's great fun and one heck of a way to bring people together interactively with music. But I don't like jokes.

RUSH playing to their stuff on ROCK BAND

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I don't care for Rush but that is pretty cool that they did that.

Hearing him play the RB drums on that video shows how obnoxious they sound. Guess I don't notice it when I am playing mine but hearing them on the video almost gave me a headache.

Guitar Hero II is cheap enough to take a flyer on. Grab a copy and find out if it's for you - don't be discouraged if it doesn't feel like playing the real thing when you start out.

Edited after reading my post: It won't ever feel like playing the real thing, but on easy you won't be playing every note in the song and won't seem like any fun until you move up to medium and hard.

I've been playing for 17 years and teach guitar full time, and I love Guitar Hero/ Rock Band. Lately, I have found myself playing the drums a little more, though.