Guitar Hero or Not

   I have played Guitar Hero about six times. I found that when you only have five color-coded buttons, a "whammy bar", and a two-way strumming thing to worry about on the "guitar", that it sort of makes it a different instrument. It is actually a fancy controller for your game system and not an instrument at all. In it's day, before sales tanked, it had a huge impact on gifted musicians and musically void players alike. By the numbers, people still play it; mostly teenagers.
   These types of games are sometimes used in psychiatric rehabilitation exercises -occupational therapy- because of it's hand/eye coordination capabilities. The game also exposes people to music that they might never have heard before. I think it is a great tool for hearing the same songs over and again, to the point of a player knowing a handful of songs by rote. Hearing is the first step toward understanding the pieces that make up music. In that respect, it has some value. Any time we have our kids exposed to the previous generation's music we are passing on part of our legacy.
   I grew up listening to The Clash, Pink Floyd, Led Zep, Jimi... When I was around fifteen, two things happened to me; grunge and the guitar. I had been studying and learning music in different settings since I was a little boy, and I couldn't get enough of it. When I noticed the parallel between the music I loved and the guitar, something happened to me. I now had the power to become David Gilmour, or Jimmy Page. I could hear every note of the songs I loved and I couldn't wait to gain this ability. Those who know me also know that I am a physical anomaly, and that it isn't always a strength. The arrangement of my fingers amounted to nothing more than an inability to take formal lessons. I was fortunate enough to be able to play with other, better guitarists than I. I had the best of both worlds; hands-on training, and countless hours of playing alone. I attribute my technique to both.
   I fell in love with the guiar as soon as I held one. I learned the chords, scales, and my favorite songs. The satisfaction of reproducing a song you love ranks in the highest category of human emotions when you are beginning. I even wrote a few originals during the first few months, and it was only because I had nothing in my head saying that I lacked the skill necessary. I had also been with an older friend in a studio setting, recording original guitar tracks.
   As I grew and became a better player, the creation process broadened for me. I read music and have been immersed in it's theory, but I preferred playing by ear rather than staring at pages of music. There was no real need for music theory with such a prominent instrument, as opposed to the trumpet in a symphonic setting. For me, the nuts and bolts of music had become part of me like a second language.
   The guitar is the artist's paintbrush, and some take that approach. The learning curve is enough to shake most prospective players into a state of boredom. Those who make it through the boring, technical part have a much better chance of actually learning the instrument.
   Guitar hero is the answer to many that lack the patience or musical ability to master something like the guitar. It is the antithesis of art. It is a culture draining fantasy that can be reset infinitely; until you figure out how to hit those five buttons in the pattern, shown in the form of colorful dots.
   Why think about this? I can tell which of my students are under the influence of the game. They always strike the strings way too hard, break them, and generally don't want to learn. Teenagers are usually trying to play some emo crap that will be irrelevant later in life. I tried to teach a 27 year-old and he couldn't remember the names of the strings, and was blown by chords. He is tone deaf. This boy should have a hack at Guitar Hero; though it may be too difficult. Five color coded buttons is a lot to take in.
   Parents please buy your kid a bicycle. Not an electric one, a pedal one. For the love of the gods don't buy them any form of game that emulates something far more enriching. Put their texting, facebooking asses in band or choir. They will thank you later in life for both. You might be raising the next Mike McCready or Jerry Cantrell.