RS2014 was my GOTY. I had never played guitar prior to playing it. I can now play a small handful of songs, almost unaided, almost at full speed due to it. I'm certain a couple lessons with a (very) patient instructor would provide me the final bits of the puzzle to get me over the line (strumming neatly and cleanly still trips me up, though I've got to remember that I've only put a few days' worth of hours into this).
Those guitarcade things are terrific, immeasurably better than almost everything on YT and demonstrably better than books, apps or tabs I've looked at.
If it's this boring for you to get your scales, bends or chords down, when guitar might just not be the right instrument for you.
Could not disagree more. Horrible sentence, poor attitude, not dissimilar to the "if you're not playing it on hard you're not playing it right" BS that is spouted elsewhere.
Why not embrace the fact that more people, more than ever probably, are getting to enjoy a hobby you are so fond of? Pat them on the back and say 'back in my day we had to learn bends and chords with our fingers rubberbanded together and blindfolded, you guys have got it so easy!' and have a chuckle with them about it? Why instead take the approach that you're just going shit on our parade? It sucks man, I just want to learn to play a few Rage licks, ideally without all the haughty-taughtyness.
Not to mention that you should be cocentrated how your chord, bend or singular note SOUNDS instead of trying to break a highscore.
I think RS does a decent job of providing feedback on how your technique sounds, but you are right. I've taken to playing RS a lot with just one side of my headphones on, so I can hear how it sounds in game but also hear the strings and the notes naturally. This was pretty invaluable in discovering that I was pressing down much too hard sometimes, and I adjusted accordingly.
Concentrating on an additional visual experience and a game concept while training your guitar skills will take away from your learining experience.
In the broader context of 'gaming', this is nonsense. In the narrower jurisdiction of just RS minigames, there is some merit but I don't agree. The
Chords of The Dead is a great, great example of how everything is tied together to provide a solid learning experience, while also providing almost instant feedback on how you're improving, or perhaps flatlining.
I was amazed at how quickly I improved at that minigame across just several play sessions across several days. This is in part due to learning how the game works (though there is enough randomisation of chords to stop you from learning from rote memorisation), but also out of improved muscle memory. In turn, I progressively got better at the song that recommended I go and spend time in the
Chords of The Dead minigame.
Some of the other minigames are still too tough for me to progress very far, but I'll get there eventually I'm sure of it!
If you want to play a game, play a game. If you want to learn guitar, learn guitar.
whynotboth.gif Dismissive tone aside, this is the one part of your post that I agree with, as it aligns with my only real criticism I have of RS2014. It is an abstract one that may not come to fruition, but time will tell.
The criticism is that RS2014 is excellent at teaching you how to play songs. I have learned to play one or two Offspring songs and am quite decent at playing the components (the chords, the strumming pattern and technique, for example) that make up those songs. However, I cannot apply those fundamental skills to anything outside of those couple songs -
yet. And this is where time will tell. I am certain that with further practice, further learning, further understanding, that will come in time, but we will see.
That will be the true measure of the value of RS. However I am certain that the creators of RS would say that if they inspire a number of people to pick up and learn to play a few songs on guitar well, than of that group there will be people who go on to seek further education and skills and become fair dinkum guitarists.
