Do music games like Guitar Hero improve rhytmic feeling?

DJ Life & Community General Discussion
1

Do music games like Guitar Hero improve rhytmic feeling?

…or is it just wild button mashing?

I noticed after listening to my recorded set of the DJ contest on Saturday that my beat-juggling was horrible.

Practicing with the VCI-100 would be my best bet, but there are 3 nice PSP-games by the name of DJ Max Portable which I always wanted to play through.

Now I’m wondering if it will not only be fun to play, but even help me improving my rhythm…

2

I know for a fact it does I use guitar hero controllers when teaching primary school and special needs kids to teach basic rhythm. Some of the SEN kids would put some popular Djs i’ve heard to shame as music for some of them is the only thing they can grasp.

I say get on it. I’m intrigued to see how useful wiimusic will be when used to it’s full potential and in certain contexts.

3

It can’t be button mashing. It’s all rhythm control.

4

Button mashing is a skilled technique in Soul Caliber

5

Totally. Its all about mastering the buttonmashing. I tried to learn moves once.. I actually got worse.

6

Interesting, I asked myself the same question recently. I bought Guitar Hero World Tour the other day and nothing beats rocking the drum set after a boring day at the office. Although I really can’t tell if it actually improves sense for rhythm, it definitely improves dexterity (like that Beatjuggler’s Glove of Controllerism +1 I found behind the tavern).

7

You ever played FFXI?^^

8

I find that they help up until a certain point. When playing a game, will you notice a the difference between getting “Great” and “Perfect” when there’s a gajillion other notes flying at you? When I used to play DDR and Beatmania, I wouldn’t really notice how many “Greats” or “Perfects” I’ve attained until after the song was over.

Then there’s also the fact that it promotes not mediocrity but certainly not perfection. You can continue a combo by getting “Great”. That in my eyes just means, “Hey! You were close enough. Good Job!”

If you want perfection with rhythm, use a metronome. I’d use either a mechanical or digital one. Not one generated by software. From experience it’d skip every now and then. I’m not sure how it is with Traktor Pro but using the metronome on Traktor 3.4 was a pain to teach my students rhythm. This I find to be a little bit better http://www.pinkandaint.com/weirdmet.shtml but still it skips and jumps from time to time.

9

I absolutely think that guitar hero has helped by button tapping rythyms in a big way. I can play most bass songs on hard now and its really made a difference.
I prefer bas because its more rythmic and less about combos and chords.