Rocksmith post release thread!

[Mike-t]

@All: Be skeptical of any skeptics. Mostly bullshit. There are a few legit complaints but nothing game breaking. Any real guitarist will tell you this is simply another avenue to practice technique and stamina. If they don't agree, they are just too "hipster", *rolls eyes*.

It seems like most of the naysayers have never played the game. They just like to spread doubt among people who are on the fence. Maybe its because they don't want anyone else to have an easier route or maybe they just have nothing better to do. They are ones who say that they THINK it won't be a good learning tool because of X, Y or Z, everyone should listen to them because they already play guitar and they learned the REAL and ONLY way. Its pretty annoying.

I think this game is great and I want them to keep releasing DLC and make a sequel so its important that people see a positive message. I have some background on this subject because I owned the Rock Band version with the pro guitar and it wasn't so great. Part of that bad experience was because of something that people complain that Rocksmith doesn't have, selectable difficulty. Face it, most guitarists think they are better than they actually are and with RB3 I refused to play on any level other than expert because I wanted to learn the songs the "right" way. That created a game experience that made me want to beat my head into a wall.

The way that Rocksmith ramps up the difficulty makes total sense for any level guitarist and although it doesn't work perfectly, for example sometimes it ramps up too slowly or it makes you learn riffs with awkward fingering before you hit 100%, ultimately, it works.

It works because, unless you are a pro session guitarist you aren't going to learn a complicated (and complication is dictated by experience) song the first time through unless its a strum along or something like that. What this game does is lets you learn the notes in the context of the song at a reasonable pace. If it turns out your fingers are possessed by the ghost of Jimi Hendrix, you can simple play through once, go to Leveler in riff repeater and bump up the difficulty of each section, and if your that good it should only take you one visit to the Leveler. Which brings me to another point. Some people complain because they are so good that they need the ability to go to max difficulty right away and in the next breath they are complaining because the riff repeater only gives them 5 lives which they wouldn't need if they were that good .

 

[Mike-t]

Anyone else have a challenge with retaining learning with this method?

If I listen to a song and learn the parts by ear I have it, if I play through a song on this about 200 times the next day in my jam room I can hardly remember the melody, let alone the arrangement. Some songs stick, songs with a strong hook for example but others pffft not even. The solo to more than feeling I went to play it the other day for a friend because its pretty cool and I had a total blank. lol

I think one by product of this game is that it slowly teaches you to sight read and at a certain point you start to use that more than memorization which is the traditional method of learning guitar. I guess there are plus' and minus' to both and maybe master mode helps bridge the gap.

Its definitely interesting to think about as I find myself getting better and better at playing the notes that are coming at me on the screen, even when its a new song and I've never played it before. I'm sure at some point you could learn a completely new song from scratch without any practice by sight reading once you've mastered the interface.

I wonder if musicians who sight read music for violin, piano etc retain much of what they play after playing through it? Or if reading out loud affects comprehension?

 

[Hamtone]

I think one by product of this game is that it slowly teaches you to sight read and at a certain point you start to use that more than memorization which is the traditional method of learning guitar. I guess there are plus' and minus' to both and maybe master mode helps bridge the gap.

Its definitely interesting to think about as I find myself getting better and better at playing the notes that are coming at me on the screen, even when its a new song and I've never played it before. I'm sure at some point you could learn a completely new song from scratch without any practice by sight reading once you've mastered the interface.

I wonder if musicians who sight read music for violin, piano etc retain much of what they play after playing through it? Or if reading out loud affects comprehension?

Im going to say no. Look at an orchestra they all site read while they play, which I never could understand. Im a traditional ear player and I will get bother together here shortly.

 

[naturalblack]

I think one by product of this game is that it slowly teaches you to sight read and at a certain point you start to use that more than memorization which is the traditional method of learning guitar. I guess there are plus' and minus' to both and maybe master mode helps bridge the gap.

Its definitely interesting to think about as I find myself getting better and better at playing the notes that are coming at me on the screen, even when its a new song and I've never played it before. I'm sure at some point you could learn a completely new song from scratch without any practice by sight reading once you've mastered the interface.

I wonder if musicians who sight read music for violin, piano etc retain much of what they play after playing through it? Or if reading out loud affects comprehension?

I would imagine its very similar to how you can read 20 chapters of a book just going the the motions and not retain anything. For a song I wold assume It would be easier to learn the sections(intro, crs, vrs, bridge) then you just need to know what part comes next.

 

[blamo]

I wish the riff repeater had a mode that shows the entire tab. The speed one that stops on the notes is terrible and doesn't help me learn note by note whatsoever in solos. I also find it very glitchy.

 

[b3john]

I am more used to the Sony controllers so would prefer a PS3 but I will go almost entirely by price. Since I don't play that much it isn't worth spending a whole ton of cash on. Whichever is cheapest will work fine for me.

If you haven't decided on a console already, I'd hold off a few days and see if the changes Microsoft is making to Xbox Live (effective tomorrow) are as good as is being promised. Between that and the Kinect, I'd say Sony is getting lapped...

 

[the.hatter]

But .... online gaming with the PS3 is free!! Xbox live will cost you $60/year right?

 

[a Mad Cow]

again ... You DON'T need xbox live to keep Rocksmith updated. Just have it connected to the internet (no xbox live account)

 

[colchar]

If you haven't decided on a console already, I'd hold off a few days and see if the changes Microsoft is making to Xbox Live (effective tomorrow) are as good as is being promised. Between that and the Kinect, I'd say Sony is getting lapped...

I am waiting until the Boxing Day sales to see what the prices are like then.

 

[colchar]

It seems like most of the naysayers have never played the game. They just like to spread doubt among people who are on the fence. Maybe its because they don't want anyone else to have an easier route or maybe they just have nothing better to do. They are ones who say that they THINK it won't be a good learning tool because of X, Y or Z, everyone should listen to them because they already play guitar and they learned the REAL and ONLY way. Its pretty annoying.

Especially when some, like me, are learning the right way (or have learned the right way) and see this simply as something fun that will make practice more interesting because let's face it - practice can often be boring as shit.

 

[blamo]

But .... online gaming with the PS3 is free!! Xbox live will cost you $60/year right?

you dont need xbox live if youre not going to play online. you especially don't need xbox live for this game.

online gaming with the PS3 might be free, but its terrible compared to LIVE. I hate PSN. and yes, I own both systems. the only reason i play my PS3 more often is because my xbox is dead.

 

[ZoomZilla]

I wish the riff repeater had a mode that shows the entire tab. The speed one that stops on the notes is terrible and doesn't help me learn note by note whatsoever in solos. I also find it very glitchy.

Have you used Riff Repeater leveler? I find that one to be the best method. I have the one that stops until you hit the right note. Drives me nuts.

 

[Mike-t]

Have you used Riff Repeater leveler? I find that one to be the best method. I have the one that stops until you hit the right note. Drives me nuts.

This is the order I usually follow...

I use the first riff repeater that stops me every time I miss a note until I know which notes I need to hit. Then I switch to the third one that slows down the speed and I keep playing that over and over until I get it perfect. Then I go to the leveler to level up some more.

If its an easy riff I just blast through the leveler until I've "mastered" it and the game kicks me out.

On the Rock Band 3 practice modes it would dead stop every time you made the smallest mistake like the first riff repeater in RS, except with almost no fudge factor. That made it really hard to get a rhythm going even if you weren't playing it 100% perfect. That's why I find the third riff repeater the most useful because you can pretty much play endlessly at a slightly slower speed without the game coming to a screeching halt at each mistake.

 

[blamo]

Have you used Riff Repeater leveler? I find that one to be the best method. I have the one that stops until you hit the right note. Drives me nuts.

yeah, i find for some parts it moves too quickly and I can't read it fast enough.

what i usually do is the leveler, but if it's a solo or something where i can't read fast enough, I go to the one that stops, but it also drives me nuts.

 

[SixStringSam]

I got this game for my Birthday last week and cannot wait to play it. My Epi LP is my first electric guitar so I am hoping this game helps me out with the chords and working the fretboard. I'm also interested in plugging my Ibanez acoustic/electric AEL into the xbox to see what that is like..

After reading most of this thread, I cannot wait to get into this game and break my Forza addiction lol....

 

[grtyuh]

practice can often be boring as shit.

BS too me - If I want learn sth, and i want it to sound and feel good, practicing never will become boring as shit. I know this will payback in playability, and it's enough to me to not yelling about practicing.

Keep rocking man!

 

[ZoomZilla]

I downloaded Boston's "More than a feeling". I am having some fun with this song.

 

[Mike-t]

I downloaded Boston's "More than a feeling". I am having some fun with this song.

Me too!

 

[GNR4EVR]

Me too!

Double ditto! Probably the best play along song other than RadioHeads Over my Head. I like that one too.

 

[colchar]

BS too me - If I want learn sth, and i want it to sound and feel good, practicing never will become boring as shit. I know this will payback in playability, and it's enough to me to not yelling about practicing.

Then you're special as many people can find practicing to be boring and see something that makes it more interesting as a good thing.