http://www.perfectporridge.com Music, Minneapolis, Mutiny Sat, 31 Jul 2010 13:12:50 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 http://www.perfectporridge.com/2009/01/09/disney-star-guitarist-a-good-next-step-but-not-great/ http://www.perfectporridge.com/2009/01/09/disney-star-guitarist-a-good-next-step-but-not-great/#comments Fri, 09 Jan 2009 15:26:53 +0000 Greg Swan http://www.perfectporridge.com/2009/01/09/disney-star-guitarist-a-good-next-step-but-not-great/ Just announced at CES, Disney Star Guitarist claims to teach you how to play guitar instead of just enabling you to push red, green, blue, orange in time with notes. But do you really expect Guitar Hero and Rock Band to teach you how to play instruments? Isn't it just a fun video game? I guess I don't agree with the premise that there is something wrong with the current GH game -- at least anything that needs fixing by a different game. And as for Disney Star Guitarist, it looks like it still isn't teaching you how to read sheet music nor learn chords. Having to play in front a computer is utterly limiting, and perhaps worst of all, it appears the songs are culled from Disney shows (demo is from High School Musical 3). If you want to learn to play guitar, buy a guitar and get yourself some lessons. If you want to rock out on a videogame, stick with Guitar Hero. UPDATE: Check out what Minneapolis-based startup Zivix is doing with a more lifelike digital guitar to bridge this gap.]]> http://www.perfectporridge.com/2009/01/09/disney-star-guitarist-a-good-next-step-but-not-great/feed/ 11 http://www.perfectporridge.com Music, Minneapolis, Mutiny Sat, 31 Jul 2010 13:12:50 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 http://www.perfectporridge.com Music, Minneapolis, Mutiny Sat, 31 Jul 2010 13:12:50 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 http://www.perfectporridge.com/2009/01/09/disney-star-guitarist-a-good-next-step-but-not-great/ http://www.perfectporridge.com/2009/01/09/disney-star-guitarist-a-good-next-step-but-not-great/#comments Fri, 09 Jan 2009 15:26:53 +0000 Greg Swan http://www.perfectporridge.com/2009/01/09/disney-star-guitarist-a-good-next-step-but-not-great/ Just announced at CES, Disney Star Guitarist claims to teach you how to play guitar instead of just enabling you to push red, green, blue, orange in time with notes. But do you really expect Guitar Hero and Rock Band to teach you how to play instruments? Isn't it just a fun video game? I guess I don't agree with the premise that there is something wrong with the current GH game -- at least anything that needs fixing by a different game. And as for Disney Star Guitarist, it looks like it still isn't teaching you how to read sheet music nor learn chords. Having to play in front a computer is utterly limiting, and perhaps worst of all, it appears the songs are culled from Disney shows (demo is from High School Musical 3). If you want to learn to play guitar, buy a guitar and get yourself some lessons. If you want to rock out on a videogame, stick with Guitar Hero. UPDATE: Check out what Minneapolis-based startup Zivix is doing with a more lifelike digital guitar to bridge this gap.]]> http://www.perfectporridge.com/2009/01/09/disney-star-guitarist-a-good-next-step-but-not-great/feed/ 11 http://www.perfectporridge.com/2009/01/09/disney-star-guitarist-a-good-next-step-but-not-great/ http://www.perfectporridge.com/2009/01/09/disney-star-guitarist-a-good-next-step-but-not-great/#comments Fri, 09 Jan 2009 15:26:53 +0000 Greg Swan http://www.perfectporridge.com/2009/01/09/disney-star-guitarist-a-good-next-step-but-not-great/ Just announced at CES, Disney Star Guitarist claims to teach you how to play guitar instead of just enabling you to push red, green, blue, orange in time with notes. But do you really expect Guitar Hero and Rock Band to teach you how to play instruments? Isn't it just a fun video game? I guess I don't agree with the premise that there is something wrong with the current GH game -- at least anything that needs fixing by a different game. And as for Disney Star Guitarist, it looks like it still isn't teaching you how to read sheet music nor learn chords. Having to play in front a computer is utterly limiting, and perhaps worst of all, it appears the songs are culled from Disney shows (demo is from High School Musical 3). If you want to learn to play guitar, buy a guitar and get yourself some lessons. If you want to rock out on a videogame, stick with Guitar Hero. UPDATE: Check out what Minneapolis-based startup Zivix is doing with a more lifelike digital guitar to bridge this gap.]]> http://www.perfectporridge.com/2009/01/09/disney-star-guitarist-a-good-next-step-but-not-great/feed/ 11 http://www.perfectporridge.com Music, Minneapolis, Mutiny Sat, 31 Jul 2010 13:12:50 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 http://www.perfectporridge.com/2009/01/09/disney-star-guitarist-a-good-next-step-but-not-great/ http://www.perfectporridge.com/2009/01/09/disney-star-guitarist-a-good-next-step-but-not-great/#comments Fri, 09 Jan 2009 15:26:53 +0000 Greg Swan http://www.perfectporridge.com/2009/01/09/disney-star-guitarist-a-good-next-step-but-not-great/ Just announced at CES, Disney Star Guitarist claims to teach you how to play guitar instead of just enabling you to push red, green, blue, orange in time with notes. But do you really expect Guitar Hero and Rock Band to teach you how to play instruments? Isn't it just a fun video game? I guess I don't agree with the premise that there is something wrong with the current GH game -- at least anything that needs fixing by a different game. And as for Disney Star Guitarist, it looks like it still isn't teaching you how to read sheet music nor learn chords. Having to play in front a computer is utterly limiting, and perhaps worst of all, it appears the songs are culled from Disney shows (demo is from High School Musical 3). If you want to learn to play guitar, buy a guitar and get yourself some lessons. If you want to rock out on a videogame, stick with Guitar Hero. UPDATE: Check out what Minneapolis-based startup Zivix is doing with a more lifelike digital guitar to bridge this gap.]]> http://www.perfectporridge.com/2009/01/09/disney-star-guitarist-a-good-next-step-but-not-great/feed/ 11 http://www.perfectporridge.com/2008/01/09/guitar-hero-air-guitar-ces-2008/ http://www.perfectporridge.com/2008/01/09/guitar-hero-air-guitar-ces-2008/#comments Wed, 09 Jan 2008 17:38:38 +0000 Greg Swan http://www.perfectporridge.com/2008/01/09/guitar-hero-air-guitar-ces-2008/ As if pretending to play the guitar didn't already make you a lame-o, check this out. It's the Guitar Hero brand Air Guitar Rocker from Jada Toys, with a GH-branded belt, wearable amp programmed with 10 songs and special pick you strum in front of the belt. It also has an output for external speakers. Songs include 5 originals plus Deep Purple's "Smoke on the Water," Black Sabbath's "Iron Man," Motorhead's "Ace of Spades," Van Halen's "You Really Got Me" and Boston's "More Than a Feeling." It's actually quite harder to play than it looks. This guy was really horrible. But then again, it's nothing nearly as hard as actually learning to play an instrument. Air Guitar Rocker will be available this coming March for $29.99 and can be routed through external speakers. Jada has announced plans to release more cartridges for the toy in the months after it launches. Here's my YouTube video of this doofus.]]> http://www.perfectporridge.com/2008/01/09/guitar-hero-air-guitar-ces-2008/feed/ 1