Last week, we featured an announcement from Gamers To Players (G2P), a new instructional documentary, which made an interesting claim: This DVD, said the press release, can “transform gamers into real guitarists.” At the time, I called this promise a tall order; I have personally attempted to make this transformation in the past, and met with no success. I’m far from the first person to experience this, mind you — though there are certainly folks who can master both the fake and actual guitar, most of us are adept at only one or the other. On the other hand, G2P is the first system we’ve heard of which claims to focus on the skills one learns from the fake variety, and it got us wondering — could an effective system really manage to bridge the gap between gamer and player? Is G2P the final answer to music games’ “Get a real guitar” taunts? Or is it merely a trendy cash-in to prey on Guitar Hero devotees? Well, G2P has been kind enough to let us find out for ourselves.
Starting tomorrow, I’m going to put the G2P system through its paces, in a multi-day review. I don’t expect to learn to play the guitar in one sitting, after all (of course, if I do, I will praise the living hell out of this DVD). The question you may be asking, assuming you’re still with us, is why review G2P? It’s not a game, it’s a guitar-lesson DVD. My reasons are twofold.
One: Though G2P may not be a game, it sure as hell is marketing itself to gamers. It says “gamers” right there in the title, the DVD cover is using a mock-up of the Guitar Hero font, there’s a picture of a wireless GH3 controller on the box, and the blurbs on the back make ample reference to Guitar Hero and Rock Band, even promising to deliver lessons in “Easy, Medium, Hard, and Expert levels.” It may not be a game, but we gamers are its expressed demographic, so I felt somebody ought to assess whether it deserves our gaming dollars.
Two: I feel that I am a near-perfect test subject for the G2P system. I am absolutely a “gamer,” and my experience in the music/rhythm genre is broad. I’ve played every guitar-peripheral-based game to see a major North American release, and while I might not last long in a professional competition, I play regularly on expert and typically get five-star scores. Among my friends and family, I’m nearly unbeatable at Rock Band, and I’ve destroyed the whammy bar on no less than four guitars across two consoles. That being said, I am not a “player.” I own a nice electric guitar, whose touch and performance is completely alien to me. I can’t so much as play a note without the string rattling horribly and sounding unpleasant. I’ve been shown, on multiple occasions, how to play individual chords and riffs, none of which I can remember or execute more than a week afterwards. I’ve experimented with another instructional DVD, and never progressed beyond the third lesson — the moment I had to manage more than one string, my brain, eyes, and fingers all ceased to function. I am an accomplished Guitar Hero who cannot actually play a thing.
I’m not expecting a miracle from G2P. Most everyone I know has advised that I’ll see the best results if I simply pay for personal lessons, and I tend to agree. On the other hand, if G2P can really deliver on its claims of translating game skills into musical skills, it might provide me with an excellent head start — and help me break through the initial frustration long enough to start down the path to real guitar prowess. So, the next time some smart-ass walks over while I’m playing Rock Band and says “Whatever, you can’t play a real guitar,” I can legally punch them.
As I gear up for this new experiment, I thought I’d begin by explaining exactly what’s going into these DVD lessons, to give you a sense of my starting point.
EQUIPMENT:
Crate GTD15R guitar amplifier
Featuring “two-channel operation” and “spring reverb with level control,” the Crate Amp also comes with a headphone jack, making it ideal for the struggling artist who doesn’t own his own house.
- Korg GA-30 Guitar/Bass Tuner
With high-precision tuning and pitch reference tones, you can be sure that when you sound terrible, it’s not your guitar’s fault.
Limozeen T-Shirt
Do not attempt to rock without one. It’s not possible.
GUITAR:
The crown jewel of this experiment, I received this guitar for Christmas 2007. Ironically, it was given to me for pretty much this exact purpose: Having established that I was spending an inordinate amount of time playing Rock Band, I was presented with the actual instrument and encouraged to direct those efforts toward a more practical skill. The Epiphone Special II is called “a good starter guitar,” and features the vintage sunburst finish, delivering excellent sustain through its Open-Coil Alnico V Humbucker pickups. I have no idea what that means. Still, by all accounts it’s a magnificent instrument; a kick-ass present from the best brother a guy could have. Thanks, man.
A LIFETIME OF MUSIC/RHYTHM GAME EXPERIENCE AND HARD-WIRED HABITS:
How many of the games in that pile have you played? Are there any missing you think I ought to try out? I’m always looking for some good new rhythm games. Not pictured here: My Dreamcast titles, including DDR 2nd Mix (with mat), Samba de Amigo (with maracas), the original Space Channel 5, and an imported copy of Cool Cool Toon. Also not pictured are my PSX titles, including PaRappa 1 and UmJammer Lammy. Also not pictured is Boom Boom Rocket, which doesn’t have a box (curse you, digital age). Needless to say, I’ve spent an awful lot of time pretending to make music. It’s going to be quite difficult, I expect, to shake off the habits I’ve learned in order to handle a real instrument.
If you’re wondering why my Rock Band drums are on a comforter, you clearly do not have downstairs neighbors.
BRIDGING THE GAP:
Here’s the little disc that says my years of gaming haven’t been a giant waste of time. On the box, it swears I will “learn to transfer [my] controller skills to a real guitar.”
I guess we’ll see. Stay tuned for Day One, coming tomorrow.
October 1st, 2008 at 11:32 am
Pretty funny I was just reading about Guitar to Player in the mini magazine from guitar center I got in the mail and am wondering whether it really is worth it.
I have the same amp as you haha.
If anything I might just go for private lessons but, dam $..