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Rock Band Guide
by
Valerie Hilgenfeldt
The awe of the crowd, the mist from the dry ice machine, and
the heat of the pyrotechnicsÏRock Band can't simulate those
parts of a stage performance, but with its help, you can do the
rest. When you start touring the digital world, we'll help you
learn how to use those instruments to their full potential. And
when you've played every last set and are sitting pretty at the
top of the mountain, don't forget where you came from! We'll be
waiting here to help you polish your methods whenever you
stumble, and to provide reference materials for anyone yearning
to tour again.
Inside this Rock Band guide...
Ç General Information & Glossary Breakdown
Ç Guitar & Bass Playing Tips
Ç Drumming Tips & Techniques
Ç Vocal / Singing How To
Ç Advanced Playing Methods
Ç Complete Track Listing
Ç Achievements / Trophies Tips
But before you start planning your second trip 'round Rock Band's world, you've got to get started on your first.
Let's get to it!
¨ 2010, IGN Entertainment, Inc. May not be sold, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast, in whole or part, without IGNÓs express permission. You
may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. All rights reserved.
¨ 2009 IGN Entertainment, Inc.
Page 1 of 10
Rock Band General Information
Glossary
Body
The wide, bottom area of your guitar.
Combo
If you've hit several notes in a row without missing, you have a "combo" going. A combo is an
ascending count of the notes you've hit in sequence, and increases your score (see:
"Multiplier" in this glossary).
Drum Fill
Whenever a drummer's highway becomes five fat, solid, and colored bars, they're at a "drum
fill." This appears during a big finish at the end of songs for earning bonus points, and to
activate your Overdrive (see: "Earning & Using Overdrive").
Fill
In this guide, "fill" is slang for the aforementioned "drum fill."
Foot Pedal (AKA
Drum Pedal)
This is the pedal on the bottom of the drum kit, and it's used to hit the long, orange notes on
a drummer's highway (see: "Working the Pedal").
Frets
The five colored buttons at the top of the guitar's neck are its "frets." You'll press whichever
button matches the incoming note on-screen, and strum to hit it successfully.
Hammer-On
If you see a low note followed by a smaller, higher-pitched note (going from left to right),
you'll only need to strum the first one and can tap the second. In doing so, you'll perform a
"Hammer-On" (see: "Hammer-Ons and Pull-Offs").
Headstock
This is the top (hence "head") of the guitar.
Highway
During gameplay, you'll notice a graphic in the center of your screen which resembles a real
fret board, and the notes you're to play will descend along it. This area is nicknamed the
"highway."
Kick Drum
This is the specific kind of bass drum which rock artists use, and in this guide, it may
reference notes that you'll hit with the foot pedal.
¨ 2009 IGN Entertainment, Inc.
Page 2 of 10
Multiplier
If you have a lengthy combo going, a number will appear at the bottom-center area of your
instrument's highway. This is your "multiplier," and can go up to 4x (or if you're in Overdrive,
8x). As its name implies, it multiplies the amount of points you earn per note.
Neck (AKA
Fretboard)
Just as the headstock is the top of the guitar, its neck is the slender area connecting that and
the body (it's also where the frets are located).
Note
Their literal definition aside, "note" refers to those colorful, rectangular objects scrolling down
your highway.
Octave
In music, do you understand the difference between a "high C" and a "low C?" If you do, you
already understand the octave. It signifies a musical note whose frequency is only half as
high as another, yet playing the two of them together results in harmony. Though it may
sound complicated, find and listen to some examples of similar octaves played apart, then
together.
Overdrive
When you've hit enough glowing phrases of white notes, you'll add power to your
"Overdrive." When used, this ability will yield higher scores and can save you from failing out
of a song (see: "Earning & Using Overdrive").
Pad (AKA
Drumhead)
This refers to the color-ringed pads of your drum kit, which you'll strike to play notes.
Pull-Off
If you see a high note followed by a smaller, low-pitched note (going from right to left), you'll
only need to strum the first one and can tap the second. In doing so, you'll perform a "Pull-
Off" (see: "Hammer-Ons and Pull-Offs").
Sustain
Whenever you see a rectangular note followed by a long line, it's called a "sustain."
Overdrive chords should be whammied to sap out all their juice (see: "Earning & Using
Overdrive").
Tapping
In Rock Band's world, this refers to literally tapping the fret buttons (see: "Tapping & Speed
Strumming").
Whammy
The long, thin, silver bar on your guitar's body is called the "whammy bar." By depressing it
on and off during long chords, you can warp the note's sound. When used on glowing
chords, it'll earn you more Overdrive Power (see: "Earning & Using Overdrive").
¨ 2009 IGN Entertainment, Inc.
Page 3 of 10
Rock Band Guitar & Bass: How To
Æ
Holding the Guitar
+ Using the Frets
Hammer-Ons & Pull-Offs
+ Strumming in Style
Ç
Hold on, sparky! We know you're itching to jump onto the stage, but if this is your first time, there's a few things
you've got to learn. Think of yourself like a martial artist, and remember that patience is a virtue: you can't leap
into a battle unprepared and expect to win. To ensure you're properly armed and ready, we'll teach you how to
rock that plastic axe like nobody's business. And if you haven't tried out the in-game guitar tutorials yet, you
should do so after reading our "Holding the Guitar" section.
Holding the Guitar
Our suggestions will aid you in finding the perfect
form for musical combat, and you can meld bits and
pieces of each methodology to create your own style.
In the end, choose whatever is most comfortable for
you, for it will lead you to certain victory.
Using the Frets & Open Strum
You've settled into a comfortable position, have a firm
grip on your tool, and need to know one more thing:
how to use it. You wouldn't have any fun if we didn't
help you out (what are friends for, right?), so we'll start
with fret education. Those five, stripe-labeled buttons
at the top of the guitar's neck are the frets we speak
of. They come in five delicious colors, which are (from
top to bottom): green, red, yellow, blue, and orange.
When the appropriate button is depressed, you'll use
the white strum bar to actually hit a note. In the
beginning, you'll quickly make friends with the green,
red, and yellow frets, as they're the only three utilized
in Easy Mode.
For acoustic and living room guitarists alike, the
most common pose is as follows: sit upright, rest
the curve of the guitar's body against your leg,
and put your left hand on the frets with your right
on the strum bar.
Lefties would reverse their hand
positioning, but everything else would stay the same.
This is the most traditional method, but the small size
of the plastic Stratocaster will make it uncomfortable
for some people. However, it could prove useful to
those practicing power strumming (see: "Strumming
in Style").
Your pointer finger may instinctively head for the
green button, but you must resist that temptation!
Ideally, your four fingers will be placed like so: pointer
on the red, middle on the yellow, ring on the blue, and
pinkie on the orange. To
hit the green
notes, you'll
slide your pointer upward on the fret board, and return
it to the red button afterward. This is important to learn
if you want to surpass Easy Mode, and will impress
any nearby witnesses who haven't played Rock Band
themselves. Then you can invite them to jump into the
game with you. Win-win, right?
Let's assume you do enjoy sitting, but don't like
resting the guitar's body on your leg. Try this:
tighten the shoulder strap till the guitar is resting
against your chest (closer to your head), and then
place your hands on the fret and strum bar
accordingly.
This one is a real endurance-tester, and
if it sounds uncomfortable to you before you try it, it's
likely not for you. Regardless, some guitarists adore
this style and prefer it to all the others. It's easier to
manage if you're sitting in a chair with arm rests, too.
Once you've worked up the courage to approach
Medium Mode, you'll start using that formerly
neglected ring finger. Knowing how to slide your
pointer will become even more important, especially
when you finally move on to Expert, and bring the
orange fret into the fray. Once you have reached the
hardest
m
ode in the
ga
m
e, learning to use your pinkie
for the orange button will be essential. Practice makes
perfect, and remember: it pays to be versatile.
Now, there are surely some of you who really
don't want to stand, but didn't like the
aforementioned suggestions. Here's one more for
you: seat yourself in front of a table or desk, lay
the guitar flat on its back in front of you, and learn
to play it "keyboard style."
Though it's nothing like
the real deal, this method appeals to players of all
types. For the kiddies, it's a way of overcoming their
inability to hold the guitar while supporting its weight,
and lets them enjoy Rock Band. Meanwhile,
professional fretters use tabletops to expertly tap their
way through the most demanding tracks in musical
gaming (see: "Tapping & Speed Strumming"). You'll
need to secure the guitar somehow if you don't want it
sliding all over the place.
Oh, and here's a special technique for you bass
players: the "open strum." Whenever you see a solid
line descending along your highway, you'll want to
release all the frets, wait for it to reach the bottom, and
then hit the strum bar. It might sound tricky, but
mastering this unique note is the key to complete
fretting satisfaction.
Assuming you're feeling more confident now, it's time
for you to learn the finer details of playing with the
frets.
¨ 2009 IGN Entertainment, Inc.
Page 4 of 10
When you're ready to stand on your own two feet, it's time to break out the true performer's style:
standing up, you'll loosen the shoulder strap till the guitar is hanging near the bottom of your torso,
and will curl your fret hand around the front of the neck while your strumming arm rests against the
instrument's body.
Maybe this isn't as "traditional" as the first method, but it's how electric guitarists love to
shred it up on stage. By resting the palm of your fretting hand against the back of the guitar's neck, you'll
alleviate some of the pressure on your back, and your fingers won't wear out as quickly. Additionally, setting
the base of your wrist against the axe's body will lighten your load even more, and help you stay oriented.
Any of those four styles can be yours, or they might help you develop your own. Go ahead and try all of them
out, unless one feels so right that once you've tried it, you can't look back. Each of them can carry you through
every difficulty in the game as long as you're confident about whichever you use. Don't force yourself to utilize
a method that isn't natural at all, because whether you're doing this casually or with a vengeance, the point is
always to have fun.
Æ
Holding the Guitar
+ Using the Frets
Hammer-Ons & Pull-Offs
+ Strumming in Style
Ç
Hammer-Ons & Pull-Offs
In the glossary, we touched on how hammer-ons ("HOs") and pull-offs ("POs") function. You won't encounter
challenging HOPOs till Hard Mode at least, but you should learn about them beforehand. Fortunately, the in-
game tutorials for guitar will do a fine job of enlightening you, and you should complete them ASAP. Those
aside, here's a deeper explanation of how they work:
The top green button represents the lowest notes
on the musical scale, while the orange fret is for
the highest. Naturally, this means that to move
from low to high equals going from the top of the
fret board to the bottom. Hammer-ons are low-to-
high notes sequences, and they begin with one
normal-sized rectangular note followed by one or
more smaller bars.
What makes these so special is that you only
have to tap the fret buttons for the smaller,
subsequent notesÏyou won't have to strum all of
them. This is roughly akin to the real life hammer-
on it takes its name from, where guitarists strum
the strings just once and use tapping (or "fretting")
to hit a few notes more. Their name also helps
you understand that you'll be going from low to
high, as you will be "hammering on" your fingers subsequently, from your pointer to your pinkie.
Their opposite is the pull-off, which takes you from
the high end of the scale to the lower. Like the
HO, this method gets its name from "pulling off" or
away from the frets, by withdrawing your fingers
from the pinkie to the pointer. Neither HOs nor
POs (or their back-and-forth big brother, the
HOPO) necessarily require the use of every single
fret, to note; that just helps paint a clearer mental
picture by explaining their largest potential range.
A pull-off may be as simple as strumming an
orange note and following with a tap of blue, then
nothing else. Likewise, a hammer-on could
consist of a yellow strum, then a blue tap.
Technically, you could strum every note whether
it's part of a HO or a PO, but you shouldn't. No
matter how simple they are, you should try your
best to tap the smaller notes instead of strumming them. Learning to HOPO is important, and the only way to
¨ 2009 IGN Entertainment, Inc.
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