Sarlacc

so...if I am using rock band drums, etc.

Is this game worth buying?

Doom878

not for 60 IMO

Ken1997TL

I ordered GH Aerosmith for $50, includes the guitar too..

Sarlacc

downloaded the demo and the answer is yes. picked it up yesterday.

fawk my hands get tired....every song on there is of epic length. Sitting on a stool sucks for my back, too but I always power through that.

I need to figure out a less fatiguing way of holding the sticks.

ChodTheWacko

Eventually your forearms will build up strength, if that's what is getting tired. What also helps a lot is to alternate hands as much as possible. So if you have RY Y Y Y RY, for
example, you could do LR R L R LR. Don't just keep using the right hand hitting Y nonstop.

Likewise, if you have a very quick R R G, you use R L R.
An alternate way is to do L L R, but use a very quick 'snapping' motion of your left hand (like cracking a whip),
to do the second L via the rebound bounce. Not unlike
how you can get two (or more) bounces of a ball with one downard hand motion.

There are lot of good drumming instructional videos on youtube.

- Frank

Sarlacc

sweet thanks.

I think drums on GH is easier than rock band...but its also reading my RB drums...so there is one less color to deal with.

Doom878

Little by little I've been loosening my grip and using more snapping as Frank mentioned. The key is to get the bounce so that it's easier and less stressful on your forearm and bicep. I tried Dammit by Blink 182 last night for the first time on expert. I did about 60% before failure but my bicep got tight quick. Shit was too fast to one hand the yellows so next time I'll alternate hands.

Sarlacc

Its my thumbs that start to ache. I think I might be holding the sticks too lose.

Doom878

Ache like a pain or friction burn?

Sarlacc

ache. I end up using my thumbs to propel the sticks. I'm working on teaching myself to hold my thumbs more on the side. Much more comfortable in the long run but unatural feeling til I get used to it.

ChodTheWacko

Oh, I used to do that - have my thumbs on top of the stick and push with them. I think I used to play palms slightly to the side more. Now I play palms down (which is the way it should be), and I stopped.

I don't know if this is useful or not, but here is how I hold my sticks (right hand). I could probably adjust it some more, but it works pretty well for me so far. I can pass about 2/3s of my songs on expert. (and I get totally owned by the rest - mainly fast rolls)




I barely use my thumbs at all now - they just keep the sticks from swinging to the side and flying out of my hands.

- Frank

Sarlacc

Yeah that is how I am trying to hold them now.

Course on Metallica I'm a medium level player.

On rock band I have started doing hard. But it gets HARD. Expert....hell it would kill me.

is300eater

do you guys' eyes start getting all watery because you're afraid to blink?

ChodTheWacko

Nah. Actually I play more by sound than sight.
Once you start recognizing note patterns, you can/should start looking ahead, so that you have time to analyze/prepare for a weird pattern that's coming up.
(Also, I never quite got video calibration figured out, ha ha)

I do concentrate pretty hard, and I've noticed that when I'm done playing,
if i look at a book or something, the text floats around a bit, like I'm tripping
on something.

- Frank

is300eater

^^^I'm not as in to GH as some of you guys... but I remember back in the day, when I was totally hooked on Tetris and afterwards... EVERYTHING starts shape like the blocks, especially tiles

Sarlacc

My eyes will go dry after a long spell. My contacts will pop out.

I was playing late last night and I was playing all blurry eyeed to finish the song, but I tend to play like Chod. I look ahead to try and prep for whats coming.

Doom878

Frank, do you get fast rolls at all with that grip? That's pretty much my weakness at this point. I'm getting better when they're in spurts but I can't sustain them like in Everlong or Teenage Riot.

My other weakness is bass pedal. Unfortunatley I'm limited in chairs so I might try the Blockhead pedal to make my pedal pushing easier. I can double bass no problem now. It's just those triple bass with a note in-between like in When You Were Young hurt my legs.

ChodTheWacko

When it's heavy repeated bass pedal, I tend to have both feet on my toes, and it's like I'm running up stairs on the balls of my feet.

I can roll fairly well, I guess. At least I can pass 'Young' on expert aka:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hU87iFGrPkE

When you mix fast rolls with something funkier with the bass pedal (like teen age riot and everlong, or say, rio) my brain short circuits and I fail out. i have a hard time getting back into rhythm.

The goodwoods might be making my life easier for rolls, since they have nicer rebound.

- Frank

Sarlacc

holy fuck I could never NEVER play that song on expert. hell.

Doom878

Can't see Youtube link. I pass Young but very f'in ugly. And I agree with you on songs that switch it up. I was doing practice mode on Everlong last night. I'm getting better with the rolls on RB1 pads that I can get to 3x and then the stupid bass comes up. After a while my biceps start burning. After playing this, Monkey Wrench, and the Foo track pack I'm starting to hate Dave Grohl. I think our best bet is to practice slower songs where you have to hit the same pad with both hands and then hit a tom or bass. I'm thinking E-Pro or The Hand that Feeds.

Sarlacc

I saw the RB2 drum cymbal kit was out today....might be time to upgrade to the RB2 drums....

Sarlacc

But I do wonder if it adds a 5th hit like the GH drums...or just replace two of the pads. Or if I hook into GH to play metallica if it will give me that fifth note...damn it. too much info needed to make a choice. fark.

ChodTheWacko

It won't, it just replaces two of the pads.
To get 5 cymbal play, you have to get the GHWT drums.

The only difference it really makes is during fills of RB songs, you get cymbal sounds when you hit the cymbals, and drum sounds when you hit the drums. In regular gameplay they act identical, although in theory it is more fun to hit a cymbal when you know it is a cymbal hit.

I'm not getting them, personally. I'm hoping in RB3
they start charting cymbals, in which case I'd get them without a second thought.

- Frank

Sarlacc

boo...going to wait then.

I'm getting enough out of playing metallica with just the RB drums...but it kinda sucks knowing there is a crash cymbal I'm not getting to hit during the songs...specially during the fills.

I just dont want, and wont have 2 sets of drums.

Doom878

I remember hitting green in the fills for GH:M and it was a cymbal. Unfortunately in RB2, it's a tom as Frank stated. I'm going to get the Beatles set because my wife is a huge fan. Pearl finish but I hope it's an improved set (quieter, better pedal).

Sarlacc

green is a cymbal...but its the hi hat....still have others.

Derk's K24

Since I just got World Tour a couple months ago I delayed picking up Metallica but I went ahead and snagged it last night and I was immediately hooked. Played for like 2 hours and completed 20%. However I must admit I've been playing on easy since my first time picking up a guitar period was when I got World Tour. I think I can handle medium cuz I've notched a couple 99%'s but I'm going to hate the adjustment period of using another finger and getting lower scores. LOL!!!

Doom878

Once you add that finger, you'll be itching to go to hard and use all 5 buttons.

Derk's K24

^ I bet! I'm also getting used to the slider as well. I've been trying to figure out if it's better to use my fret hand or strum hand because it's easier with the fret hand just because the button lay out is the exact same but it's hard to get my fingers back on the frets in the right position quickly.