- Fender Squier Stratocaster for Rock Band 3 - Photo by author
"Don't just play games -- play guitar." That's the slogan accompanying the recent release of an actual electric guitar for the popular video game "Rock Band 3." The guitar in question is the new Fender Squier Stratocaster for Rock Band 3. It is indeed a real electric guitar, with real strings and frets, and it carries a real guitar's price: $279.99 as of this writing. Here's a look at the guitar and its suitability as a learning tool.
Connecting to an amp
You can plug the Squier Stratocaster into an amplifier and play guitar chords and guitar solos on it, although you'll have to buy your own amp and cord. The Squier is not as full-featured as fancier guitars: it has no whammy bar, for example, and it has game-related features that you probably won't want if you're about to start a 30-city tour with your band. Still, as an entry-level electric guitar, it is a perfectly viable choice.
Connecting to Rock Band 3
Whether or not you own an amp, most likely you will want to try the Squier with Rock Band 3. If that's your plan, you will have to buy one other piece of equipment -- a $40 Mad Catz Midi-PRO Adapter, which allows you to connect the Squier to your game console. The Adapter functions both as a connector and as a game controller, allowing you to make menu choices on the screen. Interestingly, it also sports a small foot-pedal that allows you to trigger "Star Power" in the game -- a convenient alternative to pushing a button or tilting the guitar skyward.
One tip: the game seems to recognize the guitar better if you play with a pick. Invest in one -- you'll need it anyway.
Playing in Rock Band 3
If you're already a proficient guitarist, you'll be able to dive right into the game with the Squier, using "Pro Guitar" mode. All the songs on the Rock Band 3 disc support Pro Guitar, and there are several dozen more Pro Guitar songs available for download (at a price). You can rock out on "Black Magic Woman" (Santana), or "Light My Fire" (the Doors), or "Burning Down the House" (Talking Heads), or even try your hand at blues with "The Thrill is Gone" (B.B. King). Most older Rock Band 3 songs were designed for the Squier's plastic predecessors and thus do not support Pro Guitar mode, but Harmonix (the developer of Rock Band 3) is producing some Pro Guitar "upgrades" to older Rock Band songs, like Boston's "More Than a Feeling."
You can also use the Squier in Rock Band's "Pro Bass" mode. It would be nice if there were a dedicated four-string bass like the Squier, but alas, not yet. Also, if you want to play tunes with no Pro Guitar/Bass mode, you'll want to dig out one of your plastic-button guitars.
Learning in Rock Band 3
So, can you actually learn guitar using the Squier Stratocaster in Rock Band 3? The answer is yes -- if you're willing to put in the time and work. The game includes a "career" mode that functions as an extended series of guitar lessons. The first lessons introduce you to each string, asking you to play some simple melodies on each. Later lessons introduce you to simple guitar chords -- power chords, first-position chords, and eventually the dreaded barre chords.
For a beginner, these chord lessons will probably require a fair bit of effort. Even if you can play basic first-position chords on an acoustic guitar, you'll quickly find new challenges here, because an electric guitarist needs to play further up the neck of the instrument. And if you're brand-new, you'll find that your fingertips hurt after play; pace yourself so you build up callouses gradually.
Eventually the lessons lead you to more challenging rhythm-guitar songs, like "I can See For Miles" (The Who), and ultimately to difficult songs with both rythym and lead guitar elements. It will likely take a novice months of work to get that far, perhaps longer. Even an experienced acoustic-guitar player will find plenty of challenge here. And any student would also benefit from lessons with a live teacher.
The bottom line
So yes, you can learn electric guitar using the Squier Stratocaster in Rock Band 3. But the real question is: do you have the time, energy and commitment required to learn a real musical instrument? If you do, the Fender Squier is a great way to get started.
Geoffrey Watson - Geoffrey Watson teaches and writes about international law, legal issues pertaining to the Middle East, contract law, and legal history.
