120°

Jack White and Jimmy Page diss 'Guitar Hero' video game

Both Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin) and Jack White (The White Stripes) spoke last week at a press conference in Los Angeles detailing their forthcoming 'It Might Get Loud' documentary, according to NME.

When asked for their thoughts on the popular video game music genre, the band members didn't exactly have any kind words to say.

"It's depressing to have a label come and tell you that ['Guitar Hero'] is how kids are learning about music and experiencing music," Jack White said. Though he said he doesn't care "which format people should get their music in…if you have to be in a video game to get in front of them, that's a little sad."

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YogiBear - 196 days 9 hours ago

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1 -

I agree

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Mindboggle - 196 days 9 hours ago

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1.1 -

So do I

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ID IR A G 0 N - 196 days 9 hours ago

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1.2 -

guitar hero also f*cks up some of the bands themselves by giving them a little kid fanbase and the bands start writing more mainstream frieindly music. its not a bad thing for all bands, but some bands try to change and completely alienate the original fanbase (ATR)

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darthv72 - 196 days 5 hours ago

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1.3 - I disagree...

My son has started playing real guitar thanks to guitar hero. It made him want to play the real thing after listening and playing to songs he likes. He is 11 and learning from the beginning. It wont take him long to pick up on chords and arpageos.

Real guitar heroes play real guitars. He wants to be like that some day and the game is what got him started.

Nothing wrong with that.

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YogiBear - 196 days 3 hours ago

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1.4 - @Darth

That's great that your son plays guitar now. But Guitar Hero did not teach him how to play. Guitar Hero will not teach you about tone, sustaining notes, or better yet how to read music. The first two Guitar Hero's were a revolution for gaming. Since that time the games have become watered down and they have over saturated the market. It is a classic case of diminishing returns. Record companies and numerous bands have discovered that these games will make them money considering a vast majority of people no longer buy music legally anymore.

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PirateThom - 196 days 9 hours ago

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2 -

Imagine if people put as much effort into playing guitar as being able to play DragonForce on expert.

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ID IR A G 0 N - 196 days 9 hours ago

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2.1 -

i have a buddy who quit playing real guitar in favor of guitar hero. not a good trend imo

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guitarded77 - 196 days 9 hours ago

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2.2 -

Then he never really knew how to play guitar.

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poindat - 196 days 9 hours ago

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2.3 -

I really wish I had done that. I've only just started learning guitar, and I have to say, I would gladly have traded my Guitar Hero hours for actual guitar hours.

They do make quite a good party game, but I would hate to be sucked in again, especially with single player which I went back and tried on Rock Band... what a borefest.

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ID IR A G 0 N - 196 days 9 hours ago

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2.4 -

how can you say he didnt know how to play guitar? you never heard him play. just becuase he chose the games instead doesnt mean he didnt know how to play. he just enjoyed guitar hero more. he is one of the best guitar hero players i have ever seen, so why wouldnt he play it a lot. after awhile he just lost interest in playing guitar.

saying that he didnt know how to play guitar is just your elitist way of thinking your a guitar god when your prolly average at best.

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cyberwaffles - 196 days 9 hours ago

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2.5 - guitarded is right

when you experience the fruits of your labor trying to learn real guitar, nothing is more than rewarding than it. it took me years before i could sweep pick and write good music and it wasnt easy. i gave up on it a few times because of the difficulty of it, but still went back to it and eventually disowned guitar hero completely.

you get a lot of satisfaction from learning something so difficult and time consuming instead of a predestinated and pre arranged song in a game. that friend of yours never knew squat about guitar playing as he would've never gave it up for a game. he sounds like a wannabe guitarist.

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ID IR A G 0 N - 196 days 9 hours ago

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2.6 -

whatever you think man. maybe he as well as me realized that trying to play music is not worth the time you put in to it. think about it, you will prolly never make one penny for playing guitar and yet spend thousands of dollars on it. i used to play guitar and was in 5 heavy death metal bands, trust me its not rewarding at all. i have played in the band scene, there is nothing good about it. the bands we know of and get famous are 2% of the bands that are really out there. i didnt quit because of guitar hero, but i (like my friend) grew up and realized how having a real job was better than being in a band.

you can learn all you want on the guitar and good for you, but dont tell me that just cause you want to waste your life on trying to be a musician and my friend doesnt, that he didnt know how to play. until you are in a real band that puts albums out you are nothing but a wannabe guitar player as well.

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guitarded77 - 196 days 8 hours ago

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2.7 -

Wow really, we're going to go there. First off, if you play guitar under the assumption that you are going to be famous or make a lot of money you are a douche. Second it is actually less than 1% that actually make it in the industry. Finally, combined with my college education which I also had to work for, I have the freedom to have a career which I love and have the time and money to support my guitar and video game habits (Maybe I should have went for a meth habit, could have been cheaper). Don't take my statement so personal, if you don't play guitar to play, your not a player, just as I am not an astronaut, because I don't go into space. Does it make sense now?

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cyberwaffles - 196 days 8 hours ago

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2.8 - at 2.6

lol being a musician isnt about being famous. its a form of being creative and expressing yourself. i can play my guitar (if i have time to, usually dont) all day and night. its that much fun. ive played in a few high school bands and recorded some stuff back in the day. it was a lot of fun and even got to play a few gigs. a lot of fun, something you dont get to do on GH.

and i have a life beyond guitar/music just like we all should do with games, just saying real life guitar beats anything GH could ever do.

also, maybe you didnt enjoy being in a death metal band as the music is garbage? lol, i know you may not like this, but death requires the most rudimentary guitar skills ever. its not synchronous, its random, almost no talent needed, it only takes a lot of chugging power muting, retarded cooky monster vocals, solos that are played out of key and scale, etc. atleart melodic metal requires some skill, but with death, youmight as well play guitar hero while your at it.

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ID IR A G 0 N - 196 days 8 hours ago

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2.9 -

hmmmm you just proved my point on how pointless it is to learn to play guitar. you dont have time to play your guitar all the time!!!! omg your not a real guitar player!!!!

i meant it to say heavy /death metal. i realize the most death metal is pretty easy, but i have played in the melodic heavy meatal bands as well. only been in two straight death metal bands

its great that you keep playing, but the arrogant attitude that you guys have is unreal. you just think you are the definition of real guitar players. get over yourselves.

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cyberwaffles - 196 days 8 hours ago

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2.10 - at 2.9

a little video of myself would prove im a guitarist no problem. gotta guitar with bad intonation, cheap and broken zoom 606 pedal, horrible audio pickup quality from a camera, and a nice peavey amp. only question is if i can transfer files through my ps3.

EDIT honesty not trying to be arrogant or act like we are the best. just giving our assessment on what a lot of gh addicts act like.

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Pennywise - 196 days 9 hours ago

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3 -

It is just another outlet of entertainment. I dont think anyone learns how to play an instrument from these games, but it might influence them to pick up a real instrument.

These musicians need to quit being so butthurt over these games... they should be happy that there is a medium that gets all the younger generations to even know their music.

I grew up listening to these guys, so I dont need games to know who they are... but young kids have no clue who they are.

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PS360WII - 196 days 9 hours ago

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3.1 -

I agree with you there. In the end they get to listen to good music right? I'm fairly certain the people who play Guitar Hero and Rock Band know they are not playing real instruments.

I like these two guys even. They play some awesome stuff but get over it guys. Not everyone goes to concerts or buys the new cd or even listens to the radio. So any form of entertainment that creates new music to people should be a good thing.

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LightofDarkness - 196 days 9 hours ago

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Disagree. It's just another step between a potential musician and their instrument that's completely unnecessary. It doesn't really encourage users to pick up and play the instrument because they get instant gratification from guitar hero, whereas in real-life it will take months or years before proficiency develops. They'll try something on guitar, see how hard it is and say "screw it, I can play it in Guitar Hero with my eyes closed, this is too much hassle. How do I keep score, anyway?"

Before Guitar Hero, a kid interested in music's only real option was to pick up the instrument and tough it out. It teaches patience and discipline. But now, they can go to guitar hero, which teaches them about bands and their music (and a cheap form of rhythm keeping), but nothing about guitar or music really. And guitar hero is much cheaper than an actual music hobby; coupled with it's flashy video-game veneer and cultural status it's a much more attractive option as well. These people will become interested in experiencing music, but not playing it. Sure there will be some exceptions, but don't be shocked when the number of genuine musicians seems to diminish in the next 10 years.

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PS360WII - 196 days 9 hours ago

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3.3 -

Well you are assuming people who play Guitar Hero and Rock Band want to actually learn how to play an instrument. Probably only a select few feel that way as most of the time they just want to game it up and happen to be playing a game that houses a good mixture of music.

People don't play Wii Sports and then think they are a tennis pro either.

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LightofDarkness - 196 days 9 hours ago

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3.4 -

Most people who pick up an instrument at first aren't usually dead-set on mastering it. They're just seeing what it's like. For a lot of people, it's about aspiration, to be bigger and better. And that comes from competition.

What happened in my case was a lot of my friends played guitar, and we kept trying to one up each other. The end result was a lot of very talented guitarists ;). However, what happens when you remove that competition? Or, when that competition base has moved from being great at playing actual music to being great at playing guitar hero? When no one cares how fast you can whittle along to Dragonforce in real life, only how many points you can get in Guitar Hero, because that's what all the kids are doing (and are able to do)?

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Pennywise - 196 days 9 hours ago

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3.5 -

Its a game. Why are people so hellbent about the people playing this game playing REAL instruments. Dont come into a thread and be a total hypocrite in your rationale.

So in your argument about kids wanting instant gratification... I think it would only be fair for you to want all the CoD/FPS freaks to run in the streets with machine guns and grenades. If you play burnout, you better be ready for some stunts in your real car when you are driving. Mirrors Edge... You want to travel, get up on the roof tops suckers.

ITS A GAME - Its for fun. Musicians dont care if people go out and buy their CD and dont pick up a guitar... this is another form of musical intake. Musicians are making money, fans are getting their music. Everyone should be happy.

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LightofDarkness - 196 days 9 hours ago

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3.6 -

No one said every person who plays guitar hero should play actual guitar. Stop using straw-man arguments.

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shiner - 196 days 9 hours ago

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3.7 - @ LightofDarkness

I agree and disagree. I see nothing wrong with the decrease of young people wanting to learn an actual instrument. In my opinion certain genres of music have been bombarded and essentially ruined by half-assed guitar playing and watered down writing. A good example (not my favorite) is pop punk. I can't listen to anything post Descendents/All like Blink 182 or Falloutboy without feeling ill.

So, my point is. Maybe the proper musical outlet for some kids IS Guitar Hero. Im all for it if it keeps some kids from getting the "get rich quick" mentality and trying to learn an instrument in 6 months only to pound out crap that brings the rest of the musicians down to their level in the eyes of the general public by extensive radio play.

Maybe the GH craze will separate the wannabes from the actual musical artists and the music world will be better for it in the future.

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cyberwaffles - 196 days 8 hours ago

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3.8 - penny

unless you were a musician, you would never understand. GH/RB may do some good for musical exposure and possible inspiration to pick up the real deal, but it usually hinders the real life counter part. i couldnt tell you how many annoying kids i've met who would rather play dragonforce on expert (not that hard btw) than to challenge themselves to learn the real song and then create their own material. i use to give lessons to some kids in the past and their technique was horrible. held the neck wrong, complained about the weight of the guitar, frets hurted their fingers (little pus$ies) and jacked off on the whammy bar all the time. they gave up on it and complained it was too hard and would rather play GH.

guitar hero players think theyre as amazing as true shredders just for completing their music on expert and they couldnt be further from the truth. if you noticed, the consensus between us long seasoned guitarists agree so instead of judging our issues with the games (including jimmy page, jack white, michael angelo batio, etc) try to understand where we are coming from.

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Pennywise - 196 days 8 hours ago

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3.9 -

Cyberwaffles, What? I can read music, I used to play Sax and Guitar. I didnt have the drive or the time to put in to become great, so I laid down the guitar... My father has been a drummer his whole life, so please... dont try to brush me off like my opinion doesnt count because I am not a struggling musician.

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YogiBear - 196 days 3 hours ago

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3.10 -

At the end of the day they own their music so if that means no Guitar Hero Zeppelin so be it. I enjoyed them on vinyl, cassette, DVD, CD, and one lucky night live. I really don't want to hear someone miss notes on Stairway to Heaven and Black Dog just doesn't seem right.

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guitarded77 - 196 days 9 hours ago

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4 -

While GH has given exposure to some music that may not be heard by some kids (which is good). The amount of damage done by teaching bad form and technique to potential players is not worth the trade-off. If you plan on playing a real guitar one day, listen to me, DO NOT PLAY THESE MUSIC GAMES, they will make the learning curve 5 times what it should be to actually play guitar.

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xabmol - 196 days 9 hours ago

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4.1 - Actually,

I think these games help with timing and learning musical patterns.

I really don't think these games are that bad. If someone really wants to play an instrument they wont just give it up because of GH/RB, and it definitely wont hurt the learning process.

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guitarded77 - 196 days 9 hours ago

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4.2 -

I'm showing my age here, but I have played guitar for 23 years and have worked as a musician for about 8. I have given lessons for about 10 years. I have also played games since the Atari 2600 and within the last few years I have not seen a group of beginners have such a hard time learning good left and right hand technique because of bad habits from initially playing GH games. It is not a timing issue I'm worried about, a kid can learn timing from Super Mario Brothers. But a guitar players bread and butter is his/her technique and GH make for bad technique. As a musician, I say play guitar on guitar and play COD4 and learn timing by getting you shoot on.

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kb8mvp81 - 196 days 9 hours ago

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5 - Guitar Hero is gay!

the only reason i say that is because it has become a franchise that is more into money thanks to activision. Rock Band is way better.

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cyberwaffles - 196 days 9 hours ago

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6 - hell yeah!

jimmy page just shows more and more as time goes on how cool he is. sure some of my all time favorite bands have soldout to guitar hero, but iconic status bands like led zeppelin would never defame their legacy to such lame gimmicks. just as with pink floyd, they are too majestic for GH, they are like sacred emblems of the music world.

as for jack. eh, i respect him for liking page.

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rockguy92 - 196 days 9 hours ago

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7 -

I'm so through with these stupid music games.

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BrianC6234 - 196 days 8 hours ago

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8 -

I have to agree with these guys. Guitar Hero teaches you nothing about playing the guitar. Now the drums might be different since you just hit a drum with two sticks so it's easier to do in a game.

Can't someone come up with a way to hook up a real guitar to a game console and let people learn to play guitar? It shouldn't be that hard. Anyone who wants to learn guitar should stay away from these games. For the amount of money you have to pay for these games you can buy a cheap guitar and get a few lessons.

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cyberwaffles - 196 days 8 hours ago

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8.1 -

that would be sweet, but that would require a lot of work and Activision generally put stuff out that even adobe flash programmers could do.

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guitarded77 - 196 days 8 hours ago

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8.2 -

There actually is software which teaches you songs note for note on screen with backing tracks. Just plug your guitar in set the amp emulator and play for real.

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xabmol - 196 days 7 hours ago

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8.3 - This is coming out pretty soon.

Looks frikin sweet too.

Here's a link to the site. http://www.yourockguitar.co...

And a corny youtube vid.

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Menchi - 196 days 8 hours ago

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9 -

What if someone doesn't want to play an instrument for a career, or even to play for a hobby, but just want to play a rather enjoyable game?

The same people who play Guitar Hero, are the same people who would never pick up a real guitar, because the reality is, you don't need to be interested in the real world equivalent of something, to enjoy the virtual counter part.

For example, I quite like racing games, yet have absolutely no interest in real life races.

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Sheikh Yerbouti - 196 days 8 hours ago

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10 - Playing guitar is great...

the best thing I've ever done for myself personally is taking up the guitar. I only regret doing so in college.

Guitar Hero and Rockband pale in comparision, if you can compare at all. Still I don't think one precludes the other. If you want to play guitar, the games won't do nothing for you.

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CDzNutts - 196 days 6 hours ago

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11 - This conversation is SO off......

Why is Guitar Hero or Rockband SUPPOSED to teach you how to play an instrument?

Is God of War supposed to TEACH you how to hack n' slash 2,000 year old ancient Greek monsters?

Is Gran Turismo supposed to TEACH you how to drive a Maserati?

Is Call of Duty suppoed to TEACH you how to be a pro once you've enlisted in the army?

It seems like everyone here is on a mission to prove that Guitar Hero and/or Rock Band doesn't teach you how to play real instruments. NO SH*T! It's a video game......and far from an instructional video game at that. Anyone who really thinks that these games were out to help people learn how to play real instruments has a brain which cannot connect to the obviousness that is reality.

I'm done.

PS: Hardcore games pwn GH and RB.

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YogiBear - 196 days 3 hours ago

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11.1 -

Guitar Hero never set out to do that, but comments I have heard from gamers you'd think they know how to shred for real just because they beat Bark At The Moon on Expert.

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