Guitar Hero

Rock On!

Scott started the summer with less camp and more free time than his brother. While he was happy to spend the hours plopped in front of one of the many screens in our house, his parents had other ideas. Scott decided early on that he wanted to earn money this summer. I thought this was a great idea, although my idea of a fair wage and his idea, didn't always synch.

Scott had his heart set on a $75 game from Best Buy. I didn't pay too much attention to his summer goal because frankly I didn't think he could earn $75. Well he earned it, although I accused him of using voodoo economics when he calculated what he was owed. There were washed cars, washed windows, walked dogs, cooked meals, and general help around the house. I got tired of hearing, "Dad what can I do for you." Well, actually I didn't mind the phrase, but it was the implied "for a small fee" that started to get annoying. But he did it and was quite proud of his accomplishment.

In early August with Kevin away at sleep away camp, the three of us headed out to Best Buy to buy “Guitar Hero II,” a game for the PlayStation. I wasn’t sure exactly what this was, but Scott assured me that it was all the rage in 11-year-old circles.

Guitar Hero is a plastic guitar with bright colored buttons where the guitar frets would be and a plastic lever to simulate the strumming of strings. While it looks like a guitar, it is really a PlayStation controller that plugs into the console. The game allows the best air-guitar savants to press and strum and strut to a tune with absolutely no musical talent. The result is that the player becomes an instant guitar playing sensation. If for some reason you make an error, you’ll hear a clunking sound. But, if you follow the colored balls you’ll be rewarded with some great riffs. Timing, finger work and some musical sense can turn anyone into a rock star.

Scott sat in front of the TV and started to play. Even from the first try he appeared to have discovered his hidden talent. And yet as he played he looked like he was somehow out of the 1940s. He played his guitar in a sitting position, with little or no movement and not so much as a tapping toe!

I decided it was time to teach the young lad what rock and roll was all about. Playing to the tune of Rock This Town (made famous by the Stray Cats), I mangled the song, but demonstrated how to swing the hips, move the instrument and generally look like a rock and roll star. I showed him how to pipe the music from the TV through the stereo system and insisted that if his mother wasn’t complaining about the volume level, that he wasn’t doing it correctly.

Since that first night Scott has gone on to master the “medium” difficulty level and is moving on to the “hard” level. He still doesn’t look the part, as much as I would like, but he’s so good that Eve and are half convinced that he might be pretty good playing a real guitar.

His father, on the other hand, is getting no better than that first night, but I have to admit that I look forward to my turn in the spotlight. I’ve been shouted out for wasting an evening trying to perfect my Message In A Bottle and am considering complaining to the company because their point scheme is music based and doesn’t award me the style points that I feel I deserve.

Rock on!

August 27, 2007