In Praise of Video Games
When we first got Guitar Hero, Emmett wouldn't play it. He wouldn't even try strumming the guitar while David or I handled the fret buttons. Too intimidating, somehow.
Rock Band has two features that have been essential to Emmett learning to play. First, it has a drum set, which was enticing enough to get Emmett to play. I'm not sure if he thinks the drums are easier than guitar or not, but David and I both think they're harder. The second feature is a "no fail" mode, in which you can play through a song even if you're terrible (normally, you "fail" and have to start over). So Emmett started playing Rock Band on the drums.
At first, he would only play songs rated very easy for the drums. As he got more comfortable, he began trying harder songs too. Now David complains that he wants to play really hard songs when they're playing together. Emmett plays by himself sometimes, and I hear him in the basement using the drum trainer - a practice mode offered by the game for learning some common rock rhythms. He's getting pretty good (he's better than I am, though I haven't practiced at all). It's harder than you think to maintain different rhythms with your foot (the base drum pedal) and hands (the drum heads and some cymbals).
And then a miracle occurred. Emmett started playing guitar. Frets and strumming, both! We think the work on the drums got him listening to the beat better, so strumming became easy for him and he could focus on the fret buttons. In any case, he's over his guitar phobia and having a great time making music in the basement.
Rock Band has two features that have been essential to Emmett learning to play. First, it has a drum set, which was enticing enough to get Emmett to play. I'm not sure if he thinks the drums are easier than guitar or not, but David and I both think they're harder. The second feature is a "no fail" mode, in which you can play through a song even if you're terrible (normally, you "fail" and have to start over). So Emmett started playing Rock Band on the drums.
At first, he would only play songs rated very easy for the drums. As he got more comfortable, he began trying harder songs too. Now David complains that he wants to play really hard songs when they're playing together. Emmett plays by himself sometimes, and I hear him in the basement using the drum trainer - a practice mode offered by the game for learning some common rock rhythms. He's getting pretty good (he's better than I am, though I haven't practiced at all). It's harder than you think to maintain different rhythms with your foot (the base drum pedal) and hands (the drum heads and some cymbals).
And then a miracle occurred. Emmett started playing guitar. Frets and strumming, both! We think the work on the drums got him listening to the beat better, so strumming became easy for him and he could focus on the fret buttons. In any case, he's over his guitar phobia and having a great time making music in the basement.
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