Five Ways to Improve at Plastic Guitar in Guitar Hero or Rock Band

Guitar Hero and Rock Band have become sensations in the video gaming world, and a staple at parties and bars around the world. While it is much easier to play then the actual guitar, the plastic guitar can present its own challenges, especially on the tougher songs. Here are a few simple steps to improve your game.

1. Practice. Just like any other skill, the more you work at it, the better you will get. More specifically, these games usually have a practice or training mode on each song that lets you try the song slower then normal and without failing. They also let you attempt that tricky section at the end of a song without playing the four minutes leading up to it. Sometimes you just need to get your fingers used to what they are supposed to be doing, after that everything falls into place. Of course, to practice it helps to own the game at home. That is how they get you, one day you play it at a party on a lark; the next day you are practicing Freebird for three hours in front of your TV.

2. Play a level above what is comfortable. Usually people will settle at a level that is easy for them and they can hit most of the notes. They'll play along happily, passing song after song, until they reach the end of the list where they encounter "that song." It's different in each game, and for each player, but it's always there. The song that throws you for a loop and seems impossible to pass.

What smart players do as they go along, is play all those songs that were easy for them on a harder difficulty level. The harder difficulties will teach you new skills and introduce you to new patterns that will make the other songs look like a piece of cake. It will improve your skill set and make the transition to that difficulty later, when you've beaten all the songs on the easier difficulty, much easier.

It also helps to prevent bad habits from forming. In both Rock Band and Guitar Hero, the medium difficulty doesn't use the fifth button on the controller, to make it easier. However on Hard and Expert the fifth button is used extensively. If you're not used to sliding your fingers or stretching your pinky because you never had to do it on medium, the transition to hard will be very rough. If you try it earlier, it is not long before you can use that fifth button without a thought.

3. Don't hold on too tightly. When you are in the middle of a song, as you concentrate more and more on the notes, the tendency is to grip tighter and tighter on to the neck of the controller. This tenses up the hand and makes your fingers tired and less accurate. Soon you will notice you are missing notes and your fingers hurt like hell after each song. Make it a point to relax your hand and to hit the buttons with a light touch.

4. Listen to the song. It is no coincidence that the songs you are best at are the ones you know already. It may seem obvious, but knowing what a song is supposed to sound like makes a big difference in how well you can play that song. So if you come across a song you're not that familiar with, get familiar! Don't just hear it during the game, Listen to it on youtube, or buy the mp3 and stick it on your iPod, sing along to it in the car, etc. This can turn an incomprehensible wall of notes in to a mind bending solo you know by heart. During a long series of strums it won't be guesswork when to stop and start, just strum along with the song, no counting involved. Now if you don't like the song this can be a problem, hearing a song you hate over and over again isn't good for the psyche, but sometimes you will find yourself liking a song you never expected to enjoy.

5. Practice. Okay, this is cheating, but it is simply that essential. We can talk technique for ages, but there is no substitute for getting out there and doing it. It'll take time, but the feeling when you finally beat that finger boggling song you've spent forever playing can't be topped.

Have any tips to share? Comment below!