What Rock Band Drums Can't Teach
Skills That Won't Translate From the Game to Real Drums
Aug 22, 2008
The goal of Harmonix has always been to provide a way for people who can't play musical instruments to experience the thrill of performing. The drum peripheral in Rock Band is the closest they've come to imitating how a real instrument works, and it truly can be an effective way to learn basic drum skills. However, for those looking to move from Rock Band to a real drum kit, there are some skills you simply can't learn from the video game.
Learning the Layout of a Real Drumset
The biggest obstacles in translating Rock Band skill into real drumming are learning drum placement, and actually learning songs! Since Rock Band shows the player which notes to hit, so the brain doesn't really memorize how a song goes. Basic patterns can be replicated, but recalling exact fills and transitions is tricky.
As far as drum placement, it's important to note that a Rock Band kit has only five pieces - most real drum kits have seven at the bare minimum. Rock Band uses individual drum pads to represent multiple drums, which can be confusing when trying to translate to real drums. Here are some tips:
- The red pad almost always corresponds to the snare drum. The only exceptions are songs that are 16th-note beats, like "Orange Crush" and "Run to the Hills," where the red pad represents the hi-hat.
- The yellow pad most often represents the hi-hat, but also is used for the high tom in drum fills. This can be confusing when moving to a real drum kit, as the hi-hat is generally to the left of the setup, meaning the drummer actually has to cross his right hand over his left - Rock Band doesn't replicate this.
- The blue pad can represent a ride cymbal in most beats or a low tom in fills. It can also represent a second crash cymbal in some situations. Listen to the songs carefully to know which is correct.
- The green pad is used for the crash cymbal, or for a floor tom during fills. The crash cymbal on an actual drum kit is usually on the left side, whereas the green pad is on the right, which can make for a confusing transition.
The Hi-hat and Left Foot Independence
Another key skill that Rock Band can't replicate is the use of the left foot to control the hi-hat pedal. In a real drum set, the drummer uses his left foot to raise or lower the upper cymbal of the hi-hat. This can drastically alter the sound of the hi-hat, making it sound washy or crashy. Skilled drummers often add little accents to basic beats by using this technique. Since Rock Band has no left pedal, it can't teach left leg independence, meaning a drummer will have to learn this skill on the real kit.
It's actually quite surprising how quickly a veteran Rock Band drummer can make the transition to a real drum kit and start playing basic beats and fills. It takes some time to learn the layout of a real kit and how to navigate it, but Rock Band provides a solid base to build on. Rock Band drummers come to the real drum set already understanding concepts of rhythm, limb independence, and endurance that they need to succeed at the real thing.
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