Guitar Hero

[Omni]

I'm in the process of writing a guide for Guitar Hero, Guitar Hero 2, and Guitar Hero 80's and was wondering if anyone would actually be interested in reading it. I bought 80's edition the other day and 5 starred everything within 4 hours of purchasing it, and moved on to FCing as many songs as I could so I've got a decent knowledgebase for teaching, but I'm trying to figure out if anyone wants to be taught. And yes, I've 5 starred Jordan, but I won't be providing any help with that, Six, Cowboys From Hell, or Play With Me.(I struggled through all but Play With Me at some point, so you should have to struggle too!) Rather than post the entire guide here when it's finished, I can just offer up tips for individual songs or other strategies for specific technique development. I will be willing to help you with Hard if need be, but my focus is on Expert. Let the questioning or sinking of this thread begin!

[Gimlo]

I'm stuck at Hangar 18 expert

88% and BOOM ....... almost everytimes, sometime even before that...

*cry*

I would accept help :)

[Vero]

i knew thats how omni seduced the ladies..whips out his electronic guitar..and just freaking blows their minds with his fingers...thats my wanus

[Uda]

Jebus, LOL i still cant past the training level, I guess I am old.

[Pinosius]

i dunno why, but i cant fuckin beat beast and the harlot on expert

[Miracael]

Have you guys seen those custom guitar hero songs people make? Theres a bunch of videos of them on youtube.

[npnautica]

ive only played guitar hero 2 and i love it, id be interested in a guide. I can tear up all the medium songs and can only do about 4 songs on expert so any help would be appreciated

[Forsaken]

I dont see how it'd be possible to write a guide to guitar hero.

[Vero]

its actually an audio guide with omni saying red blue blue blue yellow to each song

[Evo]

hahhaa

[Tirrex]

They should make a "Banjo Hero" with samba songs.

[Forsaken]

its actually an audio guide with omni saying red blue blue blue yellow to each song

lol

[Omni]

I'm stuck at Hangar 18 expert

88% and BOOM ....... almost everytimes, sometime even before that...

*cry*

I would accept help :)

Guitar Solo 7 is most likely your problem, what you need to do is break each previous section down and make sure you understand the patterns. All the other sections follow an ascending/descending pattern and once you've seen it a few times you'll start to pick it up. If necessary save as much star power as possible for around the 87% mark and use it there, after that you should be able to handle the rest. Practice the 6 note hammer > chord section that pops up between the solos and you can make sure you have full star power for the end of the song. Also, try getting high scores on Hard to help you learn the song. I'll plug my ps2 back in tomorrow and play it through a few times and give you any tips I can remember from that if what I told you doesn't help.

[Omni]

i dunno why, but i cant fuckin beat beast and the harlot on expert

I'll assume your problem is keeping the rhythm of the alt-strumming sections. You're probably double strumming(hitting notes during spots without a note on the chart) and not changing your left hand quickly enough. Beast and the Harlot was harder for me to 5 star than Six, so I completely understand your pain. Take one of the verse sections into practice mode and slow it down so you can identify the number of strums required for each sequence, and make sure you alt-strum because it's very difficult to do down-strumming. It's next to impossible to fail during the solo, but also next to impossible to hit the 32nd note triplets, so don't focus much on those, just maintain focus on the rest of the song and you should be golden. Once you've beaten the song and get a good grasp of it, I can give you my star power path to help you get the 5 star.

[Omni]

ive only played guitar hero 2 and i love it, id be interested in a guide. I can tear up all the medium songs and can only do about 4 songs on expert so any help would be appreciated

Moving from Medium to Hard is the largest noticeable step you'll take in Guitar Hero. The two immediate differences are the increase of the chart scroll speed and the addition of the orange note. The scroll speed can be overcome quickly, but the orange note will be a primary problem.

To begin with, make sure you're using all 4 fingers and using your pinky as often as possible for orange(aside from extremely fast trills where your pinky may not be able to keep up, in which case slide to middle/ring or index/middle)
From this point on in the game, your base of operations is now the red note. For hitting the green note you will slide your hand over to hit it and any attached notes if it is a chord, then slide back over to red. There are very few exceptions to this rule, and you'll know it's an exception when you see 90% of the notes being green or having a green base. The reason for this is that it is far easier to move your index finger over than it is to move your pinky, so you'll try to put as much work on it as possible. Once you've mastered playing from red and the control of your pinky, the orange note will no longer be a problem.

Another aspect of Hard/Expert that is very important is Hammer-ons and Pull-offs. Compared to Guitar Hero I, the HO/PO system in Guitar Hero II and 80's is very forgiving, although very unlike an actual guitar. I would recommend doing the tutorial included with the game to learn this mechanic, because this is going to be what gets you through some of those outrageously hard solos and trills. When you get to Freebird and you can't use Hammers, you're going to wish you learned how. Just remember, any time you see a hammerable note(note with no black inner circle), do it, because the more you practice the more natural it becomes. Songs like Jessica, Thunderhorse, and Laid to Rest have enormous amounts of HO/PO's and should be used as a learning tool if you're not able to get the technique right away.

Those are the primary issues you'll be dealing with initially, but you'll soon be coming across new problems like Sliding and Alt-Strumming that you may need help with, in which case let me know and I'll do what I can.

If you can't pass a song after a few tries, go back to an easier bracket or back down to Hard if you're doing Expert. Hard and Expert go hand in hand so techniques you pick up in either difficulty will generally help you in the other. Try to 5 star all the songs before moving on to the next bracket, and if you get completely stopped, try some of the bonus songs to help calm the nerves and help you progress without making you feel like you have to beat the song. And don't freak out when you get stuck on Psychobilly Freakout(no pun intended), Carry Me Home, Institutionalized, or Hangar 18. Those songs were meant to be difficult and you wouldn't be the first(or the millionth) person to fail them.

Above all else remember to have fun, and take breaks often. You don't want to burn out too quickly, and you don't want to end up with carpul tunnel(sp?). If you experience any pain in your fingers or wrists, stop playing for the day or switch to lefty-flip and see how ambidextrous you really are!

[Samo]

I could use some help with psychobilly freakout on hard mode. I can't get the really fast parts wtih the hammer-ons and pull-offs.

[Omni]

If you could give me the specific sections so I can go through and replay them.