How to Get Better at Rock Band or Guitar Hero

Rock Band and Guitar Hero World Tour are the definitive musical party games, but can be frustrating when the other players in your band are playing at a higher difficulty level than you. There are a few tricks you can use to get better at Rock Band or Guitar Hero and improve not only your scores, but your enjoyment of the game.

Things You'll Need

• Game of Choice
• Chosen Instrument Accessory
• XBox 360, PS3, or Wii

Instructions

1. Warm up with easier songs before moving on to harder ones. Begin by mastering simple, straightforward songs like "Eye of the Tiger" to get the feel of the game down before moving on to more difficult ones like "Don't Fear the Reaper." As with a real musical instrument, you will need time to warm up before you will be ready to tackle difficult songs.

2. Practice often. Just like with playing a real musical instrument, the only way to get better is to keep practicing until your fingers start remembering the proper sequences. With the practice mode, you can play a troublesome section of a song over and over until you get it. You can even slow down the tempo.

3. Learn how to perform hammer-ons and pull-offs. They will make difficult guitar sections much easier. "Green Grass & High Tides" is a great song to use for practicing these techniques.

4. Turn on "No Fail Mode." If you are not constantly worrying about failing out of the song, you will be able to relax and have more fun with it. A large part of playing music is flowing with the rhythm, and that is very difficult when you are not relaxed.

Tips & Warnings

• When playing a high fret, you do not have to release the lower frets first.

• You don't have to play at the same difficulty level as the others. Each player has his or her own difficulty settings.

• Be patient. Like anything else, improvement comes with time and practice.