Now you’ve done it. You pawned the Gucci handbag grandma bought you for Christmas and spent the money on a second hand flying V and a mean Marshall stack. (Can you say “whammy bar” grandma? ) Your spirit is strong. You are channeling the guitar-Zen of Jennifer Batten, the fury of Nancy Wilson, and the machine-gun rhythms of Gabriela Quintero. But that beast with the chrome finish is staring at you from it’s place on the wall. Pick it up. Now. You won’t become the next girl guitar hero by staring at it. First, don’t be afraid to turn it up. Feedback and dissonance are part of nature’s glory; things collide in chaotic and random ways.
Harness the power of this chaos and give harmony a rip in the pants. Realize that anything played loud enough, with enough force and confidence, will either sound incredibly cool or incredibly intimidating. Either is acceptable. Second, learn to play power chords. “Root plus fifth equals adrenaline” should be your motto. PJ Harvey knows this. Listen to her daily. Just because you are a girl guitar player doesn’t mean you have to play nice. Third, realize that the press-on nails might have to go. If they get in the way of your fret action, grab the clippers and send them to the trash bin.
There’s nothing more frustrating than messing up a solo because a fingernail caught on a stray string. Some girls may have no problem playing with long nails. Do what works, just don’t let your guitar music suffer. Fourth, check your strings. If you find them hard to press or bend, get some lighter-gauge strings. Your guitar should be easy to play. This isn’t just a girl thing; Eddie Van Halen plays lighter strings than Nancy Wilson. (She could probably take him in a fist fight too. ) Just pick strings that are comfortable. Fifth, find your influences. Listen to the music that moves you most.
Doing so will inspire your playing, and you will play and practice more often. If you want to play some nice chamber music or a classical Paganini tune, go for it. Wail like Chrissie Hynde if you wish. Growl like Joan Jett if you dare. Just play the guitar your way. Ok, time to start playing. Just unleash whatever you feel. Noise is your friend and convention is your enemy. Beat those strings like a rock star should and your guitar will feel right at home, girl. Now when you tell that snotty-nosed hippy boy down the road that there are plenty of awesome girl guitar players, you can count yourself among them.
You have your own set of nickel-bound strings of doom. You are the next girl guitar hero. Bret Sanor grew up in Sebring, Ohio and began his musical journey with a drum set at the age of three. He learned to play the marching cadences used by the marching band at football games. By grade school, he began playing the trumpet/coronet, however he traded in the brass for the guitar, by following this love for rock and metal music. He bought his first Harmony guitar by age fifteen out of a Fingerhut catalog. In addition to the guitar, he plays about twenty different instruments.
After learning some music theory, he’s been able to transpose music easily for each of them. However, despite an amazing start to his musical career, it almost came to an end. “In 2002, I faced a horrific industrial accident at my job while making sandpaper, leaving my life and ability to ever play music again, hanging in the balance. My fervent faith in God grew stronger and after being miraculously healed and doing months of rehabilitative therapy, I play better than I did before, despite doctors telling me I’d never play again.
I now have a newfound passion for music and spreading the Word of Jesus Christ to the world. ” Bret currently resides in North Canton, Ohio and performs in the area, focusing primarily on “virtuoso style instrumentals. I have my own flare and flavor of music that sets me apart from other artists with a wide span of styles and genres. ” His fingers seem to fly non-stop over the frets, producing an impressive end product that is sure to be met with enthusiasm (and a bit of envy) by guitar enthusiasts. SA: Who are your musical influences?
Bret: God, Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Franz Liszt, Paganini, Chopin, Handel, Michael Angelo Batio, Yngwie Malmsteen, Jason Becker, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Eric Johnson, Tony MacAlpine, Frank Gambale, Alan Holdsworth, Dream Theater, Django Reinhardt, Joe Pass, Brent Mason, Petra, Metallica, Pantera, Mudvayne, Disciple, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Randy Rhoads, Jake E. Lee, Led Zepplin, Steve Miller, SRV, Buddy Guy, Johnny Cash, Dwight Yoakum, Buckethead, Paul Gilbert, Neil Zaza much much more… SA: Do you have a personal favorite style of music?
Bret: Well, probably some form of fairly hard rock. It varies though, I like everything; just depends on my mood really. SA: Do you write your own music? Bret: Yes. Most of the time, I write all the parts for all the instruments. I also play the instruments in the studio, not just the guitar parts. SA: How did you get started performing? Bret: I always wanted to play in front of people. In high school, I played coronet in the marching band and played first trumpet parts and solo in the concert band.
I guess that’s where my actual performance with music started. I decided to pick up guitar at age fifteen and once I learned some songs started performing out in several garage bands and things wherever we could set up and play. SA: What is your favorite thing about giving a concert? Bret: Exchanging energy with the fans as I share my talent and testimony of what God has done in my life and watching their reactions. It’s rewarding to me to make the connection. SA: What kind of things do you enjoy doing when you’re not working on your music?
Bret: Reading, studying the Bible, being outdoors, fishing and hunting, tinkering with electronics, building things, volunteering at my church, and spending time with friends and family. SA: If you were not a musician, what would you be? Bret: Before I had faith, I could never really see myself doing anything else. In my current walk of life, I’d have to say an evangelist or a minister to a church full time. A lot has put things in perspective for me and now my faith dictates my path. To read more about Bret and hear more samples of his music and full concert schedule, check out http://bretsanor. iwarp. com and www. myspace. om/g3sanor. When Guitar Hero first came out in what seems like just yesterday, fans reveled in its mastery. It had everything people wanted out of a guitar simulation game. It was difficult, it featured some kickin’ songs to rock out to, and it came with a pretty wicked looking controller to boot. Despite the somewhat hefty price tag, it was a gaming dream. Enter the inevitable release of Guitar Hero II, which has been out for some time now. Banking on its predecessor, it has set out to give fans what they have come to love about the series, while still introducing a few more (though much needed) elements into the mix.
How does it stack up against the first? Plain and simple: it makes leaps and bounds in almost all areas. For around $80. 00, I was greeted with a brand new Gibson SG controller and the game, which although was a bit hefty for my tastes, still seemed like a pretty decent deal. There haven’t been any changes to the guitar itself. It still comes with the whammy bar, a boat load of stickers, the strap, and of course the 5 strum buttons. Besides the style, it is virtually the same size and weight; consequently, unless you want another controller or think this one is a must have, you can really just buy the game at a standalone price of $49. 9 and save yourself a few bucks.
With the guitar out of the way, let’s take a quick look at the game. We have a whopping 40 hit songs from various genres and bands to sift through this time around. Some of these include The Police (Message in a Bottle), Kansas (Carry On My Wayward Son), Rush (YYZ), Dick Dale (Misirlou), Mega Death (Hanger 18), and of course, Lynard Skynard’s Freebird. In addition, we’re greeted with 24 bonus tracks ranging from Adult Swim’s own Dethklok (Thunderhorse), Strong Bad’s Trogdor, and the ever infamous Jordan by Buckethead, rounding out to a fresh total of 64 songs.
Most of the songs are covers (actually the majority are, minus the bonus songs), and although they still did a good job with it, a few of the songs sound just atrocious when compared to their original versions (see: “Killing in the Name” by Rage Against the Machine). Luckily, that’s not entirely why people buy this game. It’s for how well it plays. This, in turn, brings me to how well Guitar Hero II holds up in terms of game play. Two simple words: addictive, amazing.
In what seems to be a magical little ploy to attack any free time you might have, the developers of Guitar Hero II decided to magnify the playability and longevity of this title so well that anybody will be hard pressed to put it down. Career mode hasn’t changed, for the most part. You pick your character, your guitar, the starting venue, rock out, and at the end of it all you blast out an encore for the audience, hereby unlocking a new venue and 4 more songs. There are 8 new venues to jam at, thankfully, with each one of them having their own unique animation sets. There’s still quite a bit to be unlocked in Guitar Hero II as well.
Songs, guitars, skins, movies, and characters all flesh out the store section quite wonderfully, and will keep you occupied for the brunt of a few hours, depending on your skill level. On the technical side of things (as far as playing), there’s still the generic 4 difficulty levels (Easy, Medium, Hard, Expert), though if there is a naysayer out there who believes that they couldn’t possibly ramp up the difficulty for this game from the first, I dare you to play Jordan on Expert, get 100%, and not cheat. It’s that bad. The implementation of triple chords will keep any player on their feet. And my goodness!
Be thankful that hammer-ons and pull-offs are finally beneficial! They finally work like they should, where as many people who played the original Guitar Hero barely even used them. And finally, the last great thing about Guitar Hero II is the multiplayer and tutorial/practice sections. The multiplayer has been completely revamped, giving three modes (Co-Op, Face Off, and Pro-Face Off), and gives players the option of playing Bass, Lead, or Rhythm guitar depending on the song.
The tutorial section still provides the basic instructions on how to play, but also includes a practice mode (FINALLY! that allows the player to slow down individual songs on any difficulty to a virtual crawl. It is absolutely perfect for nailing those hard to hit solos, as the game puts it so aptly. All in all, it is a wonderful package, but a lot of people who have played neither the first or second yet always seem to ask, “Which one do I get since there are two out now? ” Unfortunately, I wish I had a great answer for that. But I don’t. Guitar Hero was great when it first came out, but I sure have one heck of a time trying to play it after investing so much time in Guitar Hero II.
It has the same mechanics, sure, but they play completely different in some respects. My ultimate suggestion is to buy both of these great games, as they will be a great addition to any collection. However, if there is only enough cash for one, then hit up Guitar Hero II. It is easily the most enjoyable out of the two; there are more songs, a better multiplayer, a huge difficulty increase, and a great tutorial section to help out even the newest of players. Pick it up. Do not wait. Guitar Hero II could be just what is necessary to make it through these next few months of gaming drought.
