The real guitar, there’s no denying it, is very different than what you’d think from the ones for Guitar Hero or Rock Band (though Rock Band is pretty close in design to the real deal). The whole reason I started playing guitar for real was because of how much I enjoyed Guitar Hero. I couldn’t ignore any more just how much of a good instrument the guitar actually was. Still, let’s talk about how the two compare, the real thing to the game. I’m betting that’s why you’re probably reading this.

Guitar Hero’s guitars are only good for two things with the real deal: Strumming and basic fingering. Strumming is one of the most difficult elements of actually playing the guitar, but my experience with Guitar Hero helped in that I could at least pick up a few more songs off the bat and stand a chance to play them. Even Rock Band’s Guitar, while close to the actual model doesn’t help much in regards to the elements of fingering. It is closer in proportions to a real guitar, it’s set up it pretty much spot on for a Fender Stratocaster set-up. The fret buttons are good for just learning about moving around slightly on the real thing, getting your hands into shape to deal with it. The game to the real thing are very different. Still, it is just about as rewarding to play through “Free Bird” in Guitar Hero 2 to playing through “House of the Rising Sun” on my acoustic guitar. I will say, if you love Guitar Hero/Rock Band and are looking sweet on the guitar and have considered actually playing; you’ve got a leg up on other entrants to the field as you’ve gone a few steps ahead.

Let’s get to real deal now that the basics are laid out. A guitar takes a bit of maintenance just to manage and at least a marginal commitment if you want to casually play. For simplicity’s sake the focus will be on steel-string guitar. These are the most common on the market, both for acoustic and electric, that anyone will find to begin their rock and roll joys. For those grabbing their first guitar ever it is recommended to get the starter kit for either acoustic or electric. What I recommend here is one that has a spare set of strings, a tuner (preferably built-in for acoustic), a set of picks and an introduction DVD. First thing you’ll notice is you’ve got a lot of frets (those steel bars on the neck of the guitar) and 6 strings (if you’re honestly reading this to find out what strings are …). Playing on the actual guitar is now obviously harder. Chords are done holding strings at specific frets while notes are managed by strumming on specific string/fret combinations. It seems like a lot now, but with time, only a few weeks, and all this will become second nature with little more than a thought to manage. A lot of starter guitars you can get with an intro DVD, helping you learn the very basics of playing it. This will make that big mess of strings a lot easier to deal with and it will honestly make sense and soon you’ll be able to work out a few songs. I caution here because this is when the actual guitar becomes addictive.

This part I, personally, hadn’t anticipated when I took up the guitar as an instrument: calluses. There’s no real way around developing them on your fret hand with a steel-string guitar. Just practicing for a little while initially will leave your finger-tips sore. I assure you, this is perfectly normal. Over time, you’ll develop calluses to help with playing the guitar. This toughening of the skin is essential and makes it much more enjoyable to play as you can comfortably play longer. It means some sticking-it-out but the longer term results of an incredibly portable instrument you can play are very much worth it.

The last part would be maintenance. With Guitar Hero/Rock Band, all someone would have to do is plug/unplug the guitar from the system and change batteries (if you’re using wireless). The real thing does take a bit more than that. These two elements are the most tedious, but they are the core skills every guitar player needs: Stringing a guitar and Tuning it. Anyone with any measure of experience with string instruments will tell you that the instrument being in tune is incredibly important. It ensures sound quality and that you are accurately playing the piece of music. Again, a good deal on a beginner guitar will include a tuner either with or, for acoustic, built-in. The second part, Stringing, needs to be done every so often, dependant on how much any given person plays their guitar and how hard/long they play. It takes a while to get the hang of it regardless of the type of guitar. For it though, it reinforces the basics of tuning and keeps your guitar in top shape tonally. It also ensures a minimal chance of any sudden string-snaps. There are a fair number of guides online that will tell you how to restring a guitar and they are helpful. Another option is to take your guitar to the local music shop, pay the little fee to have it re-strung (the less strings the cheaper this will be) and ask them if you can watch/explain it to you. Most will be willing to do this. Having this skill means you’re prepared for the most common problem (besides tuning) any guitar player will have to deal with.

The game and reality are very different. Guitar Hero/Rock Band are good to just rock with friends regardless of anyone’s actual musical skill. This makes music playing into just a party game (or drinking game). Learning electric/acoustic guitar means time, effort and a bit of money with the pay off of eventually being able to play your favorite rock songs anywhere. It wasn’t very hard to do, making the transition from Guitar Hero to Acoustic Guitar, and if you can get a friend to join in, all the better. There is only one thing to say about this now though: Thou hast learnt the basics of Guitar. I command thee now to Rock.