By, Chris McManus

Rock Band 3 will feature keyboards, among other things, making the game that much more difficult when drunk!

Have you ever wanted to learn to play a musical instrument but settled for owning your friends at Rock Band instead?  Well now you may be able to throw a stone at both of those birds. With new instruments and game-play components announced by Harmonix, you may actually be able to gain some musical ability while you rock out to Foghat or Tom Petty on Rock Band 3.

The third installment in the popular video game series will now include a Pro Mode that will accurately map individual notes and chords for each instrument, providing some real-life benefits as opposed to just being really good at hammering on plastic toys.  Another exciting addition to the game is the inclusion of a keyboard for the first time in the franchise, allowing players to live their repressed eighties synth fantasies.  With awesome keyboard tracks such as “Rainbow in the Dark” by the late Dio, “Break on Through” by The Doors, and “Here I Go Again” by Whitesnake, there are plenty of songs on Rock Band 3 that are perfect for keys.

So how about the songs that don’t contain keyboard portions?  Not a problem. It will be possible to play lead and bass guitar parts on the keyboard as well.  Developer Harmonix has also announced that keyboard will be incorporated into many songs in the back catalogue too, saving people the hassle of purchasing songs twice.  A bonus for those real musicians out there is that if you have a MIDI keyboard or drumset, they can be used in the game with the purchase of the Rock Band 3 MIDI Pro Adapter Box for $39.99, saving even more money.

Of all the Rock Band instruments, the keyboard is easily the most authentic. It is basically a slimmed down version of a MIDI keyboard complete with a two-octave range, 25 keys, and controller buttons.  But let’s not forget the best part of all, the handle on the end that allows the player to flip it sideways and play keytar like all the cool kids.  The price of the keyboard is $129.99 bundled with the game and $79.99 separately.  When playing in standard mode, the player needs to only mind the standard 5 color-coded keys like that of the guitar, but in Pro Mode the entire keyboard is fair game.  With a little practice you could be rocking out like Ray Manzarek of The Doors in no time.

Along with the new game comes a brand new redesign of the guitar controller, aiming at giving the player the ability to learn chords and progressions with a more realistic feel.  The Fender Mustang Pro created by Mad Catz features 102 buttons built into the neck with 17 frets and 6 strings.  For $149.99 bundled with the game and $129.99 individually, I would recommend getting an actual guitar for around the same price, especially if your goal is to learn to play guitar and not beat 12-year olds on Xbox Live.  As a guitarist myself, I know that pressing buttons on a neck will not strengthen and train your fingers enough to press down actual strings that is necessary to perform.  The addition of strings on the other hand could be beneficial when it comes to learning particular picking patterns or how to strum.  In other words, you still won’t become the next Eddie Van Halen by playing Rock Band 3.

Real Guitar with Buttons, or Fake Guitar with Strings?

Rock Band 3 will certainly raise the bar for music games in the future.  With the incorporation of new instruments and the possibility of teaching music in addition to another killer setlist, the game is bound to cause a stir when it hits shelves this holiday season.  Rock on!!

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