If you’re anything like I am then you don’t spend time playing video games. Personally, I’m not into them at all. In my opinon they are a complete waste of time. So why am I spending my time writing about this video game? Because to me The Beatles Rock Band (and to a lesser extent the other Rock Band games) is something well beyond just a game, it is a real interactive musical experience.

I’m not talking about the guitar part of the game. I actually think the guitar part of the game is really lame because it has next to nothing to do with playing a real guitar and very little to do with the music. It has zilch to do with playing guitar because playing real guitar is about 1000 times more complex than simply pressing a few buttons and it has little to do with the songs because I have found that the changes in the game rarely change in time with any musical changes in the songs.

The drumming and the singing parts of the game are what I find really interesting and important. Both of these parts of the game have a direct relationship to really doing these things “in real life” and they are also both obviously related to the music that you’re performing

If you sing the song in tune and with the right timing then you’ll do well. It’s true that you do not have to sing the lyrics (you can just hum) but I don’t think that’s a big deal. What is essential is the timing and hitting the right notes. I think Beatles Rock Band Video Game is actually an excellent to improve your singing ability. More so than the other rock band games because it also includes harmonies.

When you do the drumming on the expert level you are really hitting every single drum hit that’s in the real recording! No, it’s not exactly like playing a real drum set, but it is close enough to be pretty effective for practicing. There have even been cases of people moving directly from Rock Band drums into playing a real drum set with barely a hitch in the transition.

I definitely recommend The Beatles Rock Band Video Game an excellent gift for any big Beatles lover along with (obviously) The Beatles Remastered Stereo Box Set and The Beatles Mono Box Set.

Harold Kenneth Quesenberry’s Favorite Music Blog includes a lot of articles on The Beatles.