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It’s a good day to be a Rock Band fan. A large chunk of the new set list for Rock Band 3 has just been revealed along with screenshots of the new keyboard and guitar controllers. But what’s really exciting is the Rock Band Pro mode, which promises help you play real instruments.
Rock Band 3 Pro and new instruments
Also announced today was the new Fender Mustang Pro-Guitar controller that will utilize the new Rock Band Pro mode, which will add more “instrumental performance information” to the gameplay. According to Harmonix, this means “including string and fret information on guitar, differentiated cymbal and torn notation for drums, and full pitch-accurate gameplay for keyboards.”“We’ve heard countless stories about how Rock Band has inspired folks to pick up and learn to play guitar… Quite simply put, this is a huge step forward and a momentous occasion in guitar instruction and music entertainment,” said Mark Van Vleet, SVP of Business Affairs at Fender.
Above: The switch has been replaced with six string that transmit “strum” data. Also, there’s a button for 17 frets on the neck of the guitar for each of the six strings, which translate to a total of 102 buttons for the entire neck of the guitar!
Above: Look at the guitar part on the right. You’re going to want to strum those four strings while holding down the buttons on the third fret. It’s like reading guitar tablature
Above: Sounds like Rock Band players will be able to read guitar tabs after playing Pro mode. We can’t wait to tell you how it feels after we’ve given it a try
The new wireless keyboard also looks great. It features a standard MIDI output connector, so you’ll be able to plug it in and use it with standard MIDI software. It can also be used for playing the guitar or bass parts in the game – and can be strapped on (key-tar-style) or rested on a flat surface. Let’s take a closer look.
Above: Do you see the colored bands above each set of keys? On lower difficulty settings you’ll only need to match any of the keys within each colored band against the colored notes on the keyboard screen for the note to register
Above: Now look at the keyboard part (second from the right). On the higher difficulty settings, it looks like each individual key will count. The controller features 2 full octaves (from C3 to C5) for more accurate transcriptions of keyboard parts
Above: Not as many new features for the drums. In Pro mode, it will now matter if you hit a tom or one of the cymbals for the note to register
Confirmed Tracks for Rock Band 3
Rock Band 3 will support tracks from Rock Band, Rock Band 2, downloaded songs, track packs, AC/DC Live: Rock Band Track Pack, LEGO Rock Band, and Green Day Rock Band. According to Harmonix, Rock Band 3 will feature 83 songs, but only the 22 songs listed below have been confirmed so far.Above: The Rock Band 3 song trailer featuring tunes from the new set list for Rock Band 3
2000s:
Metric, “Combat Baby”
Rilo Kiley, “Portions for Foxes”
Them Crooked Vultures, “Dead End Friends”
The Vines, “Get Free”
The White Stripes, “The Hardest Button to Button”
Phoenix, “Lasso”
Ida Maria, “Oh My God”
Juanes, “Me Enamora”
1990s:
Jane’s Addiction, “Been Caught Stealing”
Smash Mouth, “Walkin’ on the Sun”
Spacehog, “In the Meantime”
Stone Temple Pilots, “Plush”
1980s:
Dio, “Rainbow in the Dark”
Huey Lewis and the News, “The Power of Love”
Joan Jett, “I Love Rock and Roll”
Night Ranger, “Sister Christian”
Whitesnake, “Here I Go Again”
The Cure, “Just Like Heaven”
Ozzy Osbourne, “Crazy Train”
1970s:
Queen, “Bohemian Rhapsody”
1960s:
Jimi Hendrix, “Crosstown Traffic”
The Doors, “Break On Through”
Above: Also, here’s what you really sound like when playing Rock Band
Jun 11, 2010
Green Day: Rock Band review
Welcome to a paradise of broken dreams
10 songs we’d like to play on the keyboard in Rock Band 3
Key-tastic tunes that should be on the next set list
Rock Band 3’s keyboard and 7-player mode revealed
Working prototype shown off in new video
