Are people just born with natural Guitar Hero skills?

[thekavorka]

So I borrowed GH 2 from a friend. I played medium and get 97-100% on most of the songs. So I figured I'd try Hard.

Holy shit, the difference between hard and medium is huge. I suck ass at shifting to the orange fret and then trying to figure out where my fingers are. And some of the solos are way too fast for me.

How am I supposed to get better?

I realize you have to practice a lot, and I have been playing it (my wrist has been hurting lately) extensively. I even go to the practice mode and practice the solos, but I just can't do it.

Are there any sure fire tips you guys know of to get better (besides just playing it a lot)?

[demi]

You have to get good at switching buttons (memorization), or have a big pinky.

[CajoleJuice]

Just play a l....oh. Yea, I got nothing.

[Debaser]

Something that didn't work for me personally (I am also forever stuck at Medium) but seems plausible is to try playing with your default position on the last 4 frets instead of the first 4, so you're shifting your pointer to green instead of your pinky to orange.

[drohne]

i don't really like rhythm games, but i did manage to play through the first guitar hero on hard. the introduction of the orange button fucks with your head, but it's not too bad once you make the mental adjustment. usually it's easier to just shift...i get confused more often if i try to stretch with my pinky, and of course there are 'chords' to worry about. i wonder if i could play the first fret with my thumb and reserve a finger for each of the other four. i use my thumb for certain guitar chords.

[thekavorka]

Something that didn't work for me personally (I am also forever stuck at Medium) but seems plausible is to try playing with your default position on the last 4 frets instead of the first 4, so you're shifting your pointer to green instead of your pinky to orange.

Yeah, I tried that too, but my hand inadvertently keeps shifting up even though I don't want it too. I need to make something that attaches my last 3 fingers to the last 3 frets.

Except then I'd be screwed if there are Green + Red chords.

[Synbios459]

I wish I could play GH

[Robo]

I had a similar idea of "I'll never be able to play this shit on higher difficulties" the first few times I played GH1 due to some serious hand straining.  It's a strange thing to adjust to.

I can't offer much in the way of advice because it eventually just "clicked" and I sprouted hooves and ferocious horns that I wield with amplified fury, but I can say that for the orange key, the game generally operates in a manner that is forgiving to hand shifting.  That is to say that if you need to press the orange button, move your entire hand down to rest on R-Y-B-O and the notes that follow will typically be in that range.  You only need to remember where you are.  If you see an orange note, move your hand down and then only move it back up if you catch a green note.  If you see a spaced chord, always play it with your first and middle fingers and then shift your hand back to the G-R-Y-B or R-Y-B-O position.  GH3 is sort of a different beast because it sometimes gets into Guitar Freaks levels of stupidity and awkwardness, but this definitely applies to the first two games.  Eventually you just get a feel for where the buttons are and it comes naturally.

As for the solos, you shouldn't worry about them.  Bullshit your way through them and if you come to an especially difficult one, reserve star power for it.  It usually isn't necessary that you ace the solo or even play them particularly well to pass a song.

[Howard Alan Treesong]

http://gamernode.com/news/4938-new-south-park-to-be-about-guitar-hero/index.html

[disgruntled_jojo]

Go back to GH.  Seriously.  The content is, on the whole, easier to learn 5 fret gameplay on.

[TVC15]

I found Guitar Hero to be very skill based, not on natural ability.  I'm not particularly great at most of the non-easy music games.

What I'm saying is that GH1 and 2, much like, say, Ouendan, fighting games, and Ninja Gaiden, were games where I noticed my ability significantly increasing the more I played, much more quickly than with other games.

So no, I don't think it's "natural" skill, it is acquired, or at least can be acquired, with sheer practice.  You can't say that about all games, where frequent practice will definitely increase your ability, but you hit a wall pretty quickly after all mechanics click.

[Valcrist]

I wish I could play GH

 :'(