Disney Thinks People Really Want to Play Guitar

Hannah Montana may be able to get through life with a plastic guitar but you'd better believe any daughter of Billy Ray Cyrus knows how to at least form an E-Chord. I just spotted this story from earlier in the week, but Disney has new product called Star Guitarist that uses real guitars in a Guiter Hero-style environment. It's pretty easy to dismiss a rhythm game by Disney, especially when it's only available on PCs and Macs, but at least they are committing to using real guitars in a commercial product. It even looks like they've paired up with Washburn to include an actual guitar, ableit at 3/4 (Disney fan) size, which maybe justifies the $200 price tag.

Hannah Montana may be able to get through life with a plastic guitar but you'd better believe any daughter of Billy Ray Cyrus knows how to at least form an E-Chord. I just spotted this story from earlier in the week, but Disney has new product called Star Guitarist that uses real guitars in a Guiter Hero-style environment. It's pretty easy to dismiss a rhythm game by Disney, especially when it's only available on PCs and Macs, but at least they are committing to using real guitars in a commercial product. It even looks like they've paired up with Washburn to include an actual guitar, ableit at 3/4 (Disney fan) size, which maybe justifies the $200 price tag.

Well, it's not terrible idea

I wish I could have seen it in action a little more. Less talk, more rock!

Sitting alone on the edge of your bed playing the first four bars of Sweet Child of Mine over and over again for two weeks sounds like a page out of my life.

Wow thats actually a cool idea, we might have some kids growing up and kicking ass at guitar, not a bad idea at all if it works.

Sitting alone on the edge of your bed playing the first four bars of Sweet Child of Mine over and over again for two weeks IS a page out of my life...

Props to Vinny for using the perfect thumbnail.

"Hannah Montana may be able to get through life with a plastic guitar but you'd better believe any daughter of Billy Ray Cyrus knows how to at least form an E-Chord."
Poor Vinny. Doesn't know the difference between reality and fiction.

I might have to get this...once they expand on the library a bit to include some good rock tracks.

Oh and Vinny: From what I've read on Gizmodo, the $200 does not include a guitar but special strings that can be strung on to any guitar.

That thumbnail is the greatest thumbnail in the history of thumbnails.

This actually looks like a good idea, but the fact that it's being released by Disney makes it somehow, less credible. Native Instruments needs to get a hold of this tech in a BIG way.

Eliot Van Buskirk looks like hell.  He must have been up partying after his Disney Star Guitarist set the night before

Wagh! Damn you Vinny! This article totally jacked one of the pictures I already had!

thats pretty cool, but im a gamer not a musician

he hints we're wasting our life with rhythm games at about 2:35

I've never been the guy complaining that Guitar Hero needs to be more realistic, but this gets me really excited. I'm inclined to want to try learning more guitar anyways, so this could be cool.

Just one problem: Disney : (

I saw this video last week. An excellent idea (and gateway) but needs to be rebranded. Disney needs to take its name off of it and put one of its subsidiaries on it instead. If they have none suitable, they need to create one. Regardless, I'm not buying anything with the name Disney on it unless it's for my kids.

thats cool, i wonder if it really can help people learn, my brother is having a tough time, despite the fact that my dad and i are both really good at it. my brother is more into drums though. 

As someone who already uses their guitar through their pc this confuses me, i'm guessing it will come with some kind of converter i can plug the guitar into before going into the pc as a usb device?

I played guitar hero back in the day because it was fun. That is also why I like playing Rock Band. I have no desire to be an actual guitarist, so I honestly don't care. Speaking as someone who actually plays the drums and loves to play Rock Band, it is still about having fun. My friends don't enjoy when I give them pointers or teach them fills, they just want to wail on the drums, much like I just want to mash some buttons on my plastic guitar. Kudos for the attempt and the fine piece of tech but I think it is rather worthless in the gaming world.

Oh come on. Guitar Rising, anyone? I made the page for you, now use it.

Most people would give up on the game quite quickly.  Like a lot of people give up on playing the guitar quite quickly.

They aren't the first ones to use technology like this...there was some kind of Guitar-Hero style game with real guitars on the PC already.  It even had different difficulty settings.

I just started playing around with LittleBigStar. It's pretty fun, though the recognition is kinda screwy and it tends to play "phantom notes" every so often. Still, it's free and an entertaining way to play tabs.

what a weird product to be coming out of Disney. I for one still think that if you want to learn to play a guitar you should do it the old fashioned way and not use this dumb its like a game but i can learn like one or two notes piece of software but that's just me. Some people just can't accept the fact that guitar hero is a GAME and that a guitar is well.... a guitar. want a game? play guitar hero. want to be a rocker? get a guitar and book of songs and cords and go at it.

Neat Idea but I wont get it