Music Factory

These days, distortion is considered a fundamental part of rock music, basically the complement to a catchy pop hook. But in rock’s formative years, people considered dissonance to be a sign of musical weakness. It was all about the purity of pop songs and the technical virtuosity of jazz standards. Before long, however, musicians discovered that they could make a whole new range of interesting noises with the help of a guitar amplifier.

More than just a way to amplify sound, the amp can be used for creative purposes as well. In the late 1980s and early ’90s, the Irish shoegaze band My Bloody Valentine pushed the boundaries of what rock music could sound like. By implementing effects pedals, amplifier feedback and offbeat tunings, they cranked out sounds that might have originated in a whole different universe.

Who said all video games were just entertainment? While music video games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band might be all that close to the real thing (with the exception of the drums), these video games have inspired kids to learn to play the real instruments. Sales of electric guitars have seen a huge spike since the release of the popular Rock Band franchise, which features both electric guitars and bass guitars as two of the instruments. These video games, in of themselves, can help kids to appreciate the complexities, and inspire them to learn more about music through experimentation with the actual instruments.

Guitar Hero and Rock Band are becoming more popular by the day, and it just might be these two video games that inspire more and more kids to start garage bands and pursue a career in music. While just playing the video games doesn’t accomplish much, one has to appreciate what video games can do to inspire and educate kids and teens!