Can Rock Band Teach You To Play the Drums?

Since Rock Band was announced, AHR and I have been (mildly) debating if the in-game drumming experience would mimic real-life drumming enough to give real drummers a significant advantage or even teach n00bs some skills that could translate to a real drum kit. MTV Multiplayer has decided to test that exact hypothesis by inviting pop rockers Cartel in to take a stab at the game. The drummer, Kevin Sanders (pictured above...yes that's a man), sat down to play "Dead or Alive" on Medium difficulty... And failed. But when he tried again on Expert, he did much better. Sanders explains the paradox:

The easier [the song is in the game], it takes away what’s actually in the song. But if you actually know how the drums go in your head and you’re reading the notes [on the screen], it doesn’t really make sense in the tune. I guess the harder [the difficulty] is, the more real the song is [to actually playing it].

So the verdict is... Vague. As a bonus, if you're interested in how the drums break-down/assemble, hit the jump for a Stephen Totilo guided tour!

Geekanerd Gets Down and Dirty With the Guitar Hero III Wii Controller

Thar she is, all taken apart. The rep (who was an awesome GH player) claimed they'll have additional faceplates available at launch, but seemed a little less certain about the point of the removable neck, other than to say it will make it easier to cart around. Frankly, I may miss the admiration I get from my fellow citizens when they spy the colored fret buttons poking out from my backpack. The rep we spoke with mentioned maybe longer necks, dual necks, or swappable bodies, but I wouldn't hold my breath.

More pics after the jump, including a juicy closeup of the Wiimote dock.

The Wiimote slot is on the back of the guitar and has a plastic cover much like one a battery compartment might have, and a little Wiimote accessory dongle flopping around to hook into the bottom of your Wiimote.

This is the neck release...
...and the faceplate release.
This is an out of focus picture of a mystery jack that the rep had way too much fun playing dumb about. No clue what that's all about, but if I'm remembering correctly don't the 360 Guitar Hero controllers already have something like this that hasn't been put to use?
The faceplate coming off...