Introduction

The awe of the crowd, the mist from the dry ice machine, and the heat of the pyrotechnics—Rock Band 2 can't simulate those parts of a stage performance, but with its help, you can do the rest! To rock your living room harder than it's ever been rocked before, you'll arm yourselves with guitars, drums, and a microphone. And when it comes to your style, you can go casual, goth it up, or break out the spandex and hair spray; IGN Guides will support your rise to stardom no matter how you go about it.

When you start touring the digital world, we'll help you learn how to use those instruments to their full potential. Afterward, it'll be time to master the songs themselves. Outside of some quick info on the Easy, Medium, and Hard modes, we'll walk you through the hardest performance of all—Expert Mode—song-by-song. And when you've played every last set and are sitting pretty at the top of the mountain, don't forget where you came from! We'll be waiting here to help you polish your methods whenever you stumble, and to provide reference materials for anyone yearning to tour again.

In this Rock Band 2 strategy guide, you'll find:

• GENERAL INFORMATION // A comprehensive glosssary of terms in Rock Band to get newbie rockers up to speed.
• GUITAR & BASS // Tips specifically for playing the guitars of hte game.
• DRUMS // Drumming tips, basic and advanted.
• VOCALS // Quick pointers for polishing your vocals.
• ADVANCED PLAYING METHODS // A lesson in the skills used by advanced Rock Band players.
• WALKTHROUGH // Guitar and drum strategies for the many songs of Rock Band 2.

But before you start planning your second trip 'round Rock Band 2's world, you've got to get started on your first. Let's get to it!

Guide by: Valerie Hilgenfeldt