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Music Video Games

By Eddie Carden
Posted January 2009

Would-be rockers around the world are gobbling up their chance at stardom with mainstream video games such as Guitar Hero and Rock Band. But several other ventures are bringing more traditional music stylings to a console near you.

Nintendo’s Wii Music allows players to jam with more than 60 virtual instruments, ranging from trumpet and fl ute to bagpipe and banjo. Gamers “play” their instruments by waving the console’s Wiimotes to control the onscreen action.

For music lovers on the go, Smule has introduced Ocarina, the “first true musical instrument created for the iPhone,” according to the company’s website. Users can create music by blowing into their iPhone’s microphone and holding down the keys on the screen to change notes. You can even manipulate the note’s vibrato by tilting the iPhone.

Currently available only online, Nintendo DS gamers can get their share of the video game music craze with Let’s Brass! from Milestone. Similarly to Ocarina, users blow in the DS microphone and manipulate the stylus to control instruments including a trumpet, tuba, piccolo and saxophone.

For more information about Wii Music, visit http://www.wiimusic.com/. For more information about Ocarina, visit http://www.smule.com/.

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