Rock Band 3 keyboard revealed by USA Today

by Justin McElroy on Jun 10th 2010 8:47AM

Details have been pretty scant on Rock Band 3 so far, despite the best efforts of some. That all changes today as USA Today dishes on the game's 25-key piano peripheral, some of the new features and even a partial song list, which we've got after the jump (Smash Mouth, guys? Ballsy.) along with some on-video ivory tickling.

USA Today also fleshed out the "Pro" mode Ars Technica had the scoop on last month. As expected, the mode will endeavor to teach actual musical technique, either with the new keyboard, a three-cymbal upgrade for the drum kit or a hybrid controller/"full-sized, fully functional six-string Squier Stratocaster" made by Fender. Mad Catz is making a miniature Fender Mustang Pro controller for the mode too, but we're not going to miss the chance to play on instruments that don't make us look like sweaty giants.

2000s

Combat Baby -- Metric
Dead End Friends -- Them Crooked Vultures
Get Free -- The Vines
Lasso -- Phoenix
Me Enamora -- Juanes
Oh My God -- Ida Maria
Portions of Foxes -- Rilo Kiley
The Hardest Button to Button -- The White Stripes

1990s

Been Caught Stealing -- Jane's Addiction
In the Meantime -- Spacehog
Plush -- Stone Temple Pilots
Walkin' on the Sun -- Smash Mouth

1980s

Crazy Train -- Ozzy Osbourne
Here I Go Again -- Whitesnake
I Love Rock and Roll -- Joan Jett
Just Like Heaven -- The Cure
Rainbow in the Dark -- Dio
The Power of Love -- Huey Lewis and the News
Sister Christian -- Night Ranger

1960s-1970s

Bohemian Rhapsody -- Queen
Break On Through -- The Doors
Crosstown Traffic -- Jimi Hendrix

Source: USA Today

Tags: ea, electronic-arts, harmonix, microsoft, mtv, music, nintendo, playstation, ps3, rhythm, rock-band-3, wii, xbox, Xbox-360

Reader Comments (140)

Similar songs to that Warriors of Rock game.
Not surprised.

HELL YEAH RAINBOW IN THE DARK!
That will be awesome with the keyboard.

@f-minus
1: Did you ever think not everyone wants to learn to play an instrument? That maybe people would have more fun mocking an instrument. Hell before this was Air guitar and the professonial Air guitar tourneys. So, just let people have fun and quit being a douche.

2: Way to hijack first post so everyone would read it.

Nevermind that Rock Band 3 incorporates a REAL keyboard and a REAL guitar (albeit hybrid) as controllers for the game in Pro mode. Nevermind that fact, it's quite irrelevent, really.

@F-Minus I play drums in real life and I love Rock Band.

Rock Band is a great party game that many people have fun playing, I have even helped people get the basic feel of playing the drums through the use of RB.

"That time when you found your parents old vinyl collection, and they told you about them... Have fun explaining you plastic instrument collection to your kid or someone elses without them looking back at you like your a idiot."
It doesn't try to emulate an instrument. It's a game peripheral, and your analogy is invalid.

I'm all for learning a real instrument (and that excludes guitar, jk, jk XD), but seriously, do you shout "THIS WILL NEVER MAKE YOU A REAL SOLDIER" at people when they're playing Halo?

Or "BETTER GET SOME PROTEIN INSTEAD OF THIS" for Gears of War.

@ F-minus (Negativity To The Rescue)

Touche.

I'll admit to mis-reading you post as it came off as just aRB hate post.
I don't understand your complaint though. I personally own 1 guitar, 1 drum set, 1 mic, and I bought a mic stand so I can sing and play guitar at the same time.
My brother owns a mic and a guitar. We own what we play. Combine it and we've basically the essentials (just an extra mic). Granted I will buy the keyboard when it comes out and another mic. As my friends and I really enjoy singing.

When will you people that play Rock Band learn how to play real instruments!?
When will you people that play Grand Theft Auto learn how to steal real cars!?
When will you people that play Call of Duty learn how to kill real people!?
When will you people that play Mario learn how to stomp on real turtles!?

@(Unverified) The first half had me scratching my head but the bottom half of the list already has me sold. I may never put this game down. The pro modes are the so close to playing the real thing it is insane! If I am correct, the little numbers are fret numbers that correspond to spaces on the whole neck, no more five fret stuff (if you don't prefer, classic is still there). The kicker is how much of the back catalog is available for import.

Hah, the guy that called "Crazy Train" to be on RB3 was right. That's pretty funny.
Other then that, this is why I prefer Rockband over GH. A more diverse and more "up-my-alley" kind of setlist.

Them Crooked Vultures? Hell yes
The Vines? Hell yes

Huey Lewis And the News! F***CKKK YEAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!

Oh and Queen, The Doors and Jimi Hendrix... well... let me just say if I was wearing any underwear, I would've soiled it.

Mystile, don't worry. I soiled them for the both of us as soon as I woke up and read this.

Huey Lewis and Metric stood out to me. But you should know that Crazy Train, Queen, The Doors and Jimi (along with Joan Jett and The Cure) were all in GH:WT. ;)

Mystile, you aren't wearing any underwear? Aqucharger just got out of bed, put on your missing underwear, and proceeded to soil them?
Sooooooo are you guys... like... together?

that was me :) it was a gut feeeling. and with The Power Of Love, i expect a BTTF reference achievement/trophy in the game

Ehm.. .him wearing my underwear, yeah... I have no idea. I have that effect on women and men though, sadly. You know what I'm talking about I'm sure, Jesse.

It was one hell of a morning.

It sure was, sweetcheeks.

@MystileArmor

They need It's Hip to be Square.

I have made a mess of myself. That 60s - 70s trio made sweet explosion in my happy region.

Great tracklist, the keyboard looks fun... and pro mode sounds awesome.

Can't wait.

*starts saving up for more plastic crap*

Looking at the USA Today post, it seems like the "pro" mode in drums will have you hitting specifically either the drums or the cymbals instead of both working since the notes on the drum track are circle shaped.
But I'm just guessing.
It's gonna be awesome.

It was confirmed to work like that in one of the articles (there's like 3 different ones on the USA Today page), and if you watch the video you can clearly see that some of the gems are shaped like cymbals while the others retain the original design.

If this is true, I'll bite, but I can't find anything in any of the linked articles saying so.

The keyboard is cool but unlike the guitar learning how to play a keyboard in real life (for rock songs) is easy.

I'll only buy RB3 under two conditions: better drum charts with more than 4 drums (I hope, I hope) -OR- an ability to find online quickplay matches with users who own DLC. ...or if they somehow get some pre-Lateralus Tool songs on there which is highly unlikely. Otherwise, this is a rental for me.

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/gaming/2010-06-10-rockband10_VA_N.htm
"For drums, three new cymbals are added to the standard four drum pads, and you are forced to play the correct cymbal at the right time. "It really immerses you more. You feel more like a drummer," Dubrofsky says. "It's not only for expert levels. You can come in on easy and actually play Pro drums. We have all the different levels established. It's actually really fun. You are playing up on the high hat or down on the snare, and it feels more like a kit than ever before.""

That's intriguing. Holy hell if they get the charts right this time around, this game may usurp my love for Guitar Hero... but no Tool? Argh.

PHOENIX. ZOMG. *head explosion*

Not to diminish your excitement, but there's already Phoenix DLC for RB2, so this isn't really *a surprise* per se. It's nice to have a song by them that isn't in a commercial already, though.

Really? *facepalm* I haven't gone on the DLC store in months xD thanks for letting me know that.

RILO KILEY!! YES!!

HOW DID I MISS THAT.

HOLY SHIT, YES.

I KNOW!

I hope this means we can expect some Rilo Kiley or even Jenny Lewis DLC.

I hope this means we get some DLC of The Postal Service, or maybe even Death Cab For Cutie...

you can keep your Death Cab - i'm holding out for some Decemberists tracks.

THIS!!! Yes. I will buy this game specifically because Rilo Kiley is in it.

I'd love for the Beatles Rock Band to be updated with Keyboard support, some of their songs would be awesome, but i'm optimistic that it'll ever happen...

But still, RB3 looks great!

That would be nice, a lot of the songs would be more natural.

@(Unverified) It's almost frustrating that they released Beatles Rock Band when they did, since they were well into designing this crazy feature set. I love the Beatles game, but if it could actually teach me to play those songs for real? Damn, that would be amazing.

If Beatles Rock band had sneaky keyboard support hiding in there , waiting for this new instrument's release, that would be so cool. But it's a pipe dream.

OMG Metric!?!?!? HMX showing some Canadian indie love.

about damn time

Hell yes on the Metric. Finally!

This keyboard will be nothing but a blessing.

Yeah, down with the Metric, although their last album was disappointing.

Now let's see some of The Rentals. And some Journey, so I can justify mounting the keyboard to the wall.

Bah, their last album was amazing - I didn't like it initially, but it grows on you.

(I have all their other albums and have seen them live twice, once in a giant concert hall, once in a tiny, sweaty club.)

That said: YAY METRIC!

Hopefully there is more than one modern Canadian song - I was astonished to see "Electric Version" by the New Pornographers in Rock Band (just saw THEM live on Tuesday!). I want moooooooooooore.

Wintersleep would be cool with the new keyboard (see "Dead Letter & the Infinite Yes"), Hawksley Workman ("Piano Blink", "We'll Make Time", everything else), anything and everything by Stars, Joel Plaskett ("A Million Dollars", "Fashionable People"), the Weakerthans ("Reunion Tour", "Civil Twilight", "Left and Leaving", etc)... I could go on for hours.

Finally, someone else other than me recommending Hawksley Workman tracks! Hell, I'd pay full price if this game ONLY featured Hawksleys work :)

Or maybe a straight up Canadian edition, or at least some Canadian DLC that features the likes of Tal Bachman, Fefe Dobson, Danko Jones, Philospher Kings, Serena Ryder and all the other great Canadian acts that American's have yet to discover. :)

Great in concept. I don't think it's going to fly in practice. We'll see.

This will be worth the 2 yr wait, and then some. I love you Harmonix!!!

This is the news I've been waiting... finally I will learn to play something. Love you Harmonix. I think I'm gonna cry...

Hey, that Smash Mouth song is from one of their two good albums! Don't slam it too hard! (Would've preferred a different songs from that album, but ehh... that song was the big single, so what can ya do?)

That said, everything about this looks scrumptious! Can't wait for more details! (Please have some BNL in there... I don't care if its a rerecording sans Steve. I'll take it!)

Unlockable song: Keyboard Cat!

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Rock Band 3

Rock Band 3 keyboard revealed by USA Today

Reader Comments (140)

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