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Guitar Hero Individual Song and Tips Guide
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Written by Jacob "Hannibal" Schumer
Posted originally on GameFAQs.com

Table of Contents
-----------------
1. Legal [BAUMAN]
2. Easy Tips [NOES]
3. Medium Tips and Introduction to Hammer-Ons/Pull-offs [UHOH]
4. Hard Mode Tips and Song Help [HELPPLZ]
5. Expert Tips and Song Help [HOLY]
------Starting with No One Knows [TLME]
6. Mastering Hammer-ons/Pull-offs and Advanced Techniques [WTF?]
7. What Songs to Practice for Help [GRRR]
8. Coming soon [WHEREIS]
9. Thanks To [<3]
10. Authorized Sites

Here we go:

-----------------
1. Legal [BAUMAN]
-----------------

This is a totally original composition, excluding format, and may not be
used unless I express my consent in my awesome, awesome writing. If you want
my awesome, awesome consent, just send me a request to use it (along with
where you'll use it...if it ends up in print and I don't get my credit, I
swear, I'll whine SO hard) at the e-mail address 4 lines below.

If you have suggestions for something to add to this thing, corrections,
or anything else regarding to this guide, use the same address.

Hannibal222@gmail.com

Copyright Jacob Schumer, February 2006

------------------------
2. Easy Mode Tips [NOES]
------------------------

Assuming you're on easy, there should be much of a problem here. You can have
tunnel vision on the left side and it's fine for now, as you only need to hit
the 3 left buttons. If you're still having trouble with this, do the tutorials,
and then continuously play the song that's bothering you.

Getting over whatever stumbling block you have here will probably be swift, or
I'll just tell you right now that expert and hard are going to kill you. It's
my experience, however, that most people go through easy without failing once,
and those that do have trouble with one or two songs are able to get through
that song within three or four tries, and go on to do fine later on in the
game.

One basic tip is to keep the green button down at all times when there's
no chord. This will come in very handy both in easy, where you'll almost never
have to lift up the green button, all the way through later in the game where
you'll have to do many scales and other quick segments.

If you're having trouble doing a fast part that does not scale (go down and up
in consecutive notes), you may want to take your fingers off of the other
buttons to help your fingers move faster. In the beginning, however, you
should just stick with keeping your fingers down on the lower notes when there
is no chord.

----------------------------------------------------------------
3. Medium Mode Tips and Intro to Hammer-Ons and Pull-Offs [UHOH]
----------------------------------------------------------------

Here's where challenge starts stopping you. There are a few things you can
do here to both make medium easier and make tranfering to hard a much more
seamless and rewarding task.

First and foremost, loosen up that pinky. It's time to use it, and use it
often. Although it's probably easier to just transfer your three fingers down
and up on the fret board to keep your pinky out of it, but you don't want to
get to hard with that strategy. You'll have 3 positions for your hand, you'll
lose your fingers a lot, and when you have to do green-orange sets, your hand
will be "violently splayed" as I'd like to call it. This is really bad if you
have small hands, as even the green-blue sets won't be practical. 

Also, if you have a G-R-Y-B scale, sliding your hand is a lot harder than just
doing the fingering with your pinky on blue.

So, in other words, use ya damn pinky. You can get through all of medium
without moving your hand, and that's how it should be IMO.

--

Hammer-ons/Pull-offs

This is also where you first encounter hammer-ons and pull-offs. These are
notes that do not need to be strummed. In a hammer-on, you just place your
finger on the note at the right time. So, if you see a G-R rapid switch coming
up, and you are allowed to hammer-on, you strum the green button then push
down the red button when the note is crossing the point of contact with a note.

Pull-offs are just the opposite, where if you see a R-G rapid switch coming up,
you pull your finger off of the red note at the right time to hit the green
note.

Notes than cannot be hammered on or pulled off are signaled by a black circle
around the center of the note. Almost all notes in the beginning will have this
circle, and you won't see a lot of open notes until hard.

--

Specific Songs:

Each difficulty level has a few especially tough songs, starting with medium.
There are actually some specific strategies for most of these songs, so let's
get right on that.

-

Crossroads:

The trick with Crossroads on medium is the opening segment that repeats itself
many times throughout the song. Most people at this point aren't used to having
that much speed in a regular part, and have trouble with it. The alternating
chords also give some people problems here, but I guarantee that after 2 or 3
failed attempts, you'll start getting it.

-

Cowboys from Hell:

In medium, the main problem is the changing tempo between the opening segments
and the chorus. The actual speed isn't that difficult, but it's easy to get
lost in chorus timing between the dual notes. This is greatly remedied once
you memorize the song, as the dual notes are both easy to hit and memorable
enough to hit with your eyes closed. Also, the solo can be a pain, but again,
this isn't too tough of a song (for now).

-

Bark at the Moon:

This is really the first hard song in the game, and it will take most people
at least a few tries to get through. The song's two solos, middle and end, are
tricky and long, but the real killer here is the chorus' odd timing and
fingering. One thing that helps here is to know that the G-R-G-R-G part in the
middle of each segment is faster then the G-B and G-Y parts, so be ready for
that,

Again, the trick here is to memorize the song, and realize that what is 3
lower notes in the song is one lower note in the medium version in Guitar Hero.
Of course, you'll still hear 3 notes, but don't hit them all (of course). Just
hit the middle note, and you should hit the green note just fine. The most
important thing here is to not take your index finger off of green, and to
just tap your pinky on the blue button when needed.

---------------------------
4. Hard Mode Tips [HELPPLZ]
---------------------------

Here is where things get cooking. Every song here has the potential to be a
stopper, but in general, people get through the first 15 or so just fine.

I really, really hope you limbered up your pinky in medium like I told ya to,
because otherwise now it's going to be really difficult. Here is where you get
your first dose of the orange button. Now, you pretty much HAVE to start
learning how to transfer your fingers, but it's a lot easier with 2 positions
than with 3. 

-

Symphony of Destruction:

What here's not to like: simple chorus, simple off-chorus. Well, the answer is
obviously the solo. The effing solo. Everything leading up to it is highly
workable, but the solo chews up and spits out the best of 'em. Just save your
star power for the solo, then hit the star power when in the red. That's all I
have, as this solo is hard for a long time.

-

Stellar:

This song is actually much easier to tackle in expert, but that's only because
you will have gotten used to the orange button by then. However, since that
hasn't quite come yet (usually), this can be difficult as the orange button
comes quite often. One kind of rediculous tactic that I used was to completely
ignore the orange button alltogether, but that's merely a band-aid on the
metaphorical bloody stump. I suggest this as a good song to practice either
reaching (stretching out your hand to reach the button) or shifting.

-

Unsung:

If you're having difficulty hear, it may be because of the speed, which isn't
too fast but is fast enough to make your hand tired, or the finger changes,
which can be tricky as there are many chords. This is a good song to practice
for sustained playing.

-

No One Knows:

Trick here is length and some tricky timing on many different parts. Timing
this can't exactly be learned or helped in any way but repetition. Good luck.

-

Crossroads:

Fun. Many people get stuck here, as there are 2 solos, sparse star power, and
some hand-crossing shifts in almost all parts. The good news is that the tempo
is actually very even through most of it, so when you get in a hole, just
listen to the beat and try to figure out where your timing is off.

-

Frankenstein:

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLQo31vkQ18

This is one of my favorite songs, but that doesn't stop it from having what is
probably the hardest solo in the game. On hard, that isn't quite as much the
case, but it's still tough. The song starts out simple, yet changes tempo
quite often. Most of the tempo changes are easy to track, however, so all you
have to do is rack up star power and wait for the first solo to come.

The first solo is relatively easy, and you can get through it without star
power if you try hard enough and practice hard enough, but there's usually no
need, as there's plenty of star power afterwards, before the real solo.

The leadup to the real solo is as obvious as obvious can be. You have multiple
long sustains, then a very, very long pause where you just hear the drummer
going. When you hear him speed up again, put your soda down, and get ready.

The solo is essentially a ton of scales pushed on top of each other. So, go up
and down as you will, either strumming all notes, once every 2 in each scale,
or do an all-out hammer-on/pull-off streak.

Good luck.

-

Cowboys From Hell:

This song is tough, and will probably take you a few tries. The problem here
is speed, as there aren't many slow parts to this song. Here is where you'll
do good to start learning how to strum both up and down, as it will really help
in the beginning part. If you don't want to do that for now, you can do single
strums ok.

The solo is long, yet contains a lot of breaks and easier-to-hit part which
means that you can pretty easily get by with any saved up star power. A problem
arises, however, after the solo finishes, and you enter I kind of off-speed
part that's hard to get lost in, yet hard to hit anyway. It's comprised of some
separated scales and jumps, where I suggest that you strum all notes. 

-

Bark at the Moon:

Note that it's perfectly reasonable to go right into expert at this point, as
BATM on hard is way harder than the beginning expert songs.

The main problem with BATM on hard is timing. Not just timing, but speed as
well. And complexity. And solos. Yes, this song is effing hard.

The main part is no walk in the part. It is an off-beat combination of 
multiple stacked greens, then a slight pause, then a higher note, then more
stacked greens, etc. The trick to this is to get the timing right, which takes
a lot of work. Try to listen to the song hard, and then use up-and-down
strumming to get the beat down. This is very necessary to get through the
main part OK, but you might want to just try and get through this and worry
about BATM on expert later.

The solos are pretty basic compared to others in the game. It's not incredibly
fast like Symphony of Destruction or Frankenstein, but it can be difficult
none the less. Just try to keep the tempo on the first solo, as it doesn't
break off until the final few seconds where you should be home free.

The second solo is more of a problem because of its length than its intensity,
but it can still be tough. Keep the tempo, as it doesn't change for the rest
of the song. Most of the solo will be comprised of 3-note sets where it has
2 of the same notes, then 1 lower one. You can use this to your advantage by
spying ahead of the 2 same notes to the lower one, then hold the 2 notes
together like a chord. Release the higher finger when you get to the lower
note, and voila.

-----------------------------------
5. Expert Tips and Song Help [HOLY]
-----------------------------------

So, you've made it to the final frontier, as it were. Congratulations, as once
you complete these songs, they never get harder, and you never have to do them
again if you don't want to. Of course, it's called "expert" for a reason, so
don't expect to be through this quickly. Getting beat down, however, is half
the fun.

How it gets harder in expert is four fold:

1. It adds more notes, so that you play pretty much every note in a song.
2. It changes previous single notes to chords.
3. It changes note alignment to use the orange button more.
4. The chord changes are tweaked to be gruesome in some spots.

The main problem here is hand-shifting. Chances are that you're getting used
to it, yet aren't quite at second nature yet. This will be fine for now, as
getting your hand lost every once in a while won't kill you on your earlier
songs. Unfortunately, on the later songs, getting your hand lost more than
twice in a song signals that you're going to have trouble.

-
Smoke on the Water
-

This song isn't too difficult, but every once in a while you can fall asleep
while playing the 3-note scale sections (as we know, they are long and
numerous), and miss some of the complex stuff, or just get killed in the solo
for whatever reason. The only tip here I can give is that the solo is very
methodical, in that it seems to follow the 3-note beat even during the solo.
So, while you're playing the solo, try to keep the 3-note beat going in your
head and you won't get lost as easily.

Also, remember, the 3-note beat itself changes in the end to be a 4-note
up-and-down scale.

5-Star:

5-starring this isn't too tricky, as there are no specific spots where you can
pick up a lot of points by using a star power to get an 8x. I personally like
to use it during the 3-note beat as it's hard to lose the multiplier. You
can also use it during the chords, as I hear it racks up a lot of points
on sustains.

-
Infected
-

This is another relatively easy song, unless you really are bad with hand-
shifting and chord changes. If you are, this is the perfect song to practice
with, as it has slow and decisive chord changes with hand shifting that you
won't get lost in, and if I may say so, is really fun to play. 

5-Star:

This song is pretty obvious as to where to activate your star power to get the
8x multiplier: anywhere. Anywhere where the chords are going, you'll rack up
points, and this is one of the easier 5-stars in the game once you've gotten
through expert.

-
Iron Man
-

Black Sabbath! Woo!

Yep. So, the beginning of the song is easy, mostly. Strum all of the notes,
ignore the HO/POs that go O-B-O-B for now, as they're slow and you can strum
them really easily. The song in the beginning is really easy in general, so
you should be fine up to when the music speeds up. This can be tricky as not
only is it pretty fast, but it's really surprising for people who haven't
listened to the song a lot. Once the original surprise wears off, however, the
going gets easier pretty fast.

If you really need help on the solo part, just remember to stay in the higher
area for most of it.

5-Star:

This song is hard to get 5 stars for one reason: it's tough to tell where to
hit it. I think that it's best to start during the parts with 3 3-notes scales
going G-R-Y, R-Y-B, Y-B-O, as that both has some chords and faster, easy notes
that you can multiply easily.

-
More than a Feeling
-

If this song is hard, it's because of the irregular soft part. This is a
little jumpy for such a repeated part in the beginning songs, but it's also
easy once you pick it up well. Other than that, it can get a little tricky
with the alternating chord timing, but a little practice can get you through
it. If you need to, you can skip fast chord parts that are too hard to change
to and still pass the song.

5-Star:

Any of the main areas where you are doing single-chord-chord sets will work
great, and get you a 5-star rating quite quickly. You might want to avoid the
end sets though, because they throw in timing changes that can disrupt your
combo.

-
You Got Another Thing Comin'
-

This is another mostly doable song, but it'll also give you your first dose of
expert solo action. If you're having trouble with the constant notes (the line
of Gs and G-chords that is in a constant bear), just realise that you can use
the same fingering for both the chords and the mini scale at the end.

The solo consists of many, many scales and scale-jumps (i.e. Y-R-G-Y fast), so
save your star power for the solo. The lead in to the solo consists of an
obviously different part including 2 orange sustains that are way up there on
the scale, so be ready when that comes. There aren't many chords in the solo,
so you might want to try and hold down the green note for a majority of the
lower parts. The lower parts don't last long though, as this solo incorporates
the orange note a lot when compared to the rest of the earlier songs' solos.

5-Star:

Simply use the star power on the constant notes areas, where you think that
there will be a lot of easy notes. These are easy to find. Just try to use the
power at the beginning, as at the end there will be a ton of long sustains
that use up your power.

-
Take Me Out
-

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04S5Ywdyr8k

This song here can be tricky, with the odd timing that it has. In the
beginning, it starts out with a ton (ton) of chords, including one with a
tricksy HO/PO note to transfer into it. If you can without messing up the
other chords, try and hit this note, as it usually starts up the star power
that can carry you through.

The transfer between the beginning and the bulk of the song is scary like
always, but just imagine the song and hit it in that timing. Yes, it seems like
you'll be hitting it too slow, but that's not the case, I promise. Don't worry
about the double notes afterward, as they only occur at the beginning that one
time.

The rest of the song keeps up its reputation for tricky timing, but you'll
get used to it pretty quickly.

5-Star:

The beginning is a huge mesh of chords and it would be great if you could hit
star power here. Unfortunately this is really difficult since you have to hit
that previously-mentioned tricky HO/PO note, twice. If you do that, however,
hit the star power immediately and rack up the chord points.

Once you get past that, the best place to hit star power is where they sing
over and over "I know I won't be leaving here," as there area lot of notes in
that area. Be sure to hit star power before then however, as that part comes
later in the song.

-
Killer Queen
-

This is one of my favorite songs to play, and I have no idea why. Maybe it's
the fact that it's Queen. Whatever.

The middle of this song is really pretty easy. The beginning also give you
some throwaway star power to help you through the tricky parts, which are small
scales that it hits you with, as well as extremely easy solo as far as solos
are concerned in the middle.

At the end, however, there is a very fast series of notes that can hurt you if
you aren't ready. You might want to have star power ready, but if you get the
pattern, you might not need it. Here's the pattern: O-B-Y-B-Y-R, over and
over. It's just those two scales, O-B-Y and B-Y-R on top of each other with
equal note spacing each time. This is hard to keep timing through, but knowing
this sequence can get you through the song fine.

5-Star:

I have no idea how I got the 5-star on this song, but I'll just tell you that
it's very easy. Just hit it when you have a combo simply, and make sure that
you're not hitting it before the big pause ("to avoid complications, she...".
Other than that, no advice.

-
Hey You
-

This song is tough to keep a combo going through, since it incorporates a lot
of HO/PO notes that are hard to strum, as well as a main part that can be
tough to remember which notes you're strumming and which you aren't. I would
say to NOT try and hit the lower HO/POs, as they're really, really hard to do
while keeping rhythm with the higher notes.

5-Star:

The main part (where he's yelling HEYY YOUUUU) is the best place to accumulate
points here. Hit it as it's starting, and you'll also get some chord sustains
in that little package. Just keep hitting this combo and you'll get 5 stars
eventually.

-
Stellar
-

This goes from really hard in the beginning to really easy with more
experience in a freakish manner. To help you pass it, there are a few things I
can tip you on.

In the main scale part (meet me in outer space), prepare to hold the 3 higher
buttons down, and keep the yellow button down in the 2nd part of the higher
chords. This will reduce your dependence on finger changes. Also, make your
default hand position here on the higher 4 buttons, and merely reach for the
green button. This is only if you're having troubles switching to the higher
portion.

5-Star:

If you constantly hit all of the notes of the scaling main part, hit the star
power there. Otherwise, do it at whatever point you have your combo, as there
is no distinct pool of notes here.

-
Heart Full of Black
-

This song stays mostly the same throughout the song, with the exception of a
good solo in the middle that is pretty short and a rapid, rapid set of notes
where he's saying "show me" over and over.

The main line and the chorus part is going to require some chord change
dexterity, so if you're having trouble with the switches, just practice it or
go to the later section of my guide on general tips and what to practice.
Other than that, the main parts are not that complex.

The rapid-fire "show me" part is hard to fail, yet even harder to ace. You can
either just hit the button as fast as you can up and down, or actually try to
discern a beat out of it. Now, I've aced this song over and over, but I still
CANNOT hit this section, so good for you if you do it. The times where the
rapid fire single notes turn into a chord are extremely easy, just hold the
upcoming button the whole time, as the game will not recognize it or need it
until the actual chord comes up.

The solo is very short and is 2 < scales and one slow down scale. If you want
to, save your star power for this, and you'll be fine with the star power.

5-Star:

Hit the power on the lead-up to the chorus, which has a ton of chords. Even if
you don't make it, any point in the chord has a ton of notes itself, so the
most important thing is to keep your combo and not let activating star power
delete your combo.

-
Symphony of Destruction
-

This song is simple. Basic 3-chord beginning/main line, an intro line with 3
chords and a minor trill (Y-B-Y quickly. Note that I know it is not a true
trill, but that's what I'll call those notes), and then a chorus that has just
a few sustains and minor trills, and nothing tricky. This time, just like on
hard, the solo is going to chew you up and spit you out in all probability.
There's no way to describe the solo other than "shooting."

Make sure you save your star power for the solo, as it's also pretty long. It
lingers. There are a whole ton of scales in the solo, but none of them are
plain. They usually contain some staggered note that throws you off of any
kind of success you would have gotten. Just imagine the notes, hit them.

If you haven't noticed, that's that I say when I have absolutely no advice but
to practice.

5-Star:

Hit star power in the lead-up to the sustain part of the chorus. There isn't
much opportunity anywhere else, so just make sure not to let your combo get
broken.

-
Ziggy Stardust
-

The beginning of this song provides you with the challenge of the song that
you'll be seeing throughout: a fast switch part. You'll know it when you play
it. If you don't, congratulations, because you already passed the song most
likely.

The song also has an easy solo, but the only real tricky part other than the
fast switch main lines is the end part, where there are a ton of very fast
Y-R-G note scales right on top of each other. They're very easy to get lost in,
and you can take a beating in this area. You may even want to save your star
power for this section.

5-Star:

Hit it when you see the chord chorus combo coming up. If you hit it in the
beginning, you'll get a ton of chords as the star power leeches very slowly
in this slower-beat song.

-
Fat Lip
-

This song has a lot of fast chord combos, and those are pretty much the only
tricky part of this song. Unfortunately, they take up a LOT of the song, so
it's no walk in the park.

Make sure to take advantage of the sustains to shift your hands, and make sure
to stay alert to the end, as the action keeps going right up until it says
"YOU ROCK!"

5-Star:

There are a few parts in here with a lot of chords, but I find that the best
place is where the singer sings "I'm not gonna waste my time" or something
along those lines. There are a lot of chords in that area, and there are a lot
of sections with that chord set. The best place in the whole song, however, is
right after the "abortion...bortion...bortion" part, where there are a lot of
easy chords then the aforementioned chord part.

-
Cochise
-

This song isn't too hard if you can hit the chorus fine. That's no small task,
as it's an annoying scaling thing with a whole lot of small ho/pos at the top.
As in, that little thing they throw at the top of each scale, B-O Hammer-on.

Towards the middle-beginning of the song, it'll do a different "chorus," which
will be even more annoying in terms of these notes, as it'll have you doing
two of them in quick succession, preceeded by a note very shortly before it.

Other than that, there's not much to this song, but the main lines themselves
will provide enough challenge.

5-Star:

This is disproportionately difficult to 5-star at this point, thanks to the
HOs at the top of each scale. If you can hit those, you might as well call this
set, but that won't come quite so easily until you either get very good at HOs
or very good at strumming both up and down. There's a part near the beginning
with many, many notes in rapid succession, as I'm sure you noticed. That's the
best place to hit star power, if you can hit those notes. If not, you should
definitely wait until you have x4 or x3 going then hit it any time that's not
just before the part with the switching sustains.

-
Take it Off
-

This song is surprisingly easy for how difficult it looks on paper. A whole
lot of chord transfers make it look easy, but they mostly only change one
button at a time, making it more like, say, y-r-y than the gy-gr-gy that it
really is. 

There is a small solo, but it's actually slower than the regular part, and the
only really difficult (at first) part is where the timing really slows down
without the drums slowing down, which sends you off beat. Luckily, even if you
played no notes in that part you'd still not get hit very badly. 

5-Star:

This song is VERY easy to 5-star, just hit the star power in a part that isn't
approaching or part of the solo, and you're golden. Just remember the basics:
hit it when you've got a good combo going, and hit it when you know you can
hit the upcoming notes.

-
Unsung
-

This song isn't that difficult, since although it is fast, it is easily single-
strummed, with you getting tired towards the end. SO many chords, you know
exactly what your problem is here if you can't do it. This is also a great
song to learn up-and-down strumming on.

Towards the end, it does get a little difficult, mainly because your arm WILL
get tired. So, you can either just tough it out and use up that energy as best
as possible or use double-strumming in the beginning to save energy.

5-Star:

The only reason this is hard is because there is a very high threshold to hit
for 5 stars, since the points can go all the way up near 400,000 points. The
main thing is to just hit star power when you have a combo and maybe a short
break so you don't lose it by activating your star power.

Also, hit it even if you have just half of a bar if you have a 4x.

*****************************
Note: From here on in, I have not 5-starred every song, therefore what I'll
put here is basic theory and ideas for using it. If you have knowledge to the
contrary of my advise here, please e-mail me and tell me, you will be credited
and put in the FAQ. (E-mail is at top of page)

Songs that I have not 5-starred will have a * before the 5-star sections.
*****************************

-
Spanish Castle Magic
-

This is the last easy song you've have in the game, really.

The reason for this is because of the awesomely easy main line that repeats
itself often and slowly when it comes around. So, if you're in the red, coming
into the main line will usually bring you out at least into the upper yellow.

There is a solo, but if you have star power, it's pretty easy to get through
it. There are a few trills (fast switching between two notes), and odd scales,
but the solo is actually split in two by a main line part that gives you power
and gives you rock meter. Save your star power if you're having trouble, and
the trouble shouldn't last long.

5-Star:
This song has a low threshhold of points for 5-star, so hitting it whenever
you get your best combo is fine, getting it in the main line is better. It
won't take much.

-
Higher Ground
-

Fast notes here, and prepare to either use double strumming or be tired. Once
you get the speed down, this song's pretty easy. I know I said that the last
song was the last easy one in the game, but I lied. I just don't like this song
to play, because of these fast note transfers. That's not to say it's hard.

There's really no advice I can give you here, except to practice until you get
the timing down.

*5-Star:

No reason that I haven't 5-starred this other than I don't like to play the
song. I would suggest to hit the star power in the off-line (where you get 3
regular notes, then a chord, then a pause, then an identical set), as it's
a little more predictable on where you're going to miss notes if you do miss
them.

-
No One Knows [TLME]
-

The next 3 songs will have you stuck for a while, so pitch a tent and what
not.

I'll just let you know, this song is disproportionately hard, so it's NOT just
you. Yes, that part with the G-GR IS very hard, and YES, the timing is very
weird. No doubt.

First tip involves all of the lead-up to this section. I know it may sound
odd, but your default position for it is R-O (as opposed to G-B). It means a
lot of reaching for that green button, but there aren't very many quick
switches to the green button and a whole lot of quick switches to the orange
note. It's *quite* useful.

Now to the good stuff: short sustains and G-GR. One trick here when you're
doing the sustains, know that the notes at the end of the sustains tranferring
into the next sustain are on the same tempo as the G-GR notes. So, imagine
that there are no sustains, and it's a lot easier. You just need to
concentrate, look at the notes and make sure you get the timing down. Your
arm will get tired here if you're not double strumming, but that's of little
consequence.

Later on, you'll hit an even longer sequence of G-GR-esque notes, this time
on R-RB. Just use this same timing, and hit the chords in between the R-RBs
and you'll be...well, you won't be fine, but you'll get through it dammit.

Oh crap, there's a solo, too! Hopefully you have some effing star power,
because this isn't exactly easy. There's a part toward the end with a short,
quick up-and-down scale that's tough. Luckily there's a ton of easy star power
during the solo.

Practice.

5-Star:

Best place here is to hit star power during the G-GR and sustain parts once
you've got them complely mastered. Later on, when R-RB part comes, that's
even better if you can hit the changing chords.

If you've got star power before these parts or want an easier part, use the
chords during the main line for it.

-
Ace of Spades
-

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nfc_UwYlrV0

From the very beginning you'll hit the most difficult part of the song: the
main beginning line. G GGGGG, as I'll call it. The problem here is that it's
both fast and tricky in its timing, when combined with the upper portion. The
best thing to do here is double-strum, but going through this the first time,
you're usually not good enough to hit that line consistently yet, so I suggest
to just kill that strum bar on the greens and concentrate on the switches
between those greens, where most of the star power will be. Once you get a
little better at hitting greens, it might be best to actually keep your hand
in the R-O default position and reach for the greens, but that's just theory.

Luckily, you've got those breaks with chords that generate some rock meter
back for you. 

There's a solo here that's not too hard, but going in in the red (which is 
entirely possible) and sans star power will probably get you a fail. So,
either store your star power or use it beforehand, as that can actually help
as you'll have more time to get power for the end to use.

5-Star:

Once you've got the main line down pat, as in holding combos through them,
there's nothing to this 5-star. Hit it when you've got a good combo, and watch
those points roll into your counter.

Hitting it in the main line seems to generate more points, but using the power
in chord sections is a little bit more predictable. Choose whichever based on
your need.

-
Crossroads
-

This song has probably gotten easier for you since hard, but it'll still give
you trouble. The main problem here is the two solos: 1 short, easier one, then
a short time later, a longer, harder one that will kill you your first few
times through if you don't have star power.

First, make sure you've got the main beat down. That is, those on-and-off
chords that you'll see. You have to hit those pretty consistently. Once you
get the timing, it's not that hard, since it's kind of slow. The main problem
is when you have G-GB and R-RO sets, since that requires your hand to be in
the correct position. Know that when you first see the G-GB set is the same
part where you'll first see the R-ROs, so be ready to switch your hand.

The good news is that just about every part in this song stay with one speed,
so getting back on track in a solo or what not is pretty easy.

I would recommend single-strumming everything.

5-Star:

Get a combo and hit it during the chord parts, simple as that. It's pretty
tough to 5-star, though, since the point count is pretty high, so losing a
combo during star power will kill ya.

-
Godzilla
-

This song is easiest of the final 5, but it's still no cakewalk. They get you
here by throwing you a ton of tiny solos all the damn time, and if you're
not good at scales, double strumming or HO/POs, then you're probably gonna
take a beating.

It also has a pretty hard regular solo. You'll know it when it comes, and it
has a ton of scales so SAVE your star power for that. After that solo is a
very easy, slow part with a chord or 2 every 3 seconds or so. That can help
you at least a bit if you're in the red, but after that part it winds you
into another small solo.

The only easy part of this song is that there's a whole lot of star power, and
a lot of it is easily hit. Go to it.

5-Star:

There's a part near the beginning of the song where there are a lot of easy
chords stacked together. I say hit it there, and do your best. Otherwise, just
hit it during the main line (history shows again and again).

-
Texas Flood
-

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfVOOY6RNos

This song is much like Godzilla in that they throw a TON of mini-solos at you,
but unlike Godzilla, they aren't easily hit and there is no main line to
return to. Stevie Ray Vaughan is your enemy.

This is the perfect song to practice HO/POs, unfortunately, so get used to the
song. The only real repeating part is this g-r-y-y section that's very fast,
and doesn't give you very many points. I would talk about the solo, in this,
but the whole damn song is the solo. So, really, use star power when you get
really hurt and such. If you can't find any star power, I'm sorry, but you
just gotta practice scales and HO/POs.

*5-Star:

BLARG. Look, the only advice I can possibly give that you might not know yet
is that if you have a full star power bar, and you hit the star power just
as the GB-RO chord section starts, it will also take you through the rapid
orange notes that might give you some points. There's also a part with a lot
of chords at the very end.

This is THE hardest song to 5-star, and I'm pretty sure I'll never do it.

-
Frankenstein
-

Note Map: http://www.guitarherotabs.com/frankenstein.jpg

Ok, yeah, this song ALSO throws a ton of mini-solos at you. Luckily, they
aren't nearly as hard as Texas Flood's. Unluckily, there is the toughest solo
in the game waiting for you at the end. Luckily...ok, I'm out of stuff, but
this song is still way more fun than Flood IMO.

The main line is pretty easy, with the exception of scales that separate the
chord parts. Don't get your fingers cemented at the top, as you won't keep
them there for long.

There IS a solo before the SOLO, so be prepared. It's fine to use star power
on it, because there is plenty of star power afterwards. It is better to use
it in the beginning, however, since there is a lot of star power at the end of
the solo for the taking.

Between the solos, there are a bunch of scales that can hurt you, but
hopefully won't kill you. There's a lot of star power in a certain slow scale
set, and when you see the stars concentrate on those if you have the rock
meter to spare. You'll know the solo is coming up when you hit a bunch of long
sustains (the last 3 have star power...WHAMMY), followed by a silence where
you can go get a soda, whatever. 

The beginning of the solo doesn't follow much of a pattern, so use the star
power once you're in the red. Once the star power wears off, you should be
in the section of the solo with a ton of scales. If you are, just concentrate
and hit them as best you can, and know that it's a little slower than you
think. 

The end of the song is just the main line and a bunch of easyish chords.

*5-Star:

Use your star power in the beginning whenever you have a good combo, but once
you get to the end I suggest to save your star power and get through the solo
without it. The end chord section has so, so many points, it's awesome. Just
use it all there.

-
Cowboys from Hell
-

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCFYhCcMRZ0

Note map: http://www.guitarherotabs.com/cowboysfromhell.jpg

Welcome to the end game, this is THE hardest song in the game, don't let some
schmuck tell ya otherwise. Now, what I tell you may sound rediculous, but
bear with me. Hold up your hand, palm towards you. There ya go.

Now, finger this:

G-R-G-R-Y-R-Y-R-B-R-Y-R-Y-B-O.

That is the main line of Cowboys from Hell, and it comes at you FAST. Double
strumming is almost required here, so LEARN it, as you need it for Bark at
the Moon as well. The best way to go about this is to play the first 4 notes
of the main set in the default green position, then on the first yellow,
switch over to the red position and play the rest of the notes from there. The
notes are a lot easier to hit, and you can hit the orange note at the end of
the set. Failing at 8% or 9% will be a very, very common occurance.

After the first set of those comes an easier set of G-Y chords. Be sure to pay
attention to the timing, as you'll have doubles here and there, and scales
inserted in throughout. This is where you should regain your rock meter. The
star power during this part comes in both the scales and one fast and mostly
easy part with chords that you should be able to hit just fine.

After that comes another set of the original line, followed by another set of
the off-line. This eventually becomes easy to memorize, even though that's
pretty useless.

After the last off-line, there's a small part of that original line, then the
solo. The solo is actually easier than the main line in some ways, and if you
have star power you should get through it no problem. It's a whole lot of
odd-looking scales and such that you should get immediately (but not hit).

Then comes the even weirder off-off-line. It goes, "G-G-B-Y-G-G-B-Y" etc. It's
not that hard to hit, just double strum like you would normally and only hit
the higher notes when they contain star power or you feel you can do it
comfortably. The most important thing here is to NOT DIE. Don't die, you're
past the hardest parts.

Oh crap, THE MAIN LINE AGAIN. Yeah, you get another dose of the main line
after that first G-G-B-Y set, but hopefully you have some star power if you're
in trouble. 

Off-off line again! Be sure you're prepared for this, as it can be a little bit
surprising. Anyway, get through it then through that alternating (O-B-Y-B-Y-R-
Y-R-G) scale, and you are home free.

CONGRATULATIONS.

*5-Star:

Obvious thing here is to hit the power on the main line once you've mastered
it. Another thing to do is hit it as you do the fast chord part during the off-
line, as that gives you a ton of points while losing a little star power. If
you have full star power anyway, it won't matter.

At the end, hit the power during the main line between the G-G-B-Y parts.

-
Bark at the Moon
-

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ew5KcdQiIxo

Note Map: http://www.guitarherotabs.com/barkatthemoon.jpg

Welcome to the last song, this is THE hardest song in the game, don't let some
schmuck tell ya otherwise. This song, to get through it well, pretty much
requires that you double-strum. If you don't do it, you might be able to pass,
but it will be one ugly pass.

This song's main line is pretty much the same as hard, with multiple fast
green notes, except they're separated by chords instead of single notes. If
you can get the timing for this set down, you pretty much have the song in
your pocket. The beat on this has the chords on the same beat as the green
notes, but has 1 beat between hitting the chord and the next green note set.

So, one trick that I use is to actually kind of throw the strum bar while
double-strumming (this is if you clench the strum bar between two fingers),
and pick up the bar again as the green buttons start again. This gives you the
exact pause needed, as well as start you on a more comfortable stroke. This
is just a band-aid on a wound, though, so don't make it a habit, as it hurts
your ability to do 2 fast notes.

You'll come up on some sustains shortly into the song, then hit a very, very
fast section that's actually pretty easy: just hit the bar as fast as you can
while tapping the higher notes that you need. Just make sure to hit the
sustains after that part, as they contain Star power.

More of the main line! You'll know when you're just about ready to pass the
song when you're not losing energy from these parts. 

Time for a flashback, as you'll have the same part over again, with the really
fast easyish part and the sustains, but after that comes your rest part, an
off-timing set of weird chords and stuff. There's no advice for this part, as
some of the best players can't hit it while some bad players can. Just, ya
know, do your thing as you get to the rest point.

And oh my, what a nice rest point it is. A slow, sustain-filled melody that
fills up your meter, maybe deep into the green later on. This is the prelude
to one of the most intense solos in the game, so be prepared. Hit EVERYTHING,
and save your star power.

The solo starts slowish, with just a few Texas Flood-esque scales and what not,
even possibly easier. DON'T use your star power until you reallly need it.
There is some more star power after the slower part of the solo, so get it if
you need it.

Right after that star power is where the action starts. The end of the solo is
essentially 3 crazy scales, with a ton of scales within them. Therefore, if
you just keep your hands in the right position, you can hit quite a few of
these notes.

The problems don't END, Hero-San! The last scale becomes very, very fast and
you can very easily lose it there even with star power on. One way to get by
this is to just strum the blue note a lot, as that is the most common note
at the end. It finishes off with some orange sustains, then goes into a main
sequence. Way to go, you just finished...a hard part. Hardest part is yet to
come. T_T

After another main sequence, you end up in one of those weird sequences from
before, except much longer and littered with all kinds of star power. Just get
through this as best you can, and approach one of the longest solos in the
game.

You SHOULD have full star power by the end of that part, as you'll really need
it for this solo. The solo itself is very simple, and is basically comprised
of many scales put back-to-back. For example, B-R-B-R-G. Unfortunately, it's
really easy to get lost in it, and finding your way back is just about
impossible. So, just use your star power wisely and practice like a man who's
been practicing all his life.

Once you've passed it...

CONGRATULATIONS.

*5-Star:

You should have exactly full star power after the first sustain part, so hit
the star power right before the main part kicks in. Just know that the main
part is the best part for racking up points, so getting through the first solo
without using power is crucial to a 5-Star. But really, if you're reading
this, you know what to do, go out and GET IT.

--------------------------------------------------------------------
6. Mastering Hammer-Ons and Pull-Offs and Advanced Techniques [WTF?]
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Some people hate hammer-ons and pull-offs so much they strum every note in
the game. For those of you who want to make scales a little easier, I've got
some tips on how to master hammer-ons and pull-offs so that hopefully, you can
use them without thinking about it.

-

The most useful tip here: these notes will inevitably be LATER than you think.
One of the easiest things to do to help you hit these notes easier is to just
adjust the timing a little bit, in either direction, usually later. The tempo
you have for the first note is the most important thing about the HO/POs, as
if you miss that first note it's pretty certain that you will also miss the
rest in the chain if you do not strum one on the middle.

One trick that you can use while both trying to master HO/POs and even after
you've mastered them is to strum one note during the chain. This restarts the
chain if you've missed one, and also helps you keep the tempo of the song
better by reminding you of what tempo you had to work on in the first place.

-

Up until now, you've probably been taking Hammer-ons and Pull-offs literally,
as in pull-offs won't work unless you were holding down the button before you
pulled off the higher button, or hammer-ons, you had to have the previous
button held down before you could hit the higher one. The fact is that you
can really do a lot more than just that. For example, you can do a sort of
hybrid move where you hit the higher button, let it go, and hit the lower
button. It will hit the note for whatever reason.

The fact is that if you just press the button down with the right timing, the
note will play because of the natural movement of your fingers. So, just try
not to think about the notes and you'll probably hit them a lot more often.

For more help with Hammer-Ons and Pull-Offs, go to the practice section.

-
Advanced Techniques
-

While in the beginning songs are pretty easy and should be used to develop
good habits, the later songs require you to break a few of those good habits
that would have been very useful earlier. The good news is that these "new"
good habits are easy to develop and don't wreck your original ones. So no
worries.

One of the best things you can do to get a general speed increase, which you
might have started naturally, is to stop holding down lower buttons on non-
pattern-based sections. This will allow you to move each finger a lot more
smoothly, especially in regards to hammer-ons and pull-offs. 

Even as you encorporate letting go with most of your other fingers, your
lengthy experience holding lower notes down will help your instincts as to
when to let go and when to hold on. 

Another technique is to play with 3 fingers. While in general you should
really play with all four, any faster portion that confines itself to 3 notes
is much better off being played with your first 3 fingers than with the ring,
middle and pinky fingers.

This is especially helpful in the Bark at the Moon first solo, if you came
here while stuck with that.

The last technique I can tell you about is sliding. There are two forms of
sliding: a one-finger slide across the whole scale, and a partial descent
scale then a slide of one note.

A slide, as you may have guessed, is where you take a finger depressing a
button, and slide it to the note below it. Whether you continue on for a few
more notes depends on how brave you are and how you want to do things.

One of the better attributes of sliding is that when you slide, you hit each
note with pretty much the same interval between each. So, this is perfect for
down scales of HO/POs, if you can get the timing right.

Another type of scaling comes naturally when you're in the R-O position. If
there is a scale that starts at orange and then goes down to green quickly,
there is no real way to get around sliding to the last note. So, don't give
up on that note, just slide as quickly as you can. Sometimes the timing ends</pre><pre id="faqspan-2">
up being better than if you had just fingered it as a pull-off.

Note that I have seen people slide UP, but I get the feeling that they were
just showing off.

--------------------------
7. What to Practice [GRRR]
--------------------------

"Dude...the chord transfers. They befuddle me."

Practice:

Infected
-
This song is pretty much nothing but chord transfers. They're slow, so they'll
help you get into the swing of things and then not much further.

Unsung
-
This song really IS nothing but chord transfers, and faster. Don't worry if
you miss a note when changing positions, as that's not really so much a
problem of chord transfers as transferring your hand.

All of This
-
I'm not going to suggest bonus songs much, but this is both a good song and
perfect for practicing chord transfers. It, like the other 2, is almost
completely chord transfers.

Sail your Ship By
-
Here's another bonus song, but whatever. This doesn't have a ton of chord
transfers, but it has many sections where you have to do simple ones quickly.
This is if you're unsatisfied with the others.

"Hammer-ons and pull-offs are my mortal enemy."

Practice:

Iron Man
-
Just a small part in this song is good for practice, and that's the little
trill at the top of the main part. Try to HO/PO all of those notes, and wade
a little into the water.

Ziggy Stardust
-
This here is a good one for gradually practicing. One of the repeating parts
is made up of a lot of HO/POs (the part that almost sounds like an acoustic
guitar). You can gradually incorporate more of those.

Texas Flood
-
Here's the perfect song for practicing. If you haven't gotten here on expert,
you don't need practice with HO/POs to begin with. Just strum.

"Scales."

Practice:

Killer Queen
-
At the end of this is a pretty easy scale sequence that can help you out in
finding the rhythm of scales.

Ziggy Stardust
-
Just like Killer Queen, the scales are at the end, but this time they're much
tougher to hit and don't last as long. This is actually harder in some
respects to these later songs, but the later ones aren't as simple.

Frankenstein
-
This song is littered with easy, fast scales that can help you out a bit with
timing. Also, the solo is littered with a ton of different, weird scales in
case you were having trouble with fractured scales.

Texas Flood
-
This song has a scale at every corner, so while you're practicing this you're
also practicing hammer-ons and pull-offs.

Special: Cowboys from Hell
-
This is specifically for scales when coming out of chords. The GY chord off-
line has a ton of scales implanted in it.

"I gots ta learns how ta do that double strumming!"

Practice:

Unsung
-
Believe it or not, the best way to start learning is to do it faster, and
with chords. So, this is the perfect song. It's best to start double strumming
when you don't have to switch out a finger.

Take Me Out
-
The beginning of this song is pretty good for learning double strumming, and
it throws in an occasional fast hammer-on note to let you get used to that.

Fat Lip
-
This is the song to get you used to tapping fingers while double-strumming.
It's hard to get the feel for it, but this'll help you. If it's too hard, go
back to "I Wanna Be Sedated" and try that.

Decontrol
-
Yep, bonus song. This kicks the speed up a notch, and helps you with odd parts
between normal switches.

Breaking Wheel
-
This bonus song is virtually impossible without double-strumming, and it
should help you with odd note counts in your double strums as well as changing
fingering.

"I can't do those weird things where you switch between two notes reall fast
and they're all hammer-ons or pull-offs and they-" (Trills)

Practice:

Iron Man
-
There is a part of the main line in this song that is essentially a very slow
trill. You know, the part during the sustains. That's the one. They're all
HO/POs, yet they're all easily strummed.


------------------------
8. Coming Soon [WHEREIS]
------------------------

1. More songs on easier difficulties.

2. Hopefully, reader suggested tips.

3. Links to more videos of people playing the harder songs.

4. Bonus song coverage on expert.

------------------
9. Thanks To [<3]
------------------

1. Armbar21 (aka Raven0016) for supplying videos.

2. SArmstrong for supplying more videos.

3. DingKing for calling Guitar Hero bad so many times I made this FAQ out of
spite.

4. You.

--------------------
10. Authorized Sites
--------------------

1. GameFAQs.com
2. Neoseeker.com
3. 1Up.com