Talanor's WII MUSIC Technique and Strategy Guide Original version: Jan. 10, 2009 Corrections: Jan, 11, 2009 Updated: May 16, 2009 (added section on Drum Mode) Thanks to dmmaby229 for requesting a list of Quick Jam styles, which started the creation of this guide, and to mister_jmp for posting a partial list of styles. I corrected two errors in my list based on a list provided by rudolph_cloud (board topic "Hidden Styles!", Jan. 11). The European names for the French Bistro and Woodwind styles are also from rudolph_cloud's message. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wii Music has a surprising amount of depth for what initially appears to be a simple casual music-making title. This guide focuses on the Custom Jam and Quick Jam modes (although many of these techniques are also applicable to Instrument Improv). The in-game description of how to play the instruments is very minimal, and there are a few techniques that you just have to discover on your own. Here are just a few of the things you can do with this game. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Instruments On all instruments, the D-pad produces various jumps, spins, poses, and effects that vary from one stage to another. For instance, a comet appears in the Galactic Voyage stage when using the D-pad, and dolphins leap out of the water in Beachside Drive. When two Mii characters use the same D-pad move at the same time, a more spectacular effect can be set off in some stages (rainbows, explosions, or pyrotechnic flames). When playing the instruments in Wii Music, try to be aware of the characteristic style and natural limitations of each instrument. For instance, rapidly repeated notes may be effective on the steel drums, but not as natural for a harp. Arpeggiated chords are natural on the harp, but less characteristic for steel drums. On the other hand, it can be an interesting effect to use Wii Music instruments in ways that would be impossible for the real instruments. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Piano-style controls Hold the Wii Remote and Nunchuk face up straight in front of you. Swing one or both of them downward as if holding a mallet and playing a percussion instrument. Swing rapidly or lightly to change the volume of the sound (you don't need much force). (Alternatively, you can hold the Wii Remote and Nunchuk sideways, facing out, and pluck toward you as if playing a harp, or hold them vertically, facing toward you, and tilt forward as if playing handbells.) A and C buttons (Tremolo): repeat the same note (in chord parts, play one note at a time) B and Z buttons (Muting): hold to play staccato, or press while the note is playing to stop. Control stick: plays a special effect, usually an arpeggiated chord, when held up or down while playing a note. The dulcimer plays a different kind of ornament. The control stick has a portamento effect on the timpani. Handbells, dog suit, and cat suit use the control stick the same as the D- pad. Instruments: Piano, Galactic Piano, Toy Piano, Harpsichord, Harp, Dulcimer, Marimba, Vibraphone, Steel Drums, Handbells, Timpani, Dog Suit, Cat Suit Pianos have a wider dynamic range between loud and soft sounds than harpsichords, so if you're looking for realism, keep the harpsichord notes at a more or less constant volume level. Pitch bends on the timpani are most effective if you stop the note with the B or Z button before playing the next note. Frequent use of the B and Z buttons is also effective for a good keyboard sound. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rapper -- similar to the piano-type or drum-type controls. Holding the A, B, C, or Z buttons while playing produces different sounds. The control stick is the same as the D-pad. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Guitar-type controls Hold the Nunchuk out, as if holding the neck of a guitar, and strum downward with the Wii Remote. You can control the loudness of the sound by plucking more lightly or more abruptly. If you hold the Wii Remote face out (away from you) and use a curved motion for strumming chords, you can control the speed of strumming. Shaking the Nunchuk produces a vibrato. Changing the angle of the Nunchuk changes the angle the Mii holds the guitar, but doesn't seem to affect the sound. Holding down on the D-pad allows you to play more rapidly by plucking both on the down stroke and the up stroke. A button: repeat the last note. B and Z buttons (Muting): plays staccato or stops a note that is playing. C button: plays individual notes on the Chord part, or chords on the other parts. Control stick: does a pitch bend effect (except on chords). Instruments: Acoustic Guitar, Ukulele, Electric Guitar, Galactic Guitar, Banjo, Sitar, Shamisen, Jaw Harp, Electric Bass, Upright Bass, Galactic Bass One technique that comes in handy with guitar-type instruments is alternating single notes with chords, effectively giving you one or more extra chord parts or harmony parts as needed. The galactic guitar has a nice wah-wah effect that works well in chord parts. The jaw harp can be played so rapidly that it sounds unnatural; a slower pace is better for it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Trumpet-type controls Hold the Wii Remote up to your mouth as if playing a trumpet, with your left hand controlling the A and B buttons (and the D-pad), and your right hand on the 1 and 2 buttons. Press the 1 or 2 button to play a note. Tilt the Wii Remote up or down to control the volume of the notes. The A button repeats the same note (or plays individual notes on the Chord part). The B button has different effects depending on the instrument -- it may raise the pitch of the note (as with the Clarinet and Accordion), produce an arpeggio effect (as with the Trumpet and Saxophone), or play an ornament (on the Bagpipe). Instruments: Trumpet, Galactic Horn, Saxophone, Clarinet, Recorder, Accordion, Bagpipe, NES horn, Singer, Tuba The galactic horn more or less sounds like an electronic keyboard. The bagpipe is best played with long, sustained notes for a more authentic sound, although it sounds fine however you play it. The tuba is actually very nice for melodies, but it can be tricky to find good instruments to accompany it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Flute-type controls The Flute and Harmonica are played the same as the Trumpet-type instruments except that the Wii Remote is held sideways as if playing a flute. Tilt the Wii Remote toward or away from you to change the volume of a note. Shaking the Harmonica produces an added vibrato effect. Instruments: Flute, Harmonica ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Violin-type controls Hold the Nunchuck as if holding the neck of a violin or cello. Move the Wii Remote back and forth as if bowing, and press the B, C, or Z button to play a note. The speed of the bowing controls the loudness of the sound. A button: repeat the last note, or plays individual notes on a chord part. Control stick: hold up while pressing the B, C, or Z button to play a double stop (two notes at once). Instruments: Violin, Cello ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Percussion-style controls Hold the Wii Remote and Nunchuk straight out and swing downward as with the Piano-style controls. Holding the A or B button changes the sound from the Wii Remote, and holding the C or Z button changes the sound from the Nunchuk. The control stick acts like the D-pad. The Black Belt and Cheerleader make additional sounds while using the D-pad or control stick. Instruments: Basic Drums, Rock Drums, Jazz Drums, Latin Drums, Reggae Drums, Ballad Drums, Galactic Drums, Marching Snare, Bass Drum, Taiko Drum, Congas, Galactic Congas, Djembe Drum, Timbales, Maracas, Tambourine, Bells, Castanets, Cowbell, Hand Clap, Beatboxer, Black Belt, Cheerleader Each set of drums has its own characteristic beat. The B and Z buttons are good for accents, and the A and C buttons typically play a cymbal crash or a more exotic effect (like the cowbell rattle). ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Güiro Hold the Wii Remote face up and swing it from side to side as if scraping with a stick. It takes some practice to avoid extra notes at the end of a swing. Holding the C or Z button changes the sound produced. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cuíca Move the Wii Remote forward and back to make a sound. Like the Güiro, you need to be careful to avoid extra notes at the end of the motion. Holding the C or Z button changes the sound produced. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Whistle Like the Trumpet-style instruments, except that the A and B button change the sound produced. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- DJ Turntables The easiest way to play this is to think of it as a two-handed Güiro. Move the Wii Remote from side to side to start the beat. Holding the A, B, C, or Z button allows you to stop the beat temporarily and scrape back and forth. The beat starts up again when you release the button. Posing by pressing down on the D-pad or control stick also stops the beat. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Drum Mode If you have a Wii Fit Balance Board, you can take control of the drums and play one of four drum sets: basic, rock, jazz, and galactic drums. The right foot plays the bass drum, and the left foot opens and closes the hi-hat cymbal. The tricky thing with drum mode is getting the balance right. You need to put just enough weight on the left side so that the bass drum doesn't unintentionally set off the hi-hat, but too much weight and the bass drum won't respond. The controls seem to be more reliable when wearing shoes. The cymbals, hi-hat, snare drum, and toms can be played using either the Wii Remote or Nunchuk. Typically you will hold the Z button on the Nunchuk for the snare, and use the remote for the hi-hat. The A button on the remote and the C button on the Nunchuk play different cymbals, so you'll want to plan ahead if you want to use a particular cymbal. It helps to run through the drum lessons in order to learn to coordinate your hands and feet. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tips for arranging music At first it seems limiting to have so little control over which note is played, but there are still many aspects of the music under your control. Pay attention to phrasing and articulation. Wind instruments and singers naturally need time to breathe, although the pauses can be very brief. Contrasting dynamics, alternating between soft and loud, can be effective in creating variation between sections of a song. The timing of percussion parts is important for setting the rhythm. It can be a good idea to set a slower tempo for recording the percussion parts, and speeding it up for the other parts. Try using unusual combinations of instruments, or putting instruments on unexpected parts. Set aside sections where one or more instruments take a break to highlight the other instruments. Use the B button on the clarinet- style instruments to change which note is played or add ornamentation. Try changing which beat gets the stress, or playing an entirely different rhythm. Don't be afraid to experiment -- you can come up with all sorts of crazy ideas that actually work. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Quick Jam styles Quick Jam has a number of styles which aren't immediately available in the Custom Jam modes. If you want to do a Custom Jam with one of these styles, you could save a Quick Jam video and load it into Custom Jam. Or, just make a note of which instruments are playing on which parts, and set those up directly. Here is a list (possibly incomplete) of styles found in the Quick Jam mode. (The ones marked with asterisks are directly available in Custom Jam from the menu.) Of course, you're not limited to any of these styles -- you can substitute any instrument, or come up with your own new arrangement. Bass Percussion Percussion Chord Melody Harmony A Cappella singer beat boxer hand clap singer singer singer Acoustic acoustic guitar congas maracas acoustic guitar singer banjo African marimba djembe drum congas marimba marimba marimba Animals! tuba bass drum cowbell dog cat cat Ballad electric bass ballad drums congas piano saxophone piano Calypso steel drum steel drum steel drum steel drum Celtic upright bass bass drum tambourine acoustic guitar bagpipe bagpipe Classical* cello harpsichord violin violin Country upright bass cowbell maracas banjo harmonica jaw harp Electronic* galactic bass DJ turntables hand clap galactic piano vibraphone galactic guitar Eurobeat galactic bass galactic drums tambourine galactic guitar galactic horn electric guitar European tuba marching snare castanets dulcimer clarinet violin Exotic sitar djembe drum dulcimer sitar sitar Flamenco acoustic guitar castanets hand clap acoustic guitar violin violin Folk upright bass bass drum maracas acoustic guitar recorder accordion French Bistro upright bass güiro tambourine (French Cinema) harpsichord accordion clarinet Funk electric bass basic drums hand clap galactic guitar trumpet saxophone Galactic galactic bass galactic drums galactic congas galactic piano galactic horn galactic guitar Handbells handbells bells handbells handbells handbells Hawaiian* upright bass maracas congas ukulele ukulele ukulele Hip Hop galactic bass DJ turntable galactic congas galactic piano rapper Japanese* shamisen taiko drum bells flute Jazz* upright bass jazz drums congas piano saxophone vibraphone Karate! electric bass rock drums black belt electric guitar electric guitar electric guitar Latin* electric bass Latin drums maracas marimba trumpet saxophone March* tuba bass drum marching snare trumpet trumpet trumpet NES-style NES horn NES horn NES horn NES horn Orchestral timpani marching snare violin flute trumpet Parade tuba whistle cheerleader trumpet trumpet clarinet Pop* electric bass basic drums tambourine acoustic guitar piano vibraphone Reggae* upright bass reggae drums piano steel drum steel drum Rock* electric bass rock drums tambourine galactic horn electric guitar electric guitar Salsa electric bass congas timbales acoustic guitar trumpet marimba Samba electric bass whistle cuica acoustic guitar flute marimba Soul galactic bass basic drums hand clap galactic piano trumpet saxophone Soundtrack timpani marching snare maracas harpsichord piano acoustic guitar Tango* upright bass marching snare castanets accordion violin piano Toy galactic horn marching snare castanets toy piano galactic horn galactic horn Woodwind harpsichord (Serenade) piano flute clarinet