When it comes to music and rhythm games, Wii Music stands in a class of its own. Unlike other music games, which penalize players if they don’t play perfectly, Wii Music is a musical playground where there are no mistakes. Here anyone can pick up and master the huge array of instruments available, through simple motions like strumming and drumming. Musicians in your band jam by simply playing their instruments to the beat of a song or by improvising to their heart’s content. Play faster. Play slower. Skip a beat, or throw in 10 more. No matter what you do, Wii Music automatically transforms your improv stylings into great music.
 |
 View larger. |
 View larger. |
 View larger. |
 View larger. |
 View larger. |
Gameplay: Getting Your Band Together
In Wii Music every band has six members: Two play the main melody, two cover the percussion beats, one covers the bass groove and one uses the song’s chords to support the melody. As a band, the six members often play their special parts at the same time, though each player can jam however and whenever he or she wants. Play all at once. Take turns in the spotlight. Pair up in creative ways throughout the song. You can bring the band to life by yourself, playing one part at a time-or with up to four players. See game mode below:
- Solo Play: When you play by yourself, you can add one part at a time to arrange the whole song exactly how you want. The Tutes are on hand to back up your band in any parts you need filled.
- Multiplayer: When in a band with friends, up to four people can be band members.
- Wii Friends: Using WiiConnect24, you can send your jam videos to Wii Friends who own Wii Music. They can then watch your performance, modify it to their liking and send their jam videos back to you.
Tutes: Your Own Private Back-up Band
When not playing with friends, you can invite jam masters known as Tutes to play with you. They’ll join a session playing an instrument that each thinks is strong for a specific song. You can simply enjoy the musical camaraderie, or pick up instrument tips by watching them jam. If you choose to watch, the Tutes will show you lots of techniques for many of these instruments, then ask you to follow their examples. They’ll start with the simplest techniques, then as you master each one, show you even more nuanced ones.
- Easy to Play Improv Jams – All members of your band jam by simply playing their instruments to the beat of a song or by improvising to their heart’s content. Play faster. Play slower. Skip a beat, or throw in 10 more. Wii Music challenges you to transform your improv stylings into great music. There are no mistakes and no game scores-just playing for the pure joy of playing.
- Wii Controls Immerse You in the Music – You can play most of the 60-plus instruments in Wii Music using simple motions with the Wii Remote and Nunchuk controllers. Strum to play guitar, banjo and sitar. Drum to play jazz drums, congas and snare drums. Hammer away to play piano, vibraphone and marimba. Unlike most music games, Wii Music doesn’t make you use many complex buttons. You only need to imitate playing the instrument.
- Virtually Endless Ways to Make Music – You choose the song and instruments and decide whether to blaze through a rock take on classical songs, put a jazzy spin on folk tunes or transform Nintendo classics like the Super Mario Bros. theme into Latin-flavored numbers. The song list is only a takeoff point-it’s how you improvise with the songs that matters.
- Share Your Band Jams With Friends – They’ll see your Mii band members, your players’ improv styles and your instrument selections. They can watch your recordings, or play over parts of your song, then send their modified recording back to you. So you can send improv jams back and forth over WiiConnect24, changing them again and again.
60+ Instruments
You can play most of the 60-plus instruments in Wii Music using simple motions with the Wii Remote and Nunchuk controllers. Strum to play guitar, banjo and sitar. Drum to play jazz drums, congas and marching drums. Hammer away to play piano, vibraphone and marimba. Unlike most music games, Wii Music doesn’t make you use complex buttons. You only need to imitate playing the instrument. Wii Music offers virtually endless ways to make music.
Designed with classic Wii gameplay in mind, Wii Music includes many other modes and play options besides the main band jams, including several musical games and an enhanced video playback mode for recorded jams.
- Videos Mode: Watch your jam videos in an enhanced playback mode that brings your jams to life with fun environmental effects and dramatic camera angles.
- Mii Maestro: By waving the Wii Remote like a conductor’s baton in this mini-game, you’ll lead a Mii orchestra through orchestrated songs, such as The Legend of Zelda theme. Make them play quickly, slowly, strongly or gently-the orchestra is at your command.
- Handbell Harmony: In this musical mini-game, you’ll play in a handbell ensemble by swinging your Wii Remote and Nunchuk. Everyone on the team has a job to do: play one of your notes only when the tune demands it.
- Pitch Perfect: How good is your musical ear? In this whimsical musical quiz, you’ll have to solve challenges, like putting note-playing Miis in order from lowest to highest pitch.
- Drum Mode: In the one mode that uses the Wii Balance Board accessory (sold with Wii Fit), you can feel what it’s like to play a real-life drum set. You’ll use the Wii Remote and Nunchuk as drumsticks, and place both feet on the Wii Balance Board-which work as virtual pedals for the bass drum and hi-hat cymbal.
User Reviews
2 Stars Wii Missed the Music with this Family
When I first saw a glimpse of this game when the Wii originally released I thought it was awesome. Just the conductor snippet alone looked fun and the potential was exciting. The more I saw of it through TV spots and promotional videos the more I began to wonder about the enjoyment of the product. I will be honest in saying the moment in purchasing it I asked the store clerk “So, what do you do in the game, what’s the point?” He couldn’t give me an answer other than experiment with instruments because he didn’t really know either. We couldn’t figure it out from the package either. This should have been a clue. So, regardless of my feelings I decided to buy this game because it was titled (Wii) Music, also if anything it is finally something else that my toddler daughter will be able to do without much difficulty. Needless to say it was less than 24 hours before it ended up as a trade in. So here is why…
First and foremost it was just boring. Before you think I didn’t put any effort into it I did play it for 7 hours. I did most of the various instruments, the hand bell & sound mini-games, all the jam sessions, and created videos with video art. I thought well maybe it was just boring the first night so I tried it again twice the following day to let it grow on me and by the third go around on the second evening I finally said…”this game is boring”. There is nothing to do except doink around for an hour with instruments that feel nothing like the real thing. The controls feel nothing like the real instruments. I’ve never played piano with my fists clumped just waving up and down in a single position. Most of the instruments lack a sense of actual playing. It mostly feels like you hold the position similar to the real instrument and just randomly wave the controls. It feels like they tried to force the action fit the controller instead of allowing the controller to be apart of the action like Wii Tennis & Bowling. I also think it is unfair to keep the full drum sampler locked unless you have a balance board. Seems like a marketing ploy. I felt disconnected from what was happening on the screen and was too bored to care. After a brief 15 min. of playing simple instruments and dog barks in a few jam sessions my daughter got bored and went off to do other things. (She loves to play Cosmic Family & Mario Kart because it keeps her interest). I tried to coax her into playing the songs she recognizes like daddy; but, she finally said “Don’t like this game”.
Second, the song selection is disappointing. Now I was not expecting this game to compete at all or be in the same genre as GH or RB, again, this was mainly for my toddler daughter; but, the music is drab for two reasons. One, the selection is obvious public free midi-music, such as Ode to Joy, Twinkle Little Star, Do-Re-Mi basically most things that come packaged with a $25 mega-store keyboard. There are no lyrics on any songs and it sounds like a children’s educational instrument. Does Nintendo need to save money? Two, not only are the song choices drab again the quality of the music sounds like the $25 keyboard. I know Nintendo is big on midi music for some reason and it causes Wii Music to fall short. The drums sound fake, the guitars sound fake and the only thing that doesn’t sound like it came from a computerized sound patch is the electric piano. I did play long enough to unlock the Zelda theme song and I can honestly say they would have been better off adding and pushing more Nintendo originals towards the front of the game. I would have been far more interested in playing drums and trumpet to Mario or Donkey Kong themes. I know the few Nintendo songs are there; but, why do I need to do hours of Bethoven and nursery rhymes to play them?
Lastly, the reason why I am giving this two stars and not one is because the conductor portion did amuse me for a period. I was impressed that I could hold the baton (Wii Remote) in a single position and the orchestra would hold their note/position; but, again who wants to conduct a choppy version of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star? This was neat; but, the rest of the game is so boring it kind of defeats the enjoyment of the act. This should have been a larger factor of the game and possibly included a music mix generator. Can you imagine how much fun it would have been to conduct Zelda with a personalized dance beat?
So, that is about it. I typically don’t write this long and I usually love what Nintendo has to offer. I have always appreciated their originality and attempts to experiment. I will continue to support the family oriented products and company, they have been great for years. I did appreciate that they were exposing more worldwide instruments other than the basic rock band types; but, the presentation causes it to fall short. I assume being a full-time musician I defaulted to expect more; but, for everyone I believe there will be some level of disappointment and eventual boredom. Finally, all I can say is I would probably be more forgiving if this game had a $29.99 price tag or was a WiiWare download. It is definitely not worth the retail price of $49.99. I would pick it up used or wait for when it drops shortly after Christmas like the other original Wii titles have. I guarantee you wil be happier playing this as a weekend rental and using the remaining $45 on a great previously owned game.
1 Star For ages 3-8 only.
I was SO excited to get this game. I was SO disappointed when I played it. This is the first review I have ever written. I feel compelled to warn others.
PROS:
-fun to watch you Mii playing music.
CONS:
-slow loading
-Terrible quality sound (Midi, my ringtones sound better than this)
-Poor sensitivity, does not replicate your movement well.
-Limited playing, I thought I’d get to be more creative with this.
-Price, I had a lot more fun and deeper experience with Endless Ocean (another “just play for fun not for points” game) at $[...] than this game.
Wii Sports = awesome
Wii Play = boring
Wii Music = novelty that wears off in a matter or minutes.
Since I played the game, taking out of the plastic wrap, I can’t get a full refund. (would love to try to get a refund straight from Nintendo) I would have to settle for 50% refund. So now I have to decide if it’s worth $[...] to get this game out of my house. Better yet, I should try to find a 7 year old to give it to, they might actually think its fun.
When kids get a new toy, they typically play with it for a day or 2, maybe a week. That is the perfect amount of time to enjoy Wii Music!!
Nice try Nintendo, better luck next time.
5 Stars Tons of Fun
This is a very interesting, but fun, “game.” It isn’t a game like Guitar Hero or Rockband where you are essentially pushing buttons in time. To me, this is more a creative effort where you simulate playing musical instruments and can experiment with rhythm. Good thing they added a way to save and play back performances.
Initially, I wasn’t sure about buying it, but went for it once I found it had a drum mode. I’ve been thinking about getting a drum set–and this is enough to quell that thought. My wife is happy about that.
As far as playing, my four year old daughter enjoys it a lot, too. She may be more advanced musically than others (piano lessons for over a year) but she enjoys going through the lessons and playing jam sessions. I’m sure this will help develop her time and sense of rhythm.
Some of the motions are strange: in particular, the bass guitar and double bass. Note: I play EBG, ABG, EUB, and 2XB so I’m picky. But others are fun and reasonably accurate, mostly the percussion instruments.
Watching the sample videos is inspiring and shows its possibilities. I really think users, especially musicians, who’ve gotten bored with it haven’t explored all its true capabilities.
Summary: this is an excellent “game.” It uses the Wii controls very well and is potentially an educational title.
4 Stars Wii Music versus Electric Keyboard
I remember reading one of the negative reviews here on Amazon for Wii Music where it was compared to a $25 electric keyboard from a “mega box” store. While I don’t agree with his opinion of Wii Music, I do think he had a point. Wii Music is closer to an electronic instrument/toy like an electronic keyboard than a rhythm video game like Guitar Hero and Rock Band. That is probably why there have been a number of people who have found it boring. Unless you like music and like playing around with music you are going to find both an electric keyboard and Wii Music boring after a couple of hours. The only “score” you get from either one of them is your opinion or the opinion of your “audience” (excluding the mini games in Wii Music which are scored). In my mind the question isn’t should you get Guitar Hero, Rock Band or Wii Music, but should you get an electronic instrument or Wii Music.
In that spirit, I felt it was worthwhile to compare Wii Music to an equivalently priced electric keyboard. I picked the Casio SA75 since I felt it had a decent amount of features for the price. There are of course many other electric keyboards or other electronic midi devices with lots of other features, but most of them cost more (around the $500+ range for the really good ones) than the $49.99 that Wii Music and the Casio SA75 are currently selling at. See below for my comparison.
Feature: Available Tones/Instruments
Wii Music – 65 different “instruments”. I thought the quality of sound was great for midi, but not everyone agrees with me 
Casio SA75 – 100 different tones (some of which are combinations of tones like piano/violin where half the keyboard is piano and half is violin), 30 different accompaniment patterns (10 rhythm, 10 free style, 10 funny). However I saw that some reviewers thought the quality of sound wasn’t all that good and some of the instruments sounded the same.
Feature: Included Songs
Wii Music – Not positive but it looks like there is about 48
Casio SA75 – 10 demo songs
Feature: Total Number of Songs that can be played
Wii Music – The 48 included songs plus free style jamming with the toots (but you can’t control the tune, just the rhythm). It is possible that in the future you might be able to download new songs per Wii Connect but that’s not available as of this writing.
Casio SA75 – only limited by your talent, the music scores available to you, the 37 keys and only being able to play 4 notes at a time
Feature: Education/Lessons
Wii Music – For each of the 65 instruments there is background information. There are lessons on 11 musical styles for all 6 parts including rock, marching, reggae, pop and classic (so 66 lessons total). The pitch perfect game also helps teach a little about musical theory.
Casio SA75 – Can turn off the melody for the 10 demo songs and play it yourself instead with the notes shown in the LCD screen.
Feature: Saving
Wii Music – Can save all the parts for the last 5 songs played (30 parts total) and up to 100 music videos with 6 parts each (600 parts total for a grand total of 630).
Casio SA75 – Not sure but you might be able to save one recording. It also has an output jack so you could probably offload that one recording to your computer with the right software.
Feature: Create Videos
Wii Music – Once you are done with your jam session it gives you the option to save as a video right away.
Casio SA75 – N/A
In conclusion, Wii Music offers a number of very nice features that you can’t find on a equivalently priced electric keyboard which may make up for it’s lack of freedom in playing songs, but it will never replace real instruments or the more expensive electronic devices. However, it’s a fun and cheap way to introduce kids to music or for adults to play around with music without expensive instruments/equipment or years of lessons.
5 Stars this was awesome
u know all those guitar hero games. More like guiter lame-o. U always have to follow the games directions. But in wiimusic, u can express your creativity. Much better then I thought.
