How to Play Rock Band on Nintendo Wii

Instrument Setup

• 1

  Assemble the guitar and the drum set. Refer to instructions included with the game or to the Rock Band getting started guide in the resources section.

• 2

  Plug in the microphone to one USB port on the back of the Wii. If you have wired instruments, plug them into the included USB hub, and plug that into the other port on the back of the Wii. If you have wireless instruments, plug one wireless dongle into the other port on the back of the Wii, and plug the other dongle(s) into each progressive dongle, forming a chain.

• 3

  Turn on the Nintendo Wii and one Wii remote. If you are using wireless instruments, turn them on using the on/off switches, press and hold the round gem-like button on each wireless instrument, then press and hold the small white sync button on an instrument and the corresponding dongle connected to the back of the Wii. Once a blue numbered box lights up on the instrument, it is connected. Repeat this for each instrument you'd like to use.

• 4

  Put in the Rock Band disc and head for the main menu.

Getting into the Game

• 5

  Go to the "Tour" or "Story" option on the main menu. This is the best place to start your Rock Band experience.

• 6

  Select "Local" instead of "Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection," if presented with the option.

• 7

  Press start a band if you are playing Rock Band or Rock Band 2. (The Beatles Rock Band players obviously don't need to worry about that and should be all set from here onward.)

• 8

  Connect all the instruments you plan to use by pressing the green pad or fret, or in the case of the Wii remote, the A button.

• 9

  Select "Create Character" on each instrument, and choose your gender, hometown, attitude, facial features and bodily proportions, as well as entering your name.

• 10

  Press start on the character selection screen after you are finished creating characters.

• 11

  Press "Band Name" and enter a name, or stick with the randomly generated suggestion the game provides.

• 12

  Press "Start Tour" to head to your first gig. After the "congratulations" screen, choose your first song.

• 13

  Choose your difficulty. Each instrument can have a different difficulty. If you haven't played Rock Band or Guitar Hero before, start with easy or medium.

• 14

  Follow the onscreen cues after the loading is finished. Guitar and bass tracks are located on the left or right side of the screen. You have to hold down the colored frets and strum the strum bar when a note crosses the hit zone near the bottom of the screen.

  Drummers are in the center. Drummers have to hit the corresponding drum head as the colored notes cross the hit zone near the bottom of the screen.

  Vocalists are the horizontal bar located at the top of the screen, or the bottom if no other band members are playing. Sing along as the lyrics cross the singing line on the left. The arrow that appears there indicates your pitch. Try to match it with the glowing horizontal line crossing the singing line.