Leaving for the mountains in the morning -- free from the internet for a couple days, hooray -- but sent you another weird one, Adam, before your rental runs out. The Entertainer is just an exercise in breaking from the meter of the original song, which is something I'd like to find time to experiment with a bit more. If you load it into the jam mode, watch how the drums play against the actual measures of the song -- I'm playing 2 measures for every 3 of the original, which works out nicely in the end. Actually, while I'm happy with the drums, the rest of it is just crazy filler, so someone needs to come along and finish it out properly, one of these days.

Uh oh...I'll be at a beach house with friends all weekend. How will this thread survive without us?!

Haven't heard it yet, but it's impressive that you can do that. I would be completely thrown off by the visual beats in the lower-right corner. In fact, they confuse me already, as I often like to play off beat. I turned the obnoxious remote speaker metronome off, but I guess I'll have to obstruct the corner of my TV from view if I want to do anything like your song, haha.

Time for the newer recruits to step it up, methinks.

Addendum: The way to break from the meter is generally to start by killing all the instruments, then record your own "click track" with guide beats. For that one, I just recorded a track where I hit the cowbell every 1.5 beats, so that over 3 measures of the original (12 beats) you now get 8 beats, or two measures -- then I use that, turn off the clicking, and record the real drums, etc.

I have the game until noon Sunday, so I'd love to keep the thread alive, but I have a wedding to attend Saturday and will be watching the US in the Confederations Cup final Sunday. I'll do my best, guys.

YOU CAN DO THAT?!?

Arrrrrggggghhhh I really need to start reading instructions.

@Brutus

That's not a part of the Wii Music options, that's just a general Wii option, always accessible from the Home menu -- remote speaker volume. But see my "click track" addendum above for how I usually go about breaking from the meter.

Wow, Wario, you really have broken this game to your will. Good thinking.

Just sent some good listening material your way, guys. It's a reworking of Yankee Doodle, but my arrangement is so ingenious and beautiful that you won't recognize the original material. Chicken will especially like it. I spent more time doing the cover art than the song, but unfortunately the instrument I wanted to use for every slot was limited to percussion. Still, I think I can safely say this is my best work yet. Enjoy.

I have to say, Adam, I admire your restraint.

You won't admire it once you see the video.

I saw the video, foo. It's brilliant. You know exactly which notes not to play. And then you play them. With me dressed as a cheerleader. You should perform this at next year's Grammys.

I'd love to, but it's beyond my skill to perform. That's why I had to call you in to do it. I just don't have the pom poms to play that way.

Coming next week, when I get back from my mini-vacation: The Ballad of Adam the Butt.

Last night I finally recorded the video from the Extended Jam Lesson. If only I had known this simple act would unlock the rest of the songs, I wouldn't have left it unrecorded all these weeks!

Looking at the track list I have to say I'm surprised and disappointed there isn't more classical music or world music in there. Where the hell is the African music? Some salsa, Indian classical and bhangra would also have been very nice to see -- and why no Chinese opera (I'll take Cantonese or Peking)?

Hopefully in the next interation (if any). Ah well, at least I have access to it all finally.

I hope we do get a next iteration. As it stands, I have enough nitpicks with the game that I am not willing to pay full price for it, but if they offered more freedom and customization, I'd be sold.

I'm still having trouble with the controls, too. Maybe I have unusually shaky hands, but I too often get notes hit when I think I'm being perfectly still, and even worse sometimes a note will register at the wrong time when I am trying to hit it. Perhaps I am too enthusiastic and my arc of movement is too long, I don't know. Motion controls are neat, but they rarely agree with me.

Can't wait. Adam the Butt rules.

Ballad of Adam the Butt (aka Animal Crossing) is sent.

Bootylicious. I wish I didn't have to return it tomorrow. I got caught up playing and doing other things. Didn't get to spend as much of the rental period with it as I'd have liked. It was fun, but I don't know if I would ever get songs to sound that good.

My Wii code is
7234 3284 7284 1045

Please register me! I've got some pretty darn good music videos, if I do say so myself

Hey Kid_A. I'll gladly add you in the next day or so; add me too. I'd love to see what you've done. How long have you had the game?

@Wario et al.
Would you guys (particularly Wario but others are certainly welcome) be interested in putting together some kind of online tutorial / gathering grounds for Wii Music fans? There doesn't seem to be anything online, and it would be nice when somebody new to the game (like Adam) could find the site and learn interesting tricks they don't teach you in the game, such as Wario's click-track idea. We could write up tutorials about general ways to play with music and link to some of the better youtube stuff...

Would you guys be interested?