How to get better at FFR

[Nerrage]

Re: How to get better at FFR

I havent entirely read through all of this, but thanks for the help about halfing the screen! I finished some songs i wanst able to otherwise. I wasn't as frusturated...so anyway COOKIES FOR YOU! And i can't play 2 hand at all, but i don't regret it, It's a serious crowdpleaser to my buds who are ddr/ffr noobs too, hehe

[drummerzac]

Re: How to get better at FFR

I tried the ''scroll the screen halfway down'' thing, and it made it 100 Xs harder for me. I think it's because i'm a musician, so I'm used to reading notes ahead, and my brain processes everything before I have to play it. It's kinda the same here. I play the stuff I already saw while I'm reading the arrows coming up. Blocking the screen doesn't allow you to do that, and it makes it waaaay harder. ..but that's just me.

[omfgitsaraver]

Re: How to get better at FFR

i dunno if this works for everyone but for some reason i do alot better when i hit the arrow keys really hard...

[Tasselfoot]

Re: How to get better at FFR

drummerzac... that is possible on easy songs. Once you get to songs like CIA Rave, Uber Rave, Silence, Delirium, Gradeus... songs where there are SO MANY NOTES coming at you at one time, it makes it 100x easier when you half the screen. Why? You are only seeing half the notes, which makes it easier to read. Otherwise, you get overwhelmed, confused... very difficult to read the hard songs without the halved screen.

[drummerzac]

Re: How to get better at FFR

That makes sense... but it's still the same amount of notes, only it's in half the time, so you only get half the time to process what's going on. It's like how music works. There's lots of notes, but you recognize patterns and it goes into your brain that you have to play that pattern coming up. While your brain knows you have to play that, you're getting ready by looking at what is coming up.

[Haru0ro]

Re: How to get better at FFR

This might be a weird way to get better at FFR but I get a cup of ice and put my knuckles into it for about 2 minutes until they numb..and it worked =]

[T0rajir0u]

Re: How to get better at FFR

That makes sense... but it's still the same amount of notes, only it's in half the time, so you only get half the time to process what's going on. It's like how music works. There's lots of notes, but you recognize patterns and it goes into your brain that you have to play that pattern coming up. While your brain knows you have to play that, you're getting ready by looking at what is coming up.

The problem with songs with a lot of notes is that when the screen is full-size, people like me often get distracted by the notes that are coming up, so it helps if we actually aren't ready for what's coming up. (This will make more sense to you when you get faster.)

[iggymatrixcounter]

Re: How to get better at FFR

That makes sense... but it's still the same amount of notes, only it's in half the time, so you only get half the time to process what's going on. It's like how music works. There's lots of notes, but you recognize patterns and it goes into your brain that you have to play that pattern coming up. While your brain knows you have to play that, you're getting ready by looking at what is coming up.

I've played music for about 8 years, I know what you're talking about.

But would it be easier to read a piece of music in cut time with 8ths and quarter notes or have the tempo be twice as slow with all those 16th's and 32nds?

It's the same song but they put it at a faster tempo because there are more notes per measure if it wasn't fast.

The same principle applies to here. When you scroll half the screen, you are essentially making the tempo twice as fast, making it easier for you to identify the notes easier, faster, more accurately.

---

Obviously I'm not going to tell you that it's easier. Obviously you know what is easy for you and what isn't, but I'm just trying to expand on what Tass said about reading A BUNCH of notes at one time.

[Dronak]

Re: How to get better at FFR

I tried the ''scroll the screen halfway down'' thing, and it made it 100 Xs harder for me. I think it's because i'm a musician, so I'm used to reading notes ahead, . . .

I tried that before, too, and also had trouble. I suspect it may be for the same reason. I've been playing music basically my whole life, since I was like 5 years old, so I'm also used to reading ahead. I understand the idea that if you see fewer arrows you're less likely to get confused, but it didn't seem to help me very much. *shrug*

I see what iggymatrix counter is trying to say, but I don't think it works quite like that. Larger duration notes played at a faster tempo can sound the same as shorter duration notes played at a slower tempo. But in FFR, the tempo of the song is still the same, the 1/16 beat arrows have not become 1/8 beat arrows. I don't think halving the screen is like making the song cut time. The way I see it, halving the viewing screen is more like halving the number of bars you read ahead. For some people that's helpful, for others it may not be. Just my thoughts.

[T0rajir0u]

Re: How to get better at FFR

You're all probably doing it on slow, easy songs. Once you get faster you'll understand how useful it is for much faster songs.

Reading music isn't very much like reading notes.

[iggymatrixcounter]

Re: How to get better at FFR

Reading music isn't very much like reading notes.

Yes they are very different things, but the principle I explained is similar in both cases, IMO.

I find it WAY easier to read songs that are in cut-time over, say, those solo songs you get that are only hard because they have all their notes scrunched together because it's a slow tempo.... not very practical for say sight reading because you can't read the black lines very well XD.

[RB_Unlimited]

Re: How to get better at FFR

Wow this stuff actually works

[iggymatrixcounter]

Re: How to get better at FFR

Well when someone has played a game for 2.5 years, any advice he would have would be pretty useful right? XD

Plus my advice is only a formal statement, people have been saying what I've said all along. It's just that this thread is stickied so more people can see it.

[Lesbifriends]

Re: How to get better at FFR

wow. I never thought of that.

[Dronak]

Re: How to get better at FFR

You're all probably doing it on slow, easy songs. Once you get faster you'll understand how useful it is for much faster songs.

The first time I heard this tip, a while back, I tried it on some song that was hard for me. Since I'm not that good, it was probably a middle level difficulty song (or few). I'm guessing that it was something I could pass, but not well, and I wanted to see if this halving the screen tip helped.

Well, from what I remember it didn't make things noticebly easier. I don't think I could say for certain that it made things any harder than usual, but I don't remember any marked improvement. Cutting off my view left me unable to anticipate the upcoming patterns, and I think it threw me off a bit. Reading arrows and reading musical notes aren't exactly the same, no. But I think there are similarities, and having played music practically my entire life, I've found (so far) that seeing more notes lets me prepare for what's coming up rather than being surprised by it.

Maybe with some time and practice, seeing fewer notes does help. Maybe it has to be on *really* fast/hard songs to have a more obvious effect. But I'd rather just have fun than make improving take work. Sure, I'll never match the feats of some people here that way, but as long as the game remains fun for me, I'll enjoy my little slow improvements.