Guitar Hero II Tip

So you totally want to shred at Guitar Hero II? Well here’s a tip that might just help you score more points and improve your score. If you get past Easy and Medium and you need to start playing fast, the whole key to scoring and hit all the notes is learn to hammer-on’s and pull-offs. If two notes are close together, you can play the second note just by pressing the button, without hitting the strum bar a second time. If the second note is “higher” than the first (like going from red to yellow), this is called a hammer-on; if the second note is lower (like going from yellow to red), it’s called a pull-off.
Knowing how to do hammer-on’s and pull-off’s is the easy part, know when to use them is the real trick. Each line of the scrolling fret board represents a beat. If the two notes you’re trying to link with a hammer-on or pull-off are on two different horizontal “frets” on the screen, they’re too far apart and you’ll need to pick both. However if the second note falls between two frets, you should try a hammer-on or pull-off. Pick the first note, and then just press the button for the second (and third, in some songs).
Songs that you can really use this technique are “Carry Me Home” on Medium, which has both hammer-on’s and pull-off’s. The solo to “You Really Got Me” on Hard, and most of “Hanger 18″ solos. If by chance you get to Expert, you’re going to be using this technique on just about every song, so practice, practice, practice. Fire up practice mode and strum away, it will pay off as you advance through the game. Mastering this technique is the only way you’ll nail the faster, tougher songs on Hard and Expert.