So if you’ve been living under a rock for the past year or so, you’re missing out on an awesome interactive video game from Harmonix called Guitar Hero, where you get to use a play-guitar to learn notes from real songs on your favorite video game console. Now word is our that Harmonix, MTV, and EA have joined forces to produce “Rock Band”, which takes the Guitar Hero concept to the next level.

Gamers will be able to join forces with their fellow band members either in real life or in online communities, creating full rock bands (with each player choosing a different instrument). Leading music publishers like EMI and Warner will provide their original track recordings to provide a vast expanse of rock music covering different generations. Based on the success of Guitar Hero so far, this looks to be a great addition to any video game library and an unprecedented way to interact with music.

The “interaction” part is what fascinates me the most. Many, including myself, have yearn to learn how to play certain instruments but can’t for many reasons. I’m wondering how basic these games are or if they really teach you anything related to really playing the instrument. It be interesting to see this concept evolve into developing new interactive ways to learn how to play music.