On multiplayer mode you can listen to any song you have unlocked, and it will play all the way through. You don't need to plug in a second guitar controller to access this, plugging in a standard controller will do.
One other advantage of multiplayer is that it allows you to play all the songs you have already unlocked, at any level of difficulty. So it's worth trying out if you are struggling with a song, because it allows you to practise parts of the tune that are giving you trouble on single player mode.
Pay attention to the loading screens, because they contain hints that will help you to play better.
Once you decide to attempt the harder difficulty settings, it's a good idea to warm up for challenging songs by practising them first on the easier levels.
Try to release your Star Power at the end of a long note, or in a gap just before a sequence of notes. That way you're less likely to lose your concentration at a crucial moment and fluff your notes. If you do make a mistake you will lose any multiplier bonus you may have built up.
You can use a normal controller to play this game, although it is a lot less fun. You might want to do this in order to test out the multiplayer mode, to help you decide whether or not you want to get a second guitar controller. The only thing you will miss when you use a standard controller is the whammy bar. These are how the standard controls correspond with the guitar controller:
Select |
Star Power |
L1 |
Red fret |
L2 |
Green fret |
R1 |
Yellow fret |
R2 |
Blue fret |
X |
Accept/Confirm, and orange fret |
Notice that there's no button for the strum bar. You don't need to hit it to play notes using a regular controller. Just press the buttons and they will play immediately. This means you can't prepare for chords by holding the correct buttons down in advance, but in some ways it's easier to play this way because there are fewer things to coordinate.
