Guitar Hero III — Getting Started
Learn five-fret guitar controls, Star Power and practice routines.
Fret and strum
Hold the matching fret button and strum as a note reaches the strike line. For a chord, hold all its indicated buttons together.
Keep sustain notes held
Hold the fret buttons for the length of the note. Release or change position when the next pattern requires it.
Hammer-ons and pull-offs
Specially marked notes can be played without another strum after a successful preceding note. Strum again to recover if you break the chain.
Build Star Power
Complete star-shaped note phrases to fill the meter. Activating Star Power can boost your score and help you survive difficult passages.
Practise one section
Use Practice mode to isolate a difficult section and slow it down. Raise the speed once your fretting and strumming agree.
Check timing and handedness
Use the calibration and lefty settings as appropriate for your setup. A consistent audio/video delay can make accurate playing feel wrong.
The original 2007 game. Platform-specific characters are labelled. The song directory covers the base game, including boss battles; downloadable songs are outside this guide. Screenshots may differ from your platform.