The next Wii Idol?

If there's one genre the Wii has yet to fully exploit (save for the single best-selling version of Guitar Hero 3), its the music world.  Nintendo's hoping to change all that with the release of Wii Music, the mushroom company's attempt to put the whole 'punch colored squares to signals' game right to bed.  For starters, rather than simply provide faux-instruments that look the part, the ever-universal Wiimote will instead mimic the movements and interplay of the real things.  How this will work in real-world scenarios has yet to be seen, but with instant-replay, saved videos, massive multiplayer capabilities, and the ability to recreate the classic Super Mario Tune...who can resist?

So despite the too-dorky-for-words display at the tail end of their earnest E3 conference demonstration (let us never speak of it again), the potential for Wii Music to be huge is there.  In all honesty, its probably more than there - its a slam-dunk.  One only need to look at the hundreds of YouTube videos and online resources on how to convert your standard Wiimote into a universal music instrument to see what new sensation Nintendo may be unleashing onto the masses.  As for myself, I'm tone-deaf when it comes to creating anything even remotely melodious, but that drum section sure does look tempting...definitely one to look for this upcoming holiday season.

Enjoy the official blurb, with plenty of screenshots to follow!

Create a musical masterpiece with up to four players. Anyone can play the huge selection of instruments in Wii Music with simple motions—like strumming and drumming.

• It’s easy to play improv jams. Musicians in your band jam by simply playing their instruments to the beat of a song or by improvising to their heart’s content. Play faster. Play slower. Skip a beat, or throw in 10 more. No matter what you do, Wii Music automatically transforms your improv stylings into great music. There are no mistakes—just playing for the pure joy of playing.

• Wii controls immerse you in the music. You can play most of the 60-plus instruments in Wii Music using simple motions with the Wii Remote and Nunchuk controllers. Strum to play guitar, banjo and sitar. Drum to play jazz drums, congas and marching drums. Hammer away to play piano, vibraphone and marimba. Unlike most music games, Wii Music doesn’t make you use complex buttons. You only need to imitate playing the instrument.

• Wii Music offers virtually endless ways to make music. You choose the song and instruments and decide whether to blaze through a rock take on classical songs, put a jazzy spin on folk tunes or transform Nintendo classics like the Super Mario Bros.® theme into Latin-flavored numbers. The song list is only a takeoff point—it’s how you improvise with the songs that matters.

• Send your band-jam recordings to Wii Friends who have Wii Music. They’ll see your Mii™ band members, your players’ improv styles and your instrument selections. They can watch your recordings, or play over parts of your song, then send their modified recording back to you. Improv jams can be sent back and forth over WiiConnect24 and changed again and again.

Beyond the Jam:

Wii Music includes many other modes besides the main band jams, including several musical games and an enhanced video playback mode for recorded jams.

• Play it again: Use the playback mode to see your jam recordings brought to life with dramatic camera angles.

• Pick up the baton: Command an orchestra in the conducting game where you’ll wave the Wii Remote controller like a conductor’s baton to lead a Mii orchestra through orchestrated music. Make them play quickly, slowly, strongly or gently.

• Ring a bell? Play a handbells game where you’ll swing your Wii Remote and Nunchuk controllers to play your two handbells as part of a larger ensemble. Everyone on the team has a job to do: Play one of your notes only when the tune demands it.

• An ear for music: Take a tone quiz that tests your musical ear by giving you challenges, like putting note-playing Miis in order from lowest to highest pitch.

• Bang the drum: Play a virtual drum set in the drumming mode, the one mode in Wii Music that also uses the Wii Balance Board accessory (sold with Wii Fit™). You’ll use the Wii Remote and Nunchuk controllers as drumsticks, and place both feet on the Wii Balance Board—which work as virtual pedals for the bass drum and hi-hat cymbal.