Guitar and bass in Rock Band? No problem -- it's so close to Guitar Hero that you should be able to jump right in. Drums might be a little more tricky, but hey, it's the same colored-dots-on-the-scrolling-screen technique. How hard can it be? And vocals?

Um, vocals?

Yeah. Vocals are kind of tough. As Alex Rigopulos points out, there's no layer of abstraction in Rock Band for singers. You're really singing, and the game rates your performance based on how accurately you can match your pitch and phrasing. That's probably scarier than anything else, and unless you've played games like Singstar or Karaoke Revolution, it might seem daunting.

So we asked Harmonix producer Helen McWilliams -- who moonlights as the lead howler for the band Vagiant -- to offer her singing tips for anybody who's a little intimidated to step up to the mic. And, as seems to be the case with Helen, we got more than we bargained for. Enjoy.