The Hobbit book was released 75 years ago! Today is Hobbit Day, celebrating the birthday of Bilbo and Frodo! And this very biscuity burrow is one year old these days! Time ter add the very first song I wrote!
How it all started
Me very first song! This is the one that got me started writing lyrics in LOTRO, back in the summer of 2010. I had for a long time played music from ABC files, even started converting a few of me own, but still there was something missing. Namely words to them songs. So those warm summer days two years ago, I started writing.
Before yer get the song lyrics, though, here is the short version of how it all happened. Because this was not easy at all.
First problem: Finding the words
Finding a theme fer a song isn't always easy. I tend ter write songs about the Shire, hobbit life, meself and me interests. Not least biscuits. Back when it all stared, though, I was highly unsure of what to sing about.
In the end, I decided ter write a sort of introduction song about meself. Given that I roleplay a bard, it seemed natural ter have a song to welcome the audience, by telling them a little about me. Perhaps even make them offer me some biscuits. Easy, hm?
Well, naw. Roleplaying a bard is one thing, actually being one is a different matter. I could easily hide me lack of true musical skills by converting midi files into the ABC format (using LOTRO MIDI player or, more recently, Firefern's converter). With LOTRO's music system, I could easily play music in-game. But lyrics about meself and the game world? Err. Not many of those around.
So I did what many song writers in LOTRO do. I started adapting from existing lyrics. So although this was me first-ever song, I can hardly call these me own words, given that I stole most of them from I'm The Man You Don't Meet Every Day. Here in a lovely version by The Pogues.
[video type="youtube" clip_id="ZBJy1v6ZkZc" autohide="0"]
I'm a Man You Don't Meet Every Day, The Pogues
I had just found this version on a CD I had lying around, I loved it to bits, and decided ter adapt the lyrics for use in-game. I changed a few lines here and there, but kept a lot of the original, not least the chorus. Still, every bard needs ter be, er, inspired by them greats. Right? Hm?
Second problem: Singing in-game
Next problem: How could I type the lyrics into the game? This was before the lovely Lyrical plugin was released, which is the best option today to sing or recite poetry in LOTRO.
Back in 2010, though? I could either a) type very very fast (impossible), b) copy and paste from a text file very very fast (near impossible), or c) set up a lot of aliases (quite cumbersome). Naw, don't think so.
Luckily, one of me in-game friends, Simbo, had written an app which made it possible to send chat commands into the game, similar to Lyrical. After a bit of fiddling and lots of grand help from him, I managed to make the app work on me own computer. Joy of joys!
Third problem: Finding the music
One of the most frustrating things for any LOTRO musician is to find midi versions of songs you want to play. Yer know the feeling. There's that one song you just know will work perfectly in the game. But no matter where and how much yer search, there are no freely available midis out there.
There was no midi file around for I'm the Man You Don't Meet Every Day.
Baww...
Although, I found some sites where the song was linked to the folk song Endearing Young Charms. And there were midis of that song out there. I started converting. And it worked! Yay!
Here is a video of Endearing Young Charms made by Keli, which is based on the same midi I worked from. So in-game, my song sounds very similar to this.
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Endearing Young Charms, performed by Keli
Fourth problem: Making the song stand out in the game
Whenever a few roleplayers are around in the same place in LOTRO, yer can be sure that yer chat box fills up fast with emotes and dialogue. So a general challenge was ter find a good way ter show that me song lyrics were, indeed, sung. So perhaps them others would listen to them words, and even sing along. But how?
I toyed around with a few ideas, for instance adding different signs ter me song lines. Nothing seemed to quite work, until a lovely lass called Yola suggested I could use the character # to mark the start of the song (inspired by closed captioning, I believe). Meself never being one fer subtleties, I decided ter add the character to the end of me song lines as well, like this:
#There's no place like home, oh there's no place like home#
And that worked! Yay!
That special feeling
So that was a short version of them early day struggles of bringing song lyrics into LOTRO. Today, most of these things are second-nature. I have written many song lyrics now, and I don't necessary need the original lyrics for inspiration any more. Singing songs is easy with the Lyrical plugin, and the # # song line annotation is widely used on me server. Not bad at all, given how utterly uncertain I was about it all that summer two years ago.
Today, playing songs in LOTRO is one of the grand and fun things. In a band or alone, with or without lyrics. There are just so many possibilities with the music system.
Still, after all those years... That slightly nervous but lovely warm feeling of performing yer "own song" for the very first time? It never truly goes away.
And so, without further ado, me first-ever song!
I'm the lass
Oh they call me young Lina, I'm a wandering bard I'm a carefree young lassie all day So be easy and free when you're drinking with me I'm the lass you don't meet every day
Sometimes I play the flute or my father's old lute And there's many the song I could play So be easy and free when you're drinking with me I'm the lass you don't meet every day
Oh, I love me a biscuit or sweet cherry pie But the thing I love most is to play So be easy and free when you're drinking with me I'm the lass you don't meet every day
Now my ma did despair when I left on my mare But I just had to go my own way So be easy and free when you're drinking with me I'm the lass you don't meet every day
So come fill up your glasses of brandy and ale Whatever the cost, have your way So be easy and free when you're drinking with me I'm the lass you don't meet every day
Raise your glasses up high, serve a sweet slice of pie And we'll sing all the night and all day And be easy and free when you're drinking with me I'm the lass you don't meet every day