A lot of the selections on each are going to overlap, but it’s still worth checking both if you don’t see what you’re looking for on one or the other: Of course, knowing you can play abc files is one thing, but where do you get them? There are tons of websites out there with some abc transcriptions of your favorite songs available, but there are two really great ones that have a great selection. Just make sure you name it exactly that or the game won’t recognize the files. If you don’t already have a “Music” folder, you’ll need to create one. You can also type /playlist to display a list of all your saved abc files.
You can download abc files from the web and save them to a folder named “Music” in your LOTRO directory (the folder named “The Lord of the Rings Online” in your documents) and you can play them in game by typing “/play ” once in music mode. The game also supports a type of file called an “abc file,” which is an ascii-based musical notation.
If you’re more like me and the idea of understanding musical notes well enough to compose anything is both confusing and a little bit frightening, however, don’t despair. If you’ve got an ear for music, maybe you’ll be able to create some great sounding notes.
Once you’ve got the keymapping set in a way that suits you, feel free to experiment and see what you can come up with.
Using LOTRO ABC Files Instead of Manual Keys As soon as you put away your instrument, those same keys will respond to their primary “combat mode” keymapping, so don’t be afraid to re-use keys that are set to some of your important skills. Don’t worry any keymapping set for music is only in effect while playing music. You can map musical notes to any keys you wish by going into your “keymapping” menu in your options and setting the keys you want to bind each note to. By default, only 24 of those notes are keymapped, and can be played by pressing the number keys 1-8, and then by pressing those same number keys while holding either Shift or Ctrl to change the octave. Here’s how the LOTRO music system works: The game supports 37 musical notes. Just because you’ve got an instrument in your hands and you’re in music mode, it doesn’t mean you’re going to immediately be able to craft symphonies. You’re now in music mode and ready to play! How Playing Music in LOTRO Works At any rate, equip the instrument when you’re ready to play some tunes, and type /music. Keep in mind that the instrument equips to your ranged weapon slot, replacing whatever else was there, so unless you are a minstrel, you’re going to want to unequip it and re-equip your weapon before you head back into battle. Once your character understands the instrument you want to play, you can by the instrument from a bard npc, which you’ll be able to find in nearly most of the game’s major towns. You can either find another minstrel player to train you directly, or you can read an instructional manual crafted by a minstrel, which you can usually find for sale in the game’s auction house.
Check which instrument(s) your specific class can play by opening your skill panel and looking under passive skills for “ proficiency.” If you’d rather play something your class doesn’t know how to play, you can learn that proficiency in one of two ways. Every other class has at least one or two instruments they can play by default. If you play the minstrel class, you’ll be able to play any instrument. If you’re waiting for a guild mate to come back from making a sandwich so the rest of you can finish off a big boss, or you’re just hanging out in one of the towns waiting to decide what areas you’re going to quest in, it never hurts to break out an instrument and start rocking out.įirst, then, you’ll need an instrument, and you’ll need to know how to play it. Music is a fun way to pass the time in The Lord of The Rings Online, or LOTRO. Playing Music in The Lord of the Rings Online: What You’ll Need