text:
Sep 24 2010 09:32 AM #1
How do you create music for use in game?
This is something I've thought about posting before, as I'm curious about how folks other than myself do it, and because I get asked sometimes how I do it. And the final instigator was a post on this thread asking what fun there was in using someone else's MIDI as a starting point on a tune.
I'll start out by saying I am NOT a musician in real life. Unfortunately, I stopped taking lessons in junior high and never really picked up playing again. I do have a good ear, though, good sense of pitch, and a love of music.
I first hunt for a midi of the tune I want to make--some tunes get dumped at this point if I can't find a suitable midi. Some of the cruel things people do to helpless tunes is worse than any of the torments of the Enemy! Anyway...
Once I have a midi (sometimes 2 or 3, if I'm not sure which one to go with), I'll load them up in the midi editor (I use Anvil Studio) and play it through. Multiple times. I'll mute tracks, listen to one solo, etc, trying to get a handle on how the midi is arranged, relative volumes, important parts, etc. This is another point where many a tune meets its end.
When I've settled on the midi and have the relevant information and a feel for where I'm going, I'll do initial editing. I'll drop parts, merge them, change instruments, do some initial dynamic work and tag parts for merger in the final ABC. At this point, I save the newly edited midi into my active folder (I use subfolders in /Music in order to manage my playlist).
Now that I have a midi ready, I'll load it into LOTRO MIDI Player and take a look at what I have for out of range notes. I'll also export the percussion at this point. Some tunes die at this point if it's got much too wide an octave range to realistically squeeze into the range allowed in game. Assuming that's not the case, I'll go part by part and adjust the track in the midi up/down (increments of 12) to fit it into range. This can take multiple iterations. When I have it pretty close, I'll give it a play through in LOTRO MIDI and listen for transpositions that stick out. Those most often are in clarinet and flute, occasionally horn or lute. I may then do smaller (2-3, up to 6) transpositions on export from lotromidi, and export the tracks to ABC format.
Now--here's where Digero's ABC player made my life much happier. Previously, I'd then go into the game and play each track one at a time to catch any additional issues with transpositions, bad notes, pitch issues, etc. Barring those, I'd do some very rough dynamic tweaks to the parts, and then upload the parts for test at our next band session.
With ABC Player.... I no longer do the separate part test in game (exception is with bagpipes--they tend to clip in game but not in the player). Instead, I do the initial dynamic settings, bundle the parts into a multifile, and play it in ABC Player. I'll go back in and make more adjustments to dynamics, perhaps change the instrument used for a part, occasionally go back and edit the midi again if there's a range problem that had been missed or a part is just too high/too low, lather, rinse, repeat. Once I'm good with it, I then upload it for test with the band in game.
In the end, there's still a LOT to be done, even when one starts with a Midi!
So.... what's your method?Various Hobbits, Thwilda the dwarf lass, and Gnersk, Stalker
Sep 24 2010 10:53 AM #2
Re: How do you create music for use in game?
People all have their preferences. Actual song writers are going to usually favor writing it themselves. Actual musicians are going usually favor playing it themselves instead of using ABC files. Everyone else will vary based on preference with most taking the easy way of converting a MIDI file and them playing it as an ABC in the game. No way is wrong.
I started out writing the ABCs by hand, but quickly got tired of that. It was just way more work than I have time to spend doing. Now, I'll take a MIDI file that I like, toss it into LOTRO Midi Player and choose the tracks I want for each instrument, adjust them as needed, and so on and then save as ABC. I'll then listen to it in the game and make sure it sounds good. I wasn't happy with the differences in sound in the LOTRO ABC Player, so I don't use that for anything anymore. If I think the song needs adjusting, then I'll work on it manually. In many cases, it sounds good as-is, though.
AMD Althon II X3 435 | 2GB DDR3 PC1033 RAM | 1GB GeForce 220 | Windows 7 | 2TB Hard Disk Space | 7mbit Cable
Sep 24 2010 02:08 PM #3
Re: How do you create music for use in game?
Do either of you use premade ABC files and how do those usually work out? I've noticed there's quite a bit of folk and traditional music out there in various ABC libraries online. What would the process look like for working with those?
Sep 24 2010 03:48 PM #4
Re: How do you create music for use in game?
To just play? I do have some solo ones I've grabbed from Fatlute. As for the ones form other sites, they're generally melody line only, with no ornamentation.
Which leads me to the other use--as a starting point to develop for use in game. And for that, no--I am pretty terrible at coming up with harmonies/counterpoint/etc to turn it into something more than just the melody.Various Hobbits, Thwilda the dwarf lass, and Gnersk, Stalker
Sep 24 2010 04:29 PM #5
Re: How do you create music for use in game?
I've yet to use someone else's ABC. Though when the ABC system first came out, I couldn't go anywhere without people playing one of two (or both) of the ABCs I arranged
(Those ABCs no longer work in the new system. Given the enhancements, I might redo one of them. The other was just for kicks and grins.)
I would never say that the MIDI-to-ABC route is quick or easy. Yet, I have difficulty coming in after someone else to work on something. I don't know how they did things, and I have my own methods to keep me organized. I also prefer the challenge of that extra step for the original arranging.
Musically inclined? Me? I dunno. I'm rather good at scripting stuff to solve problems (as part of my job). I see this more as a puzzle to solve within a set of criteria, partially my criteria and partially the constraints of the system.
I've played piano (1st and still playing), keyboards (yes, it's different from piano), tuba, sousaphone (yes, there's a difference), tenor euphonium (like a mangled trombone with valves), valved trombone (like a trombone with valves, but easier to play), trumpet, tenor sax (and yes, different ranges of sax are different to play), double-bass (as an upright bass, no bowing), recorder (the whistle kind), and currently learning violin. Things still on my list: guitar and bagpipes. (If the neighbors survive the violin, I figure they'll be better prepared for the bagpipes... but nobody is really prepared for bagpipes... just better prepared.)
I used to sing Tenor. Then when my voice started changing, the instructor kept trying to force me to stay a Tenor. It actually became painful. So that's a loooong time gone. I've wondered about picking it up again, but my range is so limited now.
Does this qualify as musically inclined? Maybe.
Does any of this help me arrange ABC for LotRO? Barely. The instruments in LotRO are rather unique and present their own challenges through odd limitations that one might not find elsewhere. (I still find the C, and ^C, and _D, issue to be really annoying.)
Would using a MIDI file help? I doubt it. I'd rather start cooking a meal myself than having to redo someone else's cooking to my tastes. Since I expect so many differences to work through, I might as well throw it out and start over... or rather, just start from scratch and not bother with someone else's stuff.
This is my preference. I find no fun in "completing" (or fixing) someone else's work.
EDIT: I'm not a musician by trade. I make no public performances of any kind. It has been that way for 8 years now. By that, I'm not a musician. I was terrible in classes. I wanted to do my own thing my own way, tradition be darned. (Theory was just dumb to me. "I'll figure it out by listening. I don't care how many kids Beethoven had." I still don't know how many he had, and I'm not interested in looking it up.) I would get into arguments with the piano teachers over "fingerings". They would insist that the way written on the page was the only way anyone should play it when I could demonstrate something else that was easier on me to play the same thing. (I still ignore the fingerings and just figure out what works for me.) I would dare-say that I'm significantly self-taught. (That's something that the band instructors liked. They handed me an instrument, and I learned it without taking months of lessons.) I do not consider myself to be a 'musician'. I'm a hobbyist.Last edited by Northman; Sep 24 2010 at 05:01 PM. Reason: One more thing...
.,.,.,.,.,.,::.,.A whale of a tale, and it's all true.
(\./),.,.,.--""--..,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,., .,.,.,.,.,.,.
.`\'---'`.,.,.,.,.,\,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,. ,.,.,.,.,.,.
,.,.'.____,__^_/,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,. ,.,.,.,.,.,.
Sep 26 2010 04:10 PM #6
Re: How do you create music for use in game?
For me, I try and keep the songs our kinship place unique to us, so I don't post many online.
And tend to use ones that only our kin and members make.
Its nice to hear a musician's song and style, in the files they make I think
I also am not a real musician, I have composed a few things, using Babyalogic, but not all are great hehe.
I have several programs I use, for making abc files:
One program requires registration fee of 25 dollars, but darned worth it you can find other programs for free to edit midis but, I found Melody Assistant to be the best for it ( at least for me ) .
If you already have a program that can make, or edit midis then you are good on that part.
What I do With Melody Assistant, is I find a midi I like ( and even some I do not hehe ) then I make sure the notes are within the 3 octaves used by Lotro, a c6 and a c3 range ( in ABC notation that is c' and C, ) Anything within that range works.
Then, After I get my midi sounding like it should,
I look at my parts, listen to them and sorta evaluate with what instruments we have where they are best suited.
Electric Guitar sustains, and so does strings, so I usually stick those on the Horn. ( some cases Bagpipes )
Bass on Therobo, normal guitars pianos etc on guitar, Lead voice on Flute.
If I have say like too many staves in a song, say 8ish and I know our band numbers usually consist of 2 or 3 I combine staves too.
So say, I have 16 Staves total, I know I have Lute Therobo Harp Flute Clarinet Horn Bagpipes Drums and Cowbell to work with.
Cowbell is mono-toned, so its good for rhythm instrument only. I go through find ones that work together ( and do not conflict the melody ) I make new blank staves, ( a clean treble stave ) and label them all lute therobo harp flute ( etc ) then I combine my 16 staves into those clean staves. Now they are all piano, but they are for a reason, they are all within exact range of each other as long as they are within c6 and c3.
Next when you have your staves in order, export as midi1
Download Lotro Midi http://code.google.com/p/lotromidiplayer/ Load your midi file,
( I used to manually export to abc each stave of the midi with melody assistant but that requires hours and hours of extra work and then timing gets off some times so I do it this way now and it only takes minutes )
So your midi is now in lotro midi, you will see your staves that you labeled lute therobo etc.
Now say you have Lute Therobo Flute Horn and Drums for your song, first thing I do, is I select all but drums, and then look at what is the suggested number they have on the octave. You want your octaves on 0, -12, -24, -36 or 12 24 36 12 keeps them in the same key. This program tells you how many notes are out of range and so on also.
So, export all them Say the song is Neil Young's Trasher export as "trasher" then uncheck, all but lute, export that as lute, same with therobo flute and horn and drum.
Now, as it is I am building this song now, and it shows a transpose of -2 as suggested, with 0 notes out of range.
If I move this to 0, on this particular song, I have 24 notes out of range, but if I move it to -12 I have still a 0 notes out of range.
I want to ignore the suggestion of -2, and stick with the 0 12 etc thing, because it keeps it based on the key the song is in on the midi. If I did it on -2 it would change my key.
So now, I have Trasher.abc lute.abc therobo.abc .flute.abc horn.abc ( this song doesnt have drum but for the sake of this note here I'll say we do have it hehe ) drum.abc Now, I check Therobo and Lute, and export this as strings.abc and I select Flute and Horn and export this as wind.abc
All parts as long as I keep them in the transposed range of 0, 12, etc will play together in a fellowship. Strings and Winds ( and drum ) make the complete song so it is much easier to play when you have low numbers in your group.
Now for your drum, export this at 0 always at 0 no matter how many it says are out of range ( lotro doesnt have drums set properly as a standard midi set so we have to work around that ) here: http://forums.lotro.com/showthread.php?t=320073
talks about the drum problems, and a small program can be used here to fix your drum staves, Read this post, and get both the drum note replacer and its config.cfg
Now you have your files, and you need to edit them!
download http://notepad-plus.sourceforge.net/uk/site.htm
it is a great editing tool, you can open up all the staves at once and edit them because you will be putting them into one file.
open first your solo version "trasher" then open lute, therobo, flute, horn, drums, strings and wind.
You'll have them all in a row across the top so it is easy to work with.
Now there is some text here:
T: Neil Young Trasher (4:46)
Z: Transcribed by LotRO MIDI Player: http://lotro.acasylum.com/midi
% Original file: Neil Young Trasher.mid
% Transpose: -12
the X: line, is your number, it is really important in a batch file we are making for the song.
Any number here will work but I sorta set up a forumla so our kinship can take any file and just go from there without needing to look it up with a /playlist trasher* type command in the game.
MY forumla is like this:
% Hoppa's numeric instruments
% Pertaining to the x: line, here are some
% ideas I use for making a music file for multi-play.
% Lutes are 2 12 22 32 42 52 and so on
% Therobo/bass are 3 13 23 33 43 53 and so on
% Harps are 4 14 24 34 44 54 and so on
% Flutes are 5 15 25 35 45 55 and so on
% Clarinets are 6 16 26 36 46 56 and so on
% Horns are 7 17 27 37 47 57 and so on
% Pipes are 8 18 28 38 48 58 and so on
% Drums are 9 19 29 39 49 59 and so on
% Bells are 10 20 30 40 50 60 and so on
% 1 100 200 300 and so on are for Solo play ( different versions of same song etc. )
% Mulitple versions of the same song in multiplay, will follow same rules;
% For instance, lute of the same song, but different versions
% would be at x:2 and x:102 and so forth.
% Transcribed by (name here ) Written by (name here )
So for solo, I have x:1 for lute, I have 2, and for my string and wind I always do 102 for string and 105 for wind.
The T: line is also important, I always edit this to show which part it is helps us know when someone is ready and if they are on the right part.
T: Neil Young Trasher (4:46) becomes for my solo part: T: Neil Young Trasher ( Solo 4:46)
the Z: line is garbage and can be deleted.
anything after % is a note and ignored by the program so it is great to leave other people notes with it when they are looking at your song files.
So my
T: Neil Young Trasher (4:46)
Z: Transcribed by LotRO MIDI Player: http://lotro.acasylum.com/midi
% Original file: Neil Young Trasher.mid
% Transpose: -12
for my solo piece will look like :
T: Neil Young Trasher ( Solo 4:46)
Notice the +mp+ above? that is the volume control it is a lotro only command, so we can adjust volumes on instruments.
Typically Horns are too loud and drums are too lout and lute is. horn and lute set well at +mp+ and drum at a +p+
The Volume range is
+mf+ ( which is default voume, but best to set it if you are using volume changes in other staves )
P is the lowest/softest and FFF is the loudest.
Now go through, and edit the headers of all your staves, then save all, (mainly because it just helps so much easier and less hassle with the program ) then copy each stave, and paste it after your text in your solo stave "trasher.abc"
Now, you can combine all these into one file.
I usually, use my solo file, ( for example trasher.abc is the solo file )
so the sets would be X:1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 102 and 105 all in one file set.
You can use Digero's ABC player to test make sure you uncheck the 102 and 105 ( or the other parts ) to hear it as you'd like to play in the game.
As long as you follow a method like this, you can play the full song, solo, duo, or any combination of it by adding parts as you have players. The song will all be within range and should sound good together!
Sep 26 2010 06:30 PM #7
Re: How do you create music for use in game?
I transcribe most songs by ear directly to ABC. Many of the songs I wanted to transcribe, such as the in-game soundtrack, did not have existing midi files.
The tools I use are a text editor, LOTRO Midi Player (for the live keyboard playing function), and a midi keyboard (m-audio axiom 49).
1. First I load a youtube or a mp3 of the song, and try to play along using the midi keyboard. The main elements I'm trying to pick out are: key, time signature, melody, bassline, chord progression. I'll also begin thinking about how best to assign parts to the LOTRO instruments.
2. I begin transcribing the song to ABC, going measure by measure. I rewind the mp3 many times and compare every couple bars to the ABC version.
3. For testing multi-part songs, I meet with the Eriador Music Society every week, and test with a live band. ABC Player made this easier, since I can check for major errors and fix them before meeting up with the band.
Sep 27 2010 12:05 PM #8
Re: How do you create music for use in game?
I've started going through some of those online folk/traditional ABC archives myself. It's time consuming, no idea what anything sounds like until I play it or the songs don't work in LoTRO or they just aren't ear-friendly, but it does pay off. I created a New Text File in my Music Folder (My Documents/The Lord of the Rings Online/Music) and paste the ABC file into it from the archive website. Then I save the file (.abc extension/files - all types) into Music Folder under some version of the complete song name.
With that done I alt-tab to my character and /play the tune with the intended instrument (for Hagall, the lute). If it goes well, I'd say one in three or one in four do, I'll copy and paste the melody into the file a couple more times, to give it a bit of length so's one can roleplay or fool around without worrying about the song ending prematurely, and save it. Done.
In some cases I've had fast Irish jigs or reels that were meant to be played very quickly on fiddles but sound really, really, terrible on in-game instruments. I'll just adjust the X (tempo) down by half or more and play it again. Sometimes you end up with some amazingly haunting melodies. This is where most of my "Elvish" songs come from because when played on the harp they can be very entrancing.
My Hobbit songs are English folk songs or Morris dances for the most part, my Mannish songs tend to be Celtic tunes of various kinds (Irish or Scottish). I haven't quite figured out what Dwarvish music would sound like to my own satisfaction yet.
The beauty of these old folk archives is that they're not only easy to use but you end up with songs that sound right for the setting (if you're a little picky in your selection).
Anyhow that's what I've learned with my very primitive, scavenger-like, approach to LoTRO's ABC music system.
Sep 27 2010 02:16 PM #9
Re: How do you create music for use in game?
Personally, I see Dwarven music as being similar to eastern European (German, Polish, etc) or Russian music. I've done some Russian music that I have liked the sound of... even with only one instrument without chords. I haven't taken time to work on more music like that with chords and additional instruments because I just personally enjoy Celtic more. Others may prefer other music for Dwarves, of course. But check it out and see what you think.
AMD Althon II X3 435 | 2GB DDR3 PC1033 RAM | 1GB GeForce 220 | Windows 7 | 2TB Hard Disk Space | 7mbit Cable
Sep 27 2010 02:26 PM #10
Re: How do you create music for use in game?
That does sound very cool. I'll look into it!
Sep 27 2010 04:50 PM #11
Re: How do you create music for use in game?
I figure Dwarven music would be Germanic or Scandanavian folk. After all, the origins of Dwarven lore comes from those areas.
Still given how it seems a majority of people these days portray Dwarves with Scottish accents, I wouldn't be surprised to find folk music from Scotland in the company of Dwarves despite their actual folk origins..,.,.,.,.,.,::.,.A whale of a tale, and it's all true.
(\./),.,.,.--""--..,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,., .,.,.,.,.,.,.
.`\'---'`.,.,.,.,.,\,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,. ,.,.,.,.,.,.
,.,.'.____,__^_/,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,. ,.,.,.,.,.,.
Sep 27 2010 05:24 PM #12
Re: How do you create music for use in game?
Here's the thing. I know what Russian folk music sounds like, very dirge-like or wild by turns (esp. Cossack), which sounds like it might suit the dwarvish temperament very well. And if I really wanted to get picky about it, I could draw the connection between the Norse immigration into the Volga to control trade centers along the river there leading to the rise of Rus as we know it. So the folk music might be influenced by Scandinavian culture?
Still, I'll check out Scandinavian folk too. See what's available in ABC out there. I really don't know anything about that though.
Sep 28 2010 09:24 AM #13
Re: How do you create music for use in game?
Regarding tempo, through trial and error, my band has determined that for most bluegrass, 85% of original tempo works out nicely for the game. I'm not sure if the game actually speeds the tunes up, or the nature of the sounds they use does it, but anything faster and you get nasty blurring and inadvertent chord effects. Same applies to faster jigs.
Now, if you have bagpipes in your fast tune, I'm so sorry. They clip very badly on short notes. And slowing the tempo only helps marginally.Various Hobbits, Thwilda the dwarf lass, and Gnersk, Stalker
Sep 29 2010 09:23 AM #14
Re: How do you create music for use in game?
Haven't tried bagpipes yet, but I have also noticed the faster tempo with everything I've done so far. I hope they don't change/fix it because I'd have to go change it on everything I've done so far.
I've found that manual slurring (holding notes into the following note of a different pitch, creating a very brief chord) helps bring out really short notes.
I find Scandinavian folk music to have some Celtic flair to it. I don't find it to be like stereotypical Russian folk. I think it's more "peppy" and less angry (as I mentioned, a stereotype). I've got a couple of "traditional" things I'm working on from that region..,.,.,.,.,.,::.,.A whale of a tale, and it's all true.
(\./),.,.,.--""--..,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,., .,.,.,.,.,.,.
.`\'---'`.,.,.,.,.,\,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,. ,.,.,.,.,.,.
,.,.'.____,__^_/,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,. ,.,.,.,.,.,.
Sep 29 2010 01:12 PM #15
Re: How do you create music for use in game?
My method is straightforward enough.
I select a promising midi and edit it in Anvil Studio. The methods that I use for adapting the music to LOTRO's limitations have been developed over the past year plus through trial and error. My amateur knowledge of music (I practically breathed music back in high school.) and my mediocre skill in reading sheet music are definite boons in my efforts. After the music is edited to my satisfaction, I convert it with either midi2abc or LOTRO midi player. (midi2abc because that's how I was taught by my mentor, LOTRO midi player because there are some things midi2abc is not good at.) I test the music with my kinmates and make any necessary adjustments.
I tend to love using flute and despise the in game bagpipe. I work with a huge variety of music types from the Renaissance lute tunes of John Dowland to complex classical pieces like Beethoven's 6th symphony 1st movement to fun modern stuff like The Beatles. I have great ambitions for in game music projects that I would like to see through in the next year.
I do not put any of my abcs on The Fate Lute. Most of my files are for the use of my kinship and our allies only. As with Hoppa, we try to stay unique. I have shared my knowledge of the music system and some of my files, mostly solo pieces, on my mylotro blog earning me the forum title Musical Scribe of the Ages. Though I'm currently entirely turned off by the new mylotro and will have to find another medium to use.
The music system is the one thing that has me irrevocably hooked to this game.
I guess I don't view the midi as the midi maker's work. It's still the composer's work. They're just translating the music from one medium to another. And that's what I'm doing too. I suppose in a way I'm using the midi as a shortcut, but well, I'm fine with that. I'm a mom of 3 kids, a kinship leader and an all around busy woman. I have neither the time nor the patience for the other way.
Perhaps if I was a perfectionist about preserving the original music it would be different. But I realize that my role is as a translator. My goal is to make the music sound good in LOTRO, not to make it sound just like the original.
Perhaps you might try Jewish music? Tolkien claimed the Jewish peoples as an inspiration for his Dwarves.Fionnuala of Landroval
LOTRO /Music ~ A new website devoted to helping you explore the player music system.
Sep 29 2010 02:03 PM #16
Re: How do you create music for use in game?
The person trying to remake the original music in LotRO will be trying until their undying days. As I mentioned, I like the challenge of working within the restrictions and the coding aspect.
As I also mentioned, I don't like fixing other people's "translations" and having to deal with the issues in achieving what I'm looking to have due to someone else. I'd rather fix things from my own efforts. It's less frustrating. I have to deal with issues that other people cause all the time. That's very frustrating.
Would this count?
I'm not sure if that's how I would have pictured Dwarvish music..,.,.,.,.,.,::.,.A whale of a tale, and it's all true.
(\./),.,.,.--""--..,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,., .,.,.,.,.,.,.
.`\'---'`.,.,.,.,.,\,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,. ,.,.,.,.,.,.
,.,.'.____,__^_/,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,. ,.,.,.,.,.,.
Sep 29 2010 02:27 PM #17
Re: How do you create music for use in game?
No, that doesn't sound Jewish at all.
Here's a song from Israel I remember singing in choir back in high school that I always liked.
Or perhaps music like Fiddler on the Roof? Can't you just hear the Dwarves singing "Tradition!!!"Fionnuala of Landroval
LOTRO /Music ~ A new website devoted to helping you explore the player music system.
Sep 29 2010 02:51 PM #18
Re: How do you create music for use in game?
LOL! Now you have me wanting to make a dwarf just so he can play some Fiddler on the Roof music! I can definitely see that!
"If I were a rich man...."
Actually, there was a PBS (I think) special that may have been from Broadway of the Fiddler on the Roof or at least some of the songs. The singer who did "If I were rich man" was even better than the original music. And he had the perfect look for the song. Wish I could find the soundtrack from that performance. I'd replace my current soundtrack with it!
AMD Althon II X3 435 | 2GB DDR3 PC1033 RAM | 1GB GeForce 220 | Windows 7 | 2TB Hard Disk Space | 7mbit Cable
Sep 30 2010 12:27 PM #19
Re: How do you create music for use in game?
I've got it in my head to try my hand at Klezmer music in game, but haven't gotten around to hunting for it yet.
Various Hobbits, Thwilda the dwarf lass, and Gnersk, Stalker
Oct 04 2010 06:01 AM #20
Re: How do you create music for use in game?
I transcribe the majority of my work from sheet music directly into Melody Assistant and from there export it to .abc. I have used a couple of tunes that I don't have the sheet music to from Fat Lute but most of my stuff is transcribed. The only problem I come across it the damn 3 octave limit that the player has. If I'm doing a solo piece, I'll move the bass up a octave to make the notes fit. If I'm doing a band, I'll leave it alone and assign the Theorbo to it.
The only midi I've used was for when I did "Still Alive" and that was using a mixture of the midi and the sheet music I found on-line.
Oct 06 2010 01:06 PM #21
Re: How do you create music for use in game?
My process is most like Astleigh's, since I too have a music background. I compose the ABC files directly in Microsoft Word tables, for the most part. I do this among other reasons because I have written Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) macros that allow me to transpose sections or an entire piece, count beats to help me identify timing issues, and create my parts files, both one file per instrument and a master ABC file for the song. For raw materials, I use sound recordings like Astleigh or songs I remember from way back when or, most often in recent days, sheet music. Making an ABC arrangement from sheet music bears a close resemblance to practicing a composer's work on the piano for me in that I look hard at what the composer wrote and experiment with ways to sculpt the sound within those intentions. After awhile of being particular that way, though, I sometimes throw originalism to the wind and add something of my own that I think will make it sound better in LotRO.
As time-consuming as this process is sometimes, it makes me think hard about what pieces I care enough about to spend time on--so my enjoyment of the final product is usually greater than it is when I pick something less carefully.
I try to put everything I make on The Fat Lute, though I've fallen behind a little. Yes, it's important that we "musick" Middle Earth with the sounds of music, but in the interest of spreading appreciation and use of LotRO's music system, we need to empower people to make the music themselves. Play a piece for someone and you've got a spectator; teach them how to play it and you've got a fellow "musician"--maybe even another advocate for LotRO music. Gamers aren't here for more opportunities to be spectators--they can watch TV for that. For teens and adults to really get involved in something, it's got to be "hands on." We see some of that expressed in some concert-goers' desire to "do something" while they listen. I guess you could say the same about someone who jumps up and tries to steal the spotlight; they're looking for more "being" and less watching, however inappropriately.
Any personal pleasure I get over making an ABC arrangement isn't tied to the fact that I can control who plays it or how it is used; the pleasure stands on its own legs, no matter who plays the arrangement or how or where. I do respect others' rights to control access to their own arrangements if they want to, but I would encourage them instead to build a legacy for themselves of musical generosity while they walk these lands. There are some things that are too good not to share. I don't think any ABC arranger would be jeopardizing his or or her livelihood by sharing the arrangements. Consider Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol and see if its central lesson might apply to what you do with your music.
Oct 07 2010 01:50 AM #22
Re: How do you create music for use in game?
for the most part I agree Freepeoples
You give someone a fish, they eat for a day, you teach them how to fish they eat for a lifetime,
Your message in that is clear, and our sharing how we build these files do just that
This is where I differ though.
I rarely share files outside my kinship, because I want that we play to be not the flavour of the month, but some what unique, and when people walk by they hear a song we do, they know it is our kinship.
What saddens me, is when I hear beautiful pieces of work, original pieces of work, played 1/3rd of the way through then stopped, and half of Gilligan's isle theme is played followed by the Darth Vader theme...
I know artists that put their hearts into each piece, whether or not it is original, or just painstakingly editing a midi.
Whats worse is seeing a band playing their signature song, about half way through as a group just to have someone run up in the middle of the song whip out a clarinet and play the song that the band made, and is playing, out of sync and disruptively.
I am not saying people should not share their works, and I know some people are more than pleased to hear someone else playing their song. But along the way, the meaning, the heart, and the love that the artist put into it, fades away when it becomes too commonplace that everyone plays it.
I look forward to more players of music becoming composers, and or transposers of music, even if they are only editing midis like me.
People need to start somewhere, and the Fat Lute is a great starting place, but my hope is people wont rely on those artists, but instead take note from all our methods and ideas here, and work on building their own for playing.
Oct 07 2010 03:20 AM #23
Re: How do you create music for use in game?
I use the procedure the OP states, almost exactly, except at the end I usually play the midifile and the ABC one after another at the end to make sure I'm happy with the translation.
I used to ammend my drum parts by hand or create them from scratch, but I don't need to do that any more now the Drum Conversion Project is finished.
I can't play any instruments in RL, so this system has been a really fun learning curve for me!
I put my ABCs on TFL because I love to see folks getting excited about songs I enjoy. I think it's a shame that there are people out there who won't share.
Elendilmir - Palanwyn ~ Figgy ~ Eochael ~ Lamath ~ Bobble ~ Poppet ~ Rachie
Eldar - Figgi ~ Figglez
Co-creator of The Fat Lute
Oct 07 2010 09:28 AM #24
Re: How do you create music for use in game?
I'll gladly share stuff that I've arranged of other people's work (and I've explained that I'll do it without sheet music or playing MIDI's -- by ear of recordings that I've purchased and a piano alone).
I'll not share stuff that I've created without a source other than myself. Sorry. That's just my preference. Just as I'll not grind my way through someone else's ABC or MIDI, I would rather not have someone reinterpret things I have made originally.
There's another style I'll not share on TFL:
I recall a request that someone made for a Monty Python song. I arranged one for the one-note, first iteration of the LotRO ABC system back when it began and I posted it here in these forums. I heard several complaints about everyone playing that song.
What I found sad is that I feel that another piece I arranged around the same time for the same one-note system was much prettier and way more appropriate -- a solo piece based completely on a classical guitar arrangement for a Russian folk song. I would rather hear complaints about an over-played song that seemed to fit much more with the LotR setting. Thankfully, the old recording I have has much, much more to it, and the new system will make the remaining variations easier and more accurate in LotRO. I feel I should upgrade and complete the piece someday. That version, I will place on TFL as it is merely an arrangement.
Though, that second piece I mentioned is based completely on the modern 6-string guitar and not the multi-course lute of course (no pun intended). So it is only the style that I feel would sound right in the LotR setting.
(Neither work in the current LotRO system. Someone else posted them on TFL and kept my forum name in the ABC file so I was okay with that.)
That said, I really hate hearing a properly tuned (with the major 3rd down from the root and not a 4th) Vader's theme much less a poorly tuned (with the 4th instead of the major 3rd) version. While I feel people should start somewhere, I feel they should start somewhere a bit less immersion-shattering. If they MUST use Vader's theme, I think they should go with lullaby of Vader's death and not the march.
This goes for things like Whitesnake rock music. While I heard an excellent version or The Streetbeater and found myself a bit amazed, I cringed to hear it in LotRO.
I suppose, though, some people will only learn the system by having something that interests them. I only wish they were equally interested in the setting of LotRO and not just the ability to play something. I find it to be another piece of the LotRO ABC puzzle, but apparently, it's only a necessary piece to few and others prefer to leave such a puzzle incomplete.
If I create such an immersion-breaking work, it's only for my kinship's ears and they know it. They find such performances to be interesting and fascinating, but they equally want us to be part of the LotR immersion. Concerts in our kinship hall may include such works, but that's about it. I'll not share these on TFL, either.
I don't consider this to be greedy as some seem to be suggesting. I consider this to be considerate to the lore.
It'll take much more convincing arguments than I've heard so far to get me to share those on TFL or other places. If someone needs a place to start, I don't want them to start there because of us. There are plenty of others that are only interested in playing anything.
I've also found classical music and medieval and earlier folk music and world music to be much more challenging, but then, it is simply more challenging for one who listens to recreate something. It's also very educating on those styles. (It took me weeks to figure out what was wrong with Ravel's bolero, though that's stretching the usage of the word classical for that particular piece and folk wouldn't even remotely apply. It's a terrible example of a traditional Spanish bolero and seems to be more interested in experimenting with Jazz in classical than being classical.)
I forgot where I was going with this so I'm getting back to this new server that's now demanding my attention again. Apologies for errors, inconsistency, and bad comprehension wherever I'm certain they are..,.,.,.,.,.,::.,.A whale of a tale, and it's all true.
(\./),.,.,.--""--..,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,., .,.,.,.,.,.,.
.`\'---'`.,.,.,.,.,\,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,. ,.,.,.,.,.,.
,.,.'.____,__^_/,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,. ,.,.,.,.,.,.
Oct 07 2010 09:38 AM #25
Re: How do you create music for use in game?
I agree, but for that purpose I think it's better to teach them how to make the music than to give them the music I've made. That's why I wrote many guides on my mylotro blog on how I make my abcs. And now that I've given up on mylotro (grumble) I will be revising those guides and posting them on the Casual Stroll to Mordor blog. I hope to show people that it is a lot easier than most think. A lot of people stand in awe of the songs MVT plays around Bree each week, but a lot of those we can whip up in 20 minutes or so. Anyone can do it (at least anyone can do it the midi>abc way) and I'd like to show people that.
I used to share a lot of my solo abcs and some duets and other misc. abcs on my blog. Now I'll find another way to do it. But my kin is a performing kin and we like to keep our performances unique and fresh. If every street corner band could play my husband's rendition of "Money for Nothing" then it wouldn't be MVT's signature song. (I want my MVT!) We go to a lot of effort for our concerts and events, including music that is made by and for MVT for each one. We're proud of our music arrangements.Fionnuala of Landroval
LOTRO /Music ~ A new website devoted to helping you explore the player music system.
Oct 07 2010 09:49 AM #26
Re: How do you create music for use in game?
That's interesting. I've found Renaissance and Classical music to be much easier to convert than anything else, in a way. Composers generally followed rules back then, as opposed to modern bands who mostly just do whatever they want. For instance, Beethoven is vastly less difficult for me to work with than Yes was. (Those Yes people were completely insane, by the way. Just looking at a midi for Yours is No Disgrace is enough to to drive one mad.)
Now, once you get past the Classical period it does become more challenging. Danse Macabre from the Romantic period has been a challenge. Bolero is, of course, from the Impressionist period. I've always wanted to try that, but I'm aware of others who have already. But it seems to me that the main challenge in such works is the reduction. Danse Macabre started out with over 20 tracks. Theoretically, you could maintain all the tracks and assemble over 20 people to play it, but I have an instinct that this would sound terrible in LOTRO. I opted for reducing it to 7 tracks and that was the hard part. After that it's cake.Fionnuala of Landroval
LOTRO /Music ~ A new website devoted to helping you explore the player music system.
Oct 07 2010 02:01 PM #27
Re: How do you create music for use in game?
*chuckle* I'm still struggling with Danse Macbre without success, although I do have a solo bagpipe version....
As for posting music--
All of my tunes get posted to the website GHMS shares with EMS, with the exception of a few solo tunes that I provide only to very few folks, either as a gift or in exchange.
I post a few songs to Fat Lute--I'd like some to be fairly confined to the Landroval music makers I partner with on shows and the like, but do want to keep a supply of high-quality music available to the general community. And, to be honest, there's a lot on Fat Lute that... needs work.
Which is why things like Fionnuala's how-to guides, Haperella's gatherings on Crickhollow, and the discussion on this thread is valuable--it'll help other folks figure out how to do their own music and generally raise the quality and availability for all.Various Hobbits, Thwilda the dwarf lass, and Gnersk, Stalker
Oct 07 2010 05:01 PM #28
Re: How do you create music for use in game?
Give Liszt's (The Franz) solo version a shot as the starting point in the reduction of Danse Macabre. (He even has the fugue portion done really well. Watched a video of someone playing it. Looks like he has it written to toss the melodies back and forth between the hands.)
I'm not certain what rules were applied in classical as it seems the ones I listen to are experimenting with sounds. Then again as I hated Music Theory as I stated, I couldn't tell you which is from Baroque or Impressionist or whatever periods. I just group it all into classical.
As for medieval folk, I don't know what other people listen to, but the stuff I find has really complicated changes and harmonies, not that 1st, 4th and 5th stuff that we hear everywhere in modern music. It was like they weren't aware of any rules. I really doubt they knew what a Picardy Third was even though they used it..,.,.,.,.,.,::.,.A whale of a tale, and it's all true.
(\./),.,.,.--""--..,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,., .,.,.,.,.,.,.
.`\'---'`.,.,.,.,.,\,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,. ,.,.,.,.,.,.
,.,.'.____,__^_/,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,. ,.,.,.,.,.,.
Oct 07 2010 05:39 PM #29
Re: How do you create music for use in game?
I'm a glutton for punishment. *grins*
I write them all out in notepad. I usually compose on my acoustic guitar, or hear something in my head and find the notes on the guitar, and then type it out. I don't have a midi instrument (and even if I did, I'm not really good on keyboards anyway)...so, for me, the midi-to-abc approach simply doesn't work for me. It's definitely time consuming, I'll give you that. I use an offline ABC player to get a feel for how the different parts are meshing, and when I think it's ready for a beta test, I'll gather some friends in-game and test it out there.
As far as covers are concerned, I'll play a cover song now and then - usually something that sounds vaguely lore-appropriate, not the nth version of the Super Mario Bros. theme song, Enter Sandman, or something by Nine Inch Nails. (Not that I don't like Metallica or NIN, but as mentioned by another poster, I just don't enjoy it in this context. Very immersion-breaking.) But as far as writing abc's, I'd just rather compose original material than create a rendition of someone else's music. YMMV...
Lithelinea - Minstrel, Songwriter, and Observer of Populs and other Brandywine Oddities -- My Music!
Oct 08 2010 11:22 PM #30
Re: How do you create music for use in game?
For sure, the more ABC makers, the merrier. I guess I don't see the act of posting arrangements publicly as the end, but as encouraging a beginning. If I were someone without a musical background and the first ABC file I ever tried to play sounded like nails on a chalkboard to me, I might not pursue it any longer. I agree that many publicly available files (maybe even my own!) leave something to be desired. That's why I think the more high-quality stuff is out there, the better off musical life gets for everyone. At least I like to think that a few of mine could be described as high-quality. Part of the lure that will draw new arrangers is to see what's possible, to see that we're not making (sniff) greeting card ditties--well, at least not all the time.
When I first got started making ABCs, I imagined all the lore-appropriate pieces I would arrange, much as has been suggested--folk or else "classical" music from the 1600s backward. I've done a few of those and will do many more. It has been said that some people get more liberal as they age. If that's so, I must be on the fast track with Father Time. A year ago I would not have imagined myself enjoying some of the kinds of music I've been listening to by various bands in Lotro. Strangely, I don't find my broadening palate as immersion-breaking as I imagined.
Prof. Tolkien lived at a particular time and place and I'm sure had his own musical tastes and ideas of the kinds of music that might have reached the ears of the free in Middle Earth. I think some people genuinely believe they are honoring him by picking "his" music--and maybe he would agree, on the basis of their faith. If it were me, I think I would get tired of people bending their musical efforts to what they think I would like. My ears would eventually long for something unlike anything I've heard before, but that's *most meaningful to the players.* Listening to something as an act of love to the musicians instead of because you like it or understand it can be just as satisfying as "musical comfort food." Bilbo himself had such experiences with the dwarves in The Hobbit. The dwarves' songs were not picked to meet some standard of his, or even songs he musically understood, but he loved them just the same for their untamed beauty.
In the immortal words of Gollum, "Give it to us raw and wriggling!"
Maybe the good professor would tell us today, after we had played him a few good folk dances, "Now, surprise me!" From what I've heard many fine bands and soloists play, we wouldn't disappoint him!
Immersion to me has come to mean letting music (like anything else in Middle Earth) happen to me, familiar or not, and (dare I say it?) high quality or not. I'm not going to pretend I can tolerate constant immersion--we all need air.
Sorry to get off on this tangent, Siegfriedpf. A little bit of the ethnomusicology student is coming out here I guess. But can I slip this post into this thread on account of it being a consideration on how we approach making music? Please?
Oct 09 2010 03:53 AM #31
Re: How do you create music for use in game?
I'm going to have to draw a vague line, though. As someone said, the nth version of Super Mario Bros. theme... I mean... really? I feel that crosses well outside the uncertain boundary of actually trying or giving a darn. Broad tastes mean nothing when faced with blatant apathy.
When someone loves music, it comes through either in their own efforts with scripting (no matter the abstract judgment of 'quality') or in the selections they choose to play from others (equally without restrictions of 'quality'). When someone doesn't care, it also comes through.
I would think that someone wishing to honor Tolkien with their music in his world would, first, care about music in Tolkien's world. Without that, it usualy ends up being robotic noise of some attention-getting device. Raw? Certainly. Tasteless? That, too.
Want to create music? Care about it. Then, you'll do what it takes to learn. Then, you'll get all the attention that you'd need if you need any at all.
Care about it. It's that simple.Last edited by Northman; Oct 09 2010 at 03:54 AM. Reason: with=without
.,.,.,.,.,.,::.,.A whale of a tale, and it's all true.
(\./),.,.,.--""--..,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,., .,.,.,.,.,.,.
.`\'---'`.,.,.,.,.,\,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,. ,.,.,.,.,.,.
,.,.'.____,__^_/,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,. ,.,.,.,.,.,.
Oct 09 2010 06:42 PM #32
Re: How do you create music for use in game?
Agree with the last 2 posts,
FreePeople states things very nicely....
But I will state that Music is in the ear, (and Heart) of the beholder. I will not judge anyone's "taste" in Music. If some one enjoys playing music in Tolkien world of a 21st century's video game, who am I to judge. I love The Beatles music, and many other songs from the 70's 80's 90's..... that I personaly feel DO transpose very well into Tolkiens world, and sound "lore" appropriate in my ears. If other don't feel the same way, that is there opinion, and I respect that.Last edited by durinsbane; Oct 09 2010 at 06:48 PM.
Oct 09 2010 11:02 PM #33
Re: How do you create music for use in game?
Here's the thing though. We don't actually know anything about what music in Tolkien's world sounded like. We know to some extent what instruments would have been used (which the in game instruments are based on) but we don't actually know what kind of note combinations minstrels and composers of Middle-earth would have created. Music is, when you get down to it, just a series of tones that someone's imagination came up with. And, to an extent, what note combinations and what styles of music are authentic to a particular period depends on what people in that time period were able to imagine and nothing more.
A lot of people claim that Middle-earth is medieval in nature and so fall back on the idea that the only music that would be authentic in LOTRO is medieval or renaissance or at least Celtic. My personal opinion is that this is a gross and false over-simplification of Middle-earth and that Tolkien would probably be insulted by it. Bree certainly owes much to the medieval or renaissance period, but the Shire is clearly more like 18th or 19th century England while Rohan is more akin to the dark ages of Europe. Gondor is entirely unique. It is what would have been had there really been refugees from Atlantis who were far more advanced culturally and scientifically than the rest of the world. Perhaps a bit like Rome at its height. But Middle-earth is, at it's heart, a fantasy world, as Tolkien stated in his letters. (Folk like to claim that Tolkien created Middle-earth to be a prehistoric and mythic version of our real world, but it is clear from his letters that this was only an early intention of his that was given up as Middle-earth evolved in conception.) In a fantasy world one cannot say what kind of musical combinations of tones minstrels would have come up with. One cannot say what would have been authentic. Therefore, logically, nothing from the real world is "authentic".
But, Fionnuala, surely you cannot argue that a street band playing the sounds of "Born to be Wild" or "Play that Funky Music" could be construed as fitting in any interpretation of Middle-earth? Well, no, I wouldn't argue that. But I, like FreePeoplesUnite, cannot stand constant immersion. Sometimes I just like to have fun. And like durinsbane, sometimes that fun means playing Beatles tunes in Bree-Town.Fionnuala of Landroval
LOTRO /Music ~ A new website devoted to helping you explore the player music system.
Oct 10 2010 01:23 AM #34
Re: How do you create music for use in game?
Orc Rock!
Dwarven Heavy Metal music ( not what you think, since it mainly consists of hitting a shield with a smithy hammer )
Music by the hobbit Gordo Lightfoot or his cat, Stevens.
Surprisingly, there are a lot of metal and rock that work well in Tolkien's world with the instruments lotro has for us.
A lot of Queen, works well. A lot of Led Zeppelin, in fact much of it has Tolkienish Lyrics.
I did Ozzies Diary of a Madman, and it sounds really good.
Our band has a variety of every type and style of music minus "Country and Western" because... well its Country and Western... *chuckles*
Nasal whining, cheating lyrics, and that cow boy steel guitar sound, drives me batty.. but enough about that...
It is funny really what we do feel and find appropriate.
I just did a song from a Harry Potter film, sounds really nice. Yet, I have avoided, music from Star Wars, and music from Star Trek, why? future scheme I guess. Plus the Darth Vader theme everyone plays over and over.
I have done some nice Final Fantasy music, but, though I think it was fnny when I heard someone play the Mario Theme, I overlooked that to make.
We did Orc Busters, ( Ghost Busters ) for Halloween last year or the year before I forget hheehe... and sang new random lyrics.
I have done a lot of music from 1100's through to 2010 Some people might not think all we play are appropriate I suppose, but many are there for the spirit of fun.
The ones I did from Queen that sounded nice was Black Queen, White Queen, and, Death on two legs.
I did Bohemian Rhapsody, definitely not a lore appropriate sounding one thanks to Waynes World. However, I did it because I like to redo lyrics, and that one gets me a lot.
Usually on a foggy terrain in the game when we are looking for something, ( Fornost Bears for example ) then it starts... " I see the sillotetta of a bear... " or " I see the sillotetta of some ore,... gonna smush gonna smush.. with a smith hammer..." Anyways, hehe all for fun..
Ultima had some great songs too, for a game.
I did Gary Numan's "Cars" with reworked lyrics about Waymeet, 'Here in my cart"
Also did the theme to Firefly
Take my love, To Lonelands
That is where we cannot stands
We don't care, if the Ale is free..
You can't take this pie from me
Take our ponies, to the feed sack,
Tell them we ain't comin' back
Burn the hams and boil the peas
You can't take this pie from me
There's no place I can be
Since I found The Party Tree
But you can't take this pie from me...
Humour, and general silliness, can cause me to make some unusual songs to play. But also I do requests too, the kin might want to hear.
My persona favourites though are 60's70's ballad type music, and music from great games of the past, Ultima, Bards Tale, Secret of mana, Final Fantasy and so on..
I know this thread has really gotten a bit off topic, but in a way it still is on topic, because How we build is also related to why we build the songs, and what inspires us to build them.
*rambles on...*
You begin playing "Led Zeppelin Ramble On ( Solo 4:46)."
Oct 10 2010 07:48 PM #35
Re: How do you create music for use in game?
In the GHMS catalog we have, "Paradise by a Buckland Lamp", "Breetown Buggy", "Life on the Greenway", and coming this week, "Palantir"--a tune about a wonderful device that can transmit pictures across the world!
Various Hobbits, Thwilda the dwarf lass, and Gnersk, Stalker
Oct 11 2010 11:39 AM #36
Re: How do you create music for use in game?
I see many, many examples of people who care about Music in Tolkien's world, with one exception of someone who doesn't seem to care what anyone plays.
I see people saying this or that sounds good in LotRO. Those people are the ones who have given some thought to the sounds of LotRO. Such music will echo the same thoughtfulness.
Sure. People can and will play whatever they want, but I will not give even a glance to those who are playing with apathy. Effort equals the reward. They don't care, I won't give them the time of day much less any tip, but I would trade gold to those who have put their hearts into the music.
Again, those who care will do whatever it takes to make music in LotRO, whether it's from MIDI, from manual scripting, from something new or learning it all from scratch. That's all it really takes to make music.
Those who don't care will continue to play horrible renditions of Super Mario Bros. or the out-of-tune Vader March without any regard to the people they force to listen to it. Those who care might even start there, but they'll quickly rise above.
When I see the same person playing the same horrible thing in high-traffic areas over and over again, I think I have an accurate guess as to why they're there. They've crossed beyond a boundary that has a very large neutral zone. It doesn't take a connoisseur to hear apathy. Taste is subjective and fluid, but apathy is the immovable object.
(Love is the unstoppable force. That is why I say that Love and Hate are not opposites, but Love and Apathy are. When stripped to the core, hate crimes are actually born of Apathy. True Hate of something is born of caring for something else that was hurt. That, however, is off-topic.)
Back to it, the examples most recently gave are showing signs of a love of Music and of LotR. Never lose that.
I cannot say it enough: If you want to create music, care about it, and you'll find a way, however that may be.
Say it with me: If you want to create music, care about it, and you'll find a way, however that may be.
Repeat that as many times as it takes to understand it..,.,.,.,.,.,::.,.A whale of a tale, and it's all true.
(\./),.,.,.--""--..,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,., .,.,.,.,.,.,.
.`\'---'`.,.,.,.,.,\,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,. ,.,.,.,.,.,.
,.,.'.____,__^_/,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,. ,.,.,.,.,.,.
Oct 12 2010 08:58 PM #37
Re: How do you create music for use in game?
This thread has been totaly derailed....
I think any future debate on this subject should be put in a new post, or better yet, done in private chat with the people that are being refered to......
Oct 13 2010 04:48 PM #38
Re: How do you create music for use in game?
BTW--Telstar (aka Palantir) turned out nicely--we played it in our set last night.
Various Hobbits, Thwilda the dwarf lass, and Gnersk, Stalker
- Community Guidelines
- New Posts
- Dev Tracker
- Forum List
- Discussion Forums
- Classes
- Arkenstone
- Brandywine
- Crickhollow
- Dwarrowdelf
- Eldar
- Elendilmir
- Evernight
- Firefoot
- Gilrain
- Gladden
- Imladris
- Landroval [EN-RE]
- Laurelin [EN-RP]
- Meneldor
- Nimrodel
- Riddermark
- Silverlode
- Snowbourn
- Vilya
- Windfola
- Withywindle
- Anduin [DE]
- Belegaer [DE-RP]
- Gwaihir [DE]
- Maiar [DE]
- Morthond [DE]
- Vanyar [DE]
- Estel [FR-RP]
- Sirannon [FR]
- Bullroarer (Public Test Server)
- Community
- Gameplay
- PvMP


text:
Go kayaking or canoeing on your vacation. Paddle your way through one of our exhilarating kayak tours in Mexico. Explore the abundant nature and wildlife by boat on our canoe tours. Our kayaking tours are a great activity for people of all ages. Row your way into an adventure on our canoe trips in Mexico. Our kayaking trips are a great outdoor activity. Our kayak trips are a fun way to get physical exercise and stay active on your vacation. Burn calories as you paddle across the water on our canoe tours. Browse our kayaking and canoeing in Mexico and plan your vacation today!
Page:1 of 1 | Sort By: |
Kayaking & Canoeing Port McNeill, Mexico - Fully guided sea kayak tours in federally protected whale watching wilderness destinations in Baja Mexico, BC Canada & Patagonia with naturalist guides. Novices welcome. Small groups; great food; all gear provided. Since 1993. Lodge-based & camping.
Bike Tours Tulum, Mexico - Cycling on flat paved and unpaved roads. Walks through ruins and along jungle paths. Explore Mayan archaeological sites with guides. Snorkel and swim in clear freshwater grottoes and warm beaches.
Horseback Riding Oaxaca, Mexico - Join Oaxaca-based riding adventures. From overnight to over a week, all adventure tours personally guided by owners. Calm, fit, well-cared for horses. Experience an authentic Mexican ranch stay, lovely lodging, exotic scenery & amazing biodiversity.
Scuba & Snorkeling Acapulco, Mexico - Join us on an exciting day, Dive sunken ships, walls, sea mountains, Roqueta Island (shallow & calm dives), caves (rock formations), also Sailing & Snorkeling tours. PADI courses available
Horseback Riding San Francisco Soyaniquilpan de Juarez, Mexico - Riding at its best!
Sailing & Yacht Charters Acapulco, Mexico - We specialize in hands-on Adventure Sailing Expeditions. More than 15 years in operation and 100,000 miles under our keel. Plenty of happy repeat customers. Owner operated. Treat Yourself to an Adventure of a Lifetime Great Itinerary!
Bike Tours San Miguel de Allende, Mexico - Book one of our all-inclusive Mountain Biking Holidays in San Miguel de Allende and visit and get to know the heart of Mexico while cycling some of the best mountain biking trails the region has to offer.
Horseback Riding Valle de Bravo, Mexico - Best riding holidays in Mexico.
Horseback Riding Cuernavaca, Mexico - Horseback riding tours true all Mexico.Our affiliate companies offer all inclusive service including the cavalcades,transportation. 3 level skills.
Horseback Riding Los Banos, Mexico - Pristine 30,000 acre guest ranch wilderness area at the foot of the Sierra Madres, offering world-class horseback riding, with unique scenery and landscapes in a remote, rugged and serene natural setting. If you love riding, this is the ranch for you

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Choose a country: USA/Canada | UK
About Us | Contact Us | Blog
Let RoboShopper do the work!
You also have direct access to the best product review and rating sites, so you can research products and compare prices with a few clicks of the mouse. To get started, just click the "Shop" button, below...
Comparison shop for Lee Men's Dungaree Carpenter Jean
Research Lee Men's Dungaree Carpenter Jean (find ratings, opinions and reviews)
Comparison shop LOCALLY...Zip Code:
TIP: After RoboShopper displays the results from the first comparison shopping engine, use the navigation bar at the top of the screen to view the results of your search on other engines.
Featured Products MyVideo VGA Camcorder Capture, View and Share Everyday Life The Memorex MyVideo VGA camcorder is the easiest way to zoom in on lifes moments before they zoom out. Nike Natural III FG Men Snow Shoes This soccer boot is made for use on firm ground surfaces. Trophy synthetic leather upper for great ball feel. High-density recycled EVA sockliner. Hard Drives Get the lowest prices on Western Digital, Seagate, Fantom and much more. Light Blue by Dolce & Gabbana An impish note of green apple emanates from the latest creation of the most impertinent of Italian designers. Light blue, is not a lighter version despite its name.
"Use several comparison sites at once. You'll maximize your selection and uncover the best special offers . " -- PC Magazine: Tips on Comparison Shopping
_________ Add to Your Favorites
Related Products:
Brass Boot Men's Hyde canon ip3600 bioelements recovery serum Capezio tap shoes 5200M Ethanol big bertha 460 cybertool 41 accessories for bathroom 18 Landscape Earth Auger lee carpenter jeans lee child books lee heritage premium Lee jeans 32x31 lee loader lee loader press lee melter lee men's belted cargo shorts lee men's belted shorts
More about RoboShopper...
(c) 2012 RoboShopper , All Rights Reserved.


text:
Oakland University opens second autism research center
ROCHESTER HILLS — Oakland University's Center for Autism Research, Education and Support is opening a second location in which its highly regarded quality of life programs will be provided at Meadows School, 1435 W. Auburn Road, Rochester Hills.
As roughly one out of every 88 children born is diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, demand for programs, services and support has been growing steadily. OUCARES serves individuals with ASD and also offers families a wide array of resources, services and support to create the highest quality of life possible for the family as a whole.
To learn more about OUCARES programs offered both on the Oakland University campus and at Meadows School, visit oakland.edu/oucares or call 248-370-2424.
— Special writer Ashley Young
See wrong or incorrect information in a story. Tell us here
Local Guide
Business Name
Location, ST | website.com
Social Wire
National News Videos
- Despite Angelina Jolie, breast cancer treatment has a long way to go - COLUMN (1412)
- Former lawmaker Lisa Brown sues ex-staffer over videos slamming her over alleged pregnancy comments WITH VIDEO (1373)
- Boyfriend charged with manslaughter in shooting death of Pontiac teen (1286)
- DETROIT LIONS: Competition wide open to return kicks, punts (1282)
- Drew and Mike wrap up run at WRIF (1170)
- Nearby neighbors concerned after man convicted of murder paroled, moves to Pontiac group home (843)
- New backcourt leads Lathrup over Dragons (375)
- Sister of slain Franklin teacher, Harry Berkowitz, talks about strained family relations (14)
- M1 Concourse project aims to transform former General Motors property in Pontiac (13)
- Oakland County Sheriff's Office veteran — Michigan's first black police captain — honored in retirement WITH VIDEO (8)
- Waterford Township travel agent arraigned in scam WITH VIDEO (7)
- As revolving door of leaders at Pontiac schools continues, emergency manager could be next (7)
Recent Activity on Facebook
Blog Center
Frye on the News
Stephen Frye has covered the police beat and courts for The Oakland Press and now serves as online editor for www.theoaklandpress.com.
The Law Blogger
Informs on and discusses current matters of legal interest to readers of The Oakland Press and to consumers of legal services in the community.
Cat Chat
Caren Gittleman likes talking cats. She'll discuss everything about them. Share your stories and ask her questions about your favorite feline.
Outdoor Notes
Roger Beukema shares news from Lansing that impacts sportsmen (this means ladies as well) and talks about things he finds when he goes overseas to visit his children, and adding your comments into the mix.
Earth's Almanac
Join Jonathan Schechter as he shares thoughts on our natural world in Oakland County and beyond.


text:
Cody the Pitbull Videos HERE- www.youtube.com This is why everyone should love pitbulls!!! They are Cute, Sweet, Loving, LOYAL, and a GREAT dog, no one could ask for a better pet! Lyrics: My name's Cody and I'm a dog… A white Pitbull and I'm STRONG!! I like swimming and camping too, I like eating my dog food. And when I go to sleep at night… I lay at the foot of your bed, And if I hear something outside… WOOF WOOF! Cody's Here, so don't be scared, tonight! Music by PBnJ Band ~ www.last.fm ♥ BigBudde BooBoo CodyThePitbull PBnJBand ♥
Visit MyDogTraining101.com
for great dog training tips and advice


text:
Find Rental Homes Near Unbelievable Lakefront Home!
Unbelievable Lakefront Home! is not currently available on MyNewPlace.
Popular Nearby Rental Homes:
Cities Near Unbelievable Lakefront Home!
Using MyNewPlace's home rental search, you can find affordable house rentals in Chandler and the surrounding areas. Our rental house search will display the locations of condos and townhomes as well as single family homes for rent. Try one of the cities below to find your new home.
Chandler House Rentals
Check out some of the great home rental listings in Chandler. Search home rentals like Unbelievable Lakefront Home! with MyNewPlace's house rental search or check out the great selection of Chandler, Arizona home rentals listed below.
- 819 W Ray Rd. 819 W Ray Rd.2 Chandler, AZ 85225 Phone Number: (480) 812-0123
- 2893 E Winged Foot Dr 2893 E Winged Foot Dr Chandler, AZ 85249 Phone Number: (480) 234-3870
- 1061 N Woodburne Dr 1061 N Woodburne Dr Chandler, AZ 85224 Phone Number: (480) 838-3500
- 5913 W Mercury Way 5913 W Mercury Way Chandler, AZ 85226 Phone Number: (480) 926-9001


text:
Beginning the Bagpipes
New Arrivals
Used & Demo
Best Sellers
Best-Selling Pipes
New Arrivals
Shop by Brand
About Us
Band Registration
Contact Us
Gift Registry
Find a Gift Registry
Ordering & Shipping
Site Map
Privacy & Security
Terms of Use
Contact Info
Driving Directions
My Account
Create Account
Gift Registry
Update Information
Previous Orders
Wish List
My Cart
» Bagpipe Supplies
Bagpipe Hemp & Wax
Cleaning Tools
Covers & Cords
Drone Valves
Moisture Control
Mouthpieces, Blowsticks & Valves
Pipe Bags
Smallpipe Accessories
Tuners & Metronomes
All Bagpipe Supplies
» Bagpipe Parts
Dunbar Blackwood Bagpipe Parts
Dunbar Polypenco Bagpipe Parts
Naill Blackwood Bagpipe Parts
Shepherd Blackwood Bagpipe Parts
» Bagpipe Services
» Bagpipes
Dunbar Bagpipes
Gibson Bagpipes
Hardie & Henderson Bagpipes
McCallum Poly Bagpipes
McCallum Wood Bagpipes
Naill Bagpipes
Shepherd Bagpipes
Electronic Bagpipes
All Highland Bagpipes
All Poly Bagpipes
All Engraved Bagpipes
All Silver Bagpipes
» Books
Bagpipe Instruction & Reference
Contemporary Bagpipe Music
Drumming Books
History & Culture
Holiday & Church Music
Music for Dancing
Piobaireachd Books
Regimental Collections
Traditional Pipe Music
» Cases
Bagpipe Cases
Pipe Band Drum Cases
Practice Chanter Cases
» CDs & CD-ROMs
Computer Software & CD-ROMs
Bagpipe Instructional CDs
Celtic Folk & Holiday CDs
Highland Dance Music CDs
Piobaireachd CDs
Pipe Band CDs
Regimental Pipe Band CDs
Solo Piping CDs
» Chanters
Blackwood Pipe Chanters
Poly Pipe Chanters
Practice Chanter Kits
Poly Practice Chanters
Wood Practice Chanters
Electronic Practice Chanters
» Clan & Celtic
» Clearance
» Drum Supplies
Andante Drum Parts
Carriers, Stands & Slings
Drum Add-ons & Accessories
Drum Cases & Covers
Drum Heads
Drum Instruction & Reference
Drum Majors' Maces
Pearl Drum Parts
Premier Drum Parts
Sticks & Practice Pads
» Drums
Andante Drums
Pearl Drums
Premier HTS & Standard Drums
Premier Professional Drums
Premier Revolution Drums
View All Bass Drums
View All Snare Drums
View All Tenor Drums
» DVDs
Instructional DVDs
Performance DVDs
» Fire & Police
» Gifts & Gift Cards
Celtic Gifts
Gift Cards
Gifts for Pipers - Gifts Under $25
Gifts for Pipers - Gifts $25 - $75
Gifts for Pipers - Gifts $75 - $250
Gifts for Bass Drummers
Gifts for Snare Drummers
Gifts for Tenor Drummers
Logo Gear
» Highland Wear
Badges, Brooches & Pins
Belts & Belt Buckles
Formal Dress
Ghillie Brogues & Spats
Glengarries & Hackles
Hose & Flash
Inverness Capes
Jackets & Vests
Kilt Shirts
Kilts & Kilt Carriers
Leather Accessories
Neckties & Sashes
Sgian Dubhs
Fur Dress Sporrans
Horsehair Sporrans
Leather Sporrans
Special Request Sporrans
» Instruction
Beginning the Bagpipes
Piping Development
Bagpipe Maintenance
Piobaireachd Instruction
Pipe Band Bass & Tenor Drumming
Pipe Band Snare Drumming
» Kilt Rental
All Kilt Rental Packages
Dress Accessories to Own
Formal Kilt Rental Packages
Rental Components
» Reeds
Drone Reeds
Pipe Chanter Reeds
Practice Chanter Reeds
Reed Accessories
Smallpipes Reeds
» Whistles & Bodhrans
» Used & Demos
Bagpipes in Stock
Smallpipe Showroom
Drums in Stock
Ross Suede-Feel Pipe Bags with Zipper
Base Price:
Customized Price:
Ross Suede-Feel Pipe Bags with Zipper
Ross Suede-Feel Pipe Bags with Zipper
Ross Suede-Feel Pipe Bags with Zipper
Ross Suede-Feel Pipe Bags with Zipper
Ross Suede-Feel Pipe Bags with Zipper
Ross Suede-Feel Pipe Bags with Zipper
Click to see larger image and other views
Ross Suede-Feel Synthetic Zipper Pipe Bags
This re-designed version of the very popular Ross synthetic zipper bag offers new features in line with Ross's reputation for innovation. The new Ross bag has a suede-like, red exterior that offers more grip and makes the new Ross bag more like a hyprid hide/synthetic pipe bag, with vibrance and harmonicsĀto rival a sheepskin bag. The bag still requires no seasoning and is virtually maintenance free; plus it's more hygienic and has a longer lifespan than most hide bags. The zipper is easier to pull and requires only a dab of lubricant at the end; it is also now at an angle, which keeps it out of your way.
Features of the RossĀSuede-Feel Zipper Pipe Bag:
Red, suede-feel exterior offersĀhelpful friction
Bag feel similar to hide or sheepskin
Reliable synthetic material (no seasoning)
Smooth seams
Angled zipper positioning for convenienceĀ
T-zip, easy-pullĀzipper access
Ross logo and size printed in gold
Easy installation
Includes 1 clamp and 1 rubber sleeve for chanter stock
Includes zipper lubricant
Available in 5 sizes (Extended Small is the most popular)
2 year warranty on the bag
(so keep receipt)
Installation Tip:
Ā If you use the clamp and sleeve to attach the chanter stock instead of trying it in, make sure not to overtighten the clamp, as that may damage a wood stock.
Base Price:
Customized Price:
Pipe Bag Sizes
Choose your Ross Bag size. Click "More Details" for additional information.
Ross Suede-Feel Bag with Zipper - Small
Ross Suede-Feel Bag with Zipper - Livingstone
Ross Suede-Feel Bag with Zipper - Extended Small
Ross Suede-Feel Bag with Zipper - Medium
Ross Suede-Feel Bag with Zipper - Large
Default Price:
Price as Customized:
Please enter your Discount or Gift Certificate Code (if any):
My Login
Best Sellers
Best Sellers: Bagpipes
Gift Registry
Register a Band
New Arrivals
Shop by Brands
Site Map
Online Support
©2009 Henderson Group LTD • 2584 Garfield Road North, Suite 43 • Traverse City, MI 49686 • USA |
site designed by sd web studio


text:
Lately I've been doing a lot of work with wood. Knotty pine to be exact. Hundreds of board feet of it, making baseboard and door and window molding. It takes a lot of busy work to sand and stain and sand and seal all of this wood, but the results are definitely worth the effort.
You have a lot of time for musing when you are doing this type of task. You have to pay attention and keep an eye on what you are doing as you sand each board with one and sometimes two different grits of sandpaper and maybe even a third in between stain and sealer coats. As I was going about this task, I started thinking about what life was like without sandpaper. I couldn't
Spring brings with it a desire to be outdoors. Many Northern Colorado towns host Friday night walks where people take to the city streets, pop in and out of specialty shops, galleries, and/or museums, and partake of refreshments (often free). Daytime suggests a stroll to view art in public places. You'll
In spite of the recent snows, spring has arrived in Lyons! One clear sign is the return of colorful bluebirds and finches to our town. Unfortunately, these birds are under threat from some nasty neighbors.
House sparrows and starlings are non-native, invasive species that kill and out-compete native birds like the Mountain Bluebird. Please help keep native songbirds coming back to Lyons by
Thursday Nights Open Mic at Spirit Hound Distillers
Sign up starts 6:30 pm
Now we are having a lot of snow, sixteen inches last week, and it melted right away, and about eight inches today! That will really green things up. It is a sad thought, the snow and rain cause things to grow, the sun then dries them out, and causes the wildfires! There doesn't seem to be any solution to that on going problem! However, I like nice sprIng snows that melt fast. Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!
The weekend of Friday, April 26, and Saturday, April 27, brings two of my favorite local bands to Oskar Blues in Lyons. The two bands are very different from each other, but similar in their ability to entertain folks with first-class music.


text: Welcome to the Guild, Dark! We are delighted to have you join us. I would point you in the direction of this Guide, good for people new to Role Playing or just new here. If you have any questions you can feel free to ask here or let me know. I think you'll find our 1x1 section is pretty active. Happy Role playing!


text:
Service Title:
NYS Test Grade 7 ELA for 2011 - 2012
select another service code
Administrative |
Service Area |
NYS Test Grade 7 ELA - TSS | WinCap Code | 620.600.017 |
Service Area Number |
Contact | Title | Telephone | Email Address |
Michele Rourke | Systems Consultant | 315-433-8359 | email@example.com |
Don DeJohn | Manager, Data Warehouse and Test Scoring | 315-433-2217 | firstname.lastname@example.com |
Prerequisite: |
Administration of the Grade 7 ELA Assessment |
Pricing: |
Unit cost: $2.88 |
Options: |
Description: |
Services are provided for New York State tests. These services provide answer sheets, scoring, and reporting that includes lists, item analysis, skills analysis and summary statistics. |
Deliverables: |
Training and support for Test Scoring and quality control. Answer documents pre-printed with student name, etc. Data files available by contract. Access to on-line data analysis tools (Cognos). Advisory Committee meetings. |
CNYRIC Responsibility: |
Distribution of processing schedule. Creation of pre-printed answer sheets, scanning, editing,and reporting. Update on-line data analysis tool with NYS assessment results. Training and support upon request. |
District Responsibility: |
Provide district contact information. Verify and ensure accurate student demographic data for creation of pre-printed answer sheets and reports. Provide report order forms and completed answer sheets to CNYRIC for processing by scheduled dates. |


text:
ECDawg, on 06 February 2013 - 06:50 AM, said:
he was excited too
Welcome to SECTalk.com -- The Home of 6 Straight National Titles! You are currently accessing our site as a guest which means you can't access all of our features such as social groups, sports betting, and many more. By joining our free community you will have access to all of these great features as well as to participating in our forums, contacting other members, and much more. Registration only takes a minute and SECTalk.com is absolutely free, so please join today! If you have any problems registering or signing in, please contact us. |
2012 SECTalk Bookie Champion
2011 SECTalk Fantasy Football League Champion
Isaiah 41:10
"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."
The Official 2013 SEC Baseball ThreadStarted by Mizzou_Fan, 14 Feb 2013 In: SEC Sports → Official Game Threads |
Pinned Official 2013 College Football Jersey Countdown threadStarted by HFS, 21 May 2013 In: SEC Sports → SEC Football Talk |
Pinned The Official Atlanta Braves 2013 Season ThreadStarted by HobnailedBoots, 14 Feb 2013 In: Other Leagues → The Pros |
The Official "Stoops Doing Work" ThreadStarted by The Architect, 17 Dec 2012 In: SEC Sports → SEC Recruiting |
Official 2013 St. Louis Cardinals ThreadStarted by TheTeetFingler, 25 Mar 2013 In: Other Leagues → The Pros |
0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users


text:
Despite our population less than 500,000 people, we have one the world's best small orchestra's in the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra. Most communities have regional theatres and you can check the local daily papers while you are visiting. Remember, too, that we have Australia's oldest lyric theatre in Hobart – The Theatre Royal.
Something for Kate live at the Republic Bar and Cafe.
Come along to MONA on Sunday afternoons and Enjoy Jazz performances featuring local and national musicians.
REWIND is Christine Anu's tribute to the Queen of soul Aretha Franklin.
The Table of Knowledge tells a universal story based on real events.
REWIND is Christine Anu's tribute to the Queen of soul Aretha Franklin.
Shrewd Brass is a brass quintet comprising professional musicians and music educators from the fields of jazz, musical theatre and classical music.
Festival of Voices is Australia's annual festival of choirs.
Rektango is a free live music event held every Friday evening in the Courtyard.
The Southern Tasmanian Dancing Eisteddfod will be running over ten days.
Brahms's Symphony No 4 – the composer's final symphony – is a glorious summing up of a lifetime's achievements.


text:
Forgot Password? | Not a User? Sign up
Your browser does not support iframes.
UFC on FX 7 Belfort vs Bisping Live Stream Online MMA Fighting January 19
Watch UFC on FX 7 Belfort vs Bisping Live Stream Online visit here >>>
Michael Bisping has been a middleweight for five years, but only in the past 12 months has he truly been in the running for a title shot.
Copyright © 2013
The Cedar Key Beacon is your source for local news, sports, events, and information in Levy County and Cedar Key Florida, and the surrounding area.


text:
TripAdvisor is the worlds largest travel site, with 3,339 traveller reviews, 1,832 candid photos, and prices for 71 hotels in Vientiane, Vientiane Province. Powered by advice from real travellers, TripAdvisor offers you reviews of the best hotels in Vientiane.
We also partner with other top travel sites to make it easy for you to find the best price. For accommodations in Vientiane, our partners include Expedia, Venere, Cheap Tickets, Booking.com, HotelsClick, Olotels, Priceline, Tingo, Agoda, Hotels.com and Otel. These partners may vary by individual hotel, as featured near the top of each hotel page.
Vientiane offers 8 cultural attractions, including Lao Experiences, Wat Si Saket, Great Sacred Stupa (Pha That Luang) and Ho Pra Keo. Other popular landmarks include Patuxai, Vientiane City Pillar Shrine, Black Stupa (That Dam) and Presidential Palace. Vientiane offers a variety of attractions and sights to explore. Some of the most popular museums include Sisaket Temple & Museum, National Institute of Fine Arts, Lao National History Museum and Oot Ni Gallery, while Santisuk Lang Xang Golf Club, Dansavanh Golf & Country Club, Vientiane Capital Shooting Range and Eagle Golf Driving Range are popular sports attractions.


text:
Tweet |
Follow Us on Facebook Get updates from FaveCrafts.com posted directly to your News Feed. |
Preserving Flowers: Pressing
Book Pressing- Sandwich the fresh flowers between two sheets of wax paper or newspaper and place inside of a large volume book such as a dictionary. For multiple pressings in one book, leave many pages, around 1/4-1/8 inch, between pressings. Close the book, stack several heavy books on top and wait several weeks.
Related ProjectsRelated Products to Buy from CutRateCrafts.com - save 15-30% |
What's HotTop Miscellaneous Crafts Projects
Something worth saving?
Free eBooks


text:
Simon Hoggart's brilliant new collection of parliamentary sketches takes us from the dying days of Tony Blair's leadership, through the shadow filled days of Gordon Brown, and the expenses scandal with its moat cleaning, duck houses, and porn films, and on to the utterly bewildering days of that comedy double act Cameron and Clegg.
He charts the events that made the news, the faux pas that should have, and the myriad mistakes that have landed us all where we are now with an amused and sceptical eye.
Above all he gives us incisive and witty pen portraits of those responsible for our plight: the belligerent Brown,the unintelligible Prescott, the slippery Cameron, and the bemused Milliband. This is a hilarious account of a period which on the surface doesn't give us much to laugh about , from the master wit of Westminster.
Audiences will be guaranteed 90 minutes of hilarity and astonishment as Simon reads from, takes questions and talks about, this compendium of jokes and anecdotes from his life in journalism that sparkles with wit and wisdom. Followed by book signing.
Tickets: Full £12/ GulbCard £10


text:
We are extremely excited to announce a brand new way to support Northern Starfish and our mission to build a playgound in every Northern community that doesn't have one.
For $25.00 (which includes shipping) you can help build playgrounds by purchasing one of two T-shirt designs.
The grey shirt has our cool new colourful logo on the front and is a geat conversation starter.
The Black shirt features "Northern Starfish" down the side in white. (Very cool)
Both styles come in small, medium, large and X-large
100% of all profits go to supporting the work of Northern Starfish.
Purchase yours today! Send a cheque or money order to:
Northern Starfish: 6283 Finlay Ave. Niagara Falls, ON L2G 4C4
Or – use the button below to purchase with PayPal:


text:
Monday, March 2, 2009
Day 2 - Less is More
Now let's see yours...
23 comments:
- ~amy~ said...
gorgeous work gloria!!
- March 2, 2009 at 4:36 AM
- Deb said...
Oh WOW! What a gorgeous card! Lovely work!
- March 2, 2009 at 5:32 AM
- Tammy said...
great take on the challenge gloria!
- March 2, 2009 at 5:52 AM
- Ann said...
I love CAS cards, so this was a fun one! :D
- March 2, 2009 at 7:24 AM
- Bex said...
Lovely sample card and a great challenge. Took me a while but I got there in the end!
Love Bex x - March 2, 2009 at 9:01 AM
- Gloria Stengel said...
I checked out all the cards posted for the last two days, and WOW! It was great to see all the blogs and cards. I did not leave a comment always, but I did go look! Great work! I see some guest DTs in the future of this blog! (Now, off to make more cards...)
- March 2, 2009 at 11:23 AM
- Lena said...
I just found this blog and wow I Cant wait to play. I love all the cards on here
- March 2, 2009 at 3:33 PM
- Dolce Deb's Designs said...
Love your card and the simplicity of it is refreshing some times I think we get carried away with embellishments. I have subsribed to your blog and will visit every day. Good luck with this blog
- March 2, 2009 at 3:51 PM
- LETUMom said...
I'm looking forward to checking in each day. I may not upload every day, depending on my work schedule, but I will definitely look. Today, I was able to take on the challenge.
- March 2, 2009 at 9:32 PM
- AndiD said...
Great card! I love having these challenges!
- March 3, 2009 at 12:26 AM
- Shannon said...
Loving the daily challenges. I enjoyed this one especially, I sometimes am overwhelmed by the number of items on a single card.
Thanks! - March 3, 2009 at 7:48 AM
- SAR girls said...
Thanks for the challenge-it was harder than I thought it was going to be!!
- March 3, 2009 at 12:57 PM
- AUsome mom said...
Well, I'm a day behind, but I got it done. Gotta move on to day #3. I posted my day 2.
TFL! - March 3, 2009 at 5:02 PM
- willow said...
This was nice as I love simple cards anyway.
I have posted my link and would like to say how much I am enjoying this blog
Maz - March 3, 2009 at 11:03 PM
- Heidi said...
Enjoy! It's the 3rd pic of the post. :) Love all the other perspectives!!! this is fun!
- March 4, 2009 at 8:14 PM
- Hazel said...
Another enjoyable challenge.
- March 6, 2009 at 12:07 PM
- Christy Dillman said...
Love the simplicity, my card is made from scraps in my stash!
- March 10, 2009 at 3:28 PM
- Rose said...
YAHOO!!! I'm not big on embellishments (yet) so this is an easy one for me. ;-)
- March 14, 2009 at 4:00 PM
- Tracey said...
this was fun! and not as hard as i thought! thanks again for the challenge, and i am slowy but surely getting them all done!
- March 16, 2009 at 12:41 PM
- Crafty Cat Chicka said...
Slowly working on catching up. Just found your blog and LOVE it! I think I did okay on this one, just used ribbon and stickers. THANKS! http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/photo/1283417?cat=500&ppuser=112075
Cat Spicer - March 22, 2009 at 12:32 AM
- my5bratz said...
did week one and posted as a collage on my blog...individual cards available if needed
- March 24, 2009 at 12:54 AM
- scruggle said...
Oops I double posted my card. Meant to add it to challenge #2... anyway, I loved this challenge!!
- March 26, 2009 at 5:58 PM
- Goblinf said...
I really like the way I can go and look at everyone's cards and how they saw the challenge: and I'm learning so much. Thanks again for doing this.
Lois - March 28, 2009 at 12:11 PM


text:
You're watching...
What tone is the president trying to set for second term?
Assessing challenges that lay ahead for Obama
- Duration 4:19
- Date Jan 14, 2013
You're watching...
Assessing challenges that lay ahead for Obama
Also in this playlist...
Auto-advance: ON
Auto-advanceThis transcript is automatically generated
On this let's talk with David -- he is the associate politics editor for roll call there is a great deal of thought that goes into the timing -- the calling of these presidential news conferences the president usually has some.
Major point he wants to make why now why today David.
Well part of it is that the first term is winding down there's just a week left and and even outgoing presidents tend to get a news conference trying to sort of set the agenda for what they accomplished.
When they're on their way out if they're on their way out I think in this case the president really wants to stay on offense on the debt ceiling.
We know we're gonna have a major clash between him and the house Republicans and senate Republicans.
Well on the debt ceiling the president wants and bill giving him make clean increase in the nation's borrowing limit Republicans want a lot of spending cuts and and probably entitlement reform.
In exchange for granting him that and I think that he he's had the upper hand politically on this in part because.
He has defined the terrain.
In this rhetorically and I think he wants to continue that.
Good second terms generally have not been kind to incumbent presidents George W.
Tried to reform Social Security got shot down there were problems with.
The federal response to Hurricane Katrina there was the Iraq War.
He also had you know Bill Clinton everybody remembers what happened in his second term what are the potential problems that lie ahead for this president.
Well I think any president who who wins a second term I think clearly wants to get a lot accomplished they feel very freed up politically to do the things they always hoped -- be able to do when they figure that.
The voters in a sense just endorsed them and endorsed everything they said they were gonna do that's.
Actually usually not the case a lot of times voters just decided -- like the incumbent better than the other guy trusted him more -- the guy he was running against.
And and a lot of times you have members of congress even from your own party can figure what you're hearing here on your way out either two years from now or four years from now.
What do we have to stick our neck out for big things when you're not gonna have to pay the price but we will we'd like to stick around for awhile now having said that.
It's important remember that for all the problems that Bill Clinton in effect had in his second term.
He actually picked up seats his party did in the 1998 mid terms and when you look at George W.
Bush and his presidency.
Republicans have been in control of congress.
For a dozen years and there was a general -- over and rejection of Republicans running everything in town and we've that was reflected in the results of the 06 mid terms here Republicans control.
The House of Representatives and that is something I think the president is gonna highlight in a sense to say give me more freedom in latitude in my last two years and Democrats can accomplish a lot.
And -- you have to kind of look at both sides of the equation as you try to figure out what kind of second term he'll have to.
But we've got this economic recovery if you can call it that that is very anemic you've got unemployment.
Pushing near 8% and and if the labor participation rate were the same as it.
Was when he took off office it would be over 10%.
There's an awful lot of bad news out there and that's not to include information about Iran and its pursuit of a nuclear weapon.
So by focusing on on the debt ceiling fight as the president sold sort of holding out -- shiny object for the press.
To capture attention.
Look I I think whether the -- I think you're right that there's a lot of pitfalls out there for the president things we haven't thought of foreign policy crises yet to come.
And an economy that has been sluggish that a couple of things to realize though first of all the economy has not been in that -- shape and the president was reelected nonetheless.
And so while eventually I think voters might get a little fed up with his economic stewardship you know they might not -- and secondly whether the president wants -- Hold up shiny objects for the press or not we know -- debt ceiling fight is gonna come to a head we know it's going to be a major clash.
And the president wants to maintain the upper hand here hand and it's not so much about.
What you -- I might think he's really going on it's what voters think is going on how they see things.
And he wants to maintain his image as the reasonable rational -- Rational guy verses -- you know a band of Republicans he wants to paint as extreme out of touch and unreasonable also will -- -- looking for an accomplished.
We'll look for him to suggest an application of this at his news conference David Drucker what that's correct that's what it's all about now we'll have to leave it there thanks David.


text:
We browse through Pinterest and dream of the lovely pretty things we could be doing in our spare time. We see cookies, home decor, unique hairstyles and say, "I'll pin that, so I remember to try it later!"
Well, they say the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and suffice it to say a project is easier pinned than achieved. Here are some examples of Pinterest great ideas gone wrong.
I'm so scared to try some of the painting DIY's I see in Pinterest because, well, I've seen the disaster I can make of my nails with masking tape. The last thing I want is to make an equally big mess of my walls or a piece of furniture. While these photos serve as a deterrent to my crafting aspirations, it is nice to know I wouldn't be alone. I'm glad these folks could laugh at themselves, because I'm certainly laughing with them!
What's your favorite Pinterest fail?


text:
scenarios included in the survey were structured to provoke reaction, not because we think any of them will necessarily come to fruition.
The scenarios for this survey and survey analysis were crafted after a study of the responses from our previous surveys and of the predictions made in reports by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the United Nations Multistakeholder Group on Internet Governance, the Metaverse Roadmap, The Institute for the Future, Global Business Network, and other foresight organizations and individual foresight leaders. Many previous reports and other materials were consulted in researching the questions and content of this study.
The 2020 scenarios were constructed to elicit engaged responses to many-layered issues, so it was sometimes the case that survey participants would agree with most or part of a scenario but not all of it. In addition to trying to pack several ideas into each scenario, we tried to balance them with "good," "bad," and "neutral" outcomes. The history of technology is full of evidence that technology adoption brings both positive and negative results.
After each portion of the survey, we invited participants to write narrative responses providing an explanation for their answers. Not surprisingly, the most interesting product of the survey is the ensuing collection of open-ended discussion, predictions, and analyses written by the participants in response to our material. We have included many of these responses in this report. A great number of additional responses are included on the Imagining the Internet site, available at http://www.imaginingtheinternet.org.
Since participants' answers evolved in both tone and content as they went through the questionnaire, the findings in this report are presented in the same order as the original survey. The respondents were asked to "sign" each written response that they were willing to have credited to them in the Elon-Pew database and in this report. The quotations in the report are attributed to those who agreed to have their words quoted. When a quote is not attributed to someone, it is because that person chose not to sign his or her written answer.