Dwarves know how to drink. They know how to fight. And most of them know how to pull off a reasonable Scottish accent. But did you know that your Dwarf can play Portal’s “Still Alive” song with a Guitar Hero controller? It sure can, if your Dwarf lives in Lord of the Rings Online, that is.

Combine LOTRO’s rich in-game music system with a Guitar Hero controller, and you’ll have a new reason to make some ears bleed with your leet lute skills outside your local inn or tavern. Want to know how to graduate from plucking notes with the number keys like the rest of the plebes? Read on for a set of simple instructions, courtesy of Stephen DiGregorio, Audio Director for Lord of the Rings Online.

Above: This could be you! 

Step 1: Plug in the guitar. This part is easy!

Step 2: Install the driver. Head here for download links.

Step 3: Find a joystick to keyboard key program. For this example, we used Joystick 2 Mouse. Click here to download it.

Step 4: Assign the joystick buttons to keystrokes, numbers 1-8

Step 5: Start up Lord of the Rings Online and go to In-Game Options > Keymapping > Music. Select the note you want to play and press the button on the Guitar Hero controller to map the note to that button.

Step 6: Rock out with your cod piece out!!!

Above: This handsome gentleman is Jack Dalrymple. He’s the Video Editor for Lord of the Rings Online. Notice the excellent Day of the Tentacle doodle on the whiteboard 

Now that you’re armed with a Guitar Hero-powered lute, you’re probably ready to butcher some simple tunes like “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” If you want to start playing more complicated material, you’ll need to wrap your head around the ABC notation system that LOTRO uses. Sounds like a lot of work? Check out some of these excellent LOTRO in-game performances to inspire you.

Above: A LOTRO troupe performs Violent Femmes’ “Blister in the Sun”

Above: Imagine playing songs like Portal’s “Still Alive” on a Guitar Hero controller

Nov 19, 2008

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