Ultimate View of Fire and Flames on Drums

Since getting my new camera angle and capture setup working on my latest videos, this has been the #1 request by far: to redo TTFAF.

I kinda wanted to do it anyway, because looking back at my old TTFAF vids, they're such poor video quality. I never get to see what my hands are doing either, so I wanted to see this video too! ;-)

I think the reason people wanted to see this is to see more closely how I play it with drum sticks. So for some of the trickier sticking parts, I've slowed it down for a few bars and used a Kameo-esque "warrior focus" mode for added effect. I kinda like it. I only did it in parts that are repetitive so that you could also see it played at normal speed in other parts of the song.

This will be my last TTFAF video. I love the song, but it's just too big a mountain to climb. It takes me a 1/2 hour of warm up just to be able to pass it. I practiced it for a couple hours earlier in the day just to try and get back to how good I was at it when I 5-star'd it ( http://youtube.com/watch?v=-RS6kwWklR4 ) and even so I couldn't quite reach 5 stars (missed it by a measly 5,000 points! If I'd 'a just hit some of those easy SP phrases in the solos, or just not botched the intro... ugh, I'm full of regret... ah well, I have to move on.)

This was my 3rd take of the night and by the 4th one I could barely get through the intro. It's just so tiring! Sweat dripping off my face while I'm playing this. Seriously. But hey, it's a great workout!

Thanks for watching yet another TTFAF video. I really appreciate my subscribers. You guys make it easy to ignore the haters. So I'm glad you like these videos. I enjoy making them.

FAQ:
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Q: How does it work?
A: Everything is explained in detail here: http://egyokeo.com/midihero

Q: How do you do 3-note chords?
A: All "two adjacent note" power chords are mapped to the top 4 pads, so with two sticks I can play any 3-note chord except GYO. But I can get that with one stick in left hand and two fingers on right hand.

Q: How do you do whammy and star power?
A: I use a bass drum pedal on my right foot to activate star power, and a hi-hat pedal on my left foot to control whammy depth.

Q: How do you hold notes?
A: My MIDI Hero software has an auto-hold feature for every note hit because it's more natural for a drummer to play that way. It's not a good feeling to mash sticks into drum pads to hold notes.

Q: Which video editor do you use?
A: My earlier videos were made with Windows Movie Maker. My latest videos are made Ulead MediaStudio Pro 8.

Q: How much does this cost?
A: The drumKat is a pro-quality MIDI drum pad set. These days, they run about $1k but I bought my set years ago. I also use a PC to run my custom home-brew MIDI Hero software to interpret the drum events. Then the "XIM" and "XFPS" add another $100+. This is not made for the masses. This is a one-of-a-kind setup.

Q: Do you play real drums? Are you in a band?
A: Yes, I've been playing drums since 1986. I have been in various bands from Jazz to Ska over the years. Right now I'm in the Detroit-based ska band The Exceptions.

Q: Is "MIDI Hero" available to the public?
A: Yes, the details are on my website.
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