Music on the Trail

[WildlifeNate]

We had our discussion about instruments folks bring with them. Lots of good stuff in there. If we all ever get together on the trail, we'd have a nice forest band together with strings, woodwinds, and percussion.

That brings me to my next question. What music do you play when you're out there with your chosen instrument? Do you bring a little sheet music along? Do you have some songs memorized and you pull from that repertoire? Or, do you like to improvise depending on how your mood strikes? Maybe a little bit of each depending on the occasion?

If you choose to play songs written by someone else, what are your favorites? If you improvise, how would you describe the style in which you tend to play?

[mysigp226]

I bring a long some sheet music, if you can call it that, of "folk" style songs (think cowboy or gospel) for my harmonica since I'm still learning. Given that most folk songs are basically one or two repeating versus it only takes a 1/4 page of paper for one song. I can bring 8 or 10 songs for basically no weight.

[Hanger]

There aren't too many cover songs for the ukulele, although I do know the Hawaiian version of Over the Rainbow/Wonderful World by Israel Kamakawiwoʻole. Just like with my guitar playing at home, I prefer to improvise when I play the ukulele. I play many different styles and sometimes I try to match what I play to how I feel about the environment I'm in (although the ukulele is somewhat stylistically limited). I can give the ukulele a spanish, folk, or jazzy sound.

[dxt178]

I must have missed the original thread, but I sometimes will bring a small harmonica and play a bit of improvised blues, but anymore I tend to go with just enjoying mother nature's music. If I am listening to some tunes for some reason while hiking it is normally something like Sigur Ros, Bob Marley, Xavier Rudd, traditional Chinese or Japanese music, or maybe some Dylan.

Now that life is more complex I like to totally turn off and turn on to my surroundings when I do get out.

[WildlifeNate]

Let's remember to limit this discussion exclusively to music you play on an instrument while on the trails. I'm pretty sure there's already an mp3 player/ipod discussion somewhere around here for playlists.

I personally feel that playing an instrument yourself is an outstanding compliment to what's already been termed 'nature's music'. Right now, I'm still learning the guitar (getting better every week) and hope to find a model I'm comfortable carrying along on a hike so I can play. Once I'm comfortable with it, I'll probably play mostly blues, bluegrass, and folk music on the trails. I hope to be able to improvise one day, but bringing along some sheet music will have to suffice at first.

[Finley_Thomas]

I play the banjo...not a very packable instrument, even the lighterweight travel ones. Most travel banjos quite simply sound like crap so I'm not very motivated to bring one on a backpacking trip or anywhere else for that matter. I do own what I call my "camping banjo" (a Tranjo) which is too heavy for backpacking, but just right for car camping. I typically play it to relax, so that means not attempting either a song written by someone else which I have mastered and am bored of, and it means not trying to master a song written by someone else which I've been working on lately, because that can be hard and frustrating work. Typically, my camping music will be improvisations that rely heavily on some of my most favorite bluegrass songs I have memorized. Often I will try to figure out a non-banjo song by ear, such as a heavy metal song and see how that sounds on the five string. If no one else is around, I might even try to write a song...though there typically are other people around if I've got an instrument and am car camping.

[christarry]

I'm a professional musician (bass player here in NYC), I'm currently working on an ultra light 34inch scale four string bass for my backpacking travels.

We're currently trying aluminum, no headstock, and a possible collapsable neck (although I'm a little skeptical/unsure on how this will actually work.. ). Want it to be able to strap it to my pack and have it weigh no more than 1.5lbs. We'll see.. Oh yeah, it'll take headphones so I can sit on a rock by a lake and practice..

Will keep ya posted..

CT

[Davidk]

Originally Posted by christarry

. . .I'm currently working on an ultra light 34inch scale four string bass for my backpacking travels... We're currently trying aluminum, no headstock, and a possible collapsable neck...

CT

A friend of mine has an aluminum 5 string bass. He likes it, and it looks cool, but the metal expands and contracts too much due to temperature changes. When playing it he frequently has to retune it, just from his body heat. He hasn't taken it backpacking, but I'd imagine that the problem would only get worse as you get out of your temperature controlled house.

I once took a Martin Backpacker guitar camping with me on Catalina Island, off the coast of Los Angeles. It was nice playing it on the beach there. Did mostly folk type songs from memory or from the two or three sheets of lyrics+chords that I took with me. I haven't taken it camping with me now that I'm in the Denver area-- I guess I should think seriously about that.

-David K

[Haclil]

I was taking a break by a crystal pool at the end of a spectacular box canyon. A place I often enjoy for its stillness, I was horrified to see an organized group approaching. Oh no, I thought, I'm about to hear another lecture on why limestone is stratified, how springwater flows between the layers etc., etc. In fact I moved off a way and was about to put in earplugs.

But the group sat silently for a bit and I wondered why. Turns out their guide was arranging his tape recorder. He then played a soothing raga by Ravi Shankar. There were twenty minutes of shimmering notes that seemed the perfect embodiment of that very place!

[Remnant]

I would just improvise given whomever was there...whatever instrument was
in my hands at the time...I have my own style of stuff I like to play,(solo) and it's whatever everybody else is wanting to play(and can remember in groups)

I really do better with improv stuff, I've spent 30 years dinking with music,
spent some time doing recording engineering type stuff for "alternative" type
bands, know a few different styles of music I can mutilate really well, so don't have a problem with bringing the exta (small) weight of sheet music;
unless I'm trying to learn a new song on the dulcimer-then I'll bring one
song's worth in the hopes that I get a chance to work on it...usually I don't.

[PBF Support]