View Full Version : Whats your tune ??
What music do you listen to on the trail ? If any. And how do you listen to it ? I.e. phone, mp3.... and if you use an mp3 player, what one & how do you like it ?
I don't listen to music on the trail, I prefer the sounds of nature.
Furlough
01-17-2014, 12:57
I will sometimes listen to music on an IPOD at night in my tent. I have a variety of music I like, so I just shuffle and take what comes. I do not hike and listen to music. I like to hear the natural sounds of the day.
takethisbread
01-17-2014, 13:02
rarely listen on trail but Spotify is my go to method .
music is pretty much typical hiker music: Bob Dylan, Felice Brothers, Bruce, Deer Tick, Bright Eyes, the Band, some Zeppelin or the Clash when I need some zip in my day .
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
johnnybgood
01-17-2014, 13:09
Ditto what RED-DOG said. Would much rather soak up the sounds of nature around me.
Same goes for nighttime while lying in my hammock. Maybe if I had a IPod or mp3 :-?....naw !
max patch
01-17-2014, 13:18
Nothing during the day, talk radio/podcasts at nite IF I am going to listen to anything.
Slo-go'en
01-17-2014, 13:37
Trance Electronic Dance Music - white noise with a beat. RCA MP3 player powered by a single AAA battery. With a lithium, good for at least 20 hours.
One reason i ask, is im looking to get an mp3 player but with an fm onn it. Also i agree with you on listen to sounds around you...most of the time but sometimes on the move and at night its nice to listen to some tunes.
Starchild
01-17-2014, 14:05
Having music and audiobooks are a great way of having variety along with the natural sounds. I used my iPhone with stored music and streaming when conditions a battery permitted. Music was a great motivator later in the day. FM radio would seem to be a battery friendly to digital music.
Matthew82
01-17-2014, 14:37
Weather Girls, Right said Fred, Culture Club, etc etc...
evyck da fleet
01-17-2014, 14:38
I don't listen to music while hiking but I have brought an iPod(AT) and a SanDisk mp3 player(JMT) on hikes. I rarely listened to the iPod except for in towns (doing laundry/lying by a pool) or a few times at night. Mostly I just talked to other hikers at shelters before heading to my tent to recap the day in my notepad and crash. The mp3 player was nice on the JMT because there were less people and it didn't require me to burn through my iPhone/camera battery. Like others have said, I listen to the sounds of nature when I hike so I don't miss hearing and noticing deer, bears, moose or the rattlesnake that I didn't see but heard warning me that I was about to step too close to it for its liking.
I use just my smartphone now which is android OS. And I am one that does listen to tunes when I hike. At least 50% of the time probably. I have play lists built around music that I find actually enhances the natural environment around me.
Sent from my Galaxy Note 2 using Tapatalk 2
Hikes in Rain
01-17-2014, 15:14
I listen to birds singing, insects buzzing, chirping and rustling, wind sloughing through the trees, and occasionally, the gentle rain falling. Actually, I seem to listen to that one every time I hike! :)
Slo-go'en
01-17-2014, 15:25
I mostly turn on the tunes during the afternoon when I start to drag. It really helps me keep up the pace. Couple of pain killers and some lively tunes and I'm good to go for a few more miles.
The other thing is music is a good memory stimulant. Years later you play a song and memories of where you were on the AT will come back. It's nice to have a sound track, just like in the movies.
As for natural sounds, mostly its the sound of your feet pounding on the ground. Most of the interesting sounds are in the morning and evening. Which is why listening to music while hiking is more common with long distance hikers then with the short term section or weekend hikers.
It is a good idea to keep the volume down so people can't sneak up behind you. If that happens, usually you jump out of your skin when they yell out "on your left"...
HikerMom58
01-17-2014, 15:58
I mostly turn on the tunes during the afternoon when I start to drag. It really helps me keep up the pace. Couple of pain killers and some lively tunes and I'm good to go for a few more miles.
The other thing is music is a good memory stimulant. Years later you play a song and memories of where you were on the AT will come back. It's nice to have a sound track, just like in the movies.
As for natural sounds, mostly its the sound of your feet pounding on the ground. Most of the interesting sounds are in the morning and evening. Which is why listening to music while hiking is more common with long distance hikers then with the short term section or weekend hikers.
It is a good idea to keep the volume down so people can't sneak up behind you. If that happens, usually you jump out of your skin when they yell out "on your left"...
I have felt like I jumped out of my skin.. whew!:eek:
I agree with Slo on this one, too. I gotta have something to get me up those hills. Sometimes, I repeat over & over to myself... I got this, I got this! :)
I do love the sounds of the woods. There's nothing like it!
RedBeerd
01-17-2014, 16:03
a few lonely days on the LT i pulled out my ipod. it has to be a day im struggling though, or it doesnt feel right. i turned my hiking pole into an air guitar and was jamming out to robin trower all afternoon. one of my favorite days on the trail
Deer Hunter
01-17-2014, 16:19
Sansa Fuze mp3 player. It has the radio feature on it. I listen to the Grateful Dead, Allman Brothers and Stevie Ray Vaughn mainly but I mix in lots of other groups/genres also.
i hear ya. redbeerd ! im a 58 year old metal head myself. Thunder, jackyl. as well as some Shinedown, greenday, junkyard , foo fighters...rock on !
Hill Ape
01-17-2014, 19:46
genres on the playlist, include but are not limited to.... bluegrass, jam bands, americana, folk, alt-country, etc. and the star of my fantasies; britney spears! hit me baby.... one... more... time
Blissful
01-17-2014, 20:39
I have gone only with a mp3 that uses an AAA battery - but they are very hard to find these days. Amazon has a few, I see.
Valley Girl
01-18-2014, 10:49
I enjoy E.B.M., dance and industrial and I carry 160gb IPOD
Lady Grey
01-18-2014, 14:06
I loved my IPod during my hike last year. I kept both my IPod and IPhone charged via a small SoundLogic charger that I'd plug in whenever I had the opportunity. I found I could only listen to the sounds of nature so long... as I hiked longer days I often needed my IPod to re-energize me and keep me going. I had a playlist of 650 or so songs and mixed it up with shuffle or sometimes alphabetical order. I think when I started I thought I'd have lots of deep and lofty thoughts as I was hiking, but I found myself most often thinking about how my body was feeling, what the weather was like, and who I might run into up ahead. For me, music helped focus me on my hike and was particularly helpful as a distraction during bad weather and tough climbs. Two songs that really spoke to me, especially as I was near the end of my hike, were "Chico Gospel" by MaMuse and "Unwritten" by Natasha Bedingfield. Check out the lyrics - I found myself skipping them on my IPod unless I was ready for the tears to come!
Lady Grey NOBO '13 www.trailjournals.com/LadyGrey.
RedBeerd
01-18-2014, 16:25
i hear ya. redbeerd ! im a 58 year old metal head myself. Thunder, jackyl. as well as some Shinedown, greenday, junkyard , foo fighters...rock on !
right on, tramp! when I was a little kid (at 22 maybe I still am) my dad fed me nothing but zepplin, ACDC, sabbath, and the likes. I must have been 8 years old rocking out to back in black jumping on my bed. the last album he turned me onto was Band of gypsys by hendrix. perfect trail music if that's your sort of thing!!
right on, tramp! when I was a little kid (at 22 maybe I still am) my dad fed me nothing but zepplin, ACDC, sabbath, and the likes. I must have been 8 years old rocking out to back in black jumping on my bed. the last album he turned me onto was Band of gypsys by hendrix. perfect trail music if that's your sort of thing!! yep ! Hard and heavy like a 57 chevy ! I really love shinedown to.
my ears love the nature sounds, soothing & relaxing. my iPod has about 8 hours of christian music on it, some really high pumpin' praise music that i plug into the last hour or so on those days when i need a boost.
and i just got a CD for christmas of the original rocking' jazz band from saturday night live! that will be added to my iPod in time for my spring break section hike! love those guys!
.com
Trance Electronic Dance Music
Now that's what I'm talking about! Some dash Berlin, Armin van Buuren, or ferry corsten and you're likely to see me Pounding out some distance with my poles raised in the air, bouncing to the beat. That stuff really has the ability to up the spirit. At night I like some calming easy music, mostly classical type stuff or movie "score" music.
I Use my iPhone's mp3 player. I used to have a little mp3 player that used a AAA battery, it was great, but had a mechanical volume control wheel that went bad, and would blast your ears with no warning.
fins1838
01-18-2014, 19:26
Willie Nelson
Now that's what I'm talking about! Some dash Berlin, Armin van Buuren, or ferry corsten and you're likely to see me Pounding out some distance with my poles raised in the air, bouncing to the beat. That stuff really has the ability to up the spirit. At night I like some calming easy music, mostly classical type stuff or movie "score" music.
I Use my iPhone's mp3 player. I used to have a little mp3 player that used a AAA battery, it was great, but had a mechanical volume control wheel that went bad, and would blast your ears with no warning.
How do you charge your phone ? Does listening to your music really run down the battery ? I like the idea of just taking the phone , ( phone ,camera,mp3 player, computer. All in one ) its just the battery runs down kinda quick.
evyck da fleet
01-22-2014, 23:07
What's my tune? Pearl Jam covering 'Dock of the Bay'. Something about leaving my home in GA and roaming 2,000 miles puts a smile on my face:)
marti038
01-23-2014, 10:04
Pearl Jam, DMB, Black Keys, some Mumford & Sons all on the iPhone.
I don't usually listen to music while hiking, but like it at night when I'm killing time in the tent. I can see pulling it out on a long, rough day too to help keep me in stride.
I rarely listen to music while hiking or travelling.
I have a few songs on my iPhone including "Walking on Sunshine" which is a great tune if I have to get out of a warm tent and pack up in the rain. :p
You can never have to much music.
How do you charge your phone ? Does listening to your music really run down the battery ? I like the idea of just taking the phone , ( phone ,camera,mp3 player, computer. All in one ) its just the battery runs down kinda quick.
I haven't been on anything more than a few days... And I usually only listen to music in the evening, rarely on a trail itself. It has happened but it's mainly off. To save your battery, put the phone in plane mode so it's not seeking towers. Turn the screen brightness low as you can stand it. Use your headphone controls to stop, start, skip, volume, etc. don't keep messing with the screen. Don't count on using your phone for everything, that's why the battery runs down. A small point and shoot with a lithium battery will last a week if used sparingly. A gps on AA batteries can last two days.
I have a tiny portable rechargeable battery pack by powergen. It can charge my phone several times if needed. It will run the gps, too, and could even charge the camera. I tend to leave the phone part off though. I do like my gadgets, but I still enjoy the solitude.
I have songs that play only in my head:
Simon and Garfunkel's - 59th Street Bridge Song - on sunny days
BJ Thomas' - Rain Drops Keep Falling On My Head - Obvious
Sometimes Bob Marley for no reason
rocketsocks
01-24-2014, 00:16
On a recent trip I was rockin out to this...it has great tempo for walking.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30f_Eo9ynW8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30f_Eo9ynW8
Deer Hunter
01-24-2014, 00:21
On a recent trip I was rockin out to this...it has great tempo for walking.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30f_Eo9ynW8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30f_Eo9ynW8
Very good. :)
rocketsocks
01-24-2014, 00:23
Very good. :)Hi Deer hunter...it really did help me get up those hills, though it wasn't this version...but I like this one too.:sun Englishtown 77' my Sister went, I was to young. all good though.;)
Deer Hunter
01-24-2014, 00:26
Hi Deer hunter...it really did help me get up those hills.
Can't go wrong with the dead. Good to hear from ya, socks. :)