Musical instruments on the trail

[shelterbuilder]

I thought that I'd seen it all, but this weekend, I was hiking between Eckville and the Windsor Furnace shelter in Pa., and a (well-behaved) Scout troop came in for the night. One of the older Scouts had brought his BAGPIPES with him, and he was really quite good.

What's the strangest muscial instument that you've seen while hiking on the AT?

[Jim Adams]

I think that it was 1996...I saw a small accordian!

geek

[Uncle Silly]

Saw personally? Set of small pipes (mini bagpipes) carried by a fellow named Ol' Scrubbs, a flip-flopper in '05. Seen in pictures? A string bass, made out of hiking pole, nylon string, and a shelter (ask Tha Wookie for a link).

Carried myself? Hmm, mandolin, banjo and harmonica aren't all that strange... I'll go with the kazoo. :D

[Tipi Walter]

I did a long backpacking trip thru the Shenandoahs carrying a clarinet but it was extra dead weight as I didn't get around to playing it much. Several times I carried a soprano saxophone to scare little children and other living creatures. Many times I carried a small wooden recorder, for me the ideal trail instrument.

But after spending half a lifetime as a professional musician, I look with disdain now at backpackers bringing out instruments. To me it's simply noise pollution, another boom-box on the trail, and the last thing I want to hear along with the roar of the jet airplanes above and the scream of the racing motorcycles on the roads below the trail, is someone tooting away for all to hear. Human noise pollution is bad enough when outdoors, and in my older age I NEED SILENCE!

[Gray Blazer]

I did a long backpacking trip thru the Shenandoahs carrying a clarinet but it was extra dead weight as I didn't get around to playing it much. Several times I carried a soprano saxophone to scare little children and other living creatures. Many times I carried a small wooden recorder, for me the ideal trail instrument.

But after spending half a lifetime as a professional musician, I look with disdain now at backpackers bringing out instruments. To me it's simply noise pollution, another boom-box on the trail, and the last thing I want to hear along with the roar of the jet airplanes above and the scream of the racing motorcycles on the roads below the trail, is someone tooting away for all to hear. Human noise pollution is bad enough when outdoors, and in my older age I NEED SILENCE!

So now you're a frustrated musician trying to make others frustrated musicians? Sounds like a college music professor to me.:p

[Tipi Walter]

Exactly, dour and aloof and played out but still loving the woods.:banana

[Gray Blazer]

Exactly, dour and aloof and played out but still loving the woods.:banana

Not to mention a good sense of humor, also. Hope to camp with you some time.

[hiker77]

Well hawk watching in Sept 2000 at raccoon ridge on the A-T a few miles north of sunfish pond in NJ we were entertained by tuba man. He played for about 30 minutes for about 25 people that were hawk watching than continued on his hike south.

[Lobo]

July 12, 2000 The tuba man played about for about an hour after dark at Long Pond Stream Lean-to, Maine. Just short snippets, not the whole songs. After 2067.7 miles, all I wanted to hear was my slowing breath-rate as I drifted off to sleep!

[Jack Tarlin]

Actually, Tipi raised a perfectly valid point, and the simple truth is that most Trail musicians aren't very good, in fact most of them suck, and if I'm sitting around a campsite or near a shelter at day's end, about the LAST thing I wanna hear is some little Dylan or Beck wannabe strumming away.

And what is much worse, is when they accompany their playing with singing; most folks don't realize how poorly they sing, and it can be really horrible for anyone within half a mile.

And definitely, the Trail is NOT a place to try and learn a new instrument; this is an indescribably horrible thing to do to your fellow hikers.

Especially if it's a harmonica. :D

Oh, and every year, there's at least one clueless moron hiking with a drum trying to reclaim his inner savage or whatever. People like this need to die slowly, preferably after being force-fed their instruments.

[Tha Wookie]

I love playing on the trail with folks. Especially when a random jug band sponanteously occurs, and people play whatever they can find.

Like Hawains, I often find the enthusiam and intent to be more important than skill. But like jack said, people who play better not have thin skin if someone tells them to shut it down. In my opinion, it's a lot of fun, but a musician should always be considerate and know when NOT to play.

The wierdest instrument I ever saw was when a guy converted an entire shelter into a bass guitar. pretty cool what you can do with a nylon cord, hiking staff, and a jug of dark beer.

[Uncle Silly]

The wierdest instrument I ever saw was when a guy converted an entire shelter into a bass guitar. pretty cool what you can do with a nylon cord, hiking staff, and a jug of dark beer.

Now wait a minute. I knew about the cord, staff, and shelter... but where did the jug of dark beer come in?? :eek:

[warraghiyagey]

Now wait a minute. I knew about the cord, staff, and shelter... but where did the jug of dark beer come in?? :eek:

By jugs end you believe you're making music with a shelter and a rope.

:D

[Uncle Silly]

By jugs end you believe you're making music with a shelter and a rope.

You must never've heard a jugband with a good washtub bass. Put down the prerecorded carp you're listening to and go find an oldtime jam. Those things can thump.

[Lion King]

and a shelter (ask Tha Wookie for a link).

:D

I was there for that one, what a great night of singing and creating instruments we had!!!!!!!!!!

[TOW]

When was it that Tuba Man hiked, '00? I can't remember where I met him. Then he biked across America with that thing too. Last time I heard about him he was going to hike across Australia with the thing..........
Here's a link to Scott Rim-Hewitt the Tuba Man..............
http://www.backcountry.net/arch/at/0012/msg01509.html

[TOW]

Here's another link for "Tuba Man." This dude rocks!
http://www.bronxmall.com/norwoodnews/past/121505/features/F51215page1.html

[theunstrungharp]

Uncle Silly, I wish you'd move to Maine so I could hear you play more. Your beautiful pickin' at Speck Pond was FAR from noise pollution.

[Doughnut]

I met gadget a couple weeks ago, Verteran's day weekend he was in the Nantahlala, he shoul dhave finished last weekend, Anywya, he was carrying a trumpet..