Playing Guitar In Camp

[Shearwater]

I've been following this thread with interest and I appreciate how civil the discourse has been. I just wanted to weigh in on the idea of amplification. The original poster was talking about playing an electric-acoustic guitar at very low volume. Having owned an electric-acoustic bass, I can tell you that without an amp, I could not be heard over light strumming on an acoustic guitar. Amplification doesn't necessarily mean loud. In my case, my bass with my small amp turned up to mid-level could just barely be heard while playing with unamplified guitars at campfire volume.

In the right setting (i.e. a 150 site state park on a Saturday night), the sound of music mixing with the sound of kids laughing and freight trains in the distance is a beautiful thing. Perhaps not so much when it's just you and one other camper in the wilderness. Like most things in life, always better in moderation.

[advenas]

Originally Posted by bjsmitty

I play the Native flute, and will often play in campgrounds. The response has always been positive. It adds an interesting haunting atmosphere when camping near Indian ruins late at night.

A number of years ago I went through Antelope Canyon. I was lucky enough to have a Native American guide who played the flute. Nobody else was there. It was awesome.

[Jesse]

Originally Posted by bborzell

The real risk when boondocking is hearing “Dueling Banjos” getting closer and closer.

I’ve never been lost in the wilderness but there was this one time I was so far out there I heard banjos playing… LOL

[Jack!]

Originally Posted by UncleTim

Do you guys play in camp much? Do you get any negative comments? I'm a sensitive fellow and would rather affect people in a positive way.

I play in camp as loud as I want, but I'm a "silent guitarist". I use a Yamaha SLG200S, which is a silent guitar that emulates a perfectly mic'ed studio acoustic guitar. Plus it's very light and small which helps with the camper storage. On occasion I will bring my Les Paul but again play it silently using Amplitube on my IPad. For me, headphones are the way to go for practice, as I dislike being interrupted or talking to random strangers during practice sessions. I like to stay under everyone's radar, undisturbed. It's my "ZEN" time where I'm fully free to experiment.

[Craig.Kathy]

Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz

awesome!

this is a couple minutes out of the pre-encore when they did a duet. where we were sitting (2nd row dead center) the bass was hitting really hard, so I didn't want to record any vid from the full band sets.

Thanks for sharing this clip! We usually include a music festival in our route when we travel in our "Lil Roadhouse" 5.0. Music is either being discussed, played, or listened to in our Roadhouse. While growing up and camping with my parents, it seemed that someone always had a guitar by the campfire, and the neighbors usually gathered together to meet new friends and sing some campfire songs. Guess those days are gone.

[Kimber]

I "hear" you...or rather I don't but would love to! I love when I hear people playing in a campground and find it quite different to someone blasting music over a loud speaker. I get it, not everyone has the same taste eg ACDC in a beautiful quiet solitude moment may be annoying but that is what headphones are for! SING man, and enjoy the reactions. Be respectful of quiet time and others right near you. My sons play and sing and usually it draws a crowd of happy campers. We are always respectful of the neighbors. I hope others join in...music in my opinion is what will save the world. It is a universal language and brings strangers together. Now, I hope to be in the same campground one day and please, give us a taster...I'm listening...and will definitely sing along! Cheers!

[richardr]

We were hiking in the Cascades a few years back. We came around a corner to view a small lake. There was a guy sitting on a rock playing the flute naked. When he saw us, he apologized for it not wearing clothes. We asked him to just keep on playing.

[sofmerc]

Originally Posted by richardr

We were hiking in the Cascades a few years back. We came around a corner to view a small lake. There was a guy sitting on a rock playing the flute naked. When he saw us, he apologized for it not wearing clothes. We asked him to just keep on playing.

He was bearing his soul through music..and then some...

[Jack!]

Originally Posted by Jack!

I play in camp as loud as I want, but I'm a "silent guitarist". I use a Yamaha SLG200S, which is a silent guitar that emulates a perfectly mic'ed studio acoustic guitar. Plus it's very light and small which helps with the camper storage. On occasion I will bring my Les Paul but again play it silently using Amplitube on my IPad. For me, headphones are the way to go for practice, as I dislike being interrupted or talking to random strangers during practice sessions. I like to stay under everyone's radar, undisturbed. It's my "ZEN" time where I'm fully free to experiment.

You will hear nothing but I can hear this. Recomend trying one for camping use.
Yamaha SLG200S Silent Guitar.
https://youtu.be/fdMGf8IYaBQ

[UncleTim]

Originally Posted by Jack!

You will hear nothing but I can hear this. Recommend trying one for camping use.
Yamaha SLG200S Silent Guitar.
https://youtu.be/fdMGf8IYaBQ

You are illustrating a lot of what I have been saying. Did you notice the wonderful fretboard for those exotic jazz scales. I wonder what scale that was, he was playing? Magical! Boy I would like to play that guitar.

My Telecaster Acoustasonic has many of the same features. I can play silently too. In fact if I bring an audio interface and any old laptop (Mac), I can silently mimic a full studio and record in almost complete silence (with headphones). You will hear a little sound coming from un-amplified strings. There is a percussive effect even thou this is a stringed instrument, so there is a little sound. It has a body carved out of a solid piece of mahogany and a solid spruce top, that does project sound. The acoustics are almost perfect.

When people play my Tele, the first thing they ask is how much does it cost to have playability like this. 2K!

If you can take your sound down to almost zero, then you can bring it up in measurable quantities to achieve a very quiet playing situation with the exact sound you want. I absolutely love it and although all my guitars play like a dream, this one takes the cake!

It bugs me that I also have a world class Strat, that cannot complete for playing time. That sucks.

It's hard to imagine an electric guitar that does not blow your doors off, even thou it can. Reimagined guitars are real and they are here now.

[oldwave]

Guitars are nice but a fiddle from 1790 is a dream
Just saying

[Ron in BC]

But there's nothing like a couple of dozen ukuleles at Q'site playing along with "The Orphan Train" song. A tear jerker if there ever was one.

Ron

[Jack!]

Originally Posted by UncleTim

You are illustrating a lot of what I have been saying. Did you notice the wonderful fretboard for those exotic jazz scales. I wonder what scale that was, he was playing? Magical! Boy I would like to play that guitar.
My Telecaster Acoustasonic has many of the same features.

That's a very sweet tele! I can see that working well in a camping situation, as well. The Yamaha is especially easy for lugging around and fitting in planes, trains, and boats. The guitar & soft case total a little over 6 lbs and if anything breaks the bank won't very cry much. It keeps the peace in the trailer as my wife, and my shoulder, hates it if I bring my much larger, heavier Breedlove 12 string or one of my Les Pauls in the camper or on other trips.

By the way... He is playing in the key of E Minor Flat and mixing in a lot of solo modes in major/minor pentatonic, with some mixolydian, dorian, diminished scales. Jazz is always a very mixed bag.

[RangerMan]

By the way... He is playing in the key of E Minor Flat and mixing in a lot of solo modes in major/minor pentatonic, with some mixolydian, dorian, diminished scales. Jazz is always a very mixed bag.

Obvious to the most casual observer.