Where was the strangest, weirdest, stupidest, or out of the way place that you have ever played a tune on an instrument.? This was one of mine from the adventurous days of my youth.
Perhaps not quite so dangerous, but also railway related;
Sitting on some rocks in the middle of a stream (off a path along the disused railway line between Grosmont and Goathland in the North Yorks moors) playing Freddie Phillips guitar duets from Trumpton and Camberwick Green with a school friend.
A few miles further east on the cliffs at Robin Hood's Bay - again guitar (but I can play it now!)., and when I was young and even stupider than I am today.
Ebor_fiddler - I remember another walk with guitar from Scarborough to Whitby (via Robin Hood's Bay) ; those cliff paths can be really treacherous - the one's you and I walked have probably long since fallen into the sea.
I bought a pair of what I can only describe as pogo stilts: http://www.xtremeimportz.com/
A friend of mine a few cities away insisted on video of simultaneous pogo-jumping and fiddling. So that's on youtube somewhere, but I highly recommend against searching for it, as I'm not particularly good at either.
I've since discovered that my fiddle is worth waaay more than I paid for it, and I shudder to think what I would have lost if I'd fallen.
... but I can't remember after all this time what tunes I played!
I've also a recollection of playing the "house guitar" one evening in one of the mountain huts. We (all Brits) were singing "The Rattling Bog", but a party of Germans (also staying at the hut) joined in with great gusto. Afterwards, they demanded that we sang "My Bonny Lies Over the Ocean", so we had to humour them by singing that as well!
My son (who also likes mixing music with mountains) tells me that he played "The Hills of Glenorchy" on the summit of
Beinn Mhic Monadh (Glenorchy) last year - on a melodica!
And if you are ever staying in a hut near Annpurna and you hear the sherpas singing "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" you can probably blame him for that too - he taught it to them!
Also involving a tin whistle, but this time on a (sump-diving) caving trip. Once through the sump, I pulled the whistle from from my wetsuit, and played a tune - much to the amusement and surprise of the rest of the party.
The result (later) was a cartoon in our club's magazine. I can't remember the caption, but as I recall, the Pied Piper and rats came into it somewhere!
Was on the way to a Fleadh, many years ago, and stopped by an old burial mound on the way to the Bridge of Boyne Youth Hostel, and pulled out our fiddle and guitar and started playing.
Suddenly the place was invaded by local labourers, leaping over the mound, who had heard this music and thought the fairies were there !
during a wedding gig at a community centre in Iceland when i was 'left alone' on stage on Bass (tied to an amp) when the rest of the band disappeared into the men's toilet with the groom . . .
it goes without saying 'the music didn't stop' and it was a mad rake of reels
Paddy on the Railway
Paddy on the Railway
Where was the strangest, weirdest, stupidest, or out of the way place that you have ever played a tune on an instrument.? This was one of mine from the adventurous days of my youth.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3625/3392090961_a441446003_o.jpg
# Posted on March 28th 2009 by Free Reed
Re: Paddy on the Railway
Perhaps not quite so dangerous, but also railway related;
Sitting on some rocks in the middle of a stream (off a path along the disused railway line between Grosmont and Goathland in the North Yorks moors) playing Freddie Phillips guitar duets from Trumpton and Camberwick Green with a school friend.
# Posted on March 28th 2009 by Rick Payman
Re: Paddy on the Railway
A few miles further east on the cliffs at Robin Hood's Bay - again guitar (but I can play it now!)., and when I was young and even stupider than I am today.
# Posted on March 28th 2009 by Ebor_fiddler
Re: Paddy on the Railway
Played the moothie on the monkeyboard many a time in my derrickman days
http://comps.fotosearch.com/bigcomps/STK/STK021/PGB1605.jpg
# Posted on March 29th 2009 by Bren
Re: Paddy on the Railway
Ebor_fiddler - I remember another walk with guitar from Scarborough to Whitby (via Robin Hood's Bay) ; those cliff paths can be really treacherous - the one's you and I walked have probably long since fallen into the sea.
# Posted on March 29th 2009 by Rick Payman
Re: Paddy on the Railway
This bit certainly has - it was near the sticky-out bit with the pillbox on which went circa 1970 (not long after the railway in fact) !
# Posted on March 29th 2009 by Ebor_fiddler
Re: Paddy on the Railway
Halfway across the Forth Road Bridge.
# Posted on March 30th 2009 by Kenny
Re: Paddy on the Railway
correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't even a few yards east of Robin Hood's Bay a very wet place?
# Posted on March 30th 2009 by ...
Re: Paddy on the Railway
I bought a pair of what I can only describe as pogo stilts: http://www.xtremeimportz.com/
A friend of mine a few cities away insisted on video of simultaneous pogo-jumping and fiddling. So that's on youtube somewhere, but I highly recommend against searching for it, as I'm not particularly good at either.
I've since discovered that my fiddle is worth waaay more than I paid for it, and I shudder to think what I would have lost if I'd fallen.
# Posted on March 30th 2009 by hotsauce
Re: Paddy on the Railway
I once carried a tin whistle with me on a backpacking tour in the Rätikon Alps (Austria/Switzerland)
I can remember playing it on the summits of Schesaplana 2,964.3 m (9,725 ft).
http://www.summitpost.org/images/medium/182867.jpg
and Sulzfluh 2,817 metres (9,242 ft)
http://www.esv-rhw.ch/bergsport/fotos/07_08_24_Sulzfluh011opt.jpg
... but I can't remember after all this time what tunes I played!
I've also a recollection of playing the "house guitar" one evening in one of the mountain huts. We (all Brits) were singing "The Rattling Bog", but a party of Germans (also staying at the hut) joined in with great gusto. Afterwards, they demanded that we sang "My Bonny Lies Over the Ocean", so we had to humour them by singing that as well!
My son (who also likes mixing music with mountains) tells me that he played "The Hills of Glenorchy" on the summit of
Beinn Mhic Monadh (Glenorchy) last year - on a melodica!
And if you are ever staying in a hut near Annpurna and you hear the sherpas singing "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" you can probably blame him for that too - he taught it to them!
# Posted on March 30th 2009 by Mix O'Lydian
Re: Paddy on the Railway
Ha! Just remembered another interesting anecdote!
Also involving a tin whistle, but this time on a (sump-diving) caving trip. Once through the sump, I pulled the whistle from from my wetsuit, and played a tune - much to the amusement and surprise of the rest of the party.
The result (later) was a cartoon in our club's magazine. I can't remember the caption, but as I recall, the Pied Piper and rats came into it somewhere!
# Posted on March 30th 2009 by Mix O'Lydian
Re: Paddy on the Railway
THe riverbank of Killaloe, County Clare
Randomly battering out some tunes, and the bodhran player nearly knocked the tipper in the water!
# Posted on March 30th 2009 by jlocky
Re: Paddy on the Railway
Strangest, weirdest, stupidest, out of the way place one's played?!
Is it the Blythe Hill Tavern?
# Posted on March 30th 2009 by Krick Stahlschwanz
Re: Paddy on the Railway
Was on the way to a Fleadh, many years ago, and stopped by an old burial mound on the way to the Bridge of Boyne Youth Hostel, and pulled out our fiddle and guitar and started playing.
Suddenly the place was invaded by local labourers, leaping over the mound, who had heard this music and thought the fairies were there !
# Posted on March 30th 2009 by Guernsey Pete
Re: Paddy on the Railway
GP - Were you playing "the Gold Ring", by any chance?
# Posted on March 31st 2009 by Mix O'Lydian
Re: Paddy on the Railway
In the baggage hold of a car of a train from chicago to Colorado. There were other musicians and listeners that I met on the train.
# Posted on April 2nd 2009 by feardearg
Re: Paddy on the Railway
Random places I've played a tune:
The boys' loo of a high school outside of Glasgow.
In the Lost Valley at Glencoe.
On top of various fourteeners in CO.
On Braeriach in the Cairngorms (my mate had a bombard... that was even funnier)
On Cruach Ardrain near Crianlarich.
The bus station in Galway with a random homeless dude accompanying us on guitar.
# Posted on April 2nd 2009 by DrSilverSpear
Re: Paddy on the Railway
during a wedding gig at a community centre in Iceland when i was 'left alone' on stage on Bass (tied to an amp) when the rest of the band disappeared into the men's toilet with the groom . . .
it goes without saying 'the music didn't stop' and it was a mad rake of reels
# Posted on April 8th 2009 by lisaniska