capfire etiquette

[muaddib06]

1st of all, Hello, this is my 1st post. I just found this site.

I'm hoping for some good points of views or stories on this question...

 

How many of you guys have been faced with the ...Hey, why don't you bring your guitar up to camp?" question?

I've always been an electric player and have never had to deal with this, until recently I picked up my 1st acoustic.

Can anyone advise on how not to be annoying if I decide to bring it?

 

Thanks

[muaddib06]

CaMpfire, that is...

[Rada]

Wait until everyone gets drunk....no one will care how badly you play

[kwakatak]

It takes some planning in advance, but I'd get a feel for what kind of music everybody likes and take some time beforehand to learn how to play some of the"favorites" at least passibly. That also includes singing them too, though.

[dadgad7]

if you're being asked to bring it along, then most likely you will not BE annoying. They WANT you and your guitar there!

Have fun, and when they're done listening, chances are they will let you know.

At that point, go off on yer own, and play wantever you want.

and oh yeah....welcome:wave:

[muaddib06]

Thanks ...all good advice.

especially waiting till everyone's drunk.
Then I can get THEM to sing, so I don't have to as much.

[t60 fan]

"Smoke on the Water" over and over again.








...and welcome, just watch what you say about micarta...

[kwakatak]

Whatever you do, don't spit any hard alcohol into the camp fire. That's a sure way to get ejected from the party (at best) or at worst to get pranked big time after you're truly hammered and unable to defend yourself.

Trust me: I know!

[SpaceCowboy409]

Make sure you're ready to pull out Freebird - always a crowd favorite!

G D/F# Em
F C D

[muaddib06]

Smoke on the water....awesome...I'll do it.
See how long it takes for someone to scream at me.

[muaddib06]

Thanks Eric....wrote'm down.

[muaddib06]

Sounds like a learned the hard way story kwak ...lol
funny stuff.

[kwakatak]

Originally posted by muaddib06 Sounds like a learned the hard way story kwak ...lol funny stuff.

It wasn't that bad. My friends just waited until I stumbled off to pee and had this girl follow me and hit on me. It went down something like this:

Me:

*notices that I've been followed and accidentally pees down own leg*

"Awwww, sheee-yittt!!!"

Girl: "Hey baby, wanna party?"

Me: "I thought that's what we were doing?"

*burps and tastes something strange*

Girl: no no no, you know - you n' me? *bats eyes*

Me: until...

*suddenly I'm wracked by a violent bout of nauseau and puke uncontrollably*



That's about all I can remember. I found out later that my friends put her up to it in the knowlege that I wouldn't be able to "perform". They were not disappointed and probably got a bigger kick out of it than they'd originally imagined.

To this day though I still think that I could've gotten laid had I brought along a guitar!

*hums Bob Seger's "Night Moves" and sighs longingly at "the one that got away" *

*clueless*

[t60 fan]

Originally posted by kwakatak It wasn't that bad. My friends just waited until I stumbled off to pee and had this girl follow me and hit on me. It went down something like this: Me: *notices that I've been followed and accidentally pees down own leg* "Awwww, sheee-yittt!!!" Girl: "Hey baby, wanna party?" Me: "I thought that's what we were doing?" *burps and tastes something strange* Girl: no no no, you know - you n' me? *bats eyes* Me: until... *suddenly I'm wracked by a violent bout of nauseau and puke uncontrollably* That's about all I can remember. I found out later that my friends put her up to it in the knowlege that I wouldn't be able to "perform". They were not disappointed and probably got a bigger kick out of it than they'd originally imagined. To this day though I still think that I could've gotten laid had I brought along a guitar! *hums Bob Seger's "Night Moves" and sighs longingly at "the one that got away" * *clueless*

ROFLMAO

[muaddib06]

hilarious story....sounds like you and I have similar friends.

[t60 fan]

Originally posted by kwakatak *hums Bob Seger's "Night Moves" and sighs longingly at "the one that got away" * *clueless*

G, F, C - Right?

[Hudman]

Hey Kwak,
You better stick to the beer that come in green bottles. The hard stuff will kill you.

[Freeman Keller]

OMG, Kwak! Since there is no way I can top Neil's story, I won't even try. So back to the original question

For many years I have been going on a back country ski trip where a group of 12 or so are helicoptered in to a small remote lodge and left for a week. We usually have a couple of cooks and guides, but it is a group of people in a small closed environment (think campfire with walls around it). Each year I have taken an old guitar along, and at some lodges there is a "hut git" hanging on the wall. I consider myself a passable acoustic player - but certainly nothing special, but I like to play on these trips.

Evenings in the hut consist of folks sitting around reading (by headlight, there is no power), playing cards, drinking scotch - and I enjoy picking a little. My policy is ALWAYS to ask if people mind - will I disturb their reading - and to try to read their reactions - if everyone gets up an moves away I figure that one more verse of Stairway isn't good. Since they literally are a captive audience I am very attuned to not offending anyone or forcing my music on them. Frequently they have thanked me, sometimes I've put the guitar away and read myself.

So my advice is to play, but think about your audience. They probably will enjoy it but make sure they do. Don't be afraid to move off to the side and/or play quietly.

An anecdote: On this year's trip we had an incident involving one of the skiers and a little avalanche. It turned out OK, but could have easily gone the other way. That evening the group held a debriefing and we discussed a lot of things that had happened that day. At the end of the discussion, one guy turned to me and said "Freeman, would you play Amazing Grace". I played with tears in my eyes.

[kwakatak]

Originally posted by Hudman Hey Kwak, You better stick to the beer that come in green bottles. The hard stuff will kill you.

no no no!

While Wild Turkey and Jack Daniels were the cause of that previous drama, a case of Rolling Rock pony bottles got me in similarly bad trouble in college and I got tucked into bed by the campus cops.

Man, that stuff is just toooooo smooth going down...!

... but that's a whole 'nother story and waaaay off-topic!

[recordingtrack1]

quote
_______________________________
originally posted by muaddib06

hilarious story . . . sounds like you and I have similar friends.
_______________________________

In that case, DON't take your guitar. Or maybe you should invest in a cheap "beater" that you won't worry so much about damage!!

BTW from your moniker I assume that you are a Frank Herbert fan? Just wondering.

Welcome to the HC. Make yourself at home. Set a spell. Take your shoes off. ya'll come back now, ye hear?

RT1

[Sweb]

Originally posted by Freeman Keller An anecdote: On this year's trip we had an incident involving one of the skiers and a little avalanche. It turned out OK, but could have easily gone the other way. That evening the group held a debriefing and we discussed a lot of things that had happened that day. At the end of the discussion, one guy turned to me and said "Freeman, would you play Amazing Grace". I played with tears in my eyes.

 

 

Mortality checks are always humbling experiences. Good story.

[muaddib06]

Yes, The Dune story along with the story of how Frank Herbert spent most of his life creating it, finishing the 6th novel shortly before he died, has always inspired me.