The Nigerian Mvies

The Nigerian Mvies
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Tuesday 22 April 2014

How A Portable Guitar Can Enrich Your Backpacking Trip

By Essie Osborn


Backpacking is becoming more popular, not only among school leavers but also among older people who are in between careers or need to take a sabbatical. It provides a more authentic experience of local cultures than an all-inclusive package tour would. When you go backpacking, you learn to get by with less but one item that can enrich your experience is a portable guitar.

Of course all guitars are portable since this is how the instrument was designed. However, they're not normally the most traveler friendly objects. They're awkwardly shaped and bulky. However, travel guitars are made specifically for musicians who want to be on the road a lot. They're smaller by comparison but produce a similar sound, unlike ukuleles, which produce sounds at a higher pitch.

Travel guitars are wonderful for airplane trips. Manufacturers often take into account the maximum sizes of luggage that you're allowed to take with you into the cabin and then ensure that their guitars fall within those limits. The result is that you won't have to check in your instrument but can simply keep it with you as hand luggage. This eliminates the risk of the instrument getting damaged by baggage handlers.

When you backpack, you`ll probably find yourself traveling like the locals do. This means taking buses, small boats or even pick-up trucks for journeys between destinations. Traveling with bulky luggage can be very difficult and because your stuff may have to go onto the roof rack, it slows you down when you have to change from one vehicle to another for the next leg of the journey. Carrying only a compact guitar will make the trip much easier since you can normally keep it on you.

Many backpacking destinations offer incredible opportunities for trekking through jungle or among mountains. These journeys can take a few days and you may very well be completely removed from civilization for the duration. You'll be glad that you've brought a musical instrument to help pass the long evenings but you'll be even more grateful that this instrument weighs hardly anything and is easy to carry around.

Having a musical instrument with you helps you to be more social too. You'll make new friends at the hostels where you'll be staying as everyone gathers to sing along. However, if you need some peace, you can always take your guitar and go sit on a deck to watch the sunset, on the banks of a great river or in a hammock on the beach. You'll cherish these memories forever.

Taking a musical instrument along on your journey can even help you finance your trip. In many backpacking towns, bar and restaurant owners are always looking for live entertainment and if you're good enough, they might pay you to play at their establishments while you're in town. You can even go busking at a marketplace or on the sidewalks if your funds are running low.

Stores that sell musical instruments sometimes have a travel guitar or two in stock. However, if you're looking for a variety to choose from, your best option is to look online. Some companies even specialize in making travel guitars only. If you're a serious guitarist, an alternative is to ask a luthier to build an instrument especially for you.




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