VNightingale
New Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- October 2025
Remove ads on the forum by becoming a donating member. More here. |
---|
Something like a golf bag trolley perhaps? I wonder how well a cello would stand up to the frequent jolting over rocks and uneven ground. Carrying it on one's back would seem safer in that regard though a challenge all the same. Whatever the choice it would seem wise to leave the Stradivarius at home and take the spare instead.Pulling a customized trolley might be an option, but I’m not sure such an item exits.
Strangers on Earrth. See also this thread: https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...instruments-on-the-camino.83518/#post-1188227There was a young cellist who made a documentary about taking his cello and playing music that IIRC was at risk of being lost to any kind of *living memory* (it exists on paper, but people so rarely hear it played that they don't have what used to be part of the cultural soundscape in their heads anymore).
For the life of me I can't recall the name of the film now, but give a search... I believe he explains how he managed the practical features.
Check out
this earlier post
this post written by fellow forum member SusanWW re Dane Johansen who played his cello on the camino.
I've seen an electric (or battery?) powered cello in Nice, France on the water's promenade being played a number of years ago. I was taken by surprise as they are so odd looking and I'd not seen one before...or since.Electric cello? Weighs next to nothing. Is there some thing acoustic like this minus the electricity?
Hi, I am planning to do the Camino next year with my son and he wants to bring his cello. He wants to perform each evening along the way. We are looking for advice on packing and managing the cello.
Thanks!
Are you sure he really does want to do the Camino?Hi, I am planning to do the Camino next year with my son and he wants to bring his cello. He wants to perform each evening along the way. We are looking for advice on packing and managing the cello.
Thanks!
Are you sure he really does want to do the Camino?
Hauling a cello strikes me as a very effective method of curtailing or even avoiding a Camino
Back in 2003 I saw a group of Italians with a Spanish guitar. They said at first it was enjoyable but later it became a penance - whoever had transgressed got to carry the guitar until the next "sinner" was chosen.While walking the The Camino Frances in 2011 I met a very nice couple. One of them had a guitar. Every so often we would meet up and there would be a merry tune to round off the day. In the nature of things we lost sight of one another as we walked on.This can happen on the Camino. Anyway, about a week later I met the couple again about 30k from Santiago. I noticed the guitar was gone, "What happened to the guitar"? I enquired. "I'm not sure" was the reply. "I think I may have left it behind me at one of the albergues....." Now losing socks, hats, phones, Swiss Army knives I can understand, But a big acoustic guitar in its own case? That's like forgetting your boots. Is there a moral to this story? I think so. Be careful what you bring on the Camino.....unless you have a support vehicle lurking somewhere or a luggage transportation outfit at your disposal... Buen Camino
Would the other residents of where you are staying have a say in as to whether or not they would wish to listen to the performance?Hi, I am planning to do the Camino next year with my son and he wants to bring his cello. He wants to perform each evening along the way. We are looking for advice on packing and managing the cello.
Thanks!
If your goal is to share music, could your son record various pieces playing them at home on his phone, and then take a small blue tooth speaker and broadcast in the evenings? Of course, he would need decent wifi to do it, unless he wanted to just turn his phone volume up.Hi, I am planning to do the Camino next year with my son and he wants to bring his cello. He wants to perform each evening along the way. We are looking for advice on packing and managing the cello.
Thanks!
Would the other residents of where you are staying have a say in as to whether or not they would wish to listen to the performance?
I’m keeping a low profile as my reaction to virtually non-existant infection didn’t find universal acclaim.Would the other residents of where you are staying have a say in as to whether or not they would wish to listen to the performance?
A friend and I took harmonicas on one pilgrimage and we made sure we only played as far from others as possible. And she's a good musician.
Back in 2003 I saw a group of Italians with a Spanish guitar. They said at first it was enjoyable but later it became a penance - whoever had transgressed got to carry the guitar until the next "sinner" was chosen.
Not my cup of tea either hence I often chose to walk alone in winterDe gustibus non est disputandum of course but the idea of someone playing an instrument in an albergue is as attractive as the idea of a Camino family. Not my cup of tea.
Especially when that group starts singing.
For that reason only I choose private accomodations or lesser travelled Caminos where an albergue with three pilgrims is considered a crowd.
Aside from the weight, I would be very concerned about possible damage from a fall
So true. Pay for an extra sear or have your instrument put in the aircraft hold.So practical suggestions from a string teacher (and yes, I play cello as well as fiddle):
If he really wants to do this:
1) Arrange main bag to be transferred each day, and walk with the cello. Do not trust the cello to the baggage transfer - even if there is no ill intent, it will likely be chucked into a van under a pile of other bags.
2) Bring a cheap, student instrument, not a good cello.
3) From everyday life and walking ca 45min each way with a cello on my back fairly regularly in the last couple of years, I strongly recommend the backpack attachment from BAM. This is cushioned, and has a proper waist/hip strap in the same way as a regular hiking backpack would (with a small pocket that you can put stuff in). From experience, this fits onto non-BAM cases but may take a bit of wangling. If you need a four-point attachment, the Gewa equivalent may work but is less ergonomically friendly.
Honestly, I occasionally tuck a plastic recorder into my backpack but having considered bringing my fiddle I came to the conclusion that it wouldn't be a good idea - if I want to pick up some Galician tunes I'll head over to the area especially for that, and I can always record some things on my phone if I want to take them back. The chances of playing every night are very slim.
Also, heads up, you'd be paying an extra seat on the flight(s) if they even allow the instrument to travel, and may have difficulty with trains and coaches.
Oh a rousing chorus of Kumbaya never hurt anybody . . . muchDe gustibus non est disputandum of course but the idea of someone playing an instrument in an albergue is as attractive as the idea of a Camino family. Not my cup of tea.
Especially when that group starts singing.
For that reason only I choose private accomodations or lesser travelled Caminos where an albergue with three pilgrims is considered a crowd.
Dane Johansen has a documentary on walking the Camino with the cello. It's called strangers on the Earth. A journey on the Camino they Santiago. He carried his cello in a special Italian case I believe, but he also had a film crew with him. Who knows. Maybe you could contact him and find out what he can recommend! I was on the Camino same time he was in 2014.Hi, I am planning to do the Camino next year with my son and he wants to bring his cello. He wants to perform each evening along the way. We are looking for advice on packing and managing the cello.
Thanks!
He's easy to find on Google.Dane Johansen has a documentary on walking the Camino with the cello. It's called strangers on the Earth. A journey on the Camino they Santiago. He carried his cello in a special Italian case I believe, but he also had a film crew with him. Who knows. Maybe you could contact him and find out what he can recommend! I was on the Camino same time he was in 2014.
I once attended an evening drama performance at my daughters' school. On the same evening, in a different hall, there was a meeting of a junior harp club. One mother was struggling to get her small child's medium sized harp out of the back on their Volvo estate and on to its wheelie rack and was heard to say "Why you couldn't settle for the piccolo I'll never understand!"I don’t have any helpful suggestions, but as challenging as this can be, as a classical pianist I’m jealous that at least a cello is portable. I wish you luck in figuring it out!
However, the bach cello suites that Dane played are in no danger of being lost!Strangers on Earrth. See also this thread: https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...instruments-on-the-camino.83518/#post-1188227
Thanks for your thoughtful response. We are in initial stages of consideration.You pose a most fascinating question regarding the Camino. As a pilgrim, I can’t think of anything much more pleasant than enjoying a nice glass of Rioja in a town square after walking all day and getting serenaded by a cello. However, from a logistical point of view, it strikes me as quite an undertaking with a number of important variables to consider as @MinaKamina points out. From the little bit of research I did, it seems that on average between the weight of the cello and its case, your son will be carrying over 20 pounds and maybe closer to 25 pounds. As a reference point here, I keep my entire pack between 12-14 pounds. Add on varying degrees of terrain difficulty and inclement weather across the Camino and I think you have more than a significant challenge ahead of you. Would I trust a transport company to move my valuable cello daily? Probably not even if they would consider doing it. Pulling a customized trolley might be an option, but I’m not sure such an item exits. Perhaps it’s worth looking into. Good luck exploring this idea further and Buen Camino!
Thanks, these are all important points. Regarding violin- he does not play this instrument and they are not really interchangeable, but thanks.You make it sound (no pun intended) as if you have never done this before. If so, please try a short trip near home and see how that works out. Size of the son? Size of the cello? Size and weight of your other luggage? Will one of you be carrying a backpack for two?
I'm inclined to think that a violin would be easier to transport and take care of than a cello, but to each his own.
Thank you for sharing. What you do sounds amazingI have walked the Camino four times and design on trail. I bring a rake. On trail I always enjoyed musicians. I am an assemblagé artist of repurposed broken instruments. My Carnivale Woman will be with this young musician in spirit. However burdonsome, we shares our gifts. Buen Camino to both of you.
Doesn't sound like a great ideaHi, I am planning to do the Camino next year with my son and he wants to bring his cello. He wants to perform each evening along the way. We are looking for advice on packing and managing the cello.
Thanks!
In my opinion, don't take it unless you plan on using a pack pack forwarding service, and even so you will worry about damage to the instrument each day. On my first Camino I took along a recorder, a copy of the Tao De Ching, and a few extras like rainpants and an extra pair of pants and shirt. Three days later when I got to Pamplona I mailed it all home.Hi, I am planning to do the Camino next year with my son and he wants to bring his cello. He wants to perform each evening along the way. We are looking for advice on packing and managing the cello.
Thanks!
I'm almost not sure if this post is a joke, but just in case it isn't - DON'THi, I am planning to do the Camino next year with my son and he wants to bring his cello. He wants to perform each evening along the way. We are looking for advice on packing and managing the cello.
Thanks!
Go for it! If it was good enough for Elvis . . .Chapeau to the cello player. I was havering over taking a ukulele.
he had a van and a film crew, and usually the cello was in that van....
https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...e-has-taken-on-the-camino.76509/#post-1061850
Why don't you and your son contact Dane and ask his opinion and advice. He is a Cellist with the Cleveland Symphony (we don't usually bother to add "Orchestra" because everyone one already knows--or you did if you grew up in Cleveland).Hi, I am planning to do the Camino next year with my son and he wants to bring his cello. He wants to perform each evening along the way. We are looking for advice on packing and managing the cello.
Thanks!
In standard Castillan Spain, cello and sello are pronounced quite differently, unlike in American Spanish, so I don't think that confusion is likely.Could there be confusion here between the word cello and the Spanish word for stamp. If your son is planning to take a stamp your problems are over. Buen Camino
"Can you play your cello solo ... so low we can't hear it!"That is a valid point:
"Hey, can you play the song Far Away?
"Emm, not sure.. how does it go?
"No, can you play it far away.. the further the better!"
Only if you misspell "sello."In standard Castillan Spain, cello and cello are pronounced quite differently
Unless you stamp on it . . . My nephew Paul was, age 12, learning cello at school. My brother went to get him up one morning and found the instrument smashed on the floor beside the bed. It was presumed that Paul had risen in the night and trodden on it.In standard Castillan Spain, cello and sello are pronounced quite differently, unlike in American Spanish, so I don't think that confusion is likely.
On the other hand, if you're being pursued by a mob of angry Russians . . .Years ago, coming down Alto del Perdon I slipped, the rucksack on my back cushioned me, no harm done. A fall with a cello in its case, carried rucksack style, wouldn't do well.
D'oh! Corrected.Only if you misspell "sello."
I believe in the film, Dane is shown carrying his cello in a hard case, perhaps to provide some protection against such falls, although I don't know how much protection a hard case provides.Years ago, coming down Alto del Perdon I slipped, the rucksack on my back cushioned me, no harm done. A fall with a cello in its case, carried rucksack style, wouldn't do well.
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?