Playing On a Train

[good_uke_boy]

Had some fun playing and singing on an overnight train ride. Met some nice people. Must have had a dozen people singing along.

 

[TBB]

Awesome! And that’s a very civilised looking train

 

[ukudancer]

As someone who commutes by train, I think this isn't cool. Please don't make other passengers your captive audience and just let them get to their destinations in peace.

If you were doing this at the station where people have the choice to either stay and listen or just walk by, fine. But not in the passenger car...

 

[rainbow21]

As someone who commutes by train, I think this isn't cool. Please don't make other passengers your captive audience and just let them get to their destinations in peace.

If you were doing this at the station where people have the choice to either stay and listen or just walk by, fine. But not in the passenger car...

An overnight train ride must differ greatly from a daily commute ride.

I am interested in more details. Looks like the dining car (?) and that the employee and others must have been supportive and appreciative of your playing and singing. Is this something you have done before (or will do again?).

 

[raoliveri]

I think its very cool...I am sure if you believed you were making people uncomfortable you would stop... Sound as though everyone was having a good time!! Kudos to you, I would have done the same thing!

 

[Mike $]

I took my guitar into town when my ship pulled in to Dubai. From the docks they bussed us back and forth, the bus was packed and on the way into town and back to the ship, the guys all asked me to play. We had a great time. The whole bus was singing along. It was pretty cool. My captives all seemed to enjoy it. People I passed on the ship after that would always smile and say hi, some asked for lessons and plenty made requests for next time. I wouldn't worry too much about people like ukudancer. They can find another car very easily.

 

[One Man And His Uke]

It clearly depends on the circumstances whether it’s ok or not. If I was taking a train journey and someone starting playing music without checking does it or does it not bother your fellow travellers that would not be ok. But if it’s fine by all concerned, why not?

 

[One Man And His Uke]

I would respect very much the views of someone like ukudancer. If he has paid for a seat why should he move? Does his ticket stipulate he may have to listen to someone playing music? I’ve never come across a ticket like that I must say.

 

[Wiggy]

It certainly would be more pleasant than having to hear squawking/screeching video games, you-tubes, and conversations on cell phone speakers. Ditto the ubiquitous "screens" in public areas. I always carry foam earplugs wherever I go. I do remove them when I sense there is something worthwhile hearing, such as @good-uke-boy.

 

[raoliveri]

It certainly would be more pleasant than having to hear squawking/screeching video games, you-tubes, and conversations on cell phone speakers. Ditto the ubiquitous "screens" in public areas. I always carry foam earplugs wherever I go. I do remove them when I sense there is something worthwhile hearing, such as @good-uke-boy.

Or screaming babies....of course if I was playing theyd rather hear screaming babies

 

[jtsteam]

Given that this was an overnight train, if they're anything like the Sleeper trains in the UK the atmosphere in the lounge car would be more like being in a bar than being on a commuter train. So whether it's cool or not depends on the circumstances. I'm choosing to assume that the circumstances mean that it was cool. The train staff seem happy .

 

[good_uke_boy]

Oops - let me clarify.

This was an overnight train with sleeper cars, plus a separate dining car, plus a separate lounge car with a bar. Not a commuter train or anything. Passengers had assigned seats only in the sleeper cars, rotated in-and-out of the dining car as scheduled for food, and stopped by the lounge car whenever they wanted to, um, lounge.

We played in the lounge car. When we started, the car was basically empty except for the bartender. He encouraged us to play. We asked him to tell us if ever we should stop. (He's the nice fellow standing in the pic.)

After playing just for him for around 20 minutes, we went to dinner. As we were leaving the dining car, some passengers asked "what's in that instrument case?" I answered "an ukulele." They asked us to perform for them and followed us into the lounge car. With the bartender's permission, we started up again, and the passengers sang along. Then some other passengers wandered in, made requests, and joined in, too. Then one of the train's conductors (?) with a great voice sang a Adele song.

Hope this clarifies things!

 

[Canada Jim]

I have played on a ferry from Port Aux Basques NL to North Sydney NS. I had my ukulele and mouth harps and I met a young couple with a guitar and we jammed in a quiet corner. It made the seven hour night trip seem to go a lot faster.
It surprised me that these two, who were about 1/3 my age, had many songs in their repertoire that I had in mine: St. James Infirmary, Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out, Lulu's Back In Town. . .

 

[VintageGibson]

Local medical centres have started an initiative to encourage the elderly to get out and about and socialize called Train and Chat.
It involves a rail trip to a town about 45 mins away, a couple of hours in the town then back home by train again.
They asked our Uke group, D'Ukes of Gransha, based at Foyle U3A to provide entertainment on the train.
Since October 2023 there have been 3 trips with about 120 on the latest on 8th Feb, and another planned for end of April.
The first trip was featured on the regional BBC news, and the Feb trip is have national coverage in a BBC Sunday Morning programme in May.
Great fun is had by all and Shonna, the lady who runs the events is, inundated with phone calls asking "when's the next trip".
For me, the best bit is seeing ladies of a certain age dancing up and down the compartment to the music of our Ukes.

Vintage

 

[Ottertail]

Great uplifting story @good_uke_boy !

Travel isn’t always so nice. You get dealt some raw cards sometimes. I once was on a flight with my family of 6. I had my infant son, my wife had our infant daughter (yes twins) in another row, and our older daughters (yes twins) were seated in a third row. My son was very distraught during takeoff, screaming in discomfort. The guy next to me kept huffing and flapping his arms down and generally making a spectacle of his displeasure; as if we were doing this on purpose, to him. Finally a thoughtful flight attendant found another seat for him away from us, and we were able to enjoy the rest of the flight.

Perspective is important, and so is grace.

 

[ploverwing]

I think it sounds like good_uke_boy was being very respectful and cautious about his choice of where to play and when. I respect the opinions of those who would rather not listen to someone play in an enclosed public space where you cannot get away from it. I do so despise having to tolerate people loudly talking on their phones our listening to loud music when I'm in a commuter situation. I'm not sure how much I'd love listening to someone strumming loudly and accompanying themselves in a crowded commuter compartment. I was on a ferry a few months back where someone travelling obviously a long way (lots of gear, definitely not a casual commute) brought out his guitar and was playing classical guitar music, beautifully. It was a crowded ferry, and he was playing quite quietly and really mostly to himself, we just happened to be in the same audible space; he competed with the ambient noise only to those within about 20' radius if that. I think he likely would have put his guitar away if someone had asked him to, but everyone seemed to be enjoying it (or at least not hating it).

@VintageGibson that sounds like a marvellous program in your region. That must be a lot of fun to participate in.

@Ottertail even before I became a mom, my heart would go out to parents and children travelling. It's not easy, and oh my goodness, if you could have blissfully contented children when you were travelling, you would do everything in your power to make it happen. And planes! Oi, the pressure change! I know what's happening and I'm sometimes miserable, I cannot imagine how shocking and horrible it is for an infant that has no understanding and no control of the situation. I don't love a wailing child, it's exhausting to listen to, but I can sure empathize, and if it were socially acceptable, I'd probably be wailing too, more often than not, when I'm travelling!

 

[Kenn2018]

Looks like a fun trip.

 

[good_uke_boy]

@ukudancer hope the clarification I gave above explains things? To paraphrase @raoliveri, we certainly took care to read the "crowd" and would have stopped at the first sign of any discomfort. And sincere thanks for sharing your reaction, which was the reason we chose to tread lightly. Cheers, all.

 

[RafterGirl]

I'd rather have Ukes On A Train than Snakes On A Plane (movie reference....Samuel L Jackson at his finest).

 

[raoliveri]

I'd rather have Ukes On A Train than Snakes On A Plane (movie reference....Samuel L Jackson at his finest).

I watched that... what a stupid movie that was lol