Great Games For A Touring Guitarist On The Road
admin | Feb 19, 2022 | Comments 0
For a lot of guitarists, the ultimate goal is to hit the road on a tour, either solo or with a band. To do so requires a lot of preparation and gear, from choosing a travel guitar, to getting cases for amplifiers, right down to packing your personal suitcase. But you’ll also want to look beyond the music a little bit, and prepare for life on the road. As exciting as it can be to get out and tour, there are also a lot of dead hours when you’ll need to fill time –– and a lot of musicians find that it’s good to have games on hand.
Those games can of course be anything you like, and in some cases don’t require much if any advance planning. But below are a few suggestions for easy ones to pack and play as you tour.
1. Poker
Poker is one of the best games to play while out on the road, particularly if you’re looking to play games with new people you meet, hang out with after shows, and so on. Many people already know how to play common varieties, and even if that’s not the case, beginning poker players can easily get up to speed and enjoy themselves in a short time. Fundamental rules are simple enough, even if complex strategies take a bit more time.
It’s also worth noting that with so many variations of poker, a deck of cards and a small chip case really gives you access to several games. Popular types of poker include 5-Card Draw, Texas Hold’em, and Omaha Poker, to name just a few, and each one an help you fill your free time on the road –– and maybe make some new friends while you’re at it.
2. Hearts
Next on our list is Hearts because it is an easy game to learn and can be played anywhere, with just a deck of cards (and perhaps a notepad for keeping score). Aside from that, it is also great for making friends and bonding with bandmates, since the game is played with three to six people.
The goal of Hearts is simple: Have the lowest score when the game ends (when someone reaches 100). It may sound easy, but this game does require a good strategy, because everyone is trying at once to rid themselves of high cards and hearts (which accrue points –– which in this game you don’t want!). It’s a lot of fun once a game gets going though.
3. Cards Against Humanity
In this popular, irreverent game, the “Card Czar” picks a card and reads either a question or a fill-in-the-blank phrase out loud. Then, everyone must answer the question or fill in the blanks with a card of their own. The Czar then basically picks a winner, and cedes their power to the next person in the circle for a fresh round. It may sound simple, but the reason why this game is “against humanity” is because of the shocking topics and outrageous use of language. There’s a massive range of topics, but suffice it to say prompts and answers alike tend to be wildly inappropriate.
If there are a lot of people in the group, no problem! There can be an unlimited number players (or even teams) involved, and each person can learn a lot from every other person by how they choose to fill in the blanks with funny or shameful answers. On the road, the game will lead to lots of laughs and bonding opportunities.
4. Monopoly Deal
You know Monopoly; it’s one of the best-selling board games of all time, and a staple in living rooms in much of the world. Monopoly Deal is not quite as well known, but as you might surmise from the name, it’s basically the card game version of Monopoly.
The goal of Monopoly Deal is to be the first player to collect and lay down three full property sets –– or monopolies –– of different colors. This can only be accomplished by collecting properties and pushing other players into bankruptcy. Players can have money in their bank account, and use action cards to charge rent and get properties. It actually ends up feeling a lot like the board game, only a little more fast-paced. And as with all the games listed here, it’s a great way to pass the time with good friends and new ones alike.
Getting on the road as a musician is a blast, but it does involve a lot of downtime. With these games though, you can pass the time, bond with your bandmates, and even make new friends –– all without having to pack much more than a deck of cards or two.
Here are some travel guitars for your viewing pleasure!
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