Sounds of the Camino

[Tommybhoy]

Hi friends, apologies first of all if there's already a thread on this subject. I'm doing my first Camino in September and will probably do most of it with headphones in my ears. I'm looking/hoping for suggestions for inspirational/uplifting/reflective tunes that will get me through my toughest days and to enjoy the places I pass by, so maybe you could give me any ideas? I have a playlist of around 500 songs but would like more. No matter what musical taste/genres, all suggestions would be greatly appreciated, thank you.
Buen Camino

 

[Bradypus]

Greetings from a Clackmannanshire Scot in exile - raised in Sauchie, now living in Wales!

I do not listen to music while I walk. However, if I get very tired and start to flag I often find myself humming or whistling tunes with a solid steady rhythm that help me keep a regular pace. Most often march music but sometimes dance tunes. Worth bearing in mind that you may find yourself walking to the beat of any tune you hear. So choose carefully

 

[James R B]

Hi friends, apologies first of all if there's already a thread on this subject. I'm doing my first Camino in September and will probably do most of it with headphones in my ears. I'm looking/hoping for suggestions for inspirational/uplifting/reflective tunes that will get me through my toughest days and to enjoy the places I pass by, so maybe you could give me any ideas? I have a playlist of around 500 songs but would like more. No matter what musical taste/genres, all suggestions would be greatly appreciated, thank you.
Buen Camino

One of my all time favorites is "even in the quietest moments" by Supertramp.

 

[Tommybhoy]

Many thanks @James R B, just listened to it, amazing song! Been added to my Camino playlist

 

[Tincatinker]

Thomas, you might like to explore these threads
Music on the Camino
What are your Music Playlist favorites?
Pilgrim Playlists

I'm to fond of bird-song and sensitive to the approach of bici-grinos to wear 'phones when I'm walking but The Bonzo Dog Doo-dah Band have taken the strain off the occasional evening

 

[Tommybhoy]

Thanks @Tincantinker, I'll give the threads you quoted a look, and

Thomas, you might like to explore these threads
Music on the Camino
What are your Music Playlist favorites?
Pilgrim Playlists

I'm to fond of bird-song and sensitive to the approach of bici-grinos to wear 'phones when I'm walking but The Bonzo Dog Doo-dah Band have taken the strain off the occasional evening

nks @

 

[Theatregal]

Hi Thomas.

"Camino" by Oliver Schroer. An album of music mostly composed and recorded in churches along the camino. Sounds of the camino are woven in and out of some of the songs - walkers footsteps, birds, church bells, sheep's bells - it's a lovely album.

Buen Camino!

 

[Tommybhoy]

Hi Thomas.

"Camino" by Oliver Schroer. An album of music mostly composed and recorded in churches along the camino. Sounds of the camino are woven in and out of some of the songs - walkers footsteps, birds, church bells, sheep's bells - it's a lovely album.

Buen Camino!

Hi @Theatregal,
Wow, that's awesome! Definitely an inspirational album, one for relaxing and listening to after a long day on the Camino. Downloaded and ready to go. Many thanks

Buen Camino!

 

[movinmaggie]

I took a tiny digital audio recorder for my walk in 2015, for one purpose...to record the natural sounds of the Camino. Now when I slip into one of my 'missing the Camino' moods, I turn it and sit back and listen....birdsongs, gentle cow bells, wind, the odd "Buen Camino" in the background, a lone woman singing in one of the small churches, children, running streams, my own footsteps and.....the quiet.

 

[Tommybhoy]

Greetings from a Clackmannanshire Scot in exile - raised in Sauchie, now living in Wales!

I do not listen to music while I walk. However, if I get very tired and start to flag I often find myself humming or whistling tunes with a solid steady rhythm that help me keep a regular pace. Most often march music but sometimes dance tunes. Worth bearing in mind that you may find yourself walking to the beat of any tune you hear. So choose carefully

Greetings from a Clackmannanshire Scot in exile - raised in Sauchie, now living in Wales!

I do not listen to music while I walk. However, if I get very tired and start to flag I often find myself humming or whistling tunes with a solid steady rhythm that help me keep a regular pace. Most often march music but sometimes dance tunes. Worth bearing in mind that you may find yourself walking to the beat of any tune you hear. So choose carefully

Hi @Bradypus from a very sunny Tullibody! Thanks for the great advice. I'm sure there will be times when I'll be walking without any music, so I will try to keep up a good pace. I've chosen a lot of diverse tunes so far, and I'll keep the marching tunes for the many steep hills I encounter!

 

[Devon Mike]

Hi @Thomas Woods If you need music to accompany your Camino then enjoy it, but please consider removing your headphones when walking on roads so that you are fully aware of the traffic. Every year there are reports of Peregrinos being injured and killed on the roads. Don't become a statistic.

Regarding music choices, why not check out the traditional Galician music. My favourite band is Luar na Lubre, you can find lots of their stuff on youtube.

 

[jmcarp]

Admittedly I'm a geezer, and I know it's probably a generational thing, but the sounds I enjoyed most were the sounds of nature and the world around me...birds singing, sheep bleating, cow bells, dogs barking, children laughing and playing in parks and schoolyards, the putt-putt of tractors, the slow swoosh-swoosh of the giant wind generators, the radio in a farmhouse window or the TV in a bar as I passed by, the swish-swish of irrigation sprinklers in a field, the low roar of a jet airplane passing high overhead, the rumble of distant thunder, the crunch of my boots on a gravel pathway, the voices of other pilgrims chatting in a multitude of languages as they passed; and even the clamor of traffic as I walked through the cities, making me appreciate the sounds of nature once I again entered the countryside. Yes, I also enjoy music, but there's a time and place for everything.

 

[Tommybhoy]

I took a tiny digital audio recorder for my walk in 2015, for one purpose...to record the natural sounds of the Camino. Now when I slip into one of my 'missing the Camino' moods, I turn it and sit back and listen....birdsongs, gentle cow bells, wind, the odd "Buen Camino" in the background, a lone woman singing in one of the small churches, children, running streams, my own footsteps and.....the quiet.

Thanks @movinmaggie, I'll be writing a blog every day and adding videos etc. but it's a great idea to

Hi @Thomas Woods If you need music to accompany your Camino then enjoy it, but please consider removing your headphones when walking on roads so that you are fully aware of the traffic. Every year there are reports of Peregrinos being injured and killed on the roads. Don't become a statistic.

Regarding music choices, why not check out the traditional Galician music. My favourite band is Luar na Lubre, you can find lots of their stuff on youtube.

Hi @movinmaggie and @Devon Mike , as its my first Camino I dare say I'll hardly have my headphones on during the day as I want to experience all the sights and sounds the Camino has to offer; church bells, chatting with fellow pilgrims etc. The music will mainly be for when I'm alone, or when I'm having some chill time at the end of the day. Also, it's great advice to be vigilant while walking, as I've noticed on Camino YouTube videos how close the cars and bikes are to the pilgrims.

 

[movinmaggie]

Thomas I will be heading for your homeland (my ancestoral home) in August.

 

[xymmot]

I was never plugged in when walking the Camino, but towards the end I started hearing Guns and Roses , paradise city in my head

 

[ELHS220]

Check out the German group "Gregorian." They have some great recordings. Some of their stuff is actually recorded in Santiago.

 

[ELHS220]

Here's another version.

 

[Anniesantiago]

Like others have mentioned, I prefer to listen to the wind and the birds and the RING! of the bicigrinos so I don't get run over!

 

[Padrepapp]

Don't just think in music, you could listen to audiobooks too! Im planning to read the Bible at night (If you walk for 30 days you can finish it reading only 1.5 hours a day), and listen to the Quran on the walk. Any other audiobook of your taste would be great, just look around at Audible!

 

[Alison Chandler]

Hi friends, apologies first of all if there's already a thread on this subject. I'm doing my first Camino in September and will probably do most of it with headphones in my ears. I'm looking/hoping for suggestions for inspirational/uplifting/reflective tunes that will get me through my toughest days and to enjoy the places I pass by, so maybe you could give me any ideas? I have a playlist of around 500 songs but would like more. No matter what musical taste/genres, all suggestions would be greatly appreciated, thank you.
Buen Camino

Presume you are doing the whole thing? In Galicia I recommend Luar na Lubre. Wonderful local Celtic music. In 1977 I went to the first concert of Gallego culture since the Civil War. At Ortigueira where there is now an annual Festival. Arriving in Santiago in October I found a music shop and went in to ask if they had anything of the same music. The shopowner/musician told me he too was at that concert. He introduced me to Luar na Lubre and I have been listening to my CD ever since. When I do I hear the wind over Portomarin and in the giant oaks and the waves at Fisterre and the shining paving stones of Santiago.

 

[Devon Mike]

Presume you are doing the whole thing? In Galicia I recommend Luar na Lubre. Wonderful local Celtic music. In 1977 I went to the first concert of Gallego culture since the Civil War. At Ortigueira where there is now an annual Festival. Arriving in Santiago in October I found a music shop and went in to ask if they had anything of the same music. The shopowner/musician told me he too was at that concert. He introduced me to Luar na Lubre and I have been listening to my CD ever since. When I do I hear the wind over Portomarin and in the giant oaks and the waves at Fisterre and the shining paving stones of Santiago.

Good to hear from another Luar na Lubre fan. I have many of their CD's and also several by Carlos Nunez, Galicia's top gaita/flute player. I also discovered Luar na Lubre on my first Camino, but I first came across Carlos Nunez playing at Celtic Connections back in the 90's when I lived in Renfrew.

 

[Tommybhoy]

Thomas I will be heading for your homeland (my ancestoral home) in August.

Hi Maggie, you'll love Scotland when you get here, the rural areas are very similar to parts of Canada. I was in Newfoundland for a year, never wanted to come home! I live near Stirling Castle, try and check out this area, think you'd like it.

Buen Camino

 

[Tommybhoy]

Presume you are doing the whole thing? In Galicia I recommend Luar na Lubre. Wonderful local Celtic music. In 1977 I went to the first concert of Gallego culture since the Civil War. At Ortigueira where there is now an annual Festival. Arriving in Santiago in October I found a music shop and went in to ask if they had anything of the same music. The shopowner/musician told me he too was at that concert. He introduced me to Luar na Lubre and I have been listening to my CD ever since. When I do I hear the wind over Portomarin and in the giant oaks and the waves at Fisterre and the shining paving stones of Santiago.

Hi @Alison Chandler, yes I'll be doing the whole thing, from SJPDP to Santiago, to Muxia if I have time, hopefully in 30-32 days (work constraints). Devon Mike also recommended Luar na Lubre to me yesterday, I gave them a listen on YouTube and loved it. Two albums now downloaded and ready to go. I hope to catch a few festivals while I'm there, and make it a part of the Camino experience. Many thanks for your message.

Buen Camino

 

[Tommybhoy]

Excellent recommendation @Padreapp, I have a few audiobooks but never thought about listening to them on the Camino. Many Thanks


Burn Camino

 

[Tommybhoy]

Like others have mentioned, I prefer to listen to the wind and the birds and the RING! of the bicigrinos so I don't get run over!

Lol you're so right @Anniesantiago, I hope that by the time the Camino comes, listening out for bicycle rings will be second nature to me!

Buen Camino

 

[Tommybhoy]

Here's another version.

Amazing versions @ELHS220, both very relaxing and inspiring. Downloaded the 'best of' album and added to my Camino playlist. Many Thanks!

Burn Camino

 

[DanielH]

Hi friends, apologies first of all if there's already a thread on this subject. I'm doing my first Camino in September and will probably do most of it with headphones in my ears. I'm looking/hoping for suggestions for inspirational/uplifting/reflective tunes that will get me through my toughest days and to enjoy the places I pass by, so maybe you could give me any ideas? I have a playlist of around 500 songs but would like more. No matter what musical taste/genres, all suggestions would be greatly appreciated, thank you.
Buen Camino

If you plan to use headphones, just a word of caution that there are cyclists on the Camino as well that you may not hear coming up behind you.... buen camino

 

[Alison Chandler]

Hi Thomas.

"Camino" by Oliver Schroer. An album of music mostly composed and recorded in churches along the camino. Sounds of the camino are woven in and out of some of the songs - walkers footsteps, birds, church bells, sheep's bells - it's a lovely album.

Buen Camino!

I do like the music and appreciate the feeling but I have to say I disapprove of the attitude because I don't think a Spanish church is a place for a foreigner to go in and just decide to use it as a place for themselves to make music - I worry about pilgrimage that doesn't connect with the people whose land and religion and special places we pass through. Willing to think about this but I know from my own little European village that it can be that others don't look as if they really understand that this is our culture not a visitor attraction. Having heard that you need permission from the bishop to do this you should either get the permission or not to do the thing.

 

[Alison Chandler]

I took a tiny digital audio recorder for my walk in 2015, for one purpose...to record the natural sounds of the Camino. Now when I slip into one of my 'missing the Camino' moods, I turn it and sit back and listen....birdsongs, gentle cow bells, wind, the odd "Buen Camino" in the background, a lone woman singing in one of the small churches, children, running streams, my own footsteps and.....the quiet.

Love this idea and will try to do the same.

 

[Devon Mike]

One last thought. Back in 2014 when I stopped at the lovely little Church in Zabaldika, shortly before Pamplona, a local lady told me about the history of the Church. I was allowed to climb the spiral staircase in the medieval bell tower and ring one of the bells which is believed to be the oldest bell in Navarra, more than 800 years old. Such a beautiful sound which had been drifting down the valley for centuries, the music of that bell stayed in my mind and my heart for days. Even now, two years on, I can still hear it.

 

[movinmaggie]

What a lovely story Mike. How kind of the local lady to offer the opportunity…..and now you have a delightful life-long memory.

 

[movinmaggie]

If you plan to use headphones, just a word of caution that there are cyclists on the Camino as well that you may not hear coming up behind you.... buen camino

And....there are some cyclists you won't hear even if you're not wearing anything in your ears. I had three incidents: no bell, no "Behind you!".

 

[Tommybhoy]

And....there are some cyclists you won't hear even if you're not wearing anything in your ears. I had three incidents: no bell, no "Behind you!".

That's a few posts now were I've been warned to the dangers of wearing headphones whilst doing the Camino, seriously thinking now about leaving the music until the completion of my days walking. Food for thought.

 

[Ray J]

Unplug. Look, feel, hear the Camino. Take the opportunity to remove yourself from external distractions. Become aware of the world around you and take this wonderful opportunity to get to know yourself. You'll be surprised at how much there is to see, hear, and think about when you give yourself the chance.

 

[Ray J]

Admittedly I'm a geezer, and I know it's probably a generational thing, but the sounds I enjoyed most were the sounds of nature and the world around me...birds singing, sheep bleating, cow bells, dogs barking, children laughing and playing in parks and schoolyards, the putt-putt of tractors, the slow swoosh-swoosh of the giant wind generators, the radio in a farmhouse window or the TV in a bar as I passed by, the swish-swish of irrigation sprinklers in a field, the low roar of a jet airplane passing high overhead, the rumble of distant thunder, the crunch of my boots on a gravel pathway, the voices of other pilgrims chatting in a multitude of languages as they passed; and even the clamor of traffic as I walked through the cities, making me appreciate the sounds of nature once I again entered the countryside. Yes, I also enjoy music, but there's a time and place for everything.

Awesome post! Took me right back to where I was almost this exact time last year.

 

[Jennifer from Colorado]

Hi friends, apologies first of all if there's already a thread on this subject. I'm doing my first Camino in September and will probably do most of it with headphones in my ears. I'm looking/hoping for suggestions for inspirational/uplifting/reflective tunes that will get me through my toughest days and to enjoy the places I pass by, so maybe you could give me any ideas? I have a playlist of around 500 songs but would like more. No matter what musical taste/genres, all suggestions would be greatly appreciated, thank you.
Buen Camino

Thomas, download John Bunyan's "Pilgrim's Progress" (the version read by Nadia May is brilliant) for excellent pilgrimage motivation and spiritual guidance on your Camino...

 

[Tommybhoy]

Thomas, download John Bunyan's "Pilgrim's Progress" (the version read by Nadia May is brilliant) for excellent pilgrimage motivation and spiritual guidance on your Camino...

Hi @Jennifer from Colorado, just downloaded the version you quoted, sounds amazing. I'll listen to it before and during the Camino to give me that motivation I'll certainly need. Many Thanks

Buen Camino

 

[Jeff Crawley]

If you're looking for inspiration may I suggest you take out the earphones, switch off the mp3 player talk to people and and listen to what they say to you?

 

[Tommybhoy]

If you're looking for inspiration may I suggest you take out the earphones, switch off the mp3 player talk to people and and listen to what they say to you?

Thanks for the suggestion..............

 

[Scarlet Fez]

Some excellent tips on here both about suitable music to listen to as well as common sense really about taking in the conversation of the Camino etc. I'm sure I like many others will find themselves alone at times by design or not. I personally now and then like to listen to music to either encourage me, if I'm flagging give me a rhymthm and yes sometimes just for company. I have watched some folks Camino experiences on YouTube with some beautiful soothing classical music in the background. I am no musical academic and its fair to say I would struggle to tell the difference between Bach and Mozart but I like what i like. Anyone suggest any classical numbers which will enhance the experience of a section of the days walk where I might need my inner head soothed to help me through a bad patch etc?

 

[MTtoCamino]

Try just talking to yourself like I do...