Sure, the indie rocker lifestyle is great. But you have to get practical at some point.
For a musician, no matter what kind of music you play or even what instrument you play, your instruments are your tools of the trade—like a basketball player with a ball, a doctor with a stethoscope and a carpenter with a hammer. While on tour you and your instruments will go through many experiences and without a huge budget you may not experience the best traveling conditions. If you want to keep your instruments safe you need to take the precautions necessary to protect them like you would protect your home with an adt security system.
Get cases just in case
Soft cases are a good option for musicians who are traveling to gigs in a car or on tour in a bus. They are normally made of nylon and they can keep your instrument from getting scraped and damaged en route to a show. There should be good padding on the inside to keep your instrument safe.
Hard cases are solid options also. There are many different types but a solid plastic one with good cushioning will usually do the trick. Sometimes they can begin to crack and breakdown with use but if you are not doing too much traveling and putting it on planes and things like that you should be good with it.
For the musicians who are hitting the tour circuit hard and making some decent cash from shows you may look to step it up a bit. Your instrument is helping you make bank so you should protect it the best you can. Mark Leaf cases are known to be top-notch quality and there are others that are built to protect your instrument on flights when you check your luggage. The stainless steel and aluminum casing is designed to take a beating while keeping the contents—your tools—safe.
Keeping sheet music safe is important too. You don’t what your next smash hit to get covered in ketchup from your burger or drenched in coke. Technology is your friend and there are apps available to write sheet music on your phone. I would be sure to have a written copy as well in a composition notebook or someplace safe. I have lost a phone or two at shows and on the road.
For the beginning musician with no money you can build your own traveling case but I would recommend buying one as soon as possible.
