Back in the days of CB Radio (when it was a rage) roll calls were done on a monthly basis everyone who had access to a radio gave out a holler and got registered in the Big Book the guys doing the Roll Call drove up a mountain and set up a portable radio station just for the event.
Thank fully we don’t need a mountain to do this Roll Call
So Please, don’t be shy you can just say hello, or say how long you’ve been whistling, share the current tune or ornament/exercise challenge you are working on.
My name is John for any old radio operators my call sign Silver Shada (CB circa 1980’s)) GI0-OJL (HAM) and the (10-20) QTH is Tyrone/Ireland I’ve been learning to whistle 6 months (there abouts) and I’m thoroughly enjoying the challenge. The tunes I’m currently working on, in no particular order are
Saddle the pony
Tralee Gaol
Nora Criona
Trip to Kilavill
Ornaments are in some ways still eluding me so I resorted to a little practice on rolls and more practice on the separate parts i.e. the cut and tap/strike as it has been said many times by different on-line resources and teachers that the roll is much more difficult when a student doesn’t have a good grasp of the separate component parts. Catch you all on the flip flop, we be goin’ QRT for now
Or if you got into CB in the 50’s or 60’s, mine was KNH0094.
4 years whistling.
I’m pretty happy with ornaments right now.
Currently learning:
Toss the Feathers (both versions and I hope there aren’t more)
Ril Gan Ainm (Mick Woodruff’s arrangement, but my g*d there seem to be dozens of versions out there)
Sliabh Geal gCua
Improvisation
On the assumption that that isn’t a joke, “gan ainm” simply means that whoever has called it that doesn’t have a name for it. It’s like putting “anon” after a poem that you don’t know the author of.
I’m Gary and I’ve been playing the whistle since May and the Irish Flute since August.
For the whistle I’m currently learning some jigs:
The Blarney Pilgrim
My Darling Asleep
Morrison’s
All in a set for Irish sessions I attend (I primarily play guitar there right now.)
On the flute I’m learning “The Groves” and studying Grey Larsen’s and Hammy Hamilton’s books. I also got both of Lesl Harker’s books of Mike Rafferty tunes. I also play the whistle and flute tunes on both instruments.
Where in Tyrone John? I used to live in Enniskillen in the mid-1970’s and had friends in Omagh that I used to ride the bus up and see every now and then.
Anyway, my name is Lee, my (ham) call sign is N5MUD, and my QTH is currently Parker County, Texas, USA. I’ve played the whistle since 1976 and the uilleann pipes since April 2012. Since I’ve been concentrating on my pipes I’ve hardly touched my whistles in earnest, but the last tune I worked up was Drúcht Na Maidne. I do keep a couple of whistles handy in my office in case I hear a tune that I want to figure out on the pipes - much quicker to pick up a whistle than to strap into the pipes, and then my pipes are a flat set so it’s much easier to learn a tune by ear with the appropriately-pitched whistle.
My days as a ham ended a long time ago, when I no longer had room for a 5-band trap dipole. I built my own CW transmitter, with a power transformer harvested from an old TV, and a 6146 in the final RF stage, which may give you an idea of how long ago it was.
Now I make the occasional whistle, and play when I can. Mostly, I’m polishing my (small) repertoire, trying to get more regularity in my cuts, and master strikes to the point where I can reliably use them in tunes. I’m no better tapping a whistle than I was tapping a CW key. Along with more conventional stuff, tunes I play include:
Leaving Lismore
The High Road to Linton
Over the Hills and Far Away
Brian Boru’s March
When I get my cuts and strikes better, I may try using them on The Silver Spear, or Connaughtman’s Rambles. When I get an alto A whistle made, I’ll likely work on Neil Gow’s Lament for the Death of his Second Wife.
Ex-WB2ZGC, ex-KF6AVB. Licensed in 1966. Current rig is an Icom 746-Pro running 100w barefoot to a tuneable full wave 80 meter loop. Almost all CW and digital modes, sometimes QRP. Also 2m with a 3-el homemade yagi.
The tune I’m currently learning is Maids of the Lough written by my friend Peter Damashek.
I’m Richard, been playing whistle, Irish flute, uilleann pipes, and Highland pipes since the 1970s.
No CB though.
Too busy with a Pipe Band these days to spend much time whistling, but I have a load of tunes I recorded at our local session that I need to get working on.
About ornaments, as I approach the end of my 50s I’m finding that crans don’t ripple out like they used to, so for the first time in 30 years I find myself practicing them.
BTW gan ainm means “without name” and gan anam means “without soul” and it’s easy for us non-Irish speakers to mix up the pronunciation of the two, being fairly close. (There’s an epenthetic schwa between the n and m of ainm giving that word two syllables like anam.)
Working on the Merry Sisters, Cherish the Ladies, O’Farrell’s Welcome To Limerick, John in the Fog, the Jolly Tinker. And trying to maintain about 100 other tunes. Just breaking even takes alot of work.
First time poster emerging from woodwork.
Greetings to all.
I guess I’m mainly a GHB piper, but have been playing whistle on and off for some years now.
I’ve mainly been playing my 2 low D’s ( MK Pro & C. O’Briain) as my right hand hasn’t been working so well lately on the high D’s.
Working on 4 reels:
The 3 Stars
Old Maids of Galway
Otter’s Holt
Man of Aran
I guess I like that B minor sound.
No Ham or CB experience. I can barely work a telephone.
Hello,
my name is Martin, my callsign was OK1XNH. My last radio was Icom IC-T7 (I had just class D), first was converted PR21 (conversion was necessary, because it was originally for army/police purposes and its frequencies). QTH is Prague/Czech Republic. I’m not active ham more than ten years.
It is a year when I first time held whistle. Serious learning started four months ago when I began learning from teacher.
I’m not sure what exactly is “working on” because I know (uhm) just about ten tunes so I play them all, or at least all which I don’t play as I want to play, when I have time to play. Last tune I “learned” is Morrison’s Jig. Actually, it was Inisheer, but it was just an attempt to play on low whistle.
My name is ________, 49 years old, and in LA for 25 years now.
I’ve been trying to play ITM for almost two years.
Tin Whistles mostly. I’ve got a decent UP practice set thats going well,
but time is limited and I can’t practice near enough.
I find that I can’t just pick it up and play the UPs like a whistle for a couple of
minutes here and there.
Family and work come first and second, I guess.
I’m still trying to make the tunes of notes into music, currently
Over the Moors to Maggie. Its slow going for me, never was a quick learner.
No radio. But I hope to have a beginners conical flute soon.
Hi! I’m Stanton. I’ve been playing Irish music on whistle for about three years, been playing other things on whistle for longer than that. I got started on woodwinds in high school, when I picked up a secondhand Boehm flute to play Jethro Tull covers. I also play guitar and a bit of some other things.
I’ve been learning uilleann pipes on my Daye practice set when time permits, and I’m really enjoying the MK Pro low D that I got for Christmas. I also like experimenting with making my own instruments out of plumbing pipe–PVC and CPVC. I’ve made high and low whistles, as well as various types of flutes: transverse, quena, shakuhachi, panflute, fujara. I love tinkering with new design ideas.
The tunes that I’m working on today are The Old Bush, The Jolly Tinker, and Richard Dwyer’s, which I heard and am learning from the very enjoyable Youtube playing of Ben Jaber and Zac Leger, who I believe are members of this forum. As far as instruction, I’m slowly working my way through Grey Larsen’s thorough book on Irish flute and whistle. I’m still trying to smooth out the rhythm of my double cut rolls.
Hello!
I got a whistle about a month ago (a Generation F), and since then I’ve acquired 2 low whistles (MK Kelpie D, Chieftain F) and 4 other whistles (Generation Bb, 2 Feadog Ds and the Generation F)
I’ve also discovered the world of irish traditional music, and recently recorded the Star of the County Down. I hope to learn more
I’m very impressed with that recording, especially as you say you’ve only been playing a month.
I’ve been playing about 3 years, although I’ve had no formal instruction and have never actually played with any other whistlers live.
I play along to my collection of North Sea Gas, The Fureys, Davy Spillane, Michael McGoldrick and Brid O’Donahue a lot, and I’ll often play along with my family members who variously play guitars and mandolins.
Off the top of my head I’d say I own 15 whistles ranging from a Generations high G (which is almost impossible to play) down to a Dixon low D. This is currently my most expensive whistle which as I recall cost me 60 whole pounds! Shocking!
Happy New Year to you all. I’m a regular reader, rare contributor, to the site but really appreciate the wisdom from all and sundry. Ex-oboeist (I mean like 40 years ago) but took up the whistle seriously about 3 yrs ago after I lied to a bloke in the pub open-mic night that I was a regular oboe player. He kept asking me to bring my oboe along so I eventually owned up and bought an old Generation that I’d had (but rarely played) since the 70s along instead (similar fingering but less taxing on my ageing diaphragm). Now play pub gigs and sessions and have never looked back, meeting some wonderful folk on the way. Just goes to show, the odd fib here and there can have benefits! I still whip out the old oboe occasionally as it gives tunes such as “Battle of Brisbane” a somewhat baroque sound.
Curreently working on some jolly Scottish tunes for a Burns Night gig - Atholl Highlanders, Muckin’ o’Geordies Byre, McFarlane o’ the Sprots. Other suggestions gratefully received.
