A Brand New Whistle Player

Whistle
1

It’s true, I’m brand new. It started with a life-long obsession with Irish music, and a brief stint in an Irish trad band as their guitarist. Well, lo and behold, an Irish lady in the neighborhood gives me a Generation Eb, and I start blowing on the thing. Two days later, I order the Deluxe Whistle Starter Set from The Whistle Shop with my fiancée’s permission–I also accidentally ordered a Walton Little Black D. I played whilst doing my taxes, while conversing with my bride-to-be, etc.

Is this a bad thing for someone with an addictive personality?



~Séamas

2

No.
Just order more whistles. You’ll feel better right away.

3

:laughing:

4

Morse Code was it? :laughing: .
Welcome on Board.

Trisha

5

And Gen Eb is a great whistle…I have 4…or is it five (one in the car, one here, one there)…well the fifth is chewed (my two year old’s). And I don’t tend to like high whistles for solo playing one bit, EXCEPT this one.

But with the band it’s high Ds and Cs etc.

Trisha

6

Welcome to the board…don’t worry…the WHOA doesn’t only stop at owning whistles…but lends itself to other pursuits in whistledom…like

  1. more songs, books, mp3’s on whistle music
  2. more whistle types…like discovering the low whistles..brass whistles, wooden whistles, pvc whistles, whistles in every key…color, etc. etc. etc.
  3. sound equipment in which to record yourself, mics in which to record yourself
  4. Endless searches for someone to play with…if you are lucky to live in an area with many Irish musicians this will not be hard. I live in no man’s land…it is just me…and whatever I find on the net. Only have seen one Irish band since living here.
  5. liking your own company–with whistles of course. Your fiance must be very supportive, as mine was…but there comes a time when they want to watch tv, listen to the radio, eat, drink, think, sleep, without listening to your playing…thus THE BANISHMENT BEGINS…and you don’t care…cuz you are playing your whistles…
  6. Every song you hear on the radio becomes “I wonder how I could play that on the whistle???” fodor…
  7. Checking what’s going on on Chiff & Fipple before anything else on the net.

Welcome to our madness…

Nancy

PS Please dont be scared…once you are hooked…you will live in a happy existance…I mean…we COULD be hooked on other things…like drugs or fancy sports cars or something!!!

7

Does your bride-to-be like whistles? My wife and I are both a little fanatic about them. Which makes things much easier. Of course we often by two or more of our favorite whistles so we don’t fight over them :wink: . One of our favorite things is summer evenings on the back porch swing playing duets while the kids run around.

8

You forgot some stuff. Little bitty files. Dremel tools. Exacto knives. Bits of plastic.

9

Make the most of it. There is no escape! Welcome :wink:

10

Thanks for the welcome!

Not only is my fiancée supportive, she ENCOURAGED it! she was a band geek (one of the many things I love about her) and played recorder when she was young before taking up the clarinet.

~Séamas

11

Welcome aboard, Seamus! It’s an addiction, but a happy addiction.

Unrelated question…how did you get the fada over the “e” in your name? I’ve been going crazy trying to figure out how to get fadas out of my very American keyboard.

Redwolf

12

If you’re using windows, go to start>programs>accessiories>system tools> character map. all sorts of neat little things not included on keyboards (at least not american ones…)