Today I was in a thrift store, browsing around like I always do, although I never have much money to spend there.
I found an old Indian bamboo “flute” whistle, and decided to pick it up and try it out.
Keep in mind that I own no whistles and haven’t played whistle in months, maybe a year.
I slowly played Oranges and Apples, and realized this whistle was remarkably in tune. Then I went through two rounds of the Ten Penny Bit, rather quickly and with no ornamentation. After I was done playing, I realized beside me, just out of my view, were two young boys, probably 8 and 10 years old. They were watching me the whole time.
After I had finished the last tune, the older one looked up at his dad and said, “DADDY! OH MY GOD! DID YOU HEAR HIM? HE’S SO GOOD!” Overcome with humility and joy, I smiled and nodded my head to the boys and said a quiet, “Thank you” and their dad whisked them off to someplace else.
The look on the little boys’ faces is still with me, hours after it happened. The incident somehow struck a cord in my heart, and I feet God reaching down and touching me right at that moment. It was surreal.
And it’s made all the more special because my playing, honestly, actually totally sucks in just about every way.
But I feel like that was a sign for me to start playing seriously again. In those little boys who I didn’t know were watching me, I saw something tremendously special.
Right. Here’s another story along the same lines. I am a beginner, and self-taught. And was even more so about a year ago when I found myself practicing on the porch with an audience of one: my 7 year old niece.
After listening for a bit she looked at me with a big smile and said: “Wow. You sound just like a CD.”
so, did you buy the flute and if you did, what did you pay for it?
our folk group stands in front of the church and when it’s communion time, parents will bring their children with them. children will stare at us musicians. i hope some of them grow up to join us.
I’ve said this before, but not here, so here goes:
You never know who you touch or influence, but if you reflect on those that have touched you and never knew it, it should give you the perspective to know that you have the ability to change someone’s life.
I’m happy you got a little whiff of the ether reserved for God himself.
That’s truely inspiring, Cran. Glad you are going to start playing more again.
I once was practicing at a friend’s house out in the country, when the neighbor suddenly drove up and got out rather quickly… I was thinking, “uh-oh…” but she came especially to thank me for playing long enough for her to get her gardening done, and that she’d never enjoyed gardening quite as much as that evening, with the ‘concert’ providing her background music, and would I please come back again… .
I sometimes find an out-of-the-way spot to play outside the airport when waiting for a plane, and that ‘something tremendously special’ is even more tremendously special when what you are attracting is not 8-year-old children, but hot 30-something lady flight attendants and female airport cops, who sometimes smile in an appreciative manner such as no other women have ever smiled at me.
If I only knew what to do with them once I’ve enticed them in.
that was a good story. i am a preschool teacher and love to play whistle for them at school. i played a little session in front of the whole school st.p’s day, and they absolutely loved it. im not that good, but they always beg me to bring the whistle and they are learning so much about it and irish music/history. i know the feeling that you are talking about. thank you for sharing it.
Good story Cran..
Playing for others is the best thing there is, especially in little surprise ways like in your story. Most people almost never hear live, spontaneous music and it ALWAYS makes them happy.
I’d encourage everyone here to try playing in public, even if you think you’re not very good. Try a public park, etc. You’ll be amazed and gratified. Be sure to steer them to Chiff and Fipple…
Excellent story, Cran I’ve actually been wondering how long it would be until you picked something up again to play. I’m glad that two small boys were able to remind you how much joy it really does bring.
I never play in public (just the thought gives me the heebies ), but I have a pretty large audience here at Casa Izz One time, I was listening to some tune, and trying to play along with it (snort…really, you don’t want to know how terrible it was). At one point, I just let the tune play without stopping it, and without me playing. All of a sudden, I hear Mr Izz from the living room: “Wow! All that practicing has really paid off, hasn’t it?” Big dork But my 8 year old tells me that I am the absolute best whistle player in the world. Of course, his worldly experience isn’t all that vast, but his compliment was priceless despite that fact
We had a young girl, maybe 7, take a stong interest in our playing at the session the other week. She was with several couples dining at a table around the side of the small stage. When we came back from a break she said in a loud voice “Here they come!” hopping back to the table.
While we played she stood awestruck against the closest table. The fiddle player offered her a stool among us but being shy she recoiled at the thought. When we finished the tune I pulled a whistle I had just made out of my roll and placed it on the table in front of her - “Here, this one is yours. Really! Take it, and play it. Then come join us.”
She looked like I had given her a treasure, not a bit of plastic pipe.
You no doubt made a memory that will last an entire lifetime. And it may result in much good music being transmitted through yet another generation! I bet that felt good!
These are all very wonderful stories. I wish I had some stories that would turn out like that.
At least my wife, in consideration of my feelings, no longer asks me to stop - when she can’t take it anymore, she just gets me busy doing something else - usually within 3-5 minutes!
for lent, one of the things i tried to do was carry a whistle or a harmonica with me all the time, as much as possible, when i remembered, and to play in public when i got the chance. playing in public is different than playing in church, in church they gotta like you, in public they don’t. i take my neighbor grocery shopping every saturday, sometimes i finish first but most of the time, he’s waiting for me. last week, i had a wait for him this last week, so i pulled out a harmonica and played at the old people’s bench inside the store. a few folks were looking and finally figured it was me.
it amazes me that what we consider practicing, goofing, or developing our skills is what non-musicians call a concert.
Every weekend I usually end up in my friend’s basement watching movies and stuff. I’ve been bringing my whistle there to practice if nothing else is happening. While my friend was upstairs I was playing some of the slower stuff that I know and then started practicing some reels that I learned recently. I didn’t realize his mom and sister were doing laundry in the other room so when I finished they were both just standing there listening. “That’s beautiful,” they said. And I was a little embarassed because I know I butchered all the tunes horribly.
His mom said me playing reminded her of her grandfather who used to play the whistle. She still has his old whistle but I didn’t get a chance to see it. She said that it was good to hear the sound of a house being filled with nice musical sounds instead of the raspy wails and crunch of her son’s electric guitar. Which ironically I also play.
“uh-oh…” but she came especially to thank me for playing long enough for her to get her gardening done, and that she’d never enjoyed gardening quite as much as that evening, with the ‘concert’ providing her background music, and would I please come back again… . 
), but I have a pretty large audience here at Casa Izz 
But my 8 year old tells me that I am the absolute best whistle player in the world. Of course, his worldly experience isn’t all that vast, but his compliment was priceless despite that fact 