I had a good day of whistling today (Sunday). I performed Christmas songs at a party. A friend brought a modest PA system and it worked well. I played a Hoover whitecap on a Walton brass body–a relatively quiet whistle with pure tones, and a nice easy upper register. I brought an armload of whistles, but only played the one. People were milling about and coming in as I played. Many had heard me play before. There were 50 to 60 people in attendance. As I played, another friend informally sang along from his seat on the familiar songs:
We Wish You a Merry Christmas
Angels We Have Heard on High
Hark the Herald Angels Sing
Silent Night
O Come All Ye Faithful
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
O Holy Night
I didn’t record it, because of the background noise, though now I kinda wish I had. There was sparse and intermittent applause and a small handful of positive comments. However, I know I played the set much better than I have in the past, and inner approval is worth a lot. I find it much easier to perform when it is quiet, and it was anything but quiet. At times I could sense the conversation lulling, with a few people straining their ears. I never really “held” the room, but with people arriving and milling about, that would have been exceptional.
I practiced in little snippets with total practice time around 20 hours spread over six weeks. I brought ABC format sheet music and that helped a great deal. I used an old lamp pole with no lamps as a recycled music stand.
- Bill