I was wondering, do any of you know where I can either A. find advanced or difficult whistle tunes, and/or B. know of any particular advanced/difficult whistle tunes?
I find I am getting bored with what I’ve been playing… I’ve been playing them for a long time and I feel like I need a challenge.
Thank you.
I just bought Mel Bay’s “Irish Tin Whistle Book,” which has some pretty advanced stuff (mostly jigs, reels and hornpipes, with a few slow airs). It’s definitely keeping me challenged!
Redwolf
On 2002-06-19 00:49, The Whistling Elf wrote:
…I find I am getting bored with what I’ve been playing… I’ve been playing them for a long time and I feel like I need a challenge.Thank you.
Dear Elf,
Just let us know what you have been playing so far. Whatever it is, there is always a challenge beyond 
One thing you could do for a challenge is to pick some tunes off your favourite record and try to play along. Mr. Molloy from Westport has some recordings out with some nifty little tunes 
All the best,
pixy
Elf,
There are some challenging and modern tunes on this site
Irish](http://www.irishtunes.net/index.html%22%3EIrish) Tunes
If you like Emer Mayock (Flute player) There is a jig called “On the Strand” it’s quite satisfying when it comes together, and has an unusual feel about it. Another tune by the same is “Greeny” a tune in 7/8 time.
There’s some stuff by Brian Finnegan and Sarah Allen from their new CD “Rubai”
If you want _difficult_try “Pressed for Time” by Gordon Duncan played by Brian Finnegan on the same CD.
Good luck,
Dave.
On 2002-06-19 05:22, DaveAuty wrote:
Elf,There are some challenging and modern tunes on this site
Irish](http://www.irishtunes.net/index.html%22%3EIrish) > Tunes
Dave.
That’s a neat site. I’d never come across it. There should indeed be plenty there to challenge anyone.
Steve
Do you read music? If so, get a copy of O’Neills collection of tunes: with 1000 or so, you oughta be able to find something challenging. If you don’t read music, there’s a nice challenge for you-- learn!
Another challenge is to take some of your favorite tunes, and try to work up different ways to play them. It’s great to be able to play a tune through 3 or 4 times and make it sound different and fresh each time. Challenging doesn’t necessarily mean technically difficult
The collection of 110 of Ireland’s Best Tin Whistle Tunes has tunes labelled in order from beginner to advanced. You can use the sheet music and/or the CDs (with a nice guitar accompaniment) depending on how you learn tunes. Of course, it’s available at The Whistle Shop, like everything else we all want!
On 2002-06-19 09:25, cj wrote:
The collection of 110 of Ireland’s Best Tin Whistle Tunes has tunes labelled in order from beginner to advanced.
CJ, I didn’t find the advanced tunes in that book to be significantly beyond my advanced beginner/intermediate status. I wish I knew what the criteria were!
My suggestion would be to take a look at some of the tunes that are in the key of A, things with ‘pedal notes’, accidentals, etc. I find Atholl Highlanders to be difficult, beyond my current capabilities. Also Calliope House, The Clumsy Lover, Gravel Walk.
“The Dance Music of Willie Clancy” is transcriptions of Clancy’s pipe tunes with all the ornamentation intact. If you don’t find that book challenging, you’re pretty good.
My impression of “session” music is that it tends toward easier stuff that a lot of people are able to pick up and play along with in short order. Makes sense to me. I think that tunes that are more of a struggle to learn don’t get as popular.
Tony
Difficult, eh? Why not learn a few Zappa tunes on the whistle? Playing “The Black Page” ought to do wonders for your rhythm 
Dave,
Thanks for the link, there are buncha of tunes I love transcribed there - Cool!
Loren
I’ve always had trouble with Sean Sa Cheo, a 3 part reel with lots of swing and potential for phrasing. I found that tune to be the most difficult of any tune I tried to learn. I couldn’t even get the basic version of it down.
When Scoiltrad was first starting, I asked Conal O’Grada if he would cover that tune. Sure enough, it showed up under advanced whistle tunes. I got it a few months ago. I learned the basic tune in about 6 hours of practice. Conal has been helping me improve some ornaments, breathing, rhythm (not the beat but making the phrasing and swing interesting within measures). I like the focus on playing subtleties that we are working on now. I’d be a lot further along if I were sending more reviews to Conal, that’s for sure.
Somewhere during the learning process, I had the epiphany that I can learn 1000 tunes without my playing realy improving much. I’d just learn more tunes; a nice thing, but I’ll still would not end up where I wish to be. So now I am really focusing on how I can make a phrase sound like I really want it to sound; with all the note colorings and rhythmic effects. You don’t find them in books, but in listening to well played tunes.
Anyways John Skelton was the one who really started teaching me this. John is a great teacher who does a lot of summer work in the States, so look for him if you can. Conal has really hammered the message home for me, in spite my dense head.
So I’ve been using this approach in learning Vincent Broderick’s jig, “the Haunted House.” I really like very much how it is sounding in quick order.
I think the whole thing about advanced playing is not in the complexity of a tune, but in the advanced way you play it in terms of sensitivity so that your music really says something (A sentiment pened in a prior post that I can’t find now; just pointing out that this is not an original thought on my part). Based on that, people can really make basic, common tunes sound new and special. Grey Larson doing the Butterfly on the Chris Smith CD for example. That tune is considered overplayed by most, but it really sounds wonderful done well.
Back to my old tricks of answering a question that was not asked. . .
Cheers.
On 2002-06-19 09:33, tyghress wrote:
CJ, I didn’t find the advanced tunes in that book to be significantly beyond my advanced beginner/intermediate status. I wish I knew what the criteria were!
Tyghress, I haven’t made it to the advanced tunes yet, so I’m sure you’re right about this. I defer to those further along!
On 2002-06-19 10:03, TonyHiggins wrote:
“The Dance Music of Willie Clancy” is transcriptions of Clancy’s pipe tunes with all the ornamentation intact
Tony, are the transcriptions in a whistle friendly key? The highland stuff I see isn’t, but I find that I can transpose to whistle by playing as if I were on a chanter. This sounds like an interesting book you mentioned!
I think the whole thing about advanced playing is not in the complexity of a tune, but in the advanced way you play it in terms of sensitivity so that your music really says something
Good point. Simple tunes can be worked with and made better (or wrecked), or played simply. Then there are also complex tunes that are just plain hard to learn compared to simpler ones. The book I recommended, The Dance Music of Willie Clancy, has both kinds, but, if one works out the ornamentation as printed, it teaches a lot about possible variations in a tune and sets you up for phrasing, as well. (Ornamentation and phrasing are inseparable, imo)
Things have been said about music books being printed w/out ornamentation; that one should work out one’s own. I’ve agreed with this sentiment in the past. It’s nice if you can figure out the phrasing/ornamentation, but my experience is that a lot of people really don’t figure it out. Most people seem to skip it and stick to the basic melody. Listening to good players helps to a point, but, again, the proof is in the pudding. So, whatever tools are available, use them. One tool with value is ornamented print music. (I mean, imo. )Worth a look.
Try some jazz or classical. Fur Elise by Beethoven and Eine Kleine Nachtmusik by Mozart come to mind.
This might do the trick if you’re looking for some challenging whistle material…
I’m working on Catherine McEvoy’s interpretation of “Pidgeon on the Gate” right now and it’s kicking my A#!
Hey, thanks everyone! I’m sure I’ll be able to find some challenging stuff now!
I’m one of those annoying people (grin) who can read music just like reading a book. It only takes me about 10-15 minutes to learn a tune so I can play through it at tempo and then it takes me about another day to be able to play it at tempo with ornaments.
Basically here’s a list of what I play. The Short list of what I play most often, b/c if I listed everything I play, it’d be about 3 pages long… grin
Boys of the Town
The Blackthorn Stick
Mist Covered Mountain
The Leprachaun
Mary Finn’s (reel)
Ships are Sailing
The Belfast
Harvest Home
Rights of Man
Hector the Hero
Si Beag Si More
The Fairy Child
Leaving Glasgow
Blarney Pilgrim
The Galtee Ranger
The Butterfly
O’Carolan’s Draught
The Peeler’s Jacket
Donnybrook Fair
Down by the Salley Gardens
The Musical Priest
The Otter’s Holt
Morrison Merrily Kissed the Quaker
Morrison’s Jig
Drowsy Maggie
And basically anything that looks interesting.
:roll:
Here’s a test for you. Can you play all those tunes by ear, without sheet music, at speed, with ornamentation, varying the ornamentation each time through?
If the answer is “yes” then you are off to a very good start. Buy O’Neil’s and start at the beginning. When you learn every tune in the book by heart you will know a heck of a lot of tunes. Then you need to learn how to play them like the whistle Gods.
If the answer is “no” then keep working on those tunes until you can play them all by heart.
Then find yourself recordings of really good Irish musicians playing those tunes and learn to play the tunes like they do. If you find yourself really looking for a challenge, the best thing you can do is pick up Mary Bergin’s albums and start with the first set, learning it by ear. If you are able to learn the first set and play it anywhere close to the way she does then you have got us all beat!
Best,
Chris
Here’s one for you : what’s wrong with reading the music from sheet???
what’s making the difference??? is there one???
What about doing it your own way without making any difference in music or style???
Does one play irish whistle music (or any music) bad by reading it???
tell me please!!!