Hi,
I feel the need to learn and become firm with half-holing. The focus especially lies on the Cnat for my Sindt’s. I was just curious if there is way how to improve the learning process.
Work obsessively with the change B-Cnat or just include it in the tunes to learn.? Patsy Geary has one in the first part e.g..
Are there suggested arpeggios etc.?
Any helpfull comment appreciated.
Moritz
I don’t know about obsessively, but try playing G-A-B-C-D-C-B-A-G up and down for a while each day.
Try different ways of doing the half holing too. You can tip the far end of your finger up off the hole, or you can curl your index finger slightly towards your palm, exposing half of the hole. You can even roll your index finger up towards the fipple, exposing the bottom half of the hole. In time it gets pretty automatic.
In addition to Cnat, you may sometimes want to half hole for an Fnat, G#, low D#/Eb, etc.
You go into a Cnat from different notes in different tunes. If you find a tune that you like that has a Cnat you feel would best be played by half holing, practice that phrase. You need to be comfortable going into the different fingering and coming out of that fingering. If the phrase is a straight run, you’re going BCD or DCB perhaps. If its an A minor chord its a different matter, or a C chord.
Practice what you need to do.
Tyg
Hi,
thank you for the replies. That is a start. The F# comes much easier in my mind. E.g. Maids of Mitchelstown is not that difficult.
Well, practise can only be compensated by MORE practise!
Regards,
Moritz
The whistle in not very well suitet for playing fully chramatic passages - even with half-holing! On the other hand, sparsley used, in some cases, it can be very effective. So do not try to to play in Eb major on D-whistle. (which is quite easy on the flute or on the recorder). On the other hand, if you are playing in a-minor (on a D-whistle) you would sometimes need a g#. Very often just like g#-a or a-g#-a. This is quite easy to execute. And if you are playing blues on the whistle you woul also need some half-holing. Here the whistle is very well suited, since you you would be able to execute these notes a bit off the western scale. If you pick the right pieces to play, half-holing can be both very easy and effective!
Any tips on half-holing a low whistle? All I need it for is to play an F natural. With piper’s grip it’s hard to know exactly where the edge of my finger is in relation to the hole. I have been sliding my finger down off the E hole, but I have to listen for the F and can only achieve it by sliding. Using this technique I can get a nice “blue note” – sliding from E through F natural to F sharp. I can also do this by levering my finger up off (or down onto) the hole, which gives it a sort of eastern sliding sound. I would like to be able to play an F natural clean. I’m sure the answer is “muscle memory” and I have been playing the D minor triad to try and get the ear/ finger connection, but any other suggestions about what to do with the fingers would be appreciated.
Doug
Doug, I believe that someone once called this ‘F neutral’. (and the corresponding ‘C neutral’ when half holing the top). Works for me!
Tape the hole.
Doug, I just got my first low whistle yesterday, so I have almost a full two hours of experience here.
How long have you been playing low whistle?
Have you just tried hitting the hole with a straight finger?
The only tune I’ve played that needed half-holing is Maids of Mitchelstown, and I found that I get the two half-holed notes pretty well in tune by just putting my straight finger down on the hole - instead of wrapping it around for a full piper’s grip close. Just hit the side of the hole with the meaty part of the finger.
Granted, each of those notes comes up from the note immediately below it, so there’s a chance to bend it into tune. However, in noticing the position of my fingers, it doesn’t seem like it would be that difficult to hit those notes cold with a little practice.
To me it seems that half-holing on the low whistle is easier because you have a larger hole to work with and the whistle is less responsive overall.
Jason
Jason, I think you’re on to something. The large holes on the low whistle allow extensive bending of notes, part of their sound. Low also lends itself to breath vibrato, though I use it sparingly.
I’ve been playing low whistle about a month. The pipers grip is coming along, though I’m sort of double-jointed and my left ring finger sometimes locks on me. I have been remedying this by keeping the fingers curved adjusting arm angle etc.
Glad to hear you got your Kerry Songbird and are getting on with it.
Doug