My name is John and I’m relatively new here. I’ve been poking around for the last couple of weeks, and finally decided to sign up.
I believe I’ll be much more on the receiving end of advice than the giving end since I’m quite new to the tin whistle.
As far as music is concerned, my only formal training was about 3 years of piano lessons when I was about 9-12. In high school I picked up the acoustic guitar and was self-taught (enough to entertain myself and family, but nothing to take out to the streets). Well, in the last year I was doing a major house cleaning and decided to get rid of all 3 of my guitars. Don’t ask me why, but at the time it seemed like the right thing to do. Well, sure enough as the months passed I really missed doing anything musical (outside of my church choir that is). I didn’t feel right spending the cash on a new guitar being that I just had gotten rid of 3 perfectly good ones, so I started searching around the web for an alternate outlet.
Lo and behold I came across some Youtube videos of Ryan Dunn’s tin whistle classes. I was hooked. I’ve always liked the emotive sounds of Irish music, and once I found out how inexpensive whistles could be, I immediately ordered one…then another.
I’ve had them for a couple weeks now (Walton D, and a tweaked Clarke Sweetone). I can’t put the darn things down. Heck, I even made a whistle bag yesterday with my wife’s help. I’m also in the process of making a low D using the Low-Tech whistle plans from Guido Gonzato.
Anyway, after all this rambling…I find all the information here inspiring as well as intimidating. There is so much to take in, and my biggest fear is “will I ever become proficient enough to express the true Irish sound?”
I’m not going to get ahead of myself…yet. I’ll just keep plugging away, enjoying it as I do, and see where the road takes me.
If you’ve gotten this far in my novel, thanks for reading! I look forward to making your aquaintances!
welcome. whistles work for all types of music. our backgrounds are relatively similar only i was never (fill in the blank) enough to get rid of three guitars.
Hello John17, welcome to C&F and the way of the Tin Leprechaun!
There is not a lot to learn about the tin whistle and ITM (Irish Traditional Music - AKA the true Irish sound), and yet there is a long path to tread. Persevere with Mr Dunn’s excellent tutorial, visit ye also the hallowed halls of whistlethis.com, Bro Steve’s tutorial site, Wanderer’s whistle reviews. Get ye forth to ye session.org and partake of the endless tune-book. Before you know it, you’ll be half-way to Ireland. But remember - many are called but few make it to Miltown Mallbay.
No matter how far you get, the journey is always worth it.
For a while it will be just a matter of “wax-on, wax-off” or in the case of a wooden whistle - “oil-on, more oil-on”
Just keep practicing in a relaxed manner. At some point find out what Irish traditional recordings (they can be any instrument really) are highly regarded and then buy a few of those CD’s. Listen to them a lot. Buy some more and listen more. When you get to the point of really learning a tune, always have a recording of that tune played by someone who is playing in the Irish tradition to listen to and to learn from. That is why the http://www.whistlethis.com/ website is so good—there are mentors that you can listen to as you learn a tune.
Welcome John,from a whistler,fluter and fellow model-maker (I’m making a balsa flying airplane at the moment)…
The whistle is a great instrument…and a very powerful one..A mate of mine,who’s a very fine player,once stopped a pub full of drunks with a slow air played on a penny whistle.It was a mighty thing to see…and hear.
All the best with your journey…weedie…
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