Hi all,
Just wanted to take a minute and say hello. My name is Dan, I live on Long Island, and I think I am becoming addicted to my whistle.
I got the basic Feadog D whistle with an instruction book and CD while I was traveling with a friend in Ireland last May.
So far I’ve managed to teach myself a few basic songs like Yankee Doodle, Brahms Lullaby and now Danny Boy/Londonderry Air.
(the A and B in the upper octave still squeak a bit but making progress)
I went to my first workshop a couple of weeks ago with Charlie Mooney and had a nice time. However, a month between classes is torture. I need more! more! more! I learned our first tune in two days and now teaching myself “Fare Thee Well Enniskillen”.
Are there any other workshops in the Long Island area? I need a fix! I would consider Manhattan but I’d be spending 3-4 hrs traveling. Anyone know of any pubs that have sessions just to sit with a pint and listen?
Hi Dan,
I also got a Feadog whistle/CD/Book package to start with. After much agonizing I realized some notes squeak because of the darned whistle. Go to the home page and look for Dale’s section on tweaking whistles. You can improve that Feadog to where it sounds better. Ultimately you may wish to spend more. I’d highly recommend a Burke whistle.
BTW: when removing the mouthpiece (fipple) from the barrel don’t do what I did and stab yourself. I gouged a piece out of my forehead, just above the left eye. TBTG I didn’t blind myself.
Dan - welcome to the board from another Long Islander. Charlie Mooney will give private lessons in Greenlawn and I’ve thought about it myself. I went into NYC to take a flute lesson from Bill Ochs and am considering going in for whistle. Sessions are non-existant on LI at this time. You’d have to hit the Big Apple for them. Stick with Mooney for now with the private lesson/two or three for starters.
BTW: when removing the mouthpiece (fipple) from the barrel don’t do what I did and stab yourself. I gouged a piece out of my forehead, just above the left eye. TBTG I didn’t blind myself.
Tom
Heh, being my own handyman around my house I am used to always having a cut or bruise. And if you’re going to sacrifice a little blood, might as well go to a good cause.
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Hey Dan, I seem to remember putting Hallatauer hopps into all my favorite homebrew recipes. Could this be? or is my memory just failing me?
Nope, you got it right! I’ve been homebrewing beer for the past 15 years or so.
Hallatauer hops are grown in Germany and used in their lager and weissbeers. My email address and handles are usually beer related.
Sessions are non-existant on LI at this time. You’d have to hit the Big Apple for them.
Hey Bill,
I was afraid of that. I’ve looked all over, thru the Irish Echo and inquiries with people that hang out at the Irish Coffee Pub in Islip. They all shake their heads sadly and sigh. I’d prefer to live in Westchester or something but my job out here has great pay and benefits. Guess I’ll have to make an occasional pilgrimage to the city.
The next workshop with Charlie Mooney is next weekend so I think I will survive.
Ultimately you may wish to spend more. I’d highly recommend a Burke whistle.
Ummm, yeah, at $100 a pop I think I’ll wait a while before getting a Burke. Figure I’ll get a couple of different cheap ones and see which one I’m happiest with.
Hi Dan, Welcome to the board. Check out the “Irish American Society” in Mineola. I know they had a session last sun. afternoon. They might even have whistle lessons. I don’t know their tel. # but they should be listed. Good luck,Bob
Thanks Bob,
They are usually listed in the Irish Echo events section. They seem to have alot of dances and such. Will look them up and see whats happening.
Dan
Well, Bob, anyone who lists beer in his interests TEN times is okay in my book. I’ve got two batches of lager fermenting in the 'fridge, just starting a batch of chianti for my father and some cyser (cider/mead) for my wife.
Anyone have extensive experience making lambic? Wyeast recommends aging for at least six months in the bottle, but mine always start turning to grenades after about two months. I have a batch of grenades now that I had in the secondary for 3-4 weeks, so it should’ve fermented out completely.
Chas-- that Lambic uses some pretty funky, weird yeasts. It can take a LONG time to fully ferment. Leave it for the nice people in Belgium to make! If you want to try something Belgian, try a nice fruity tasting Belgian Abbey ale.
I am going to attempt a lambic myself next month. I was gonna sour mash, then use the wyeast lamic yeast strain and let it sit in the basement until next spring. The ultimate goal is to make a batch each year, and in the third year, mix the three, if there is enough left and make a gueuze.
One can dream can’t one? In the meantime I need to make my pale ale and do a buddy brew for my beer club Xmas meeting.
Gonna have to sneak some whistling time in while I mash and boil.
On 2002-09-28 16:02, brewerpaul wrote:
Leave it for the nice people in Belgium to make! If you want to try something Belgian, try a nice fruity tasting Belgian Abbey ale.
I just plain can’t stomach paying $7 for a 10-ounce bottle of beer. I bought a couple of Chimays and loved 'em, so I did make some Trappists, which turned out VERY authentic. Then I started really detesting high-alcohol beers. (Ask my wife about my last visit to my brother’s house - he makes higher-alcohol beer than I, and I have the scar to prove how shitfaced I became on not very many beers.)
Thanks for the advice on lambics – maybe I’ll get a couple more carboys so I can ferment them for longer.
PS – maybe I should revert to one of my very old nicknames – Barley (I could adopt a new first name like Dark-roasted).
Gotta correct my earlier correction… the hop name is not Hallertau, or Hallatauer, but Hallertauer ( courtesy of Papazian who for all of his talents, does not play whistle as far as I know…)
Albany is in the right state but, being on Long Island it is a bit far. I’m hoping to attend Irish Arts Week next July in East Durham. A friend of mine plays some whistle and a little of the pipes and is planning to go also. Keep it in mind and maybe we can hook up one evening, drink some homebrews and torture people with our whistles.
I spell it Hall’A’tauer. When I was driving down the autobahn a couple of years ago, Nurnberg to Munich, we drove thru the hop growing region and it was named Hallatau. I guess it depends on the writer/editor.
