Greetings everyone,
Happy holidays to you all. I was posting to get some feedback and advice regarding an idea i have. I live in chicago and have had the unbelievably good fortune of being able take lessons for many years now on whistle/flute with Larry Nugent. As you know, Larry is a great player who has put his own spin on northern ireland flute and whistle playing. In any case, we have been chatting lately about putting together a tutorial or tune book featuring Larry’s playing. Being a stundent and adept with the technical and organizational side of things, I could help Larry pull this together sort of in the role of producer.
So may question is: what do you think of this idea? Is there a market for such a thing. Or are there already too many “tutorials” out there? Also, assuming the answer to the previous question is yes (i.e., there is a market), I’d like your thoughts one what you’d like to have in such a tutorial. My thought is that it should consist of something like 40 tunes, 20 on whistle and 20 on flute, including written music and a CD with each track featuring Larry playing the tune slow then up to speed. Finally, any thoughts you might have about getting such a beast published would be greatly appreciated too.
Although i despise chicago winters, it does provide some down time with which to do such a project.
Thanks so much for your thoughts on this matter!
Cheers,
Brendan
[ This Message was edited by: feadog39 on 2002-12-19 21:37 ]
My two-bits. There are good tutorials available, but they don’t hit very often the music or books sellers in remote areas like here Far Oué.
bit 1) make it available first online; say, shareware witth limited version until payment. You’ll test the market, and may decide later if you’re ready to face the expenses of printing and CD duping. Printed version may be offered as extra De Luxe version of the software.
That would be really, really fantastic. I have the Mad for Trad tutors for flute and whistle and they just don’t cut it. They only teach a handful of tunes and don’t go very in depth as far as technique is concerned. What I wanted when I bought those tutors was to learn how Seamus Egan and Brian Finnegan, respectively, play their instruments and play the tunes they are famous for. They are both such absolutely standout musicians with very unique styles, but the way their CD-ROMs are put together it really could have been anyone doing the teaching - even me, and I’m still in the beginner/intermediate stages of my playing. It seemed a waste to have such tremendous and unique musicians and not take advantage of their unique playing styles. I want to know how Seamus Egan plays Emily’s reel. I want to know each and every little ornament, breath, glottal stop, overblown note, etc. The same is true with Brian Finnegan… I want to know what in the heck he is REALLY doing in his version of The Sligo Reel.
This is what I’d want out of a Larry Nugent tutorial. If I just want the basics I’ll gladly go to Geraldine Cotter’s book, or LE McCullough’s, but no, I want to know how Larry plays the tunes he’s famous for.
So there you have it. I would LOVE a Larry Nugent flute and whistle tutorial. The guy is a mad genius and one of my biggest influences. I only wish I could have lessons with him. This is the closest I’m going to get without moving out to Chicago.
Best,
Chris
I think people don’t need to be entirely spoonfed. My opinion is that something like the Feadog tutor with a whistle and CD is good for someone who has never touched a whistle before, start with something like that, then a similar middle bit for guys like me, then an advanced bit. I don’t see it being a voumenous tome with 10 CD’s, just a fairly short book with maybe 3 CD’s.
One man’s opinion.
I agree with the foreign fella (je m’excuse) that the whistle and flute should be separate.
I’m with you Chris… For example, I’ve been working on learning Mary Bergin’s first record and I’m starting to form a list (in my head…) of questions I would ask her if we ever got together (in the traditional Irish Music sense that is!)… Like, how do you tongue that? Or, what the FREAK was that?! Or, what do you eat for breakfast? Heh heh… Enough with the beginner’s tutorials… We already have some mighty fine ones! Give us some meat! Speaking of which… I’m all about the videos… Combining the audible with the visual is powerful… Especially when trying to explain technique… I mean, C’mon… do you close your eyes when you watch Seamus play… Ok, well, it wouldn’t be bad to do so.. but to watch those fingers dance… That’s a joy in itself!
Brendan, I would purchase anything done by Larry Nugent and am as envious as I can be of your good fortune in being able to study with him. Though there are many beginners’ tutorials out there, there isn’t much by professionals to guide those who know how to do the ornaments, etc. but are seeking to move to higher levels of playing. This might include guidance on how to structure one’s practice, how to get a tune solidly into one’s fingers, etc. Also, I would love to see this as a video or set of videos so that we could actual see the fine points of how someone like Larry Nugent uses his hands and fingers.
Please keep us posted.
Okay, this is all really helpful. The sense i’m getting here is that something more advanced is what would really do the trick. There are plenty of introductory stuff out there for whistle, but little out there for the more intermediate and advanced player who is looking to push the envelope.
Now, i don’t think larry or i have it in us at least at this point in terms of time and $$ to publish something with the quality of, say, Geraldine Cotter’s tin whistle tutor. Or to do a video or interactive CD-ROM, although that sounds awesome. So what i’m thinking is that doing something like John Skelton’s “A Few Tunes” (perhaps one for whistle, and another for flute) would be managable to start with. In any case, I’ll present all of your ideas to Larry next week when i see him and see if we can’t get something going. Thanks again for your feedback and i’ll keep you posted!
Brendan
