I am very new to the penny whistle, been playing about 2 weeks now. I’ve pretty much gotten down all the tunes that came with the pamphlet that came with the whistle, and am working on Christmas carols now.
I was wondering if anyone knew of a good book of tunes that are good for beginners to start with and progress into the more advanced stuff like reels and jigs, etc. If anyone knows of any beginner reels that are good to help the beginner develop speed and fingering skills, that would be great. If at all possible, I’d like a book that comes with a CD so I can hear the tunes played properly.
On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being Mary Had a Little Lamb, and 10 being something that a world class player such as Mary Bergin would consider challenging, I’m looking for a good collection of stuff in the 1-3 or 4 range to hone my skills on.
Also, when is a good time to learn the various ornamentation techniques? Should I start trying to learn them immediately so that I will have always been accustomed to them as I progress, or should I wait until I’ve developed a solid foundation and gotten a grip on the basics of all the different types of tunes and become proficient at fingering before I attempt to learn ornamentation?
Any other advice anyone has to offer a beginner would be absolutely appreciated.
Hey Caesar, I think the topic of easy/beginner tunes has been covered a few times. Do use the “search” function (on top under where the Chiff and Fipple Forums heading is) and you can review all the suggestions again =)
On the whole, I don’t find buying tune books that worth it. Get yourself a bunch of CDs and learn from them, and if you feel you have to, get yourself to one of the online tune archives like JCs. They have all the tunes you will ever need and the GIF format is exactly what you will see in a tunebook.
Regarding ornamentation, I think it is good to know what they are once you can play a few tunes. You don’t have to add them to your tunes till later, but maybe practise them separately first. When you are totally familiar with the tune, I think you’ll add them automatically (if you know what celtic music sounds like).
Other advice would be to play slowly and listen lots. Don’t ever rush to increase speed in your playing. It will come to you naturally once you’re more proficient. Listen to lots of good old celtic stuff and attend sessions if they are availible locally. Listening helps lots.
On the other hand, I have a good number of books, and I find them VERY useful, and virtually no CD’s…only one that features a whistle.
There are a few tutorials out there, and some compilations of tunes that are nicely written out and organized. L.E. McCullough has a 121 session tune book, and I have a Mel Bay that I use fairly frequently.
A nice source of books as well as instruments is Song of the Sea. They’re very responsive, and will gladly suggest books that might help. You can write them at mail@songsea.com
Another book, just for sheer volume of music, is O’Neil’s. I’ve ploughed through this one so much that I’ve had to resort to putting the pages I most use into plastic page protectors.
If you spend $15 on a CD you get about 15 tunes; same $15 in a book will get you 100. For my learning purposes the books are the way to go!
to be a good source of help on ornamentation, breathing, fingering and a whole load of practical stuff. I found his style very friendly, and the sound clips give you an idea of what you’re aiming at.
For tunes, I found “Ireland’s Best 110 Tin Whistle Tunes” published by Waltons, to be a good source with a variety of tunes ranged from beginners to advanced, and there is an accompanying double CD available of all the tunes too. The beginners section has whistle tab for the notes to help get you going. Be warned though, that this book has only very brief instruction on ornamentation.
Martin, you weren’t kidding about Brother Steve’s website–it’s fantastic! It’s got great how-tos, not only on the techniques of ornamentation, but how to incorporate them into actually playing a song. There are also sections on articulation, rhythm, as well as many great tunes. It’s been added to my list of favorites.
It’s a really nice site isn’t it? I like his style, instructional but not overbearing. Brother Steve comes across as a really nice guy, if only I lived in Montreal.
Definitely on my list of favourites too. Weird thing, the girl on the Relax! page looks exactly like someone I used to work with about 9 years ago, but it can’t be her surely, or why do I look 9 years older while she doesn’t?
Try Geraldine Cotter’s Traditional Irish Tin Whistle Tutor, it covers fingerings, ornamentations, etc., with 100 tunes included. There’s also a companion CD or cassette, so you can hear the tunes as well.
Handy place to hear familiar tunes in unfamiliar ways is by going to MP3.COM and poking around there a bit. The playing ranges from exquisite to ordinary, as do the interpretations.
There are simple versions of very common session tunes in pdf format available at http://www.uptospeed.net/hoi/ under Sunday Morning Class Sheet Music. Learning those tunes will enable you to play along quickly.
One tip: After you learn a tune, make sure you really get it down. You won’t believe how many times you have to play a tune before you can play it through without messing up even if someone drops a glass of guiness across from you. Of course, it’s not about the guiness, it’s about freeing your mind to feel the music you’re playing.