I’m going to indulge myself with a personal anecdote about something new in my whistle learning path. I hope you’ll pardon the narcissism, and enjoy the story.
My sister had her 6th child this last Sunday morning (yes 6th). She had it at home with the help of a midwife (as with all of them). All the immediate family went over and we BBQ’d carne asada for soft tacos. Hey! you make what the new mom asks for or you could be in big trouble.
Just after arriving I went upstairs to see “baby Elijah” and I brought my Burke Soprano D Composite with me. Understand, I’m the latest person to take up an instrument in my family. Most of us just sing - I was in that majority until a year ago when I bought a Freeman tweaked Sweetone (thanks to Jerry and y’all in this forum for piquing my interest). Anyway, I thought I would play a tune for Elijah and he wouldn’t care I was an amateur.
I picked a tune - Don Oiche Ud I mBeithil - both suitable for a babe less than 6 hours old, and one I can play passably well. I played gently - even though a “session” whistle, the Burke DCS has a great voice for this song.
After the first go round my elder brother walked in with his guitar - he plays classic rock usually, and quite well. He said “keep playing” and started noodling around for chords to go with the song.
After the second go round my step brother (the new father) stepped in with a djembe - he plays mostly praise music, and is pretty good with hand drums and behind a kit. He started massaging some gentle thunder from the djembe to match our playing.
We played for a couple minutes - Elijah listened quietly while gazing at his mother’s face. By the time we stopped playing, Elijah’s 5 brothers and sisters had gathered at the door to listen, then quietly applaud.
Ok, maybe it wasn’t really a “session” - and certainly it wasn’t “Trad.” But it sure is a sweet memory for the first time I ever played with other musicians.
Do you have a story from the first time you played music with others?
Au contraire… (however it’s spelled)… I think that is perhaps the penultimate… serenading a new soul into the world… I couldn’t ask for anything better… except the three I birthed myself (two with midwife… well… one with… one prior to finding said midwife, and the last before said midwife could get here!)
What a great memory you have made for all involvced!
The last one was only about 20 minutes start to finish… I had just sent DH upstairs to get the older two when I had to yell.. “No!.. here! …NOW!”… the midwife was so dissappointed that she didn’t get to “catch” LOL!
About six years ago I made a small native american style flute from Texas cane. And the first night of summer camp I played in my tent after everyone was going to sleep. The next night when it came time for every one to go to the their tent, A young scout first time at camp asked me to play my flute again. He said it let him know that I was close by. A few years after that another scout had me show him how to make one and when he finished we played togeather over the PA system at lunch for the whole camp. These cane whistle flutes are nowhere in tune with themselves or each other. But we did manage to do a call and response version of the tune from the movie The good the bad and the ugly. I play it every year at camp with no regard to notes,or tempo. 100% improvisation. Most of the youth and adults think it is cool. But I can always tell who has music background by the look on their face and I taper off. These are the notes it plays and if you know if it is a key could you tell me what it is.
C# Eb F# G Bb C# Eb no upper octave
Congrats all around (and nice tune you picked there).
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