I’m not a big country music fan, but was taking a break from working here at the old computer, and was scanning through the TV stations when I came across GAC and a song titled “What I Really Meant To Say” performed by Cyndi Thompson. What caught my ear, forcing me to stop and listen was a tastefully done whistle in the intro and throughout the song. Has anyone else seen this video? I’ve also been hearing more and more whistles in TV commercials and a few program sound tracks.
Relating more to the “Whistle in Bluegrass” thread, Ricky Skaggs wrote a beautiful Irish tune titled “The Road To Spencer” that’s on his “History Of The Future” CD with a very nice whistle part, although it’s not featured throughout the song. But the melody is addictive and I’m in the process of writing out the tablature to learn it. The tune is in B natural. In the CD’s liner notes, Ricky said, “I wrote this instrumental tune on the bus one day on the way to a show. It just started to take on an Irish feel. I thought, ‘I wonder if there is a Spencer in Ireland?’ So, on a recent trip to Ireland and Scotland, I played this tune just to get a little feedback. The Scots and Irish both said it was a lovely tune and I ought to record it. So I did. This is a tribute to my Scots-Irish ancestry.”
Just thought that may be of interest.
Denny
[ This Message was edited by: DRC on 2002-07-15 00:27 ]
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On 2002-07-14 23:24, DRC wrote:
I’m not a big country music fan, but was taking a break from working here at the old computer, and was scanning through the TV stations when I came across GAC and a song titled “What I Really Meant To Say” performed by Cyndi Thompson. What caught my ear, forcing me to stop and listen was a tastefully done whistle in the intro and throughout the song. Has anyone else seen this video?
***I saw her perform that song on Leno, and yeah, the whistle player was doing a good job. I nearly fell out of my chair. The world is changing.
Relating more to the “Whistle in Bluegrass” thread, Ricky Skaggs wrote a beautiful Irish tune titled “The Road To Spencer” that’s on his “History Of The Future” CD with a very nice whistle part,
***Hoyt Axton also did a whistle song on one of his records, but I think it’s out of print now.
Yeah, I saw the video by Cyndee… Nice artistic layout. Although, in her live special that she did on CMT, there was no whistle… it was a keyboard… But, I know a whistle when I hear one, so that HAD to have been a whistle studio musician, or somehting… Oooooohhhh Daaaaallleee!!! I think we have another mystery here… grin
The Dixie Chicks also had a tinwhistle player on their song “Ready to Run” from that movie, Runaway Bride… They even have one in their live shows, and on the video they did, they had pipers and dancers, ect. Really cool.
I am a big fan of Country and Western, especially the older stuff that has had a chance to let time winnow out the “chaff” that is best forgotten. (Actually, this is applies to just about any form of music.) I like and see bluegrass as just another form of country. I’m also a big fan of classical, in the wider sense (including baroque, impressionism, etc.) and Highland pipes, blues and jazz. This has had an odd effect on my personal ornamentation of music. (I need to listen and develop an understanding of Irish ornamentation.) When I play country on the whistle, I tend to add country and Highland pipe ornamentation, as well as blues and jazz type bends to some of the notes in the more bluesy pieces. I have a homemade Bb whistle that sounds like it was made to play Faded Love, which is practically a Piedmont blues variation on Danny Boy. I improvised a piece I call 100 Fipples that I thought sounded like the jazzier country, but sounds much more kwela to me now. It’s as if kwela is the inevitable byproduct of the whistle played in a jazzy manner.
The whistle is a logical instrument for country, as country can be viewed as another form of Celtic music. I was contemplating how a good country whistle should be made, when I had this somewhat humorous thought; I think it should be a steel conical bore instrument after the Clarke, but should be held together with hot dipped galvanizing and have a zinc fipple after the lead fipples of some of the old Clarkes.
Yup, I also saw Cyndi on the Tonight Show, and was likewise bowled over by the whistle player. I had heard the song once or twice before on country radio but being new to the whistle at the time, hadn’t tuned into the fact that there was whistle music in the song. I think the whistle was an Eb Generation, if I remember right. I copied the notes on the piano, anyway, and it was in Eb.
I also have the Dixie Chicks “Fly” CD (someone gave it to me–I’m not a huge fan of theirs) and they have whistle on a couple of the songs.
On a related topic: one of the above posters mentioned increased whistle popularity. I’ve noticed it, too. Tons of commercials lately have whistles in them, and more and more movie soundtracks. Also, I saw bits of Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” today and was shocked to realize that Eric plays a whistle a couple of times in it. I guess the last time I saw that movie I didn’t even know what a whistle was, so I didn’t pick up on it. My three year old daughter and I were impressed!
MCM Transatlantic Whistle Detective Agency - no case too small.
Branches in London and Salt Lake City
[ This Message was edited by: Cees on 2002-07-15 15:52 ]