What a fascinating and lively forum! Please allow me to jump in…
I have an Oak that is slightly rusty, and I just ordered a Sweet Tone. I’m hoping that this will get me going. I also ordered the Bill Och book and CD. Do you think I need anything else?
I’ve always loved Irish music. The only CDs I have are Christian ones from Robin Marks and Ric Blair, which are fantastic. What other CD’s would you recommend I add to my collection as I start to learn to play? What are your all time favorites?
I’m getting a little nervous about this disease you call WHOA But I hope to be able to join in on your conversations with some intelligence soon.
I will refrain for recommending whistles or training materials, but am confident that there will be no shortage of good suggestions with respect to both. The Bill Ochs book & CD are very good resources, as you have discovered by now. (Is it possible that my [autographed] older edition, which features the tunes on audio cassette (!) will soon be a collector’s item? It sure is dog eared and I go back to it often.)
One humble suggestion–if you think you’re going to stick with it, get on at least one quality whistle maker’s waiting list now. By the time it arrives you will be eager to try out your emerging ‘rep’ on it. I think too highly of the half dozen maker’s whose creations I have to recommend one over the other, and might feel similarly if I had a dozen handmades. The Board abounds with good advice in both areas.
Not for a while. Those will keep you busy for a good while. As to whistle CDs, you’ll get lots of advice from others here. I like the Irish Rovers “Upon a Shamrock Shore.” It has lots of whistling on it. I was disappointed by other CDs they have done. As to which CDs are best, that’s a moo point.
Welcome to just about the finest place in cyberspace moo. You have a good start as far as whistles go and the book and CD will get you well on your way. Check out the clips and snips section to listen to some great tunes. It will also get your aquainted with some of the many whistles that have been, at one time or other, everybodys favorite. And dont worry about WhoA. Its the best disease out there.
Don’t even think about WHOA or higher end whistles until you finish the Ochs book. If you stick with it that long and still love the whistle ( which I suspect you will), by the time you can play the tunes in that book halfway confidently you will be in a good position to know what you are looking for in a better whistle. You may well decide that your humble Sweetone is all you want! Bill Ochs himself is a big fan of really traditional (ie cheap) whistles rather than the fancy ones.
Oh. Welcome!
There are loads of good cd’s out there. Some of them I suspect are quite hard to get, but a personal favurite of mine is Gavin Whelans cd. He is a great whistle player from Ireland. But that one might be quite hard to find (I bought it personally from Gavin on a session a while back).
I too think you can wait with ordering any high end whistles, it’s just not nesessary from the beginning. I’ve played for a little more than two years and I’ve got on nicely with the cheep modells. The finest I’ve got is a Chieftain (tunable) low D. And I’m thinking about ordering a couple of Tully’s, but it is’nt nessesary.
Again, you might want to check out Walton’s 101 tin-whistle tunes. But I suspect you should be quite occupied with Bill’s book for a good while.
You have all you need to practise with, but I’d recommend listening to as much Irish music as you can to get your ears round the style. The tutors are good, but can be a bit dry.
I’d recommend you listen to anything from the following groups who are all playing tradition Irish music but in a modern way:
Lunasa
Flook
Danu
Mise (there should be an accent on the i but I don’t know how)
Grada (again, an accent on the first a)
For more “traditional” sound, any Ceili band, De Danaan, The Chieftains, The Dubliners.
Don’t limit your listening to just whistle and flute players, listen to banjo, fiddle, accordian, concertina, pipes and singers too.
Try your local library before you buy anything, it could save you a few bob.
I would agree with one respondent and figure out who’s waiting list you want to be on for a high end whistle. Most are many months long.
My CD recommmendations would be Joanie Madden’s Songs of the Irish Whistle 1 & 2.
I too like the Irish Rovers. They play very catchy tradional tunes that are easy to pick up; Black Velvet Band, Kelswater…etc.
If you’d like some more contemporary music that features whistle, try Tim Janis’ December Morning and Etaine albums. He’s, I guess, New Age, but his music that features whistle is easy to learn by ear.
For a cheap whistle, I like my Walton Mellow, or wide bore. A step up would be a Susato.
Mary Bergin’s Feadoga Stain & Feadoga Stain II are what some call the “Pure Drop”. Those bands are fun but it’s hard to pick out the tunes sometimes when all the instruments at once, those mary bergin albums are just whistle & tasteful backup. That’ll be more than enough to get you started. If you want to get up to speed quick go to sessions & leave the whistle at home but bring a recording device (I’m antiquarian in my use of a tape recorder ) to tape what tunes they are playing. Listen to the tapes as much as you can then try to learn them by ear. It’s tough at first but very far from impossible.
Most of all keep at it & go for vast knowledge (otherwise your knowledge will just be half-vast sorry for the pun)
Do you really find it easy to pick up tunes from the Mary Bergin cd’s??
I, at least, find it very, very hard to learn tunes from her cd’s with that tempo and level of difficulty.
I’m one of those stupid session wh*res who can pick up stuff like that. But it’s not just about picking the tunes up, it’s about hearing good playing. If you want to “cheat” use this http://www.seventhstring.demon.co.uk/xscribe/
It slows tunes down & you can adjust pitch as well. Mary Bergin is constantly using everything from a Bb to an F whistle so this program comes in handy for putting things in “D”. I have note for note transcriptions of “Feadoga Stain I” but I haven’t converted them to ABC yet. It’s on my to do list maybe someday in the eventual future I’ll get around to it.
Which brings me to another tip, f*** speed. Go for a good swing, when your playing a reel think Dowd-le Deed-le. Instead of the typewriter ta-ta-ta-ta ta-ta-ta-ta. The speed will come but never force it, that how you ingrain bad habits. Rolls & Crans are better left a little down the road but don’t let them scare you either.
Wow. Thanks for all the responses! I received notification that my order shipped today, and I’ll receive it 7/10. Don’t know if I can stand it, but I’ll try.
In the meantime, I’m goofing around with my Oak whistle, which is either very squeaky, or I’m very inexperienced. Or both.
I’m so impressed with this group. Thanks for letting me hang out!
The Oak is a lovely whistle but you only really have to breathe into it to get a note. Keep practising and the squeaks will go away. I sometimes practise switching from a Susato where you have to be bold to an Oak where you have to be a mouse, and it takes some adjustment.
7th October seems an awfully long time to have to wait though.
But I hope to be able to join in on your conversations with some intelligence soon. 
) to tape what tunes they are playing. Listen to the tapes as much as you can then try to learn them by ear. It’s tough at first but very far from impossible.
sorry for the pun)
Thanks for all the responses! I received notification that my order shipped today, and I’ll receive it 7/10. Don’t know if I can stand it, but I’ll try.