My 17 year old daughter has become serious about the whistle!
She has often picked up one of mine in the past to play for a bit, but for the past several months she’s become more interested. So I gave her a Susato. Just to see what would happen.
Now, just about every night, when she’s finished with her homework, she quietly comes into my study with her whistle, sits down and just looks at me with that little smile until I get mine out and away we go!
It is such a thrill, for me for us to play together that I can hardly describe it. And she’s getting pretty good! She likes hymns the best, so I think up all the ones we can play together (not too many yet; any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.) and we have a great time.
Mack Hoover graciously offered to make a white cap to match the one I already have, so we’ll have whistles that will sound just about as close to one another as is humanly possible! Isn’t that great!!
Do any of you play the whistle with your kids?
Does it get any better than that?!!
Neither of my kids plays the whistle (yet!) although one plays trumpet and the other clarinet. I’ve never played my whistles with them but I have to admit there has been a very special kind of thrill when we find tunes to play together with me on my flute. Usually xmas carols … and the season for that is coming up again soon
Both of my adult daughters absolutely detest whistle tunes. Actually, they use to cry when they were little and I got out the pipes. They both do play instruments but nothing with me. I wish they did. I use to play all the time with my Dad and brother and it was great fun.
BUT- just this week my 18 month old grandaughter finally figured out how to make the whistle sound a note, so I’m working on her!
My kis hate the whistle. My daughter took up violin because I really, really wanted her to be in the band. She played soccer because I really, really wanted her to play softball. She is proud that she’s so “her own self.” I am too. So, I never “want” her to do anything anymore, or if I do, it’s not something I really want her to do.
The other day, she was practicing violin, and I took out my sheetmusic for Dark Island, and set it in front of her.
“Can you play this?”
Without a word she played it. Pretty well for sight reading. When she was done I took my music back and said, “Real nice. It’s one of my favorite tunes. Thanks.” Then I left.
A little while later she asked me if she could have a copy of it. I really had to work hard not to smile. If I work it right, after she’s played it on her own a couple of times, I’ll slip in and play along.
My oldest daughter, 18, has an elfsong, and we have played duets.
My 14 year old’s newest piano assignment is Pachelbel’s Canon in D, so I’m hoping, like John, to pull off a stealth accompaniment.
My eldest son played mostly guitar when a teenager, and after a year or so, he started playing occasionally with me.
Now (age 34), he plays DADGAD and standard guitar, mandolin and concertina. He can play a little whistle, but doesn’t want to duplicate what the rest of the band plays.
My youngest played quite a bit when he was 10-11 years old, but he is interested in Rock 'n Roll drumming and bass.
I got him to promise to take some whistles to Korea as he had to travel light and store his stuff, but he hasn’t mentioned anything about it since he got there. :roll:
I was hoping he would get good on it and take over the piping for the band as I get weaker and weaker, but I guess he will have to leave the Air Force before he has time to mess with music much. He has to work this weekend, so I didn’t even get to play Day of Defeat with him this weekend.
My eldest son played mostly guitar when a teenager, and after a year or so, he started playing occasionally with me.
Now (age 34), he plays DADGAD and standard guitar, mandolin and concertina. He can play a little whistle, but doesn’t want to duplicate what the rest of the band plays.
My youngest (age 31) played quite a bit of whistle (and got lots of complements) when he was 10-11 years old, but he is interested now mostly in Rock 'n Roll drumming and bass.
I got him to promise to take some whistles to Korea as he had to travel light and store his stuff, but he hasn’t mentioned anything about it since he got there. :roll:
I was hoping he would get good on it and take over the piping for the band as I get weaker and weaker, but I guess he will have to leave the Air Force before he has time to mess with music much. He has to work this weekend, so I didn’t even get to play Day of Defeat with him this weekend.
Of my 4 sons, only one is musically inclined, and plays the Horn in his high school band. He can play my whistles, and sometimes I ask him to, just so I can evaluate the sound of them. However, he wouldn’t play one just for the enjoyment of it ~ although he did usurp my Clarke for awhile when I first got it a few years back.
The rest of them like to hear me play whistle and flute, but are disinclined to pick one up themselves.
What arrangement is she using? There is a lovely arrangement out by Robin Spielberg ( http://www.robinspielberg.com , but the site seems to be a little messed up right now). It is actually a transcription of one of her improvizations on the Canon. It’s quite beautiful! Not on topic, I know, but I thought you might like to know.
Both of our grown sons play instruments - the 26 year old is a teacher and professional musician on woodwinds. Our 9-year old daughter is a dancer, who plays piano, cello, hammer dulcimer, and whistle. A few years ago, when Mack Hoover was working out the intracacies of his Whitecap design, a prototype went back and forth between us, a few times. Mack finally made a gift of the prototype to us, and Sarah has been playing her high D, ever since. I love to sit with her in the evening, and play tunes. She made her debut with my band, last year - playing a back-up to our vocal version of Sally Gardens.
my 14 yo daughter says that the detests “Mom’s music” and yet she is as bad as I am when it comes to playing. Whenever she passes the vase that holds the whistles, she grabs one and plays a tune or two before she puts it back and goes back to whatever she was doing to begin with. She really is quite good (for a beginner…she has picked it up quickly) and I’m hoping to have her learn a tune that she and I can play together.
My 11 yr old taught himself the whistle after I gave him a Lil Black. He plays tenor sax in band, just got a mandolin, can play Fur Elise on the piano, amd basic chords on the guitar. He’s a natural musician but kind of a noodler as he doesn’t have burning ambition to just play one thing. Oh yes, he also plays re#$%er. His thing is to play the same tune on every instrument and he figured out half-holing on his own. We have whistled together on a few easy tunes. A lot of fun, to be sure.
What I really like about it all is that he plays about equally by ear and by notes, so he has the maximum flexibility that many lack on either account.
A lot of musically inclined youngsters here. That’s great to hear. None of my daughters has the remotest interest in playing an instrument. It’s unfathomable. My granddaughter seems to be a natural though. Last year she banged on the piano while singing Jingle Bells and added quite a flourish at the end. She also picked up a stick and held it like a flute once. The hands were even correct. I’ve been working with her on the whistle. She can get a sound from the flute as well but she’s too small to hold it yet.
Me, wife, and three sons. Let’s see if I can remember all the instruments played in our household.
Piano
Guitar (six string)
Guitar (bass)
Flute (concert metal)
Flute (wooden)
Cornet
Piano accordion
Bouzouki
Concertina
Fiddle
Clarinet
Mouth organ
Electric organ
Oops, nearly forgot, everybody plays whistle.
I daren’t even think about the list of instruments the boys keep ‘hinting’ would be handy to have around.
I like this thread. Fun to think of all of you playing together, listening to the kids and trying to figure out how to gift them with music without getting in their way.
My daughters, 11 and 7, play violin (and tuba) and ukulele. I still have warm fuzzies from the first time they played together without fighting!
Last week I asked Malaika, my eldest, what she thought of a tune I was working on. She gave a noncommittal “it’s okay” and was about to disappear again, but then reconsidered and decided to tell me the truth. “Well, Mom, actually, when you play hammered dulcimer, all the tunes sound alike… and on the whistle, they all sound alike too. I mean, they’re nice, but I can’t tell them apart.”
Then she headed off, whistling one of those very same indistinguishable tunes, note for note perfect. Go figure.
My 13 year old daughter plays the whistle a bit, but not too seriously because it messes up her fingerings on the flute, which is her band instrument.
I’m a 13 year old kid who plays both concert flute and whistle very seriously. Maybe it’s different for other people, but I’ve been fine doing it. The feel of the Irish flute, whistle, and concert flute are all very different to me. I do have problems when I mess around with my re******, because it is played downward and almost has the same number of holes as a whistle.
I take lessons on concert flute and piccolo. (I took them on re****** when I was still to small to play the flute.) My mom bought a Walton’s Guiness to see if I liked music when I was in first grade. It got shoved around for maybe five years. I found it one day and tried to figure out fingerings etc. I looked online, found C&F, and there was no turning back. It’s been two years (I think), and now I’m trying to teach my mom.
I think that it’s awesome that so many younger people are learning how to play instruments (especially whistles)! If a kid is really interested in music, one of the best things they will ever get is a teacher (or at least a supporter). But if a kid is not interested now, forcing them to learn will make them hate music forever. (IMHO )
Just to see what would happen.
Go figure.