I love pure drop Irish/Scottish Traditional music and I’m working very hard at learning to play it in a way that honors the tradition. I’m also trying to teach that to my 6-yr old daughter.
But… out of curiosity, could you guys give me some names of bands or artists using whistle in a rock, pop, or folk-rock setting? Any era will do. I don’t mean fusion/jazz/new age type of stuff like Davey Spillane or Cormac Breatnach. That I’ve heard. I mean something more in a song context like the clip below…
My wife and I have a rock/folk-rock band, The Josephine Knot, but recently we’ve started using whistle, bodhran, and ITM elements. I am a rock guitarist/bassist primarily, so I approach my whistle solos more like a lead guitar solo. Here’s a clip of a solo I played on one of our songs. I used my (very powerful) Goldie C whistle and it’s right after the chorus:
The whistle is used in many genres of music. It is perhaps not as common as the harmonica but I think it is nearly as adaptable in the right hands. You just have to keep your ears open to hear it. If you are a whistler for a long time, your memory will become overloaded with how often you’ve heard one in a recording or live performance.
I play Irish music but have also used the whistle in pop, rock, country, folk, blues, bluegrass and old time settings over the years. And I have heard the whistle on commercial recordings in those genres as well not to mention jazz, fusion, punk, heavy metal and others. It would take all day to list example. Might as well start here. I am sure others will chime in with favorite examples.
The whistle was widely used in Contemporary Christian music following the “Riverdance Epidemic” and is still fairly common now. I have been apt to use a whistle when a recorder was called for (even if I could have played the recorder). Hey, it’s an instrument, like any other in many respects. Why not make beautiful music with it?
Your example is not at all unusual to me - familiar use of the whistle in my view. Some of Kate Rusby’s music comes to mind for one, perhaps a little bit of Aoife O’Donovan too.
There’s tin whistle on a Paul Simon song – You Can Call Me Al
There’s a Billy Joel song called Half a Mile Away with what sounds like a tin whistle to me, but it’s credited as a piccolo on the album liner.
The band Rathkeltair is an American celtic-rock band, but some of their music is just rock. Lyrics might not be appropriate, but the intro really rocks: http://rathkeltair.bandcamp.com/track/posers-curse
woops! Meant to add that one to my “I don’t mean…” list (not that there’s anything wrong with it- just looking for less familiar or obvious ones and preferably more in the rock vein.)
I am familiar with Iona (the Christian Prog-Rock/Irish influenced band with Troy Donnockley on pipes and whistles- not the other band called Iona that does kind folksier stuff). Iona is probably the first band I recall ever hearing Irish Trad elements along with heavier “epic” rock, but then again I grew up in Costa Rica and rural Georgia and Alabama, so not much ITM anywhere close to me until I heard a cd of Iona in the early 90’s. I’ve also heard Eden’s Bridge. But I can’t remember hearing much outside the modern ITM stuff like Michael McGoldrick/ Brian Finnegan/ John McSherry type fusion/crossover tunes.
I guess I mean more in the rock band or singer-songwriter vein. Stuff that doesn’t instantly yell “Irish-sounding” or maybe it does, but with a rock edge, especially 60’s, 70’s era.
I’ll check out your other links, Feadoggie! And thank you! You’re always quick to respond and help out. I’m pretty sure you were the 1st one to welcome me to the forum 3 yrs ago.
For years I have been waiting for someone to come on the forum and ask how to play the whistle part, or what whistle was being used in Johnny Cash’ ‘Hurt’.
There’s, so very nineties-naughties-sounding, poppy fluff like this too of course, that, like the Corrs, uses the whistle as a novelty/Oirish-y sound.
Thanks guys! Keep em coming! Interesting stuff…Some of it though…well just terrible music.
Bwitched? man i didn’t know music or dancing or anything could be that bad.
Johnny Cash’s Hurt-brilliant cover-way better than the original. Can’t believe i never noticed that one whistle note!
Enter the Haggis, indeed! Thanks brewerpaul! Makes me wonder why i dont hear more trumpet in rock. Very nice. Interesting guitar and vocal melodies. I need to check out more of their stuff.
Flecktones! used to see Bela and those guys play alot when I lived in Nashville. I waited tables with Victor Wooten’s girlfriend. He did a solo bass concert at the restaurant one night-phenomenal! Bach to jazz to funk to improv on solo bass. Very distracting to wait tables with him around. And he can do a full standing front flip while playing.
Yes! Love her stuff. And the other thread link should keep me busy. Gracias!
oh! and i’m surprised by how much i like Jethro Tull. Never really paid attention when i was young.
Pick any number of Irish rock/punk bands. They are bound to have whistle in there somewhere. Can’t think of any particular song off the top of my head. Try Dropkick Murphys, Flogging Molly, Blaggards, Young Dubliners etc. I do know the Australian Irish punk band Rumjacks use whistle in their song Irish Pub. Might even try the Pubcrawlers, a New Englang Irish punk band. There were the Clancy Brother’s with Tommy Makem back in the 60’s +. They did more of a contemporary (to their times) version of Irish folk songs (more of a pop folk sound) and Tommy played whistle a bit. I don’t know of any outside the Irish music realm. I’ll throw in Jethro Tull for use of flute in a rock setting, though it is not Irish style. Worth giving it a listen, though.
High Tide by Stan Wells innovatively uses low whistles, including a bass A on about half of the songs. Sort of folk-country and all written by Stan. Some noted artists on it, including Dave Grisman, Nina Gerber, David La Flamme and Ramblin’ Jack Elliot. It also uses uilleann pipes on one track.
Meant to add that one to my “I don’t mean…” list (not that there’s anything wrong with it- just looking for less familiar or obvious ones and preferably more in the rock vein.)
man i didn’t know music or dancing or anything could be that bad.