Hello to all!!!
To the Whistle Board.
I was just wondering.
What was the first tune that you heard, (that had a penny whistle in it) that made you want to learn & play one?
Just wondering!!!
I heard about 20 pennywhistles doing Si Bheag Si Mhor at the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games the first year I camped there in the late 60s.
Devil’s Dance Floor by Flogging Molly, actually. I didn’t really get into Irish Traditional stuff until after I picked up the tinwhistle.
Must have been in some movie… the theme of “Braveheart”, possibly. Like Duckrasta, I picked up the instrument first and discovered the music later..
Good question, Treasach! 
I’ve loved Irish traditional music for a long time (I’ve played it on the guitar) - and I have always loved the distinctive sound of the whistle. There’s something so evocative about it - it can’t compare to anything else… But as far as something that really had me finally doing something about learning to play the whistle – I must admit - I think for me it had to be that Inner Light song that Captain Picard played on STTNG…
Amazing Grace ranks right up there too - and in fact that’s the first song I learned on the whistle.. One of my musician friends plays it on a Native American-style flute, and it is just gorgeous that way. My husband plays the low whistle a little, and he knew how to play AG, so he taught me that one – and right then, I was hooked…
The poor man didn’t know what kind of a monster he was creating… 
Michele
I’d have to say the first place I heard it was in a few ‘Enya’ songs back in the late 80’s. At the time I loved the sound and hadn’t a clue what the instrument was.
The tune that did it for me was, Salley Garden on the CD Irish Dreams, Alisa Jones.
The penny whistle player on the CD is Billy Puett.
The first time that I heard this tune the whistle part sounded so haunting to me it , “stirred me Irish blood!”
I found out from what the sound came from & found a site with plans on how to make one.
I made a whistle & now I’m hooked!
The first tune that I learnsd was Salley Garden.
I look forward to playing & I 'll be glad when I can play a tune & I don’t have to think about it, just feel it.
I bought a Christmas cd with lots of jigs on it…but I didn’t know what instrument. I have always wanted a harp, but the expense was a little big…and I was browsing around a music website..and found the whistle…and I’m really happy that I did. I probably would not have been happy with the harp as much as I am with my whistle!!!
Since then, I have heard so many whistle tunes that I loved…but didn’t know it was a whistle. It was FATE!!!
Kind of embarrassed to admit it, but The Pogues’ renditions of “Waxies’ Dargle” and “Greenland Whale Fisheries” made quite an impression on my young teenage mind. What can I say? I was young, loud, and obnoxious, and liked my bands that way.
SEZ my aul’ one to yer aul’ one
Let’s go to the waxie’s dargle…
In my case I don’t recall the particular tune, if any, but I know it had nothing at all to do with Irish music, contemporary or otherwise. I got my first one for playing American trad music in a semi-rigid reenactment setting. My first tunes were Simple Giftes, Greensleeves and Amazing Grace.
My first encounter was at a live performance by a group called Rawlin’s Cross. The band’s piper also plays whistle in many of their tunes. Some of which were composed by himself. They were selling whistles at a booth and I thought, “For that price I can’t really go wrong!” I didn’t really get into it until finding this site though.
A.J.
Terribly commercial, I realize, but I guess Titanic and Riverdance did it for me. Then I found out about the more authentic Irish music through some folks around here, been to a pub performance or two and a couple of festivals. Heard Joanie Madden and was hooked. Also dig Loreena McKennitt, even though some folks here will probably cringe.
I had been hearing whistles and flutes at sessions for a while and had considered it a number of times. However, the first Whistle tune that really pushed me to learn the whistle was The](http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/cds/46/46196.html%3EThe) Black Cat By Lothlorien</a](http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/99/lothlorien.html>Lothlorien</a)> found on thier Ghostwood Album available from MP3.COM.
The other ‘first tunes’ was Gift of a Thistle which is used as the love theme in Brave Heart, and the Start of the County Down.
I don’t have a specific song. But it was my grandfather that got me playing. I’m half Irish by my mother’s side, and my grandfather used to play the music for my brother and I when we were young. He never really got into it but I soaked it up like a sponge. Grandpa bought me my first whistle when I was 7. Taught me some, off and on, but then he died when I was 15 and I put the whistle away for a long time. Finally got it back out and have started relearning. It’s hard though.
Cheers, Minke
Paul Simon’s Graceland album, specifically the video for You Can Call Me Al. Later i learned that that style of whistling is called kwela. But that was the first time i saw a pennywhistle (in retrospect, it was probably a Shaw!), and i was hooked. At the time i had already been playing different kinds of flute (but not Irish) for 20 years. Irish came later.
Something played by Jump, Little Children. Probably either some random jig as an intro into their song “Dancing Virginia” or maybe “Banish Misfortune”. I don’t really remember.
A piano player I know named Susie Petrov put out an album back in the late 80s, right about the time I first met her. I bought a copy, and it includes a version of Planxty Hewett (aka Hewlett) with Peter Barnes playing the whistle. Just fantastic stuff. Of course, I didn’t actually start playing myself until about 3 or 4 years ago…
Steven
devils 
dance floor by flogging molly for me as well. soon after i heard down by the sally gardens, thats also the first tune i played…that or mary had a little lamb or london bridge or amazing grace. it was all in the same book.
The Chieftans(way back when)- so long ago that I really don’t remember any specific tune other than the Butterfly(but it was called Admiral something) and Boil the Breakfast Early was the other tune that got me hooked on the Irish tunes(I’d been into GHB prior to this).
Now a few years ago I saw Clandestine in concert and got my first gander at a LOW WHISTLE- that did it- renewed my intrest and pushed me into full blown addiction.