My wife and I just got back from the 2004 Comhaltas convention in Parsippany NJ. What a gas!
We drove down early on Sat morning, and arrived just in time for LE McCullough’s tinwhistle workshop.
LE’s session was devoted to style: what it is and how to develop it. It was largely LE talking, liberally accented with examples of what he was talking about. One interesting part was where he took a simple jig and demonstrated how you might play it in different styles, depending on the occasion: solo, experienced session, accompanying a dancer, with a bluegrass band, etc. He also went over ornaments quite a bit, talked about different types of whistles, answered everyone’s questions about playing difficulties, etc. I found this to be a very useful workshop indeed.
After lunch, I went to a workshop with Joanie Madden.
This was a very different type of event. Joanie basically taught three tunes (whose names I’ve promptly forgotten: it was a late night )
There was a reel, a jig, and a waltz-like air. We went over the pieces small sections at a time, with Joanie liberally illustrating all ornaments. It was also liberally peppered with Joanie’s great sense of humor. A pretty traditional way of learning tunes, and I also found this very useful above and beyond the actual tunes taught. One negative about this workshop was the presence of a LOT of very young players. Don’t get me wrong-- it is fantastic to see so many young people taking up this type of music, but discipline in this large group was tough with everyone noodling around long after each section of each tune-- with a more adult group we probably could have gone through another tune or two in the two hr session.
Speaking of young people, there were TONS of them at the convention and many outstanding players on whistle, button accordian, and fiddle. Lots of great dancers too.
We went out for dinner (nearby Indonesian place which was fantastic), we went back and just sort of rambled around the hotel sitting in on the MANY impromptu sessions which sprang up in just about every spare corner of the place. Some groups played VERY professionally, others were much more beginner friendly, with everything in between.
My compliments to the staff for a terrific event. People, if this convention comes your way next year, consider checking it out!
PS-- in case you were wondering, the most common whistle I saw other than “cheapies” was Sindt D, followed by Burkes. Surprisingly, I only saw one other low D aside from my Copeland-- a Phil Hardy.
PS-- in case you were wondering, the most common whistle I saw other than “cheapies” was Sindt D, followed by Burkes.
That reminded me of something I meant to mention…
At the St. Louis festival a huge majority of whistle players had Burkes. I’d say easily 75% and maybe higher. Michael Burke attends this festival every year and sells whistles, so maybe it’s not that amazing.
Two other things I forgot to mention.
First, our own Jerry Freedman’s tweaked whistles were warmly mentioned inLE McCullough’s class. Several people were playing those.
Secondly, Joanie Madden gave a HUGE plug for Chiff and Fipple. She wrote the address of the website on the blackboard, and said that anyone interested in whistle at all should really check it out.
Ha! LE is still wearin’ them white suits! I have the old white cover Tinwhistle Tutor book when he was sporting the aviators and muttonchops. Same suit!
Not a Burke that I can tell. I am not familiar with the old style, but enlarging the pic (as best I could) seems to show a green plastic molded fipple.
It looks like a Generation to me, so maybe you could buy a couple without breaking the auld bank!
But with such a classic suit, red shirt and hairdo, i’d think that whistle was airbrushed into the picture. Surely he was really holding a cigar? And surely that picture was taken in Florida?
Yup-- in Tambootie wood. I promised a customer I would try to have either LE or Joanie play it. I simply forgot in the case of LE, but Joanie was happy to oblige.
LE’s whistle was an unlabelled green headed cheapie which he loves. Nice clean yet traditional sound. He also had a Sindt and a Burke on hand which he played also. Joanie played her usual Riordan.
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