Hi! I haven’t posted here in a while–in fact, I haven’t played in a while. I came to the conclusion sometime between last spring and this fall that trying to do a double major and play two instruments (sax and whistle) on the side wasn’t feasible if I wanted to give each instrument the attention it deserved, so I made the decision to set the whistle aside and come back to it after graduation when I could pretend I had more time (emphasis on pretend–delusions are wonderful things). However, it appears I’m going to be taking it up again sooner than expected because I’m spending my year abroad in Ireland and, in light of that, really can’t justify not.
So, in short, how does one (re)begin after having barely played for seven or eight months?
If you have a head full of Irish tunes that are just dying to come out, then just pick up the whistle and have a go. Your Sax should have you wiggling your fingers and controlling your breath pretty quick.
If you don’t have a head full of Irish tunes then you need to put them in there. Scour the net and download whatever stuff you like and buy CD’s of the folks you like. Then listen, listen, and listen some more. Only listen to Irish music. Listen until you can recognize who’s playing by their style. While you are filling your head with Irish music, play non-Irish songs you know (on your Sax?) on the whistle to get familiar with the instrument. I wouldn’t try to learn the music and the instrument at the same time. Just like if you were trying to develop a (fake?) Irish accent you’d have to really listen to how they speak. Well, you are trying to develop an Irish accent when you play. It’s not the notes, it’s how they are played.
I’ve played whistle with lots of stopping and restarting, and I’ve found the best thing about re-starting is that it’s an excellent opportunity to break old bad habits or institute new ones. When restarting, old habits are as weak as they’re ever going to be, and and since playing is going to feel a little awkward and unfamiliar for a while anyway, why not overlap the awkwardness of learning of a new habit?
This year I used restarting as an opportunity to change which finger I hold the whistle with when I play C# (I suffer from dinky pinky syndrome). I used to use B3, but decided that B2 works better because it allows me to move thru the notes of A chord more gracefully.
In the past I’ve used restarting to quit tounging everything, and (unsuccessfully) to try using my pinky to brace the whistle.
Been there, done that (not the sax part - keys have always confused me). Just opick up a whistle you like(d) an start. Your fingers remember much more than you might think. And…
enjoy.
Along with the immersion that Carey suggested, I’d recommend going to some sessions since you’ll want to do that in Ireland. Listen to everything, play whatever tunes you know. And definitely, have fun. We call it PLAYING the whistle for a reason.
This sounds very much like me. When I first started playing the whistle, I was trying to relax from learning for my finals. When my exams were over, I dropped playing the whistle as I was too tired in the evenings, plus there was too much going on: writing applications, getting started on a new job, catching out with friends… and then there was my clarinet. Go figure.
Now I still haven’t got much time to spare, but after a four months long break I’ve picked up the whistle about two weeks ago and decided to really learn how to go about playing it. I bought a book and started to discover just how many bad habits I’d already developed and used the opportunity to get rid of them. Just like squidgirl, I’ve stopped tonguing and learned how to put down my right pinky to steady the whistle. While tonguing isn’t much of an issue anymore, I’m still occasionally taking my pinkie off the whistle… Old habits die hard, so a longer pause is an opportunity to get rid of them as they are not so much engrained in your memory anymore.
I picked up a whistle for the first time in many months last night after hearing Mhairi’s Wedding on a TV programme. After a couple of abortive attempts and a good few minutes humming the tune to myself, I was able to play through it with no problems.
So my suggestion is to start by picking up songs you already know how to play and don’t try and force it too much. As long as the tune is in your head your fingers will remember what they’re supposed to do even if you don’t.