Great Highland Bagpiper wants to learn Irish

Hey there PPle

Ok im new here…so be gentle!

Im a piper. I have heard the recording of Heviea , who plays irish bagpipes, GHB, and of course the Irish Tin Whistle. I have brought myself a Tin Whistle ( Generation , in the key of C ).

How do i play it??? one thing i have noticed is that is has consideribly less holes than the GH Bagpipe. I have got a healthy interest in particullay Irish pipes and absoultly love the reels hornpipes etc , the tone of a tin whistle is so “warm”.

So , i might sound a little thick here , but is there anyone out there that can give me a little guide on where to start etc. I know the basic notes on the whistle…the fingering etc…but im confused when it comes to the different keys. , now is ANY whistle able to play all these diff keys , or, do i have to play in the key of C with my whistle , and tunes are written only with the notes required for the key of C?

ANY help would be greatly appreciated!

Kind Regards

Craig

Craig, the whistle forum is probably the best place to go to ask these questions. You can play a number of keys on your whistle by using cross-fingering, but by and large you would want to pick up several whistles in various keys. There are lots of good books, videos, CD ROMS available if you don’t have a local teacher.

djm