Hello! I am new to whistles and this board. My name is Kim, I live in Tulsa and I have been interested in whistles for a while now. I started wishing I could play one when I saw Picard “playing” on that Star Trek NG episode. I didn’t even know what it was he was playing!
Also, I loved the whistle in “Shakin’ Down the Acorns Vol.2” by Tony Elman. I’ve had that cassette for a long time! But I didn’t know what it was then, either.
Next, I heard that beautiful whistle in the The Lord of the Rings, Concerning Hobbits. I had to have that soundtrack! And that’s when I figured out what I was listening to.
But the final straw was John Mock playing the whistle in Michael Card’s “Starkindler; A Celtic Conversation across Time”. I have now purchased a Feadog D, with the accompanying CD and instruction manual, of course! I’m awaiting it’s arrival. I hope it’s a Mark III (see, I’ve been doing my homework!) If it’s not, well, I guess that’s a good excuse to buy another whistle.
Uh-oh…am I getting that disorder?
Kim
[ This Message was edited by: Kim in Tulsa on 2002-05-08 09:38 ]
Kim,
Welcome to the board and the great world of whistling! Congratulations on purchasing your first whistle. If you’re interested, here’s the info on Capt. Picard’s whistle:
Thank you! When I first figured out that what I was hearing was a whistle, I ran a Google search and found this site! I have read it every day since. I found the Star Trek info pretty quick. Pretty interesting stuff! I told my husband about it,because he’s known for a long time that the whistle episode is my favorite! It was nice to have a little background on it.
I mentioned on a Lord of the Rings board that I was planning on getting a whistle, and one of the ladies on the board thought it was such a good idea that she got one too…one of those tweaked Clarkes from the Whistle Shop.
One joy of the whistle is that it is one of the easiest instruments to start on, and yet one of the most expressive sounds around, as demonstrated by Jean-Luc Picard, the Lord of the Rings, and Harry Potter (did you see the whistling in Harry Potter?). It’s also a take anywhere play anywhere instrument, unlike the piano.
There are people on this board who have played nothing musical before, and many who play other instruments too, but we all keep coming back to the whistle for it’s all round versatility.
As a result, if you have any questions, there’s probably someone here who has been there before and will be only too glad to help.
Welcome to the board!
Martin said it so well & there are many experienced people to help. I can personally state that it’s been a real boon to me. There are many good people here. Enjoy!
I have not seen the Harry Potter movie, but I did see the whistle in LOTR. There’s a musician playing it in the band that’s playing at Bilbo’s Long Expected Party. It’s very quick and if you haven’t seen it about 20 times (like I have…I’m a fan)you might miss it.
I really love Tony Elman’s “O’Connell’s Lamentation” with the whistle. It’s something I would like to try. Here’s the music I found online…
Thanks! I noticed in one of your other posts that you mention a place called Arnie’s Bar that plays Celtic music. Is the place a bona fide bar or could you remotely consider it a restaurant? I’d love to go, but I go very few places without my kids! My eldest boy (6) has no idea who Britney Spears is, but can pick out a hammered dulcimer in a tune when he hears it! LOL
(Unfortunately, I think it’s only a matter of time with the Britney Spear thing. Ha!)
A Google search of Tulsa and Celtic didn’t turn up much. . .
Thanks for the messages of greetings, all! I’m glad to hear there are other whistle players in the Tulsa area!
I got my Feadog today and have been going over the 1st octave of D. I have a little (sometimes a lot) of trouble with the low D. It seems to want to squeal on me…like it wants to go on up to the higher D. I have found it’s worse when I am outside, and I wonder if it has anything to do with humidity? We have storms bearing down on us and it’s very heavy outside.
re: Low D problems, atmospheric & wind conditions can affect whistles a lot, they generally take very little air to play, so a small change in the air conditions can change things fast. Think of the actual amount of air inside a whistle compared to a Tuba. Trying to play in a crosswind is usually hopeless. See the chats about Fipple Shields and Fipple Guards, for people trying to solve this problem!
Low D on your Feadog would take the least air of all the notes, but with practise you’ll get the feel of how much air it needs, and be sure you’re relaxed when playing.
I also live in Green Country. You can buy Clarke Whistles (original and Sweetone, C and D) at Saied’s, on Yale, in Tulsa. And you can get Clarke originals at Firey Bros. Saied’s has also been known to carry those Feadog book/instrument/tape combos. Also, you can get those cheap (relatively wortheless) plastic pennywhistles (First Note) at Mardel’s on 31st and Garnett.
Those cheap ones probably aren’t really much cheaper than a real Clarke Meg ($3.00) which I noticed in the Lark in the Morning catalog that came in yesterday… http://www.larkinam.com
On 2002-05-10 18:20, Kim in Tulsa wrote:
I may get the 3 year old one of those cheap ones at Mardels…he came in a little while ago blowing on his toy golf club handle.
I’m letting the six year old play mine now and then…
Oh yes, and the Meg, I am certain is a very fine whistle. I just wasn’t aware they were out yet. My postings on Clarke’s message board show that I intend my next whistle to be a Meg. It’s a low-cost version of the Sweetone.