Hello, I am new to penny whistles and this forum and wanted to say hi. I just recently became interested in music/flutes about a year and a half ago. I can’t read music and so far I have only played the native american flute. A friend of mine has gifted me an irish penny whistle. It should be here I think this Wednesday because it is coming from Alberta Canada to the US.
Since I was so excited to get a gift, i looked at many youtube videos on how to play some traditional Irish songs and I was very surprised how fast most of the songs are. I hope some day I can play I can play some of those tunes. But I most certainly will try. I found a lot of tutorials from tradelessons.com. Since I can not read music those are going to be extremely helpful to me.
The penny whistle to me sounds a lot like some of the smaller NAF’s I have and have that haunting wonderful sound that I like. I am part Choctaw and a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. I understand the Choctaws played a role in Irish history during the Irish potato famine. So I will try to honor that music as best as I can even though I play too slowly lolz.
Anyway. I wanted to say hello and I am eager to read and participate in this forum in the future.
You might like to start by learning some slow airs rather than the faster tunes - there’s plenty of music that can be played on a whistle to suit all musical tastes and abilities.
Hello Choctaw, and welcome!
Irish Trad Music is lots of fun to play and a great joy to listen to.
I’m told that the way to play fast is to play slow and perfectly, and bringing your
tempo up slowly enough that you can still hit every note. I’m working on it myself.
Trad lessons is a great place to start, many ITM players don’t read notes.
Its up to you whether or not you’d like to but, no biggie.
If you are going to learn by ear/sight then slow-downer programs may help.
The Amazing Slowdownrer, Audacity, Windows Media player and others are options.
Check the Tradional Tech board of this forum for more.
I’m something of a histrory reader, though there is plenty I don’t know.
The Choctaw-Irish Potato Famine story is one that I have complete ignorance on.
Could you give a link, or a book, or?
Oh, one more thing. Many of use here are obsessive whistle collectors, what is your whsitle?
Anyways, welcome to the wonderful world of tin whistles!!
Welcome. Play whatever kind of music you would like on your whistles at whatever speed you like. I do. Please play some of your NAF music on your whistle and see if you like the change in perspective it brings. Tell us what you think. I rarely play fast, and definitely not as fast as in those videos. I live in the slow lane and am enjoying the ride.
Alright, another NAF player! I started playing the Native American Flutes before pennywhistle as well. I still love the flutes but my whistles get played much more. I even use my low D to play NAF style music sometimes. It has a similar sound if done properly. Anyway, I think you should really enjoy the whistle. Don’t worry about speed at first. Just get used to the instrument for a few weeks and start off slow. It may take months to get up to a fair speed but it doesn’t matter. Enjoy the music and the journey, no matter the pace.
There are a few books on the subject at amazon. The Choctaw language department which I am a student of also sells the book. http://store.choctawschool.com/
Choctaw, I recommend a search for Micho Russell. Here’s one YouTube video to get you started: http://youtu.be/y9eC_MYp-5I
Not that he was a slow player, but to my rookie ears his style was heavier on the rhythm and phrasing and less on the twiddly bits.