Ive been trying to learn the whistle firstly by trying to copy what I hear on cds and going to local sessions to watch and listen to the experts ! and more recently by delving into the confusing (to me) world of reading music. progress has been very slow but very enjoyable too.
I can now play around twenty tunes (mostly slow airs and a few of the more obvious tunes that most people associate with irish music such as some fureys stuff and dubliners etc) and now Im at a brick wall ! (again) can anyone explain or simplify ornamentation ? my tunes all sound a bit too regimentaland lacking incharacter` (if that makes sense?)
Ive also noticed some sheet music shows notes below D such as on when you were sweet sixteen`, can these notes be played on a D whistle.
Obviously I`m only a beginer, been playing for about six months, and feel almost foolish asking what must be really obvious questions !
I would be grateful for any help or tips.
ESOX
(I would have used my real name but someone has stolen it TONY)
For me, I went to Phil Hardy’s site. He has some tutorials for low whistle. Even though it is for low whistle, I found them to be really helpful. http://www.kerrywhistles You might also try a regular tutor. The Mad For Trad seem to be good tutors…although I haven’t had any experience with the whistle one. Also, this is a good site too http://www.whistletutor.com/ Hope that helps!
matt
Also, Grey Larson has a few books that have extremely detailed analyses of ornamentation and how they are/should be played. His book: here.
There are plenty of other books out there, as well.
Brother Steve also has an excellent website. You’re particularly interested in the section entitled, “Twiddly Bits.”
But, once you’ve figured out the basic “how-to” of ornamentation, nothing is going to help you more than listening to those recordings, and going to those sessions.
try getting the whistle chart off of this site getting it blown up and laminated also idiots guide to music makes a good reference but think of it as a dictionary trying to read it left me more confused than when i started also grey larsens book really helps ,some of the sheet music shows ornamentation as 1/16 notes and is impossible to follow he shows how to simplify playing and notating i modified what he suggests by using colored pencils[blue for taps red for cuts etc..]
You may want to explore the subleties of beat and timing in addition to adding ornamentation. I went on an ornamentation jag early on and all of my music sounded like the equvalent of an over-decorated christmas tree. I went back to basics and added little after that, focusing on how a note or a particular measure was doled out. It came out a heckuva lot more pleasant after that.
I still go thru streaks of sounding lifeless and flat (like yeserday) so that is when I put the thing down for a few days. Every time I give it a rest, I come back playing better.
Just because the sheet music says the note is below D doesn’t mean you can play it. If you’re on a D whistle with no extra holes that allow for a lower C#, you need to figure out something else to do.
It may be a great place for a breath, or mirroring the note and going up instead of down, or maybe jumping an octave. . .
but there is no note on the whistle below your bell note, unless you’re VERY accomplished at covering off some of the opening on the bottom of your whistle while playing a tune.
This can also be caused by too much tounging and not enough slurring. I would highly recommend a tutorial book such as Grey Larsen’s. Above all, keep having fun.
I would agree with the Grey Larsen recommendation—The Tin Whistle Toolbox. If you are working on your own, I think the way he presents ornamention is very helpful. There are photos of what you are supposed to do and sound clips on the CD so that you can hear what it sounds like when you are doing a “cut” too slowly and at the right speed. He doesn’t have real beginner tunes in there, but it sounds like you don’t need those or can find them on your own. He proceeds in a real organized way, so that you can learn just one thing and then move to the next. Some people like his approach, and some don’t. But for me it was very helpful.
Listening, as others have pointed out, is extremely important. I would set aside a certain amount of practice time to just listening. Sometimes if you don’t have time to listen to a whole CD, then a person just skips it. Better to listen a little bit than not at all. Even if you only have 15 minutes to listen, that is better than not listening at all!
