Another post about whistlers in the UK inspired me to wonder how many C&F members have had formal training, specifically in whistle. And I suppose a second question would be, how many have had ANY formal instruction. I have to admit that I’ve had some as a kid, which helped me a lot when I bumped into the whistle later in life.
Hi E=Fb! I am self-teaching (by choice) on the whistle. I could probably find an instructor, but I can’t understand the music theory or sight read so I’ll settle for informal tips here and there and playing by ear. having fun!
Slan
-Paul
I am self-taught on whistle and hammer dulcimer. My degrees are in music education, music theory, and composition.
I hope to have my first whistle ‘lesson’, this coming weekend, at a workshop near Gettysburg, PA.
Best.
Byll
Had a couple of years with Bill Ochs on whistle in NYC, but no other formal training.
Philo
I played and had lessons, band classes, and made some cash in a semi-professional jazz band on the Alto sax.
I’ve self-taught myself whistle, flute, guitar and mandolin, but because of those early years on the sax I’m much better with wind instruments than anything with strings…
Took lessons, went to workshops,
helped me a lot!
I’ve taken lessons for a couple of years now and it’s really made all the difference for me. Some people do better with self taught than others, but I’m the kind that learns faster from watching someone.
I am a self taught whistle player, with the help of books. I must say that the Bill Ochs book with cd has been the most help. I’ve found that whistle tunes are like pipe tunes-written one way, but not always played exactly as written and being able to hear how the tune should go is a trememdous help.
I had years of training in music all through my youth, starting on piano at 7 and continuing with this and other instruments through high school and college. Later, training on GHB and tenor drum and continue with these. If I could find a whistle teacher I’d love to have lessons.(Maybe one day I can afford Swannanoah)
I can imagine it would be much harder if I did not have this grounding in music and had to “start from scratch”.
Self-taught on the whistle, but have had a lot of other formal music instruction, from piano and guitar as a kid to a lot of vocal stuff as an adult.
Redwolf
Formal training on orchestral flute, Baroque flute, and recorder.
Until a few years ago was self-taught on whistle and Irish flute, then starting taking Scoiltrad lessons.
It has made a lot of difference in my playing. I can’t say enough good things about them.
By the way, for me at least, advanced formal training on classical studies did almost nothing for me as far as learning Irish trad. Your mileage may vary.
Best,
–James
http://www.flutesite.com
I used to be a trumpet player. Had formal lessons on it up to first year college. Joined the Navy, got out, and for four years had one hour lessons every Friday in college, on flute.
-No formal instruction in whistle.
-Formal school choir and viola training, group guitar classes, and pick-up learning from contra-dance band cronies in mandolin,
backup guitar, whistle and old-time banjo.
-Not to “dis” the training, but listening to good recorded or live music probably has as much to do with getting a good musical ear as playing. Instruction, however, can instill confidence in a newby that regular practice will lead to good music on any instrument.
- My “Aha, I want to sound like that whistler!” moment came when hearing
Billy Novick on the "Yankee’s Revenge " medley on the David Bromberg “Midnight on the Water” album
about twenty five years ago. He really cuts loose nicely on the Drowsy Maggie section.
Brian O.
[ This Message was edited by: brianormond on 2002-10-20 11:23 ]
Somebody whistled
“Another post about whistlers in the UK inspired me to wonder how many C&F members have had formal training, specifically in whistle. And I suppose a second question would be, how many have had ANY formal instruction.”
None 
)
But I can read sheet music, which I print out if I like the tune, and want to learn it.
E.g. hearing a tune I like, I’ll look for it on say JC’s abc database, listen to the midi,
and print out the sheet music version, which I use to practice from, listening to the midi or a downloaded mp3 as necessary to remind me.
I learned the spaces FACE (bottom to top),
and the lines EGBDF (bottom to top).
Playing the notes to the tune taught me what the black/clear/dotted notes meant. There are plenty or sites on the 'net anyway.
“What ever works for you”, is my motto.
I play whistle(s) 98% of the time, but can play guitar, ocarinas, didjerido (tuneable for key)for bass in some sessions, autoharp.
All self taught with lots of practice (17 years)and perserverance.
So if I can, then anyone can 
HTH
Dam typo!
No whistles were harmed in the transmission of this communication.
[ This Message was edited by: Easily_Deluded_Fool on 2002-10-20 11:49 ]
Formal training in voice and clarinet… self-taught on the whistle. After reading so many good things about Scoiltrad, I’m really considering doing that now.
Andrea ~*~
Formal on the clarinet (I think Columbus was the teacher) and some piano;six lessons on the Boehm flute. Self taught chromatic harmonica, sax, whistle and Irish flute (except one lesson from Bill Ochs and one symposium with Skip Healy and John Skelton).
Reading sheet music and using MP3 (as has been mentioned) is the way to go for me. I intend to follow up lessons with Skp Healy on the flute but he’s in Rhode Island and I’m on Long Island, NY. I’ll make a two day trip and try for three lessons.
6Ps can’t be beat!
BillG
Started taking piano lessons at age 6.
Started taking guitar lessons at age 15.
Graduated from Berklee College of Music with guitar as my “principal instrument”.
I consider Shannon Heaton of the band Siucra to be a mentor. Shannon is a master fluter and whistler (Won the Chicago regional once).
At this point where whistle is concerned… I would say that Mary Bergin is my main “teacher” as I’m in the process of learning all the tunes by ear of her first record Feadog Stain. Every once in a while I check in with Shannon to get her critique in terms of interpretation and variation.
Blayne
I have no training in any instument, can only just barely read sheet music, and generally just hack my way through anything I want to learn. Luckly I just play for my own amusement! 
Oddly enough, just about ALL my friends have formal training on one instrument or another and regularly play in local concert bands. I was always the odd one out.
Snuh
No formal whistel training, I went to a group class for 3 weeks, but just to learn tunes, not to learn how to play.
I still play guitar & mandolin occasionally (guitar more so recently), and played violin and clarinet as a boy.
One thing I don’t get - everyone agrees you should be comfortable and relaxed to play, whatever style of music, but my violin, guitar and mandolin teachers all tried to get me to hold the instrument in a very uncomfortable way (for me) that totally screwed me up and made me nervous, on edge, and gave me hand cramps after only a few minutes of playing.
I know there’s a “right way” to hold an instrument, but for me the wrong way worked fine, I could get all the notes, and the “right way” didn’t, I couldn’t play above 5 minutes without finger, hand and wrist pains.
I guess that most Irish Trad players were more or less self taught (I’m thinking before the current wave of popularity of this music); they just picked up the family instrument, worked out where the notes were, and played, probably holding the thing all wrong, but nobody cared, and nobody tried to show them the right way.
If I want to play a whistle through my nose, or hold a fiddle bow between my knees and run the fiddle up and down against it to get the notes, what does it matter, if the music is free and flowing?
Formal non-traditional (no classical music) piano lessons from the age of 8 until 16. A friend taught me some guitar, and for the major part self-teaching myself the whistle, with great help from Brother Steve’s site.
~Larry
On 2002-10-21 06:28, Martin Milner wrote:
I guess that most Irish Trad players were more or less self taught (I’m thinking before the current wave of popularity of this music); they just picked up the family instrument, worked out where the notes were, and played, probably holding the thing all wrong, but nobody cared, and nobody tried to show them the right way.
I think that while it may have happened in a few cases, the youngster able fo a tune was immediately sent off to a senior player to learn the ropes, most traditional musicians, especially the older ones, are extremely particular about how things should be done, way of bowing, ornamentation and how to hold the instrument.