Play along with John Williams. You’ll sound better right away! 
Two from the Sunday session:
Thanks to my friend Donald, who’s playing guitar here, for recording these.
So, what surefire methods do you have?
Carol
No surefire method, but my favorite album to play along with is Jack and Charlie Coen. It gives the feel of being in the kitchen with them just playing along. I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of Delta blues musicians love playing along with Robert Johnson for the same reason, although IIRC that was a motel room.
Excellent! Thanks for those!!!
That has to be great fun. Sounds that way. Thanks for those.
Thx! I love good-quality session recordings.
I personally like to play along with various recordings…e.g. with the Silver Spear set on Liz Carroll’s CD “Lost In The Loop” (track #12), Liam O’Flynns “Humour” sets on the “Pipers Call”, Brian Mac Aodha’s entire CD “Throw Away The Keys” etc. etc. … there are many. Unfortunately I have to slow down the very most of them as they’re simply too fast… 
but I get lots of practise by doing that, so it’s just fine.
And here I thought you were going to tell me to actually pick up my whistle and play, Carol 
Excellent clips! Thanks for sharing them.
Playing by myself works for me. Much like singing in the shower. I’m wonderful that way.
The Cúil Aodha Jig! One of my very favoritest chunes (so long as the fiddlers don’t play it in A, anyway 
). Got a pet set of my own that I start with that one 
A very nice tune set you have there, Carol. The Bank of Turf is another favorite (although I don’t play it much for some reason), but the middle jig is unfamiliar to me. Got a name on that one?
Well done!. Yes, a tune list of both sets would be nice.
Thanks for listening and sharing the fun. The jigs are Cuil Aodha/Monk’s Jig/Bank of Turf (thanks, StevieJ, for the inspiration) and the reels are Chicago/Bird in the Bush/O’Rourke’s/Silver Spear.
Nano, tell us your set!
Btw, I hope everyone knows I was just kiddin’ about sounding better instantly. I’ve been playing for about 5 years and I expect it will be another 5 before I start to get it, if I ever do. But playing with folks who do is really fun.
Carol
Listening to great pipers piping while sipping…
… it is important to note that the effect is temporary and usually replaced by a headache the next morning. 
I just knew alcohol or practice would sneak into this thread eventually!
I like alcohol WHILE practicing 
The Cúil Aodha (Gmaj), Sculley Casey’s (Em), and The Humors of Kiltyclogher (Q mixollaneous…Dmix, I suppose you could nail it down as, if you needed to). Got the first one from Tommy Keane’s piping on The Wind among the Reeds, the second from Larry Nugent’s fluteplaying on Two for Two, and the third from Danú’s stirring conclusion of the song “Green Brooms” on Think before You Think. I think Danú render it “Kill Clogher”.
Even though The Humors of Kiltyclogher is really a slide, it works okay with the first two despite their being double jigs.
I’ll tend to play Bank of Turf followed by Geese in the Bog and then Fasten the Leg in Her.
Much to my chagrin, but happily for my pocket, my twirly/playworthy threshold is way low. Repeated home experiments have confirmed this. At a session I’ll nurse a pint for three hours, and four has been known - but that’s really more about being seduced by the tunes enough to forget that the pint’s sitting there looking at me. People are so used to my glacial drinking pace by now that bemusement, commentary and raised eyebrows ensue on the occasions that I get a second pint or a wee dram.
It drives some of the servers crazy. One of 'em last evening kept looking like she was going to crawl out of her skin from disbelief every time she saw my glass. Because I usually just have one, I make a point of tipping well, but for all that she looked as if she wanted to take the glass and make me drink up. It was a subtle thing, but there was no mistaking it.
Working up a good sweat before drinking, and then maintaining said sweat while boozing and playing does make a difference… or so I have found.
Next time that happens, flatulate really long and loud… she won’t be back… nor will the rest of the sessioneers either. 
Joseph, I just looked up the definition for “charm”, and to none of my surprise, your picture was beside it.
You flatter me sir.