I don’t post often but I do read the posts often. I just read one where mutepoint does not like ITM and does not play ITM. I was quite surprised by this as I thought that this site is about the love and shared knowledge of ITM. HOW MANY OF YOU OUT THERE DON’T LIKE OR PLAY ITM? why/why not? Everyone is entitled to their own opinion but I just wonder what the reason for being on this site would be. How many more of you are out there? I know of flute players who don’t like the whistle but I’ve not come across anyone here that admits to not LIKING OR PLAYING ITM!
Point of clarity: this is not an ITM site as such. It is a music site originally founded on the love of the pennywhistle, and ITM happens to present to the world as the most active in the use of the instrument, so ITM is of course preeminent in representation here. Most whistlers play ITM and the like, so yes, it’s the default context. But as for the rest, there are Kwela players here too. Kwela is huge on pennywhistle. Then there are those - yer man mentioned above isn’t the only one, BTW - who have no interest in ITM but play what they like, on pennywhistle. You will have noticed posts about jazz playing.
This website, originally only about whistles, became so popular that over time it grew and unfolded into its other forums. Only a couple of them - the Uilleann Pipes Forum and the Irish Traditional Music Forum - can be said to be actually dedicated to ITM, and that is speaking loosely. The other forums? Not even so much, although ITM is often assumed, and not necessarily wrongly, to be the context. Well, except maybe in the Non-Uilleann Pipes Forum; you almost never get ITM discussion there. Most of those guys probably speak Italian as a second language, I’m betting. There is plenty of room for nonexclusionary discussion at C&F in general, and in the Whistle Forum in particular.
So anyway, if a Chiffer who plays whistle admits he or she doesn’t actually like ITM, so what? Big deal. All that means is that they’re left out of much of the discussions.
I’ve been really in and out of this forum over years, so I can’t really speak to what proportion of posts here in the main forum are ITM, but I could certainly enjoy more threads about 'whistling in a Breton, Galician, and Swedish context, among others. I’d also be particularly keen to know whether we have many 'whistlers playing Arabic, Turkish, or Persian music.
I don’t at all dislike ITM, but I have been listening to it less than I used to, while listening to more Appalachian/Old Time, Swedish, Scottish, etc. music, and I do play the tunes I learn from those on 'whistle as well. I actually don’t read much of the ITM threads even in the main Whistle forum; mainly I read more threads on different types of whistles, techniques, etc.
Dang, now I’ve got myself all inclined to go learn more Breizh _an dro_s on the 'whistle. I’ll have to dig in the archives and see when the last Breton 'whistle thread was, and if there’s none recent perhaps we can fire one up.
[offtopic] I read on Twitter an American fellow, saying Sean Bean was tough because he was Irish like him. Number one, Sean Bean is a Yorkshireman. Number two, if you were Irish, Mr American… you’d know your accents! [/offtopic]
Is it okay if I drink it cold? The room temperature thing just doesn’t work for me!
What nanohedron said.
I came to C&F to learn whistle/flute. Haven’t gotten to the flute yet. I had no particular feeling one way or the other about ITM. The first tune I learned was Down by the Sally Gardens. The second was An Roisin Dubh. The third was Ashokan Farewell. The fourth, Meditation from Thais, then Joe Cooley’s reel.
I have not found any specific bias toward ITM on this site. A little nudge once in a while maybe. As others have mentioned there’s a sub-forum for it. But I think anyone who doesn’t consider it as part of the learning process is missing a lot of really great fun and a phenomenal body of work. That so many cultures feature a fipple flute prominently in their musical lexicon makes it hard to ignore. I’ve never sat down with a group of musicians who didn’t welcome my whistle. And I’m not even that good. C&F exposed these possibilities to me. I had no idea.
You know, though, there’s a really, really good reason to pursue ITM-style whistle playing: technical mastery. ITM whistle technique is downright killer like no other, and mastering those chops and having them in your pocket is going to carry over to other musics when you want them. You don’t even have to play ITM in the long run, nor even make your stuff sound Irish at all. But you’ll have the chops, and they will never fail you.
Hey guys, don"t get me wrong. I am not judging anybody. I read lots of the posts and I enjoy lots of the non ITM discussions. I play “jazz”, folk, scottish, galician, newfoundland, breton, cowboy,etc. on the whistle. I’m just surprised that someone would claim not to LIKE ITM, on this site. For what it’s worth, I don’t like Rap or heavymetal so I don’t go to rap or heavymetal forums and tell the people there that I don’t like the music that they are discussing. I admire most musical styles and musicians! I’m just curious as to how many other CFers don’t like ITM. Surely there can’t be many on this site, if so, what are you here for? Lets just call it a poll. Do you like or dislike ITM?
I’m just surprised that someone would claim not to LIKE ITM, on this site.
It takes a certain type of personality to do that. That said, there are always a few people on C&F who make a point of doing so.
I always try to imagine what the reaction would be if I for example would make a point of declaring on every occasion I don’t play and detest Kwela. People would think I was being an arse about it. And they’d be right too.
Disclaimer : I do not detest Kwela, it was was it said : an example
That’s why that sort of commentary would be inappropriate in the ITM Forum. It would be outright trolling. But this is the Whistle Forum, and this thread came about as a reaction to a response to the question, “What’s Your Story?”, in another thread. It’s a fair question, sociable, and by its nature encompassing. Whatever it may be, an honest and pleasant-enough response to this, especially in the Whistle Forum, is not out of line.
Dale’s intent for this whole website is not just subject matter, but online socialisation in reasonable (and sometimes silly) fashion. That is the meat and potatoes of the whole shebang.
I play ITM 90% of the time, mostly on my keyless blackwood flute (on whistle and metal flute as well). I play classical music on a regular metal flute, but only when I’m paid to do so. ITM is so hard, particularly on flute, I don’t understand how others play all different styles and instruments. I feel I have to stay focused in order to be decent on the instrument in this genre; not enough time and energy to do otherwise.
About not liking ITM, I’m cool with that. There’s always room for all different types of styles and tastes. Why I’m obsessed with ITM fluting (whistling), I couldn’t tell you; it’s a mystery. I just go with it.
