Since this is the first time I’ve walked in this pub (I’ve been peaking through the windows for a wail), the nice thing to do would be to introduce myself to the regulars. I’d buy you all a pint but good Belgian beer just doesn’t come in pints and anyway, I don’t think I can afford to buy all of the 5000+ members of C&F a pint (just silly excusses, I know).
I’ve been pretending to be a whistlerplayer for a few years now but I should practice a lot more. For some reason, most of the time I’m happy just holding or thinking about whistles and playing the few tunes I know and I just don’t have the ambition to learn a new tune every week.
BUT almost every time my girlfriend asks me what I’m thinking about, I have to answer: “Just whistles” or “About how I’m going to make my next whistle” so I might just fit in here. Especially since nobody else in belgium seems to be interested in whistles. I guess the are sold here mainly to fill the capodrawer of guitarplayers.
My secret to learning tunes (mostly Irish & English stuff) is to put them in sets and practise them that way. That way I learn two or three tunes for the cost of one memory storage spot, it seems.
Actually, you’re not really the first, I already met some people on my way in.
Mostly stuff out of my Clarks Tinwistlebook, some things I’ve figured out by ear and for som reason, sometimes, when I’m not paying attention, my fingers start to play “the lion sleeps tonight”, and I have no idea why, I don’t even like the song that much.
I should give that a try, great tip.
Yeah, you should come over to this side of the pond so we can pretend to be a band and go to the pub instead of practicing. (I’ve been in a band like that before, actually)
Actually they don’t brew much cider in Belgium, which is a petty. There is on brewery in Antwerp that makes all kinds of beers in scotish styles and they do have a fairly good cider called Adam’s Apple. I don’t know if they actually brew it in Belgium but its by a Belgian brewery. The brewery is John Martin by the way and it has quite a funny history: John Martin left his native England in 1909 because: quote:“only connoisseurs can appreceate beers like mine”
I would brew my own cider, I’ve been planning to do that for quite some time, but I don’t have room to put all the things I would need for it. I really like cider and I like to mess with things untill they are good, but making cider shall have to wait untill i move to a slightly bigger place.
I’m just back from france and, allthough its different, they really know how to make cider there, especially in Normandy.
I mostly come here for the friendship of others, having pretty much all of my spare time spent on other pursuits. Still, I love the music, which I learn a lot about.
Welcome, Rob! It’s always nice to have new blood…ummm, I mean new FACES here in the Pub I think that most of us can relate…I pretend to play the whistle too, although after a rather long hiatus, I’ve decided to start practicing again (don’t tell anyone though…everyone here thinks I’m a master whistler ). We’re glad that you jumped right in…pull up a chair and have a pint or two
On another note, I have a question about this for John:
There is a way to do this without having to type all the stuff back in??? In other words, is there an easy way to do a split quote, and is it anything like a split infinitive (which is something I have never completely understood…)
When you hit the quote button the post starts with something Like quote=“Whoever” in square brackets and ends with /quote in square brackets. When you’ve deleted the bits you don’t want just copy and paste that front bit to where you want the parts to start and the end bit to where you want them to end. Then you can type in your own comments in the gaps. (you realise of course that Gary Kelly is gonna widdle himself laughing at us when he finds out we didn’t know how to do it. )
There’s no need to fully understand split infinitives as that rule doesn’t need to really be follwed.
I think that most of us can relate…I pretend to play the whistle too, although after a rather long hiatus, I’ve decided to start practicing again (don’t tell anyone though…everyone here thinks I’m a master whistler 
). We’re glad that you jumped right in…pull up a chair and have a pint or two 
)
