It's just a tinwhistle, it ain't that hard to play! (RANT)

Whistle
21

Put me in the easy category…you know what I mean. Yes, there’s a valid point to be made about the difference between playing simple tunes and playing more complex stuff well, but the basic task of using this instrument to play simple tunes from the get go is a relatively easy one.

My example is the class of 29 ten and eleven year olds I teach. We started on Sweetones two weeks ago yesterday, and now have a repertoire of ten simple tunes. The day I handed them out, we played around with them for an hour. I assigned the task of learning the D scale and one simple tune that evening. We made a list of titles (mary had a little lamb, three blind mice, row row row, etc. with a starting note for each one) and I gave them a basic whistle tab sheet that only showed how to finger each note of the scale and the Cnat, which I pointed out was necessary for anyone brave enough to take a stab at Happy Birthday.

The next day the proof was in the pudding. All but two kids had a song to share, including a dozen versions of Mary had a little lamb, three playing Happy Birthday (complete with Cnat!), two playing the latest Shania Twain hit, and one who played a halting yet courageous version of Amazing Grace. Our tempo is approaching half the speed I’d like, but hey, we’ve come very far in a short amount of time.

As for playing complex stuff, our aim is tunes like Inisheer with a roll or two by the end of May. For these kids, that is what I’d consider very complicated, and we’re quite a ways away from that goal. We’ll play in class three times a week for 30-45 minutes throughout April and May, and we’ll practice at home for at least 40 minutes a week. We’ll do it. Well, most of us will, although I suspect we’ll have two or three holdouts who sit there and fake it, but that’s a sad reality, I think. We’ll see.

I can’t imagine we’d have accomplished this with many other instruments.

Jef
PS this year’s neat story came from the chap who came in with a home made whistle case to show me. “Hey, look at what my mom made for me!” he proudly proclaimed as he handed it over for my inspection. Nice case it was, although I could feel something foreign in there. “It even has a set of earplugs inside,” I said. He was surprised and said he hadn’t noticed. I’m pretty sure they belong to his mom. :slight_smile:

22

One thing about a piano is that when you press the C key, a perfect C comes out. It’s the playing of several keys at once, and in perfect time, that makes it hard.

Drums: now THOSE must be the easiest, because there are no notes, per se, only beats. Of course, as a classically trained drummer, who plays symphonic and concert band music, I know better. But a lot of people–musicians included–tend to belittle the lowly drummer as a musician. For a concert of Dvorak’s “Carneval” overture, I played tamborine. I mean, come on, tamborine? Like Josie and the Pussycat? People weren’t impressed, until I played the part, which requires a lot of shake rolls and double beats on the hand and knee. When we rehersed with percussion only, we got a lot of surprised and impressed looks.

As such I bet the bodhran players get abuse too. After all, it’s just ONE drum, played with ONE hand. Right?

23

Just to give Gunnar his due, trad flute is easier for me than whistle. Granted, I never touched a whistle until I was well along in my flute playing (I’m contrary like that :boggle: ), but the wee beasties terrify me. I have respect for good whistle players.

Best,
N

24

StevieJ wrote:

The whistle has to be one of the easiest instruments in the world.

Someone said that to me once, many moons ago, now I am coming up to old codger status and still think “when will this become easy?”
Not that I mind, that for me is the joy of whistle playing. Firstly the ease of getting the initial notes, then the effort of getting them into a reasonable sounding order.

Dave.

25

The Whistle is deceptively EASY only if you are EASILY pleased!
Yes,I know my postings on ‘Tinwhistle tunes’ are crap-but I have no shame! And many miles to go. :blush:

26

Well, I admit it, I do play whistle and mountain dulcimer because they’re simple. I actually took the whistle up after a few years toiling with the lever harp and learning maybe a couple of tunes with two hands. So, yes, for me, they’re certainly easier than harp.

I hacked at the dulcimer for probably four years before deciding to learn how to play it. But once it hit me, I was really bit, and I played before crowds several times and even made a few bucks at it. (And, playing traditional Appalachian style, you fret one string and the other two drone.) It DID take a lot of work to become good at it, but I think I was more willing to put in the work because initial progress was quick.

I think my progress with the whistle has been similar – a few years of noodling around, then discovering Brother Steve’s, slowdown software, and learning what one has to do to make the whistle sound good. Just like learning how to make the drones hum on a dulcimer.

As I said, simple isn’t necessarily easy. Just ask Richard Strauss how “easy” it was to write Thus Spake Zarathustra.

27

Me too, Steve! And all of them were wrong!

I agree that its one of the simpler instruments, but music of any sort isn’t easy or simple (hey, singing…no strings, tubes, valves or keys…I’ve had my ‘instrument’ for a couple of decades and still can’t make it sound decent musically even though I practice daily!).

28

Easy to get started on. Not so easy to completely master. Most instruments are like that. Keyboards, guitar and harp are dead easy to “chord along” on, but hard to master. The difference is that the whistle is almost entirely a melody instrument right from the start…so that kinda makes it an easier instrument overall.

29

I was drawn to the whistle because: 1. I knew nothing about music
2. the instrument was cheap, and therefore not a huge investment in case my desire was just a whim 3. I love the music that whistles can make.

Now that I have given the whistle a huge investment in time and effort:

  1. I now know much more about music 2. My whistles are getting more expensive every day, but now I know that it is a lasting love affair 3. I now love the music that I can make with the whistle.

I think that is is not so difficult perhaps as other instruments, but to play really well takes true genius and artistry, just as it does for any other instrument.

30

Celtoid, what can I say. Ditto on all points.

31

I must throw in my two cents cuz I always get the exact opposite, people think its hard to play whistle.
Me and my churchs worship leader were talking about whistles when he suddenly says “it looks like it must be a hard instrument to play”
All I could do was look at him weirdly and think to myself “you twist your fingers into all those convoluted chord patterns, go through all the pain of getting those callouses on your fingers and you think my dinky little tin whistle is hard to play?!?”
I got the same comments from the bassist, keyboardist (who got me hooked on tin whistle) and drummer, so I guess its all who your talking to :slight_smile:

32

I know what you’re talking about. Everyone who does not play one thinks drumming must be much easier than playing the real “music”. HA!!!

As a tenor drummer in a pipe band I can tell you we sure"get no respect".
The one time that changed was when a teacher outraged the pipers by integrating his class with lowly drummers.You would have thought we were lepers or something by their reaction when we walked into the room where he was teaching theory.

This very perceptive teacher asked the pipers to vocalize their part of a tune. They did. Then he asked them to vocalize the drum part of the tune. They couldn’t.

He asked the drummers to vocalize their part- they did. Then vocalize the piper’s part- they did. He then asked which group was more knowledgeable of the entire make-up of the tune?

His point was made and no more noses were upturned.

I must confess I am a former piper who "defected " to the drum corps.

33

It’s funny how relative this argument really is. I have a very talented musician friend who simply smokes on guitar; he thinks that tinwhistles ‘must’ be difficult to play. As a classical guitarist, trumpet, harmonica, and piano player myself, playing a simple single note melody is simple. I suspect it is it’s simplicity that allows for all the little rolls, taps, and crans and such that make it sound like its difficult, but we all know that once these are mastered you can make the simplest song sound amazing to the uninitiated. :smiley:
I was walking home from class the other night playing my whistle and was stopped by two people who wanted to know what I was playing. The first, a little girl, asked how hard it was to play. Another guy after another mile complimented and then said “it must be a difficult instrument to play.” I told both it was simple and cheap; they could pick one up for under $10, buy a little guide book and pick it up within a few weeks. Both looked at me as if I was insane. But really now, isn’t the whole appeal of the whistle the fact that it is fun and you can really get the thing sounding simply AWESOME without dedicating your life to it like you must a piano or guitar or violin? I know that is part of it’s major appeal to me…

34

Me Too

35

My reply line is always: “Easy to play, hard to play well … like a harmonica.” If they give me THAT look, I toss off a jig with WAY too many ornaments … then offer private lessons!

36

Up to a certain level of ability, I could see where whistle would be an easy instrument to learn on.

Past that level, you as the player have to start doing all the things for the whistle that it can’t do for itself, and at that point it can be quite challenging.

IMHO, of course…

–James

37

If you can get past C-natural and high D top finger off (except for when you don’t), the rest is a cakewalk.

Half of a class of eleven haven’t jumped the C-D bridge yet. But the lady who plays “upside-down” because of her arthritis is doing great!

Is there some way to get these d…ned emoticons off my d…ned computer screen? Is there some option switch or something beyond my Post-it Notes?