Learning Tin Whistle - Lesson recordings, Bill Ochs

Whistle
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Hi everyone,

I have just started 2 weeks past to learn Tin Whistle. Putting the finger mechanics in place for the notes is slowly coming together I know I’d have been a lot more frustrated at my slow progress if I hadn’t already been learning/playing guitar. I understand the rewiring of the grey matter to translate sighted note to movement to audio just takes time :slight_smile: Anyways I have just recorded my first lesson song from the tutorial ‘Katie Bairdie’ other than the previuos ‘Oranges and Lemons’ this was the lesson that stumped me for a while my recording can be listened to here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6AKzC3h9-A Comments critique or general banter welcome.

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Hey Jleo Fipple!!! I am at lesson ten right now, on the tune called Yankee Doodle. I think that is a very well known tune in USA. Am I correct? It’s a very funny tune as well.

Speaking to another beginner I think that you are doing fine!!

One thing that I notice in your tune is that the rhythm is just a little bit different than the original version on the Bill Ochs’ CD. I’m not sure, that’s just a beginner opinion :smiley:

I want you to post more often, because it really helps you to improve your skills. When you record your on versions and listen to it, and than listen at the original one you can “see” where you have to get better!

Keep whistling!! :slight_smile:

Big Hugs from Brazil folks!

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Thanks for your reply :slight_smile: the tempo of my recording is a lot slower than the cd version but I think the rhythm is pretty close at least I’m hoping it is.

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i dont have that book yet and dont know the cd but in my (german) beginners book that tune is one of the first tunes as well and so i know it (also from a cd)

  • i would say Jleo Fipple`s version is better played, dont ask me why its difficult to describe as i am a beginner as well but it sound less like played by a beginner its more “fluent” the “blowing” and the rhythm fits better

  • and i am wondering, is that all? in my book thats just the half of the tune, the second part is different

anyway isnt it a nice little song? i know its a childrens song but when i heard it for the first time, i thought "i want to know to play that one, it dont sound like “just an easy beginners tune” :wink:

by the way , have you the tune “Me A Gar Eur Goulmik” in that book? id be interested if that tune is different in that book too

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Hi GW, thanks for replying, commenting and encouraging :slight_smile: Katie Bairdie in Bill Och’s book is only 4 bars long you must have a more complete version. What is your book named? With regards to “A Gar Eur Goulmik” (I Love A Turtle Dove?) I can’t find it is it traditional?

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Hi

the book i am using is a tutorial in german language
its called “tin whistle workshop 1”
well the title could be better and the book too (i wouldnt even call it a book its handmade copies badly bound) and it even written sloppy…but its good for one thing, it teaches you read music

i bought my first whistle years ago and didnt learn much with the little paper wich came with the whistle, i was searching the internet for a tutorial teching me reading music and playing flutes or whistles…but there wasnt any good one … so i stoped playing the whistle

now, maybe 2 month ago, i remembered my whistle and searched again for a tutorial
many people did recoment this tutorial (wich was written since that time), … and yes it teaches me reading music, it could be better but it works

the song “Me A Gar Eur Goulmik” or “Me Anvez Eur Goulmik” or “i Love a turtle dove” is sond no.11 in my tutorial and i just did learn it in the last 2 days and it is very beautifull
you can hear a version like in the tutorial i am using here (its not me, but same tutorial used i guess)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eABJRlncIAQ
different versions but very interesting
here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-yL4oKnicY
and here
http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B002FEM6JW/ (click to listen to soundfile on that site)
i did ask because most times those beginner songs are the4 same and i wouldnt be surprised if the author of my “workshop” did have a look at bill ochs book before :wink:
so i thought mnaybe its in your book too
and yes i think its a traditional a bretonic traditional but i find nearly nothing about it in the net

oh before i forget it, how did u know its sometimes called “i Love a turtle dove”?

i will ceck if i find a longer version of katie bairdy somewhere and or i will record it myself (but i dont feel good enough for public recordings already :wink:
anyway i could send the sheet music if u can read it

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Ok, i recorded a quick Version too
I thought that i will have to try it many times for a version good enough for a public audience :wink: and I was so surprised that I made so few mistakes in the first try, that I forget to repeat the second part (that one which isn’t in your version) so from 24 sec to 30 sec it should be repeated, but I am happy that it was so easy, and so I am presenting my first recorded version of Katie Bairdie on the whistle

I played it in the speed like on the CD coming with that tutorial I use

Dont be surprised about the sound of my whistle, cause I didn’t want to wake up the neighbourgs (its nearly 4 am here),
I played my whistle in its silent-mode (you can do that with the parks whistle but than it get very breathy, well i even like it but its maybe strange for your ears)

please be critiqual with me but not with the whistle cause its great, i just cant play it well :wink:

After recording I did listen to all our 3 versions and I noticed that your 2 versions are even different from the notes
Here are the links for all our versions for easy comparing

Katie Bairdie by Marco
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kH7Ex6bM9Kw&feature=plcp
Katie Bairdie by JLeo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6AKzC3h9-A
Katie Bairdie by German Whistler
http://www.andreas-fischer-privat.de/no-fo/soundfiles/whistle-katie-bairdie.mp3
the extra part beginns at sec24 (i dont know if its suposed to be there or not in original)

looks like JLeo and i Play it different that Marco
it seems he play the second sequence wrong (e,f,g,e,f,g, instead of … e,f,g,(f),e,f,g
… thats what i did mean Marco (in your thread https://forums.chiffandfipple.com/t/my-tin-whistle-learning-youtube-channel/82612/8), you run to fast through the lessons, you should take time to master each lesson and dont forget some notes by hurying :wink:
but hey, i made some errors too, thats why i said, i dont feel good enough for public recordings yet and id prefere to exercise a while more and than present a good recording
anyway, this way now we can show our develloping better :wink:

Also I have written down my notes and have marked red what marco plays different and blue is the extra part which isnt in your tutorial, this way its maybe easier to see what i mean
Here it is

well now its time for bed I guess … or should i go into complete silent-mode and whistle a bit? :wink:

p.s. i wonder if ever some beginnes have talked so much about their first tunes, in this forum, as we do, … anyway this way we learn and develop

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Good posts GW, B. Ochs notation for Kate B is different from your book see image below but would still sound similar. Thanks for the extra bars I’m going to use those in my practice :slight_smile: I derived the English name for ‘I love a turtle dove’ from doing a search but was unable to find free notation for the tune. Going by the You Tube vids you posted it’s an ideal starter song.

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Yes!!! I’m wrong at it :blush: I totally missed that F# :blush: I’ll make another video when I come back to my home this week. It’s so sad to be aware of your whistle. Hahaha

Thank you very much GW!!! I would never see this mistake an my rhythm and tempo are wrong as well. I’m afraid that all other tunes are wrong too!! :boggle:

I think that this time I’ve learned what you wanted to say GW :sunglasses:

Thank you very much GW and Jleo!!!

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well,… whooo its good thats its weekend, cause i took some time for what follows

but first let me answere:

oh yes i see those pointed notes, strange that its different, isnt it?

well i am not sure if that part realy belongs to that song in original or if its just a “germen version”, but its a nice part and for me the more difficult one, last night for the recording it was the first time i got it nearly right :wink:
after some hours practise today i was able to get it right once more … i still have to practise as well

oh yes it is … see what comes later (down below - sheet music and midi file)

you didnt take your whistle with you? i even took mine to the hospital but ok i can use it in siltent mode :wink:
about that little “f” that can happen, better now than in your first concert :wink:

dont worry, all 3 of us made mistakes, Jleo is to slow, i am to fast (i discoverd today), you forgott one note, we all made mistakes with the rhythmn, we all have problems with that part where it goes; d,f,a,e,d, i make most times a break after the short “a” wich i shouldnt and i heard it in your versions too i think
anyway, all thats normal, but if we practise those songs again and again and even again … one day we will play them not just correctly but also very nice and it will be very easy for us… than we should record them :wink:
untill now, all your whistling in those videos realy sound like a beginner to me, thats what i did mean in your thread and in the youtube comment


so and NOW;
even if the thread is about bill ochs book and that “me anvez eur goulmik” tune isnt in it
but because jleo seemed to like it
i did get myself a new programm for writing musicsheets on the pc, did some work and even created a midi file of that sheet

and here we go
the sheets:

700×952 110 KB

the “www.-note” is just cause, u know, google will list jpgs under the picturesearch and cause i had a lot of work i think i should “sign it” :wink: everybody feel free to copy it

and here the MIDI file
http://www.andreas-fischer-privat.de/no-fo/soundfiles/me-anvez-eur-goulmik-me-a-gar-eur-goulmik-af771965-www-andreas-fischer-privat-de.mid
(hope its helpfull but u know i am still not a friend of recordings for the public :wink:):
the midi is faster than on cd of my tutorial but i think faster it sounds nicer and i play it that way … and yes i have to say i play the quarter notes much longer as in the midi, but i hope thats ok and i can call it “interpretation” :wink:

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Katie Bairdie

It’s basically London Bridge Is Falling Down, isn’t it?

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i guess, yes
here you find some info, your english is better than mine :wink:
http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/scotlandssongs/about/tunes/marches/index.asp
scroll down to the end there yould find it

…
The tune was later used for Scottish children’s songs. The best known tune is called ‘Katie Bairdie’.

About 120 years ago a version of the song without the Scots snap was created in England, using an old children’s song to fit the tune. Try singing or playing the first part of the tune with all the bouncing dotted and semiquaver notes turned to an even rhythm of quavers. You’ll notice that the tune becomes ‘London Bridge is Falling Down’.

but i am not sure if all above on that site is about the same tune?

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It is London Bridge… with a variation… weeeeeehh

Lots of Trad Music has Different Variation which make it cool.

Hi GW, I was listening to your clip. It sounds breathy and plasticky what is the whistle that you use?

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well, Id like to know where this variation comes from …

my whistle sounds plasticly?
must be because its silent-mode
like i said:" Dont be surprised about the sound of my whistle, cause I didn’t want to wake up the neighbourgs (its nearly 4 am here),
I played my whistle in its silent-mode (you can do that with the parks whistle but than it get very breathy, well i even like it but its maybe strange for your ears)"
its a Parks Every Walkabout in D

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A PVC whistle. Now that explains the plastic sound.Silent mode? Like some adhesive tape blocking the wind blade? Now that explains the strong breath and little sound coming out, making it more plasticky. Is a Park a loud whistle?

I went to the website and the sound is not that plasticky, though not metalic sound. If you can play without the silent mode,please share the clip as well so I can compare the sound. On silent mode to me it sounds more of a recorder than a whistle. :smiley:

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well i call it so :wink:
i think Carey Parks calls it “Tone Rong”
see his website: http://www.parkswhistles.com/WalkaboutWhistle.html
he is also in this forum
here is a video wich shows how to tone ring works: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfgdUv41u98

and is it loud?
Oh yes … and not, both… from very loud to “just some air” …its breathy and not,…
as i said before … be critical with me, not with the whistle, i just cant play it well yet

as u can see in my signature i have 6 whistles (untill now)
and i just compared it again … its clearer (and more breathy when in silent mode) as the others
but even the sound of the meg i could describe as plastic but also as metal, i wouldnt know
the parks is very clear if u ask me, clearer than a recorder (but nicer ;-.)) … well i cant describe it, i am to new to that

anyway, its very easy to play, it sounds very nice to me (ok, most whistles do sound nice to me) and its durable its loud and its silent and… its just a wonderfull whistle

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GW, thanks for the music notation and midi file, A very nice little tune I’ve been playing it this afternoon on my new ‘Dixon Trad Brass D’ that arrived this morning. A very different/clean sound compared to the Clarke Sweetone I’ve been playing. The ‘Dixon Trad Brass D’ is notably easier to play into the E and F octave with G getting there with a little more air. The ‘Dixon Trad Brass D’ overall i find it is much easier to play :slight_smile:

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While it might well to you, that makes no sense whatsoever to me!

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Later in the Ochs tutorial, check out “Will You Go to Sheriff Muir” (in the Strathspey section).

The A part is Katie Bairdie, as well as the last measure of the B part.

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got a recording ? :wink:

thats how it was for me when i got the parks whistles
i was used to the waltons and clarke whistles, very nice and different but tha parks is much more different, its just like the other side, maybe its the difference between inexpensive and expensive whistles? the easyness to play…whatever i love them all, every one for its speciality

maybe this depends on my recording wich sounds to him recorderlike and i said it sounds this way cause i played it in the “silentmode” wich changes to sound, it gets breathier

so the tune “katie bairdie” wich is also “london bridge is faling down” is also part of another song?
do i get that right?