In search of my never ending goal of becoming a better whistler I ran into a few questions on Learning Tunes and Breath Control.
Learning Tunes: What recommendation do you have for practicing or learning new tunes? I’m currently learning a tune called the Silver Spear and it is coming along relatively easy. Whereas the Drowsy Maggie really took a big effort for me to learn and I still don’t have it quite right. Is there some sort method or recommended process or progression that new whistlers can follow?
Breath Control/ Intonation: Are there specific things that a fella should be practicing to help this along? I have been using a chromatic tuner and simply looking at that when I play a note. Once I get an idea of how the whistle handles I can take it from there. I struggle with my ear.. My ear is not that good. I can’t tell if I’m sharp or flat by hearing a single dry note.. If I’m playing along with a backing track or a guitar it becomes obvious right away. I’ve been finding that if I learn a tune without breath control or intonation in mind I can develop bad habits… I also have a few different types of whistles which respond differently than others. Some of my whistles I own have bad intonation problems and respond poorly when I compare them to others. Practicing with different whistles can complicate things for me. Sometimes I’ve pondered just staying with one or two types of whistles exclusively. I’ve also read that you want to plan your breathing spots in tune. So I have been very conscious of where I plan to breathe. However, this process is far from mastered for me. I find if I’m not careful I can easily struggle for air and need to stop playing. I’ve found something as simple as standing vs. sitting can affect how I play and breathe (At least for me anyway). Any tips or guidelines that might make things easier?
Any and all advice is greatly appreciated and welcomed..
Yep. Slow practice. Lots of it. You will feel like you are never going to get it, and then one of those times you’ll speed it up a little and your mind will blank out and just as you’re about to panic… oh, look, your fingers played it seemingly on their own. Or you will speed it up and find that you can do it. Even a few minutes on a tune every day will get you somewhere. Got a minute while waiting for a slow webpage to load or a commercial break on TV or whatever? Play through the tune, or even just part of it, once or twice.
That is a good idea. As you get more experienced, you’ll be better able to move between instruments, but to start out with, pick one (or two if you must) that you enjoy playing the most/find the easiest/whatever, and get to know that whistle well. Eventually you will probably find that your intonation and response problems on those other whistles have magically disappeared…
I am still newbie-ish here and have a long way to go with both the issues you posted. As for learning tunes I would suggest finding a couple or few tunes that you really like and stick with listening a lot to those particular tunes. Listen a lot more to them and keep it to just a few tunes, even one tune until you can play it well then consider moving on to another tune. Break the tune down into parts, phrases, bars and build up the pieces. I attended a workshop early last year with John Hoban http://www.johnhoban.net/ and at the time I could only play one tune completely (not well either) and about half of another tune. Hoban told me if all I know is one tune to keep playing it and enjoy that tune… play it often and play the hell out it. I think if you move on too quickly to gather a session’s worth of tunes it will lead to poor quality of play or possibly overwhelm your interest. YMMV
As for breath control, that’s something that may take some time and conscious effort to work on. I made the mistake of trying to play thru for as long as possible and I ended up gasping for air. As I watched and listened to more experienced players they took breaths at shorter intervals and they had worked out the breath markers for their own style of play. Some players used the circular gut breathing method, while others used short, quick in-takes at their designated spots. Practice what breathing method works for you and know your whistle well with its’ little quirks and how it works. Take your time with it and breathing will work itself out. Have fun with it.
BTW, when John Hoban passes thru this way again, if ever and whenever, I intend to have his workshop tune set under my belt (hopefully). The tune set:
Tickle Her Leg With Barley Straw/The Lancers/The Day The Ass Ran Away
I’ll throw in the usual suggestion for reading the thoughts on relaxing and breathing at Bro Steve and while you’re there maybe look at the transcriptionpage to get an idea where others take their breaths and use the spaces to their advantage.
I strongly agree with the notion of sticking with one whistle in the early learning process. Minimize the possible opportunities for confusion. One whistle, no matter what its quirks, will add to the consistency.
Similarly, I’d also suggest sticking to a limited number of tunes early on. It’s too easy to get pulled in lots of directions by all those great tunes you hear, but stick with a few and learn them well. After playing a bit, you’ll begin to see/hear patterns (chord patterns, oft-repeated arpeggios, that same deedle-dee-dee at the end of phrases, etc.) in the tunes that will make learning new ones much easier.