Can this be transposed to something whistle friendly? I can drive the software to transpose a given number of semitones, but I do not have the music theory to know how many might land up in a ‘sensible’ key. I don’t whether if the key is an ‘approved’ one, since I will not be trying to play along with anyone.
Any hints gratefully received - as would warnings of impossibility.
I don’t have it G, but can easily transpose it (using MuseScore). As I recall, the D version has Eb, Ab (G#) and Bb in it. Eb and Bb require half-holing and I generally half-hole the Ab, also. Most of my whistles (but not all) do not produce an in-tune, cross-fingered Ab. I’ll take a look at it in G when I get home tonight.
Eb, yes. Bb can often be cross-fingered with xoxxxx in the 1st register, and xoxooo in the second. Depends on the whistle. If you want to use cross-fingerings, you use a whistle that supports the cross-fingerings. Simple.
Don’t be too precious about keeping it in the original key. It won’t make any difference changing it up or down to suit the whistl eyou have.
Having said this, I can’t find a way to play it without at least two sharps and one accidental.
Moving it up the whistle just seemed to make it worse. Going lower is not an option.
I did a bit of note substitution on the bass part, but I think I got away with it.
Excellent stuff - If I could play as well as that I would be satisfied. I intended the tune as light relief, but you have gone well beyond that… I was going to ask if there were examples on whistle, but you anticipated that.
I noticed the shading of the end of the tube - for a db (assuming D whistle)? I have never tried those before.
Gosh almighty. How many accidentals? Fnat, Eb, E#, Bb, eb, e#. I think that is way beyond me, but thank you for posting.
I will try in G, and make use use of the C# to eliminate some of the accidentals. That still leaves a couple to learn.
As an irreverent aside, can you really call a key ‘D’ when it uses all those other notes? Was I naively in thinking that a key defined a set of pitches, or was defined as a set of pitches? Am I about to have my simple(simplistic?) notions broken again?
I was reading something just last night about Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier. The article pointed out that the pieces in that work, whilst each firmly in its own key, use as many as 25 different notes - that’s counting some accidentals which are either double sharps or double flats, and counting, for instance, Eb as a separate note from D#.
I’m certainly no expert in music theory, but my observation is that once you leave the realm of ITM, you’re going to run into more accidentals (by that I mean non-major/minor scale notes). Jazz/blues, particularly, seem less bound to any given scale than say, ITM or even American folk music. (Yes - I realize I’m going to stir up the experts with this simplistic view - I stand ready to be roasted!). That being said, I still like the tune and it makes a great vehicle for half-holing practice. A lot of the tunes I play (destroy?) lean towards the non-traditional, so I have a vested interest in learning to deal with accidentals.
(Yes - I’m ancient enough that the LBM evokes memories of college/Sunday evenings/Monty Python/too much beer…)
(Please take this post, also, in a spirit of irreverence, not mean-spirited-ness.)
Some other suggestions for half-holing practice:
Chattanooga Choo Choo
Woody Woodpecker Theme
Powerhouse
Ja-Da
Down by the Riverside
In the Mood
Pennywhistle Boogie
Bill Bailey
Hot Time in the old Town Tonight (?)
It is somewhat liberating to learn something for fun
(and I hope by that I don’t offend anyone).
The half holing is easier in a comic context
because when it slurs I am not nearly so vexed.
