I was looking at the picture of Mary Bergin on the back of my copy of
‘Feadoga Stain’ when I noticed she was holding the whistle with her
right-hand on top and the left-hand on the bottom - the opposite of
the way I (and I assumed everybody else) played.
Is this indeed the way she plays, and if so, how common is this method?
Cheers,
Colin
Hi Colin, welcome.
Yes, is the way Mary plays. More remarkable than the other-hand-on-top thing is to me that she plays with the tops of her fingertips, not the pads. This (I assume) helps her half-hole.
How common is it to play with the right hand on top? I’ve seen a few players do it, usually it depends on whether they were told that it was “wrong” early on. The only real reason that I could see for wanting to go with the usual left-hand-on-top setup is that it will make switching to the flute easier (unless you are going to hold the flute the other way, too).
Did I ever tell you the one about the nun, the bodhran player, and the ambulance?
That’s how she plays.
Not as common as left hand on top, but some people can do it. I can’t.
Um…I did not do that on purpose.
I’ve mentioned it before, but if you ever need to remember how difficult it was to learn what fingers go with what notes, try playing a simple tune ‘backhanded’. Eye opener.
I’ve mentioned it before, but if you ever need to remember how difficult it was to learn what fingers go with what notes, try playing a simple tune ‘backhanded’. Eye opener.
Ack!!
Seamus Egan plays low whistle that way, too, but pennywhistle and flute the “normal” way. I find THAT impressive, esp. since he plays some pieces on low whistle sometimes and flute sometimes.
Jimi Hendrix was left-handed and played the guitar upside-down, with the bass strings on the bottom. Didn’t seem to hurt him much. There are occasionally conventional ways of doing things that really are the best ways, but often, they’re just conventions. If you don’t foresee a switch to a keyed flute or other wind that has a definite handedness, there’s really no reason to switch.
Funny . . . I picked up a whistle years ago, without having a proper tutorial. I play right hand on top of left and I wouldn’t have any reason to switch.
Is this a kind of right handed or left handed tendency? How to the majority of right handed players play verses left handed players?
There are right handed and left handed guitars . . . some lefties simply cannot play right handed. Then there are those who learn to adapt. Some righties play a left handed instument. I can’t grasp the reasoning behind this . . . I have a right handed guitar, I am a right handed person, but I’d grab my instument and place the neck in my right hand, then this, no, this is backwards. Then I’d switch hands. I’m finally getting mentally oriented after several months, I haven’t done that in a while.
It seems I’d be comfortable playing either way . . . but once you learn a certain way, it’s hard to go back. Like putting left on top of right.
with stuff like pipes, sax, clarinet, flute, etc, you have to, right-over-left doesn’t comply with the instrument. since I started with sax, I did it automatically on whistle.
Mark Knopfler is left-handed, but plays guitar the “normal” way. It apparently gives him somewhat of an advantage in fretting. Even left-handed guitar students are encouraged to hold their guitar this way because there is such a lack of study material for left-handed guitarists.
I also understand that some golfers hold their clubs one way while driving, and the other while putting.
Cathal McConnell plays with the right hand on top, also. He plays flute left handed, but on a keyed flute made for a right handed player!
I played fife before I played whistle, and just started the same way - left hand on top. I guess it’s because of the desire for uniformity in a band situation, but I’ve never seen a fifer play with the instrument to the left. In fact, there are a couple of fife makers who build them with offset tone holes (or with 10 and 11 tone holes), and none of them offer a left handed version.
I don’t understand these things, of course, but after running through a quick count of my fingers (just checking, you see) I am puzzled whether I should be impressed with the players of 11-hole fifes or amused by the makers of them.
Must be that guy who had six fingers on his right hand.
You mean Count Rugen the six-fingered man from The Princess Bride? I think Inigo Montoya finished him off. “My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.” (The Princess Bride is my all time favorite movie!!) 
I never thought of him as a whistle player…
Don’t forget the RUS.
Sometimes when you study the great players you can get some insight into how it is they play so beautifully.
Fatty, you are on a roll!
Mike McGoldrick also plays left-handed. As it happens, I do too even though I’m right-handed. I’m also ambidextrous with a cricket bat and ambipedstrous (??) when kicking a ball. Work that all out - very mixed up really