Ok…I visit this site more than I care to mention…reading, reading…going to links…and links…printing off music…listening…etc., etc. I EVEN DREAM ABOUT PLAYING THE WHISTLE!!! Ok…I am obsessed. Also have a wish list of more whistles I want to buy. Sigh…
So many whistles, so little money…
Ok…my questions:
I have been playing for less than a month. I’m working on my ornamentation…but it just doesn’t have the punch that I hear on sound clips or my cd’s. I think I may be playing them too slow. What can I do to help me speed up my cuts, taps and rolls???
Second question: Why buy different whistles in different keys? Are the fingerings different for different notes? You guys that play them must be Einsteins then…cuz I am still shuffling about with my own fingers on my D whistle.
Thank you for all your help and encouragement!!! Next week I am on vacation…and I will be stopping in Madison Wisconsin and Milwaukee, hoping to find a session or two to attend. Also…if anyone is from that area, let me know of any sessions you may know about.
Nancymae, the basis for different keys is that you DON’T have to learn different fingerings. Learn a tune in D on a D whistle…pick up a C whistle and play it…poof, you’ve transposed it to C. Pick up an A whistle…now you’re playing in A…SAME FINGERINGS.
We buy them for a few reasons. Maybe the guitarist learned a tune in A, and it has a lot of G#s so its a pain to half-hole…learn the tune on a D whistle, then get an A and its transposed.
Next reason…different whistles give different feels…different keys are easier to listen to, or make a certain tune sound ‘right’. We do not leave by D alone. I simply like the sound of C better…easier to listen to, and just a tad mellower. ALSO, if I practice on a lower key, because it takes more air requirements, when I move to a D I seem to have more air available…kind of like lifting a 20 lb weight often enough that a 15 lb weight feels easy.
some recordings are in these different keys, and if we want to play along, you have to get a whistle in the same key.
Last reason. We have disposable income and want something different.
As far as the ornamentation goes, give it time. Learn a tune straight first…don’t even worry about ornaments until you can play the tune comfortably at speed. If you like, you can practice various ornaments separately at half speed, so you can get them nice and crisp, but don’t try to add them to a tune until you’re really comfortable with the tune. Brother Steve’s site, at http://www.rogermillington.com/siamsa/brosteve/ , does a great job of breaking ornaments into manageable parts for learners
Also, remember that you don’t HAVE to ornament the tune in the same way a certain player does, or use the ornaments written in whatever tune book you use. Do enough listening to get a feel for the genre, and then start adding ornaments where YOU feel they’ll best work in the tune. I find that certain ornaments just suggest themselves in certain places (and I think most whistlers find they have certain ornaments they tend to favor). Some players use lots of ornament; some prefer a much more “bare-bones” style. Develop your own style within the tradition, and for each tune you play.
Mostly, give yourself time. Granted that the whistle is a pretty easy instrument to pick up the basics on, but it can take many years to master all the subtleties. Focus on doing a lot of listening and especially on enjoying your playing, and the rest will come with time.
Tygress: With the various keys…are you saying that all the holes covered on a D whistle and a C whistle are D? Just trying to figure things out!! Thanks for your reply…I am looking forward to listening to differences in the different keys of whistles. There are soo many!! And…from another post…some are very helpful in fights!!
Redwolf: Thank you for your reply…Yes…I am working with Brother Steve’s site..and I am trying to mimic his renditions of songs, clips on the various ornamentations. My fingers just don’t seem to be fast enough…so I will keep on truckin..and tryin. (showing my age here!!) I will stop putting so much pressure on myself..and enjoy playing slowly…I guess the speed and ornamentation will come with practice.
Redwolf and Tyghress have given you valuable advice. Rest assured that speed will come, it just takes time and practice. L.E. McCullough’s tutor also does IMHO a great job of breaking down rolls, first slowly then at speed. Just keep with it.
As to why folks acquire whistles in different keys, I just like the different sounds! I love the alto keys of Bb and A, it gives me some variety when I want a mellower sound. The low whistles are beautiful and haunting, though I haven’t worked on the fingering skill for them yet. They all have different voices, and the more you get into making music in general, the more you will love the voicings, as you might with singers.
As for being obsessed, we’re right there with you!
All fingers down on a D whistle gives you a D note. All fingers down on a C whistle gives you a C note. All fingers down on an Eb whistle gives you Eb. And so on. When you play a straight scale (bottom to top) on a D whistle, you’ve played a D major scale. When you play a straight scale on a C whistle, you’ve played a C major scale. And so forth.
What this means is, if you’ve learned a tune in D on your D whistle, and you want to play with someone who’d rather play it in C, all you have to do is pick up a C whistle and play it exactly as you would on your D whistle…the fingerings will be the same, but you will be playing in C, not D, with no special effort on your part.
As for the ornaments, it will take time, but they will come. I’ve been playing for years, and I’m just now getting to where long rolls sound right. When I started, I found simple trills (not a common Irish ornament, but one I learned early on and still like to use from time to time) and slurs easiest to master. Then, after a bit, I got single cuts…then, more gradually, double cuts. Others will have had a different experience, I’m sure…for some, a single cut comes almost intuitively, but slurs just don’t seem to work for them right off. Be gentle with yourself . One day you’ll be playing along and all of a sudden a particular ornament you’ve been struggling with will flick out without you even really thinking about it.
I’ll chime in with the “learn it slow and straight - speed and ornamentation will come with time” crowd.
The biggest single problem for me was (and is) the urge to play too fast (this is especially strong after listening to someone like Mary Bergin!). One of the most valuable things for me about Bill Och’s Clark Tinwhistle Tutor or the Walton’s “Ireland’s Best XXX” collections with the CD is listening to someone play the pieces properly - and at the proper speed.
In all too many cases it turned out that the very pieces I had the most trouble with were much easier - if played at the proper speed. And sounded better too. Remember that much of the repetoire - jigs, slides, reels, hornpipes, and set dances - is DANCE music, and should be played at a reasonable pace for dancing. Likewise, you should be able to MARCH to a march, not sprint!
Ditto for ornamentation - build a good foundation first, THEN think about adding the ornaments. I’ve been playing seriously for 10 months now, but am only now beginning to really work on ornaments. And they’re still not my primary focus - I’d rank them fourth, after timing, clean fingering, and breath control. To me, until the other elements are in place ornamentation just sounds like missed fingering
But above all else, don’t stress - take your time and enjoy the music.
I guess I am being too hard on myself…only been playing for a month and expecting too much!! I did try doing things slowly last night and it worked out so much better for me. I am going to pick up
L.E. McCullough’s tutorial next payday and really listen. I have the MelBay “You can teach yourself the TinWhistle” Book…but they don’t have many Irish songs with ornaments. I have most of the regulars down…so on to another book…and some great cd’s. I LOVE Irish music…have ALWAYS wanted to learn to play it. In my frustration of not being able to afford a harp, I stumbled across the tinwhistle…and I think I am enjoying it even more than a harp!! (It certainly is easier to carry around!!)
Going on vacation as of Monday…and I’m taking my whistle with me…to practice while I am out in the woods painting!!!
You might find this helpful http://www.maths.warwick.ac.uk/~bjs/key-change.jpg
The chart shows the key of the whistle you are going to play at the top
The key the music is written in down the left hand side and the key that comes out in the middle. I find this useful when some sheet music I want o play is in some strange key - I can figure out how to transpose it using abctools.exe and which whistle to play it on.
But hey there’s lots to go at in D and G first !
I’ve been playing for one and a half years and I STILL can’t do much ornamentation. I also found that my problem seemed to be that I wasn’t doing it quickly enough and it didn’t sound right. But I found that playing the tune itself SLOWER and then trying the cut or tap (or whatever) right at the beginning of the next note worked for me. I was able to get the sound I wanted by slowing the tune but gradually increasing the speed of the cutting/tapping finger, if that makes sense.
After one month, I was barely struggling thru Amazing Grace, but I had never played any other instrument so the whole music thing was all new. Sounds like you’re doing really well! Good luck!
Kar–thanks for sharing your experience. Yes, learning music is a schooling in itself. I learned to read music in grade school while learning the clarinet…and I continued into adult hood when I got a chance to learn the guitar. (I played folk music…like John Denver and such). I haven’t really played much lately…probably in about 4 years…and had the desire to learn the harp. After looking at the harp prices…I stumbed over to the tinwhistle. I had NO idea how inexpensive they were!!! And…the Celtic music that I love…has the tinwhistle right in front!! I was very happy with my choice. Now..I’m blowing away at least 1 hour each day. I will stop being so hard on myself…and just enjoy. I was just afraid that I was “not getting it”.
Skh–I will probably keep your statement in my mind every time I play now…what a cute saying!!!
Thanks for all the support!!! You guys are truly awesome!!! One day…I would LOVE to go to my family’s homeland…County Cork…Baltimore to be exact…and play in some sessions. (I am an O’Driscoll on my mother’s side). That is my goal…
I’ve been playing for one and a half years and I STILL can’t do much ornamentation.
I’ve been going at it since Februrararuary, and my ornamentation is still bare bones and very simple. But I don’t care much, I’ll give it another five or six years to develop. For now playing is fun, and I’m just trying to get my hands on as many whistles as possible, which is really what counts.
Oh, I’m from WV (never even been to WI). I thought I might have seen you on a dulcimer board or something, I belong to about 5,000 different things so it’s hard telling!
Cool…in the mountains??? I would LOVE to visit WV sometime!!! I don’t play the dulcimer…but would love to learn. Feeling very musical these days!!!
Wet Canvas and this board are about the only ones I’m on…but…I am on alot of journaling lists from yahoo…with the same name. (I like to be the same in all my lists…that way I don’t have to remember the names!!) CRS syndrome..you know!!! Or CRAFT for those with a more “expressive” language. Maybe you have seen me there. Oh…also many yahoo artist groups too…like Altered Books…plein aire painters, pastel painters. We can stack up quite a few lists!!!
Nancy are you the type of person who wants to know everything about a subject immedietely? I have a good friend like that too. He took up an interest in woodworking and got frustrated that he could not create the worlds most beautiful table on the first try. Hilarity ensued.
However it sounds like you are determined to get this whistle thing down.
I have made a lot of progress myself. I am looking at those hammered dulcimers too.
Cranberry, I have been to WV a few times. Very lovely country. I also like eastern Kentucky, western Maryland and north east TN. There is something about those fine hills.
Hi unicorn…yes…I am that tpe of person..except that I do allow for practice and determination to take hold!! (I am an artist..and boy do I have the practice paintings!!!) I don’t expect perfection right off…but I worry that I am not progressing fast enough…or I am not doing it “right”. Any art…or craft…take lots of time to perfect. I guess I am a perfectionist in that I don’t want to go 6 months down the road and find out that I am doing it all wrong and have nasty habits to break.
I do love it all though!! The good times and the bad. Another artist told me that when you make “mistakes” it is because you are on a breakthough of learning something new. A nice way to say it…a newbie.
