My first post. I'm having a blast!

Whistle
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I’ve been lurking here for a while and decided to go ahead and post. I’ve enjoyed Irish music for a long time and just before Christmas decided to learn to play the penny whistle. For Christmas my wife gave me two Woodnote C and D whistles and the Ochs learning guide. I’ve been having a lot of fun learning to play (although I’ve noticed my family leave the room whenever they see me get the whistle out :smiley: ).

I wouldn’t say I’m making a lot of progress but I can make it through a few simple tunes and my wife can even recognize what I’m playing between squeaks. The greatest thing for me though is for the first time in my life I can make music and I’m having a blast!

While I’m sure 99% of the squeaking and not being able to hit some of the upper octive notes is my lack of skill I decided to use some birthday money for a couple of new whistles. I ordered C and D Sweetones and a Little Black Whistle. At less than $30 I couldn’t help myself. I’m sure they won’t greatly improve my playing but I’m looking forward to giving them a try.

Anyway, I’ve enjoyed all the great information on the board and thought I would join in.

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C Jay,

Welcome ! Yup, making music is great !

Whenever I squeak, it’s usually incomplete hole closure. The tiniest crack can cause a terrible squeak. Some deliberate experimentation with finger placement (up/down/left/right) usually yields a fix. Ditto on breath pressure.

Good luck !

trill

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Trill has it right. It’s probably finger placement. Try washing your hands before playing and using some hand lotion or balm of some kind on your hands paying particular attention to the pads of your fingers. Make sure you are using the pads of your fingers, not the tips when you try to cover holes. Don’t grip the whistle tightly, just enough pressure to cover the holes.

I predict you will come to like the Walton’s Little Black very much. Andrea Corr does :smiley:

ecohawk

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C Jay,
Nice to have you join us here on C & F. Enjoy your whistles and the banter you will find on this site. Lots of good information and some very helpful folks to boot! Take care and enjoy your new musical journey. :thumbsup:

Cheers,
Cayden

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Trill, you are practically begging for some jokes right there.



And welcome to the forum C Jay!

Theres a lot of good videos on youtube to help learn tunes. The Tradschool and Trad Lessons videos on youtube were helpful to me.

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Welcome. Remember above all to have fun. Think making your own music is fun? Wait until you start playing with other people!

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Yep, you started out having a blast and that’s a great start. Welcome to whistling and the forum. Keep it fun, real fun! :slight_smile:

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IME, it’s usually caused by lactose intolerance.

Or you will come to like Andrea Corr very much. I does. :smiley:

Welcome! And I wish you many more years of having fun. That’s the most important thing. :thumbsup:

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Thanks for the tips on reducing the squeaks (consult your doctor is the condition persist). I am having a lot of fun and my playing is getting better. I will keep everyone posted on my progress and what I think of the new whistles.