Hello there.
I’ve started out with my whistle a few days ago, and I’m already facing the first problem…
There is a band I enjoy very much, called “Luar Na Lubre”, from Gallicia, Spain. They usually make celtic music, with a touch of traditional, galician music.
Now my Problem is… I’m using a D whistle, which means that the song turns out completely wrong if I start on “D”, like the sheet says. I manage to play a few notes if I start on “E”, but can’t get any further… So now here is my actual question.
Can anyone of you guys help me to figure out how this song could probably work on a “D” whistle?
I’ve already tried a few things but it still doesn’t sound right to me… Maybe the song isn’t playable on a D at all?
This chart is written in Dm (1 flat is Dm or F, depending). Another clue is to look at the last note of the song - most end, resolve to the tonic - the note that is the key the song is in.
You need to transpose this to the key of Em using 1 sharp - which can be played on your D whistle. Take each note up 1 complete step - you had the right idea by starting on an E instead of the D that is written. Now you have to do this for the entire song. It’s really not that hard - D=E, E=F#, F=G and so on. Just get your printed copy of the song and pencil in the notes above what’s there. Then play it and memorize it and you won’t need that messy chart anymore.
Once you do this, you can use the same fingerings on a C whistle, and
it will sound the same as the CD!
D whistles play best in the keys of Dmajor, Gmajor, Amajor, Eminor,
Bminor, and their other relative keys. So, if the song has 1, 2,
or 3 sharps it should be pretty doable on a D whistle. Anything else will
be difficult on the D whistle (you’d have to use a lot of half-holing).
Since this song is in Dm, it would be difficult on a D whistle, as you
have found.
Thanks you two. I will try to put all the notes up by one step, if that doesn’t work… Well, at least I know that it shouldn’t be too easy with my D whistle. What kind of whistle would you suggest for such songs?
But well, I guess that’s not too bad that it requires some work to be playable on mine… At least I get a feeling for what I can actually do with my whistle
a C whistle will play in the keys of Cmajor, Fmajor, Aminor, Dminor, etc.
Basically, if there’s no sharps or flats, or only 1 flat in the key signature,
it can be played easily on a C whistle.
Do you know how to play the Cnat note? With only one # you will need to know that. It is played OXXOOO. In other words, leave the top hole uncovered ( O ), cover the next two holes ( X ), and leave the bottom three holes uncovered. You may need to play with fingerings around this one to find exactly the right combination for your whistle, such as OXXXXO or OXXXOX, but this is the standard place to start.
Hope this helps.
Edit: I just took a closer look at the song and noticed something odd. It is in the key of F (or D minor if you will) but all excpt the last B are naturalized!!! Why not notate it in the key of C and accidental the last B, which it is anyway??? A reasonable explanation will be accepted.
I thought he just meant that Bflat transposed up to Cnatural. One whole step. To get into the key of Em.
But the part after the edit I don’t know the answer to.
LexAnder—This tune is pretty easy to change for your D whistle. Some keys create fingerings that are quite difficult, this one is very do-able. I went to the website of the group you mentioned. It is very nice and it led me to other interesting places.
I’m equally stumped by the second question. Why the consistant
accidental? Why not just change the key signature? Perhaps it has to
do with the harmonic nature of the tune (which is not in evidence since
only a melody line is present). I’ll have to go home and look up the
guitar chords to see what mode this is supposed to be in.
Sometimes a piece calls for a whistle other than D, for instance if I want to play a piece that’s in C using C whistle. I re-write the piece moving all the dots up a step. When I pick up the C whistle and read the dot on the paper that says “d”, I play with all fingers down and get a C, which is OK 'cause it was originally a C before I re-wrote it.
I hope that’s clear.
This came in really handy for Tam Lin (requires a C whistle) and similar stuff.
I meant, I’d have to go home and look up the chords in Chris Smith’s Celtic Back-up book to determine what mode they belong to.
Doesn’t look like they belong to a Celtic mode, though. D Dorian would have
Bdim instead of the Bb chord on measure 13, and D Aeolian would have
Gmin instead of Gmaj… Could it be A Phrygian, or Bb Lydian? I think those
modes are pretty common in Spanish/Gallatian music…
I don’t like the sound of the Bnat’s when I play it, though… maybe the chart
is wrong?
(blasphemy! … Well, I certainly didn’t expect the Spanish Inquisition… NO ONE expects the Spanish Inquisition!)
Were you talking to someone in particular or just to yourself? You seemed to veer off there a bit. I don’t think any of us are expecting the Spanish Inquisition anytime soon.
Ooookay… This is starting to get way to big for me. I don’t get the point.
I understand that I need to transpose the whole thing for my D whistle, but everyone seems to have different opinions on this one…
And yes fearfaoin, you’re right. The music from Luar Na Lubre has mostly been inspired by the traditional gallician music. That’s maybe the reason why the chords don’t fit 100% with the celtic ones.
I’m still trying to figure out how to play this song - asked a friend of mine today who plays the piano. Once again, as I started to play with him (started on D) the chords seemed right until a certain point. That’s about when the 2nd D appears on the sheet. I just can’t get that higher note, not if I start on D or E… Really weird, but well remember… I’m only playing for a week now.
Oh btw: Just if the Inquisition shows up… Check to bring your rosarys along
Actually, I think we all agree, but are saying it in different ways.
Since you transposed the song, your friend also transposed the chords,
right? Otherwise, the chords won’t match what you’re playing.
Since you move the D note to an E, etc., you also have to move the
Dm chord to Em, the C chord to D, the F to G, etc. If I get some time,
I could enter the tune in ABC format and use the ABC transposer
to put it in Em.
I was channeling Monty Python. No one expects them… their main weapon is surprise… surprise and fear …
their two weapons are are fear and surprise…and ruthless efficiency… wait…
I think we do agree really. You need to raise the pitch of each note by one whole step. You start on E (you have raised the D one whole step). It will not work out to start on D. You need to transpose the tune from the key of Dminor to the key of Eminor.
Okay, that high note after the 2nd E (the note the D has been transposed to) is going to be D natural in the upper register. The last measure of the first line, when you are playing it on the D whistle, will be D E D. Look at the music and see if this makes sense to you. Each of the notes has been raised one whole step so you can play it in the key of Eminor. Now, because you have been playing one week, maybe you are saying you can’t hit D E D well. It is hard at first to hit the higher notes. So if you are using the correct fingering for D E D and aren’t able to get the sounds, then that is a different problem.
You will be playing in the key of Em. The chords didn’t work out because you were both playing in a key that your whistle doesn’t handle easily.
If this is getting to be too much, and it could be, then what I would say is find tunes for now that have one or two sharps and stick with those. If you have only been playing for a week, you have enough problems.
At the same time, you might want to learn a little music theory. I have been working on it at this site. http://www.teoria.com/index.html
X:1
T: O Son Do Ar (in E Dorian)
K:Edor
M: 3/8
L: 1/8
EF|!segno!"Em"G>FG|"D"A>GA|"G"B>AG|"Em"E>GB|"D"d>ed|
"A"c>dc|"Bm"c>BA|B EF|"Em"G>FG|"D"A>GA|"G"B>AG|
"Em"E>GA|"C"G>FE|"D"D>EF|"Em"E3-|E EF||"Em"G>FG|"D"A>GA|
"G"B>AG|"Em"E>GB|"D"d>ed|"A"c>dc|"Bm"c>BA|B EF|
"Em"G>FG|"D"A>GA|"G"B>AG|"Em"E>GA|"C"G>FE|"D"D>EF|
"Em"E3-|E B/2A/2G/2F/2|:"Em"E2F|"D"D2"D/B"F|"Em"E>FG|"D"A>GF|"Em"E2F|
"D"D2"D/B"F|"Em"FE>"D"D|"Em"E B/2A/2G/2F/2|"Em"E2F|"D"D2"D/B"F!coda!||"Em"E>FG|"D"A>GF|
"Em"G>FE|"D"F>E"D/B"D|[1"Em"E3-|E B/2A/2G/2F/2:|[2"Em"E3-|E EF!D.S.!||
“^CODA"E"Em”>FG|"D"A>B=c|"Em"B>AG|"D"F>G"D/B"F|"Em"E3-|!fermata!E3|
EDIT: I have updated the ABC and the .gif to fix my transcription
error. If you have downloaded the gif, or copied the ABC, please
get the new version.
The piece is in D-dorian, not D-minor. (It is certainly not in F - you have to do more than count flats and sharps to see what key a piece is in.) Modern musical notation is designed for notating pieces written in major and minor keys, and it is less suited for writing pieces in modes, such as Dorian. Putting a D-minor key signature, and then using accidentals to correct the tune to D-Dorian is a compromise between recognising the tonal center of the piece (that is, D) and the flatted “minor” third (F-natural) on the one hand, and raised “Dorian” sixth (C-natural). (BTW, some people advoacte using a key signature with a flat followed by a natural in this sort of situation.)
