Good morning (or evening, or night, depending on location) to all.
Since I “broke the ice” in the congratulations thread, I thought that I should introduce myself, and (at least temporarily) stop being a lurker. Be gentle with me.
I picked up my first whistle about a month ago (a Jerry-tweaked Clarke Sweetone) and I’ve been gradually trying to teach myself to play it. I’ve read music most of my life, but have stuck primarily to vocals to this point. I’ve seen the debates - I hope nobody holds my music training against me. :roll:
When I’m NOT whistling ( ) I’m a consultant (read: overpaid, traveling programmer) for a software company. In fact, I just lost the above-mentioned Sweetone some time during my last trip. Of course, I’ve already ordered three whistles to replace it.
The traveling bit leads to my question: I’m on the road all the time. It would be VERY handy to have some sort of calendar, or database, or something that I could look up, to see if there are any whistle-related events (board members performing, etc) in the various towns that I visit. (Ottawa, Canada for the next few weeks) Does such a thing exist? And, if not, would anybody but me use it if it did exist?
We now return you to your regularly scheduled forum, already in progress.
Most chiffers are sucky amateurs, which I get to say with impunity because I am one of them, and because those who don’t think they are can consider themselves among the few. So, I don’t think there are enough chiffers out there performing to warrant a calendar or database.
If you head over to thesession.org, you’ll find a database of sessions, similar at www.sessioneer.com if that’s still around. Otherwise, just ask (like I just did for Cleveland).
welcome on board…you will have loads of fun here and learn lots, get to know everything you always wanted to know about whistles but didn’t dare to ask
I am also new to this, whistling since last summer and having FUN
greetings
berti,
What Bloomfield said (though I suspect he’s a lot less sucky than I am).
The Session has a list of sessions with a nice search feature. I don’t know how current the listings are, but it’d be a great place to start.
You might want to get at least one polymer whistle if you travel a lot - just to avoid dealing with the airport security folks. I’m another travelling software type (currently working as an applications engineer for a semiconductor company). I usually pack my Dixon D and Bb whistles in my carry-on bag, with any metal whistles I might bring in my checked luggage.
Last week while waiting in the airport in Seoul I found an isolated corner and spent about half an hour playing. No complaints, and several compliments from folks who moved closer to listen. Does great things for your self-confidence when that happens, and started a couple of good conversations, too.
Well, I only used member performances as an example. But you’re probably right that there isn’t enough activity to warrant a database. I kind of figured as much, but I thought I’d test the waters.
And I’m sure that you’re ALL a lot less “sucky” than I am. My family puts up with my playing, but that’s about the extent of it. I keep hinting that I’d like to play along with some of the music during our church services, but I haven’t gotten the nod from the pastor yet (and she’s my wife! )
Thanks for the tip.
I haven’t had a problem yet, but I kept expecting security to ask me about it. a poly might not be a bad idea. (Oh, no – am I showing early signs of WHoA???)
Yes, I’m sure it would. At this point, the only airport “playing” that I’ve done is to practice fingering while sitting on the plane. I get a few strange looks, plus the occasional conversation out of it.
Hi Dwayne.
I know of two sessions in Ottawa. One at Rasputin’s, Monday at 8:30. The other is at Daniel O’Connol’s Pub on Wellington Street every… Thursday I believe at 6PM (you should check that time). For the best live irish in Ottawa I’d go with the Irish Village on Clarence (three in one deal, The heart and Crown, Snug Pub, Mother McGuinty’s and The Black Rose), it’s just up the street from the American Embassy, The heart and Crown usually has great bands, but get their early it fills up fast, otherwise the hip crowd goes to Mother Mc’s for celtic rock. Here’s the calendar for april, http://www.irishvillage.ca/events.html
If you’re looking to buy whistles, the only place I know of is The Ottawa Folk Centre on bank street.
PM me is you want anymore details.
Brian
Well, I will tell you this on airport security. Not sure whether or not you’ll actually have too much trouble there, but I remember way back when a few years ago, I sent a full set over seas and on this one occasion (granted it was only once, and it was the only time I sent anything to this country) I sent a full set of whistles to Turkey. You might want to invest in a composite or plastic after all…
I got the set back in about a week with HAZMAT tape all over it. ??? Ends up this stands for “Hazardous Material” Come to find out when it went through customs over there and got x-rayed it looked a bit too much like a possible pipe-bomb assembly or some such thing!!
I had to resend it, with a picture and detailed description of contents to customs before they would allow it through. I’m suprised I didn’t get it returned by hand along with a guy in a black suit or something!
I’ve heard of this happening to other people as well. So especially if you fly internationally… watch out for when they scan for and find metal tubes buried in your bags, even if they do have 6 in-line holes in them that could be explained as an instrument. Keep them in your carry on at least as suggested so you can whip them out and show them.
I’m a road software consultant, too, and I always travel with a bag full of both metal and plastic whistles. There’s never been an actual problem with the whistles, although sometimes the security droids want to see what you’ve got in the bag. But that’s getting rarer as more of us exercise our constitutional right to bear whistles. I have more trouble over lighters and harmonicas and yo-yos. I used to pull all the odd crap out my bag and sit it in the tub, but I got so tired of getting jacked up because of my hair while they let the closely shorn bidnessmen in their suits and those constipated ten-pound cordovan shoes fly right on through that I just decided “Screw it – let them find 'em”
If they do go through your bag, make them put on clean gloves, because you don’t want them handling your whistles with the same gloves they just used to rummag through someone else’s dirty underwear and socks.
As for airport playing, if you turn it sideways and blow gently across it like a flute, you can get a nice quiet sound that’s almost inaudible more than a couple of feet away. I of course do not play on the airplane, except for once before the door was closed with the specific intention of bothering a bidnessman who was sitting next to me and talking loudly on his cell phone. “That’s awfuly irritating,” he said. “So is you yammering into that cell phone, but you didn’t hear me bi*ching about you.” Fortunately, it’s illegal to hit someone on the airplane.
And finally, if you leave that laptop at the client or check it at the hotel or have a corporate apartment in which to stash it, you can carry a lot more whistles.
The other way to do this is to hold the whistle normally, but put the opening to the airway up against the underside of your bottom lip so you’re blowing down the top of the fipple. That way the airstream still hits the blade, but at the wrong angle so it’s very inefficient. You get a very quiet, whispery sound, but you can still do octave jumps and finger the whistle the same way as if you’re playing normally (rather than sideways).
I was very pleased when I discovered that this technique, which I came up with independently, was used by Joanie Madden on track 3 of the Song of the Irish Whistle CD. (This is a really cool track, by the way. She recorded the track three times, once played normally, once played the way I described above, and once where they miked her fingers hitting the tube. They then overlaid all these tracks for a really cool mix.)
) I’m a consultant (read: overpaid, traveling programmer) for a software company. In fact, I just lost the above-mentioned Sweetone some time during my last trip. Of course, I’ve already ordered three whistles to replace it. 
)
