I feel like this is a dumb question, but I have to ask it.
I have been learning on D whistles, and I am thinking about branching out into some different keys, to get different sounds.
Here’s my question: If I switch from playing a D to an Eb for example, do I use the same finger positions as if I were playing a D? So I would play what is written as a “D” in the sheet music as an “Eb” on the Eb whistle?
Thanks in advance.
John Mac
I couldn’t have said it better myself! That’s EXACTLY what happens. Play on whatever whistle, using the fingering you know.
Hey John:
You’re in good company with your impulse. The highly regarded whistlers Mary Bergin and Joanie Madden each play some very standard tunes on different keyed whistles on their records so popular with C&Fers. I figure the guitarist must be capoing up.
When I first got the JM record, I really liked her Madame Bonaparte version (a hornpipe set-dance in G). But lo and behold, she was playing on an E whistle. E whistles are not that easy to find and I believe that only Susatos and Shaw make a cheap one. Took me a while to figure that out and I ultimately did get a Susato (though I didn;t like it) so I could play along with her.
I think Mary Bergin has a B whistle on the Monaghan Jig (?). Not sure, but I couldn’t play along with her the other day with my vast array of whistles. I have heard of C# whistles too, which just seems weird.
You are right, its fun to play in other keys because you hear things differently and get new ideas. Its good for your wrists and arms too to break up the positioning for chronic nerve and muscle problems that can develop. Although the varied air needs might seem confusing, I think its good for you as well ultimately. The lower whistles require more air, which makes it easier when you return to D.
Playing a higher whistle is like putting a capo on a guitar (a technique that pro players use for practice breakthroughs, believe me). It makes you want to play a little faster. Then you go back to your D and impose the left-over feeling on it.
Enjoy the variety.
Ok, so while we’re on the topic and we’re asking dumb questions…how do I play a note that is lower than my lowest D on my D whistle? Do I have to change to a lower whistle? What would it be?
My favorite song is Morning Has Broken and I can’t play the version that I have in the Baptist Hymnal because there is one note lower than my lowest D (where all the holes are covered). I don’t even know what the note is, I’m that musically ignorant.
Yup. Makes it easy to use the same sheet music too…you can just “pretend” that, when all the holes are covered, you’ve got a “D” and finger accordingly.
Redwolf
Hi Kim:
I didn’t know that Its a Small World has one note lower than D…hmmmm
So far, the trad repertoire i have seen that goes below D offers you the most likely option of using a lower A whistle (songs in D), though some tunes have a low G (songs in G). I had though about using my tiny Gen G but it would be pretty screechy and I don;t own a low G whistle - - - yet - - -.
So, here is a sneaky workaround if you are a music reader. I wanted to learn Silver Spire which is in D but has notes lower than that. I used the abc program to transcribe it up to G then play it on the A whistle. That way you don;t HAVE to remember a new set of finger positions to actually play the tune. Ultimately, you should just be able to make the adjustment but this was a quick and dirty way to play it. The fiddler will never know that I’m reading it in G as he plays it in D (he has the range to go below).
To answer your question, there was a forum thread about achieving a C# on your D recently. You just inch your whistle up to a flat surface and cover bottom while you blow. But your tune might have a C nat which you can’t get that way.
All the best.
On 2002-06-11 16:52, Kim in Tulsa wrote:My favorite song is Morning Has Broken and I can’t play the version that I have in the Baptist Hymnal because there is one note lower than my lowest D (where all the holes are covered). I don’t even know what the note is, I’m that musically ignorant.
KIT - On a soprano D, when I need to hit a C# below the lowest D, I reach down with my right hand pinky and partially cover the end of the tube. This lowers the pitch to C#.
Gary
You can also get creative. When the kids in my daughter’s recorder class were learning “Ode to Joy,” they played the bottom note an octave up, then arpeggioed down to the starting note for the next phrase. Probably wouldn’t work if it occurred more than once, but but it sounded fine in that case and made for a nice, dramatic middle section.
Sometimes you can just get by with skipping that too low note, or playing a third or a fifth up…whatever sounds good.
Redwolf
Kim – I think there’s been some discussion of this. I think the most popular solution was to play harmony. One of my favorite pieces is Morgan Magan (O’Carolan), and that actually has a few notes below D. In that case, it’s convenient (and doesn’t sound that stupid) to play the entire phrase an octave higher.
OTOH, the tune is in G and it really sounds much better on a G whistle. As pointed out previously, an A whistle works for tunes in D. G and A whistles are really a lot of fun; I play my Water Weasel A probably more than any other non-D whistle.
Charlie
Kim,
If you don’t need to play with others, I’d move up/down by a fifth, which sounds kind of mysterious I guess, but isn’t that hard.
If the tune is in G (one sharp), play a ‘B’ when you read a D, an A when you read an E, etc. Your C will need to be sharp.
(this manuever is called ‘up a fifth’)
If the tune is in D (two sharps), play a G when you read a D, an A when you read an E, etc. You will need to use a C natural.
(this manuever is called down a fifth).
This is how I play ‘Red is the Rose’, ‘She Moved Through the Fair’ and other airs that seem to think I should be able to go below a D…
Conveniently enough, if you’re doing the ‘down a fifth’ manuever, if you were then to pick up an ‘A’ whistle and play with the same fingering, you’d be playing in the key of D…
–Chris
PS: You can also do what’s called ‘folding’ a tune… when everyone else plays/sings the note below D, you play a note that harmonizes; if it’s a C natural, that’d be a n E or a G… (because of what a C chord looks like) if it’s a C sharp, it’d be… uhm… G or E… (because of what a G chord looks like). If the tune continues down you can continue up, but I don’t do much folding unless someone has notated it for me, but I know it can be done. 
[ This Message was edited by: ChrisA on 2002-06-11 17:48 ]
Kim:
One of the other things you can do is buy a “modal” whistle…it has a 7th hole, that when opened, gives you that ONE note below D. I know of a number of songs (that my bandmates want to learn!) that have this phenomenon. As far as I know, this type of whistle is made by Paul Hayward (Silkstone Whistles) and you can also get one (if I recall correctly) from the Overton brand.
Greg
One thing I think all this highlights is the advantage to doing a lot of playing by ear. If you already know the tune of a song, you can generally pick it out on the whistle, shifting your starting note up and down until you find a way to get in all the notes without too much funky fingering. If you rely on sheet music overmuch (especially music written for singers, such as what you’ll find in a hymnal), you’re going to find a lot out there that’s just a little bit outside the whistle’s range.
When I first started playing, I didn’t have much money to invest in tutors and tune books, but I knew a lot of songs I wanted to play…so I just started picking them out (note by note at first, until I found a configuration that worked for me). It’s a little like singing. If you were going to sing “Morning Has Broken,” for example, and you didn’t have to worry about singing with an accompaniest (and thus being in the “right” key), you’d start it somewhere in the middle of your vocal range and, if you discovered it went too high or low for you, you’d shift your starting note up or down. Playing by ear on the whistle works the same way.
Redwolf
Thanks everyone for the tips! My 6 year old son has a music co-op this fall, I think I’ll attend with him and learn some of the basics. I really need to start by learning the notes names, I guess! I just picked this whistle up a month or so ago and learned “this is where you put your fingers for this note” from the little booklet that came with my Feadóg and neglected to learn their names!
Learning to play a tune by ear is daunting, but a good tip. I did manage to learn “My Country Tis of Thee” by ear.
Still, I may have to look into getting some whistles in some other keys. Really, I only have the M2 and M3 Feadógs in D. This is disgraceful for someone as hooked as I am.
I bought a Yamaha recorder at a used curriculum fair a couple of weeks ago, thinking I would give it a try. But the spark wasn’t there. I store my M3 in the case that came with the recorder!
Kim
On 2002-06-11 23:26, Kim in Tulsa wrote:
…My 6 year old son has a music co-op this fall, I think I’ll attend with him and learn some of the basics. I really need to start by learning the notes names, I guess!
In this case, I think I’ll recommend ‘How to Play the Piano Despite Years of Lessons’, which despite the title is really a pretty good explanation of how music works, why it sounds good, and how you can mess around with it. Of course, it’s a bit piano focused. (You don’t have to have had the years of lessons… the book claims to be aimed at the person who had years of lessons as a child, and now as an adult can’t play a note…)
Mostly what it actually is, is an explanation of music and how to make music. I think it translates pretty well to any instrument.
–Chris
Mostly what it actually is, is an explanation of music and how to make music.
This sounds like just what I need! Thank you! I may never be a pro like my hero John Mock, but I don’t want to do it totally wrong either!
Kim
I think that, once you get started, you’ll find playing by ear to be much easier (and less daunting) than you think. You can start with songs you really know well (even really simple ones, such as “Mary Had a Little Lamb” or “Jesus Loves Me”) and just play around with them. This is how most people first learn to sing, and it translates well to the whistle. Remember, what you play doesn’t have to sound just like what “Player X” plays…this is folk music, and folk music is very much an individual thing. There are wonderful traditional musicians out there who can’t read music to save their souls…they’ve learned (and they teach) entirely by ear.
Redwolf
It’s great that I can learn from other people’s questions. I am not sure of quite a lot of things and am not sure even how to go about wording my questions…so I am always happy to find that somone else has wondered about them too…so I’d like to say thankyou for the answers too, because they have answered some of my unspoken little questions. 
Kim,
to remember the notes as the appear on a D whistle:
1st finger down is B
2nd finger down is A
3rd finger down is G
4th finger down is F (actually F#)
5th finger down is E
6th finger down is D
so BAG FED. easy! All holes open is C#.
They give that in the Bill Ochs Clarke Tin Whistle book and I still think of it when I’m trying to name notes.
There are many things you can do when a tune goes below the bell tone on your whistle. Sorry if I’m repeating things, but the ways I know of are:
I actually learned the “C” fingering before I learned the “D” and I find that it helps. It’s not that hard to remember both (since they are only one hole, so to speak, from each other), and I switch back & forth as needed. I find that with many songs, especially with folk tunes or medieval stuff (which is what I mostly play), they rarely go below a “C” as the lowest note in the tune. So between playing C and D fingering as well as playing C, D, Bb whistles, I can get a LOT of variety.