How’s the progress going?
Who put their whistle down?
Who picked their whistle back up?
Have you killed anyone or caused anyone serious bodily or psychological harm?
What has been your greatest achievement?
No cheating!
I will dare to be the first responder.
I may be a newbie - I am certainly struggling into the beginner category. Though I have had a low D for a few years, I been slowly increasing my practice and interest over the past few months. I cant afford lessons, and have no music background so its an exploration into unknown territory for me.
Just before christmas I treated myself to a new low D whistle that I couldn’t blame, and the cost is part of the incentive - if I don’t stick at it I will feel guilty about the waste.
I practice sort of regularly (virtually every day, often for a couple of hours) but a lot of this is just enjoying the whistle, and I spend less time than I should on serious stuff like practising rolls and cuts.
No great acheivements to boast of, though I am probably improving slowly. One of my biggest aids is this forum, and I am taking note of advice found here - using a metronome, recording myself (not as reassuring as I had hoped), learning to read proper music notation (easier than I feared for pitch, still cant read ‘rythm’ though).
If I make enough progress this year I may allow myself a low flute next crimbo.
Phill
How’s the progress going?
I think I need some professional help…in so many ways.
Who put their whistle down?
Not me. There isn’t a day goes by when I don’t play.
Who picked their whistle back up?
See above. Tried the pan pipes - hellish hard to play.
Have you killed anyone or caused anyone serious bodily or psychological harm?
Possibly the latter. My 6 year old picks up a tupperware box and instinctively tries to use like a bodhran. People are starting to dance instead of running which could lead to incidents.
What has been your greatest achievement?
Having Steve Harper tell me that if I got any better he would make my whistle self destruct (apparantly there is a small explosive charge placed under the brass button which he can detonate remotely) He was humouring me, but I have got better since getting the whistle.
1 How’s the progress going?
Progress has slowed down as the youngest family member becomes more of a handful (I’m a Mr Mum or as i much prefer, a Daddy Day Care). It still has forward momentum though and that is a good thing.
2 Who put their whistle down?
Why the hell would I want to put it down?!?!?! Unless it was to pick another one up perhaps?! Or answer questions on the computer!
3 Who picked their whistle back up?
Refer back to Question 2 for the answer
4 Have you killed anyone or caused anyone serious bodily or psychological harm?
Not that I know of…However…
5 What has been your greatest achievement?
…I may have managed to get my youngest (and I mean youngest) cousin who is all of 5 years old to take on an interest in the whistle. While I was visiting before christmas (and bearing gifts, one of which was a whistle for same cousin), I spent the time to teach her how to play ‘Silent night’. By the end of the week she could almost play it straight through with minimal mistakes. I taught her older brother how to use the stockwhip I made him, but that’s another story for a different forum.
Mick
Get the feeling I’ll always be a newbie - each new tune makes me feel that way. However, after 5 months now of regular play I have reached a much more familiar stage with the whistle. I can even play a few fairly fast tunes now and make them sound okay. A good tutor once a week certainly helps. I am still concentrating on one song that I knew, from the day it was shown to me, would help take me up a level - The Sound of Sleat. Now I have reached the stage, some months later, that I can make it sound not bad as well as play it - if you know what I mean.
One of my issues has been skipping between low and high D’s. I hope that maybe it’s like a toddler learning two languages, they progress more slowly initially but later on they benefit from the experience. I can but hope 
I feel that it is something that I won’t stop doing now - just have to fit in with a rich and varied hobby schedule.
Best achievement was at Christmas, with a house full of neighbours and friends, having the guts to whip out the whistle (aye a low D and all) and do a few Burns songs. Low airs - pretty easy by most folks standards (and I was pretty well waxed) but I could tell when they clapped and cheered in astonishment that it was meant…I think.
cheers
Stephen
1 How’s the progress going?
Well…it could be better…but I hope the progress picks up again…see next answer for reason.
2 Who put their whistle down?
Right before the holidays I got a bad cold which went into bronchitis. As that was going away…it went into a sinus infection. So needless to say I had to put the whistle down. I was really bummed about that because I was gonig to play some xmas songs for the holidays when I was in Maine.
3 Who picked their whistle back up?
I just started playing this past weekend so I can meet up with my whistle teacher this Tuesday night.
4 Have you killed anyone or caused anyone serious bodily or psychological harm?
No…I wanted to rip out my own lungs because of how much I was coughing.
5 What has been your greatest achievement?
Um…still being new to the whistle…I don’t think I have any real great achievement other the being part of a wonderful community for the Irish Whistle.
Rob