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What are you working on now?
A: This post. Duh. -
Tell us about a recent achievement.
A: I have been somewhat instrumental - if you will - in a bodhranista’s taking up bouzouki. Before you all breathe your sighs of collective relief and pat your hands together for joy, I caution you that history will decide whether this is really an achievement, or if I will be vilified forever for it. -
Are you planning any purchases for yourself or other people? (Did you use USA Income Tax Refund Monies?)
A: Gotta eat. (and, What?) -
Will you be performing any time soon? If yes, what/where/why?
A: Define “soon”. -
What non ITM songs have you added to your repetoire?
A: What repertoire? I don’t sing. -
Have you inspired anyone else to pick up the whistle?
A: Yes, as a weapon. -
Have you caused, either by accident or intent, injury to any living creature with a whistle, low whistle, flute or other musical instrument? Bagpipers can just provide an estimate to the nearest 1000.
A: See above. It was self defense. Honest.
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What are you working on now?
I’m working on speeding up. I sight read fairly well, but not fast enough to keep up with my local session. So, I’m marking all the songs we play each week and practicing them a lot, so I can hopefully keep up. -
Tell us about a recent achievement.
I moved up from the beginners group in my town to the cafe session. Its HARD. Everyone is really welcoming even though I’m extremely nervous and worried about screwing up the music, but so far so good. If I’m not confident, I just finger along. Its also teaching me to stop tonguing. As a clarinet player, this is really hard! But the session moves so fast, my tongue can’t keep up so I’ve had to stop. My fingers are a lot faster this way! -
Are you planning any purchases for yourself or other people? (Did you use USA Income Tax Refund Monies?)
I recently ordered two tommy dion pvc whistles (low f and g) and am contemplating a new D whistle. Refund money is going towards finishing our patio in the back yard. I needed the f and g whistles for some of our music that is not D whistle friendly. The only other whistler there sent me transposed music for those whistles. -
Will you be performing any time soon? If yes, what/where/why?
Is playing in the cafe session a performance? People do come listen. -
What non ITM songs have you added to your repetoire?
Our playbook is very eclectic. One I’m enjoying is Hommage à Edmond Parizeau. -
Have you inspired anyone else to pick up the whistle?
I lent a whistle to a lady who recently tried to learn to play on a chanter. She hated it. So I brought her a whistle to try out. She is a fiddler by nature. -
Have you caused, either by accident or intent, injury to any living creature with a whistle, low whistle, flute or other musical instrument? Bagpipers can just provide an estimate to the nearest 1000.
My dog is long suffering.
- What are you working on now?
boggle-eyed with year 11 GCSE revision. Oh. Finishing a complicated piece in silver and jade. Practicing as much as I can.
- Tell us about a recent achievement.
spending days practicing the same piece instead of skipping on to another piece as soon as I get the hang of one.
- Are you planning any purchases for yourself or other people? (Did you use USA Income Tax Refund Monies?)
I have put the down payment on for my week at the Burwell Bash, which I’m really looking forward to; I did a workshop with Flook years ago, which was fab, and Brian Finnegan is a tutor at Burwell. I’m excited.
- Will you be performing any time soon? If yes, what/where/why?
I don’t type this often, but - ROFLMAO…
- What non ITM songs have you added to your repetoire?
A lot of what I play isn’t Irish. Old carols; scottish/english trad stuff, modern things. Less modern things. I tend to use the G whistle for that.
- Have you inspired anyone else to pick up the whistle?
My son, who’s eleven.
- Have you caused, either by accident or intent, injury to any living creature with a whistle, low whistle, flute or other musical instrument? Bagpipers can just provide an estimate to the nearest 1000.
I have totally forgotten to take tea out of the oven due to an annoying reel, turning it into a black unrecognisable thing. As the aforementioned son is hypoglycaemic, this was a bit more than an inconvenience and resulted in the forcible administration of honey and nuts.
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What are you working on now?
Unfortunately nothing to do with music right now. I’m too busy with college. -
Tell us about a recent achievement.
Finding time to practice is a big achievement when I manage to do it. I did get to try playing bagpipes recently. I have much more respect for the lungs of pipers now. -
Are you planning any purchases for yourself or other people? (Did you use USA Income Tax Refund Monies?)
A couple of Freeman Tweaked Gen’s soon. No tax return monies for me.
*Edit: Two tweaked Gen’s, one D and one C, ordered today -
Will you be performing any time soon? If yes, what/where/why?
I don’t like performing for people. Usually the only time people can hear me playing is at mountain man rendevous. The next one I’m going to is in September. Every once in a while I might play on campus where people can hear. -
What non ITM songs have you added to your repetoire?
Country Roads, Some Star Wars songs, the Shire theme from Lord of the Rings, and a bunch of christian music and Christmas songs. -
Have you inspired anyone else to pick up the whistle?
Not that I know of. -
Have you caused, either by accident or intent, injury to any living creature with a whistle, low whistle, flute or other musical instrument? Bagpipers can just provide an estimate to the nearest 1000.
Well, one of my dogs seems pretty scared of my whistles but I think think I’ve ever done any real damage.
Yeah, I pretty much fit the “Newbie” profile, here. Been trying to do something musical with whistles for a couple of years (it’s actually been more than that), but drumming (both bodhran with ITM folks and tenor drum in a pipe band) seems to get in the way. That, and a nasty piece of work some of you may know – TMJ. I plan to do a bit of a search of the boards to see what sorts of discussions there may be on the subject. However, practicing whistles much more than once or twice a week can lead to significant pain. Anyway, thanks for the opportunity to say a bit about not much of nothing – my whistle playing, that is.
1. What are you working on now?
I have a very limited repertoire (less than 20 tunes) that I’m trying to commit to memory, but recently found “Amazing Grace” in one of my whistle books, and seem to like the way it sounds on a B-flat Sindt. Both Arran Boat Song and Skye Boat Song. I decided recently that I need to start considering learning an embellishment or two, so some of you may expect questions on sources for instructional materials, videos, etc. Fair warnin’!
2. Tell us about a recent achievement.
I realized while playing Minstrel Boy for the x hundredth time that I’m finally committing it to memory. Yeah, I play the dots, and that and the TMJ have held me back, but I still seem to be having fun and am gradually improving. Gradually, like the pace of glacial movement sort of gradual.
3. Are you planning any purchases for yourself or other people? (Did you use USA Income Tax Refund Monies?)
Would like to try out a low G, but I don’t even know if such a beast is made. I’ll probably need to consult with a couple of whistle and/or flute-playing friends to see if they have any recommendations. Tax refund? I did today what I always do – filed a request for an extension until August so I can procrastinate another 3-4 months.
4. Will you be performing any time soon? If yes, what/where/why?
I told some ITM session folks a couple of years back that I estimated a possible date sometime in 2011 to debut my whistle playing in public. Obviously, I was insufficiently cautious in my optimism. LATE 2011, perhaps.
5. What non ITM songs have you added to your repertoire?
When Johnny Comes Marching Home, which I figured with a slightly different arrangement could sound a bit more like how I imagine “Johnny We Hardly Knew Ye” was intended to sound. A number of the scant few tunes I’ve been learning are Scottish tunes, with a bit of an emphasis on those written, altered or collected by Robert Burns.
6. Have you inspired anyone else to pick up the whistle?
Pretty safe for me to say, “No” on this one.
7. Have you caused, either by accident or intent, injury to any living creature with a whistle, low whistle, flute or other musical instrument? Bagpipers can just provide an estimate to the nearest 1000.
The self-inflicted TMJ from an over-enthusiastic start several years back is probably the worst damage I’ve done, although the piercing nature of upper octave notes on a wee “G” whistle caused me to make notations on some tunebook tunes that such instrument should not be attempted for those unless pain was, indeed, the object.
- What are you working on now?
Leitrim Fancy, Pernod Waltz, Have a Drink with Me, Haul Away the Hawser, Miss Bowle’s Minuet, The Lads of the Village, Carlen is your Daughter Ready.
- Tell us about a recent achievement.
Playing “The Parson of Eltham” on a low F whistle. Without having transposed it!
- Are you planning any purchases for yourself or other people? (Did you use USA Income Tax Refund Monies?)
Who me? Spend Money? No… I’ve heard of people who do… They come to a bad end, obviously… and me being in the UK I would have to be seriously larcenous to make use of USA Tax Refund cash.
- Will you be performing any time soon? If yes, what/where/why?
Aye, at t’ Folk Club on Wednesday. I thought I might do Taimse I’m mo Chodlaidh, which has been stewing for a while.
- What non ITM songs have you added to your repertoire?
I trawl through “A Northern Lass” by Jamie Knowles, and my big sister, Lorna, sent me “The Tin Whistle Tune Book” by William E. White, republished by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, in 1987 when she was in America at the time. She’s been keeping it for me for twenty-three years. From it I’ve been looking at “The Lads of the Village” and “The Rose Tree” and some others. “A Northern Lass” has “The Parson of Eltham”, “Westmoreland” and “Haul away the Hawser”. They are English tunes, but still diddley.
- Have you inspired anyone else to pick up the whistle?
Might have done… Since I practice in the park, now and then people come and speak to me. If they have children with them they tend to ask more questions. Now the weather is sunnier, I get more interruptions. …maybe they’re just coming to stop me making that noise…
- Have you caused, either by accident or intent, injury to any living creature with a whistle, low whistle, flute or other musical instrument? Bagpipers can just provide an estimate to the nearest 1000.
Not yet. One of these days I am going to belt a cyclist who zips past me on the footpath. If I’m fast enough.