I’ve read that Grey Larsen recommends keeping the right hand pinky on the whistle at all times. Is this the most common practice, or are there lots of different approaches amoung excellent players?
At this early stage in my whistle playing, it seems that the right hand pinky is useful for stabalizing the instrument when playing phrases which include a C# (on a D whistle). But it also seems to reduce the mobility of the right hand ring finger, introducing unecessary tension. So right now, my right hand pinky is on or off depending upon the phrase.
Dan, it sounds like you’re doing just fine: sensible approach.
IMO using R(bottom) little finger to stabilise, especially on open C# is preferable to the common use of R3, but it doesn’t need to be glued to the tube! As primarily a fluter who uses his Eb key fairly much as a classical player would (i.e. finger on/key pressed most of the time except for Ds), my R4 is on & off all the time anyway on flute, and when I play whistle it just carries on playing a phantom Eb key. I came to whistle that way and never had any problems (that I can recall 30+ years on) with balancing it/not dropping it/feeling insecure even on C#s or crossing the break, nor indeed with tension/independent movement with R3 as you mention. When you have 3+ fingers on you don’t need it (other than as a location aid for the bottom hand, perhaps), so can do whatever gives you freedom and comfort; as you go into the L(top) hand part of the scale, use it, if not sooner.
The independent or opposed motion of R3 & 4 does/can develop and improve with practice, as one might expect. Modern fluters on Boehm flute are expected to work on it until they have it, as are pianists and various other instrumentalists. We don’t need that level of effort on whistle (not actually playing anything, just auxilliary support), but it surely can be done if wanted. Choosing not to do it/adopting another approach is fine, but if you want to do it it’s perfectly possible, not especially hard and very common in other contexts. The anatomy does impose some ultimate limits, but unless one has an injury or medical condition, does not prevent a good degree of fluency in such movement with practice.
Hi Dan … Ditto Jem’s thorough description. “On or off depending upon the phrase” sounds exactly right to me. This is another detail where Larsen’s book is a bit too pedantic. Watch good whistlers like Crawford, Madden, Bergin et al. on YouTube or elsewhere, and their bottom pinkies are hopping up and down. If you have to think about it too much, you’re probably doing something wrong.
I think for most folks, anchoring the RH pinky shouldn’t introduce any tension except in the earlier stages of learning the instrument where finger independence has not been achieved. Furthermore, there’s no need to lift any finger far above the tone hole. That said, I tend to de-anchor my pinky when playing notes involving the bottom three tone holes.
Grey’s advice is probably aimed towards the flute player but it does have broader applicability. Anchoring the pinky likely promotes precision of RH finger placement. How many times have we heard on this board that some people have a hard time getting the bell note to play?
Some find it comfortable to place the pinky “under” the whistle as support. This practice is a Tabor Pipe method. A loose fabric ring or elastic band can also be looped over the whistle body and the pinky can rest in this with a half twist as a “sling” above or below the tube.
I keep my right pinky almost always on the whistle, because I find it more comfortable. Anyways, sometimes I lift it, for example, when doing an E roll.
I simply don’t think about the pinky and I keep it when it feels good and comfortable, without any strain.
Up or down is the same, just do it the way it works for you!
I would love to be able to use my pinky to stabilize the whistle but it is simply too short. If I place my little finger tip on the whistle I am forced into a sort of piper’s grip with my right hand. Also, with my pinky down my third finger becomes difficult to lift. They probably both share a tendon sheath. Anyway, telling everybody that they should keep that finger down without adding that for some people it’s impossible is maybe not a good idea. BTW, my hands are big enough to pick up a basketball with one hand. It’s just the pinky that’s short.
Mike
I can’t handle trying to concentrate on it to see, but I think I lift it sometimes and I know that I keep it there most times. How’s that for straddling the fence?
Sure, absolutely, at the expressive / aesthetic level. But there are definitely things you need to automatize at the technical level, to free your concentration. Like chewing gum and whistling at the same time. Oh, wait … bad example.
I once tried analyzing my pinkie movement for a rule-based description, and gave up. It’s too phrase- and ornament-dependent to be interesting in those terms.
My Pinky fingers are short too. I do use the second pad of my right hand, rather than the tips, though, so I guess that’s why I can reach to get my pinky on the whistle. i think i always have.
Sometimes I find my pinky below the whistle and sometimes above. I tried to pay attention to this but the more I do the worse I play so I quit paying attention to it and let it go where it wants to. Do you think that is a bad habbit for a beginner to get into?
Not at all. As long as it is where you want it/does what you require of it (if at all/anything) as-and-when, that’s fine. Sounds like you’re not using it as a balance-prop or position marker - many don’t. If you’re getting the security of hold (without tension in the hands) to play the way you want to, no problem. Carry on!
Yes, the key is to be able to relax your hands and still have a good grip on the instrument - whatever works for you that won’t impede your ability to play it.
One thing I do notice when my pinkys find there way below the whistle is they are all tense as to when they are on top there more relaxed. I dont know why this is I just notice the differance and its a big differance.
From reading post on this fourm I think in time my hands will become more relaxed all together, pinkys includded.
I think that there is most likely a lot of variation in how the nerves and muscles of the human hand are hard-wired. If I hold my hands in front of me with my fingers outstretched, I have fairly good independent control of all of my fingers except my pinky, which seems hard-wired to move with my ring finger. I can curl my ring finger without curling my pinky, but I cannot curl my pinky with curling my ring finger at the same time. Even though I have been playing instruments that train the fingers to move independently (40 years with the guitar, violin, and flute), I have not noticed much change in the independence of my pinky. Having my pinky glued to the flute would severely limit my playing ability because I can barely lift my ring finger with my pinky in that postiion.
Since there is a lot of variation in hand and finger size, as well as variation in the hard-wiring of the hand, it stands to reason that one method for holding the flute is not going to work well for everyone.
