So here it comes, my first posting and my first thread
I am a Whistle Beginner
And there is one thing i am very unsure about
Several tutorials teach„ to keep all holes open to play a c# on a d-whistle, but somewhere i saw to „close the last hole whith the right hands ringfinger to play the c# on the d whistle”
This looks and sound easy and usefull, for example to show the hand “where it is” or maybe when to change from a low d to a c# for example, or specialy to stabalize the whistle during the c#
So i watched plenty videos of whistlers and it looks like that some , keep the pinkyfinger on the whistle, some keep the right hand ringfinger on the whistle, some take all fingers away
Before i get a bad behavier which i have to get rid of again later
Before I get used to something wich will be wrong later on another whistle, a flute or recorder,..whatever … i ask you
What do you recommend?
Is it ok to keep the last finger on the whistle
Maybe i could leave the first finger over the first hole (roll it away up to the top)
… whats best if i later want to play other flutes/whistles/whatever too?
What you’re describing is a technique called lazy fingering: leaving some fingers down when changing notes. And yes, it’s perfectly OK; many experienced players use it (though some don’t). It minimizes finger movement and facilitates fast playing. But you have to be careful about the effect on intonation - flattening notes or changing their timbre - especially in slow passages. Let your ear and the context of the music be your guide.
As for the C# specifically, and for other top-hand notes … Yes, using the bottom ring finger (B3) is a standard technique to stabilize the whistle. On a high whistle, the pinky / little finger (B4) usually serves that function. But especially on larger whistles, and with piper’s grip (EZ grip!), using B3 is normal.
Yes, that’s right. Different players have different habits, and different tunes and phrases may use different techniques, depending on the melody.
No, don’t do that. It’s not necessary, and it doesn’t produce a clean C# note. However, you can “roll” that finger to produce a half-holed C-natural. It’s easier to roll to the bottom, not the top. But it’s even better to roll to the left side, leaving the finger joint pressed against the side of the whistle as a pivot.
I had to actually pick up a whistle to see how I play C#, regarding the pinky. I find that I put the pinky below the D hole, and start to put it there above G, going up the scale. Funny, you can do something so often that you’re really not sure how you do it.
In addition to stabilizing the whistle, it provides a tactile reference when I’m ready to put those right hand fingers back down.
At one point I sat down to do a thorough analysis of my unconscious “pinky dance”, with the goal of posting an impressive exposé for the delight and edification of Chiffboard readers.
You can guess how that turned out.
It seems that, at minimum, my pinky behavior when fingering a given note is conditioned by:
The given note.
Whether the pinky is already down or up from the previous note.
The 2 or 3 notes that follow the given note in the melody. That is, I’m automatically thinking 2 or 3 notes ahead of what I’m playing.
Assuming conservatively 8 unique diatonic fingerings on the whistle, and thinking 2 notes past the fingered note, that gives 8 * 2 * (8^2) = 1024 different combinations. And that number can increase severalfold if you account for alternate fingerings, shadings and intonation, ornaments, lazy fingering, non-diatonic notes, etc.
So for now, I’m happy to let the pinky and the brain* work this all out in some dusty room in my subconscious, and simply enjoy the dance.
so the question is…the pinky or the ringfinger? hmmm, wich one?
the other qouestion is, waht ist ez-grip ? google just tells me its the pipers grip, but this has to do with using the finger tips or second parts…doesnt it?
anyway, pinky or ringfinger?
dont i need the pinky on some other flutes, as recorders or so? would be bad to be used to keep it on the whistle
but what if i use the ringfinger and than get a 7 hole flute? wouldt it change the note/tune?
i wish i wouldnt have this question and be an advanced player already and got my behavier on a natural way
looks like you guys got it that way
truth is, right now i stoped playing songs which contains those higer notes as the c#,
i should stop thinking and i start playing again
anyway, the next two days i cant whistle at all and than hopefully a new whistle is waiting for me here
p.s. just tried it one more time, i feel more comfortable with the ringfinger and i gues that should be my “natural way” than
Pinky. That is the standard technique on a high whistle, and you should learn it first.
Yes … (Super Duper) EZ-Grip is our special name for Piper’s Grip here on this forum Don’t worry about it until you try to play the larger (low) whistles.
pinky? i did hope its the ringfinger (but i worry to much anyway) ill just do it now
low whistle? id love to but even if i have big hands (and big lungs) i told myself not to get a low whistle before i can play at least well enough to find somone who dont run away when i reach out for a whistle
than a low whistle will be my reward (but a realy long and low one )
Either way is fine, according to The Clarke Tin Whistle by Bill Ochs. I started off trying to use the pinky, but mine are very crooked at the 1st joint and it made the mobility of the other fingers an issue. Once I switched to the ring finger it was much easier.
My pinky simply doesn’t work. (although I do tend to use it without even meaning to on my fife-thing sometimes)
I’ve developed the habit of using ring finger SOMETIMES. Not always. As others have said, it depends on the note, tune, etc. And sometimes, just, nothing,which is how I started out, actually, and did fine.
first i started to use the pinky, it wasnt realy comfortable (large hands, large fingers, but pinky is short compared to the others), just on my shortest flute it worked, but sureley not on the largest (the parks walkabout in c - wonderfull whistle by the way)
than i tried the ringfinger ON the last hole, than UNDER the last hole
than i tried all by going up and down the scale, than by “complete oil changes” from C# to d ,…
now i stoped thinking and trying and just play and sometimes i do it this way, sometimes another way,…i think something, whatever will become naturel one day, but at least i know the possibilities i have ( as a beginner i was very unsure before)
by the way, today i recorded my first (self invented) tune for a videotrailer (its for my own company and i wont pay myself for it, but hey its a trailertune )
Oh yes. If you’re going to use the ring finger, it should be ON the hole. You don’t want to be sliding it up and down on the whistle. That will slow you down and make some passages impossible.
Pinky length should not be an issue for most people if you use the proper “flat fingering” with the flat pads of the fingers, not the tips. Nine times out of ten, when someone complains that the pinky doesn’t reach the whistle (on a high whistle), the problem is not pinky length but bad finger position and hand position in general. The pinky is only a symptom of this larger problem that must be corrected. As a teacher, I expect proper use of the pinky to be one of the first techniques a student should master, unless the anatomy of his/her hand is very unusual. My POV is that it is always better to learn the standard technique first.
but i am using the flat parts and on the larger c whistle i just can reach the side of the whistle with the pinky if i dont bend the other fingers … and this produce cramps…and often bad sounds … i can give it a last try but would love finaly to let it find its own natural way
but if you are so sure about that pinky,…he will get another chance
Thanks for posting this. I had unknowingly started the bad habit of playing near the tips of the fingers instead of with the pads. Now that the error has been noticed and corrected, I can even use my very crooked pinky to stabilize the Gen nickel Bb.
In response to a PM question, here are a few photos that illustrate the proper pinky position. It’s actually surprisingly hard to find good web shots of FFW (Full Frontal Whistle) with the pinky down in flagrante delicto.
Julie Fowlis (playing G):
Ryan Duns (playing B):
Brian Finnegan (playing B):
Note that there is, of course, some natural variation of position from player player - on top, to the side, further down - according to the size of their hands and fingers.
looks like some bend their fingers to reach the whistle with the pinky?
its something i tried to avoid cause it causes bad sounds, at least when i do it
anyway see this (ok for a proffessional photographer i should have done this better but i did it quickly)
my fingers an my shortest whistle the Clarke MEG D
pinky reach the whistle comfortable on the top:
my fingers on my largest D whistle the Parks Walkabout in D
my pinky just reach the whistle on the top:
my fingers on my largest whistle the Parks Walkabout in C
pinky just reach the side of the whistle if i dont ben d the other fingers:
and this is the result:
nearly knots in the fingers
pinkies completely disorientated
i am doing the whistle pray
anyway, i guess i am using the flat parts enough? see the middlefinger, its “nearly” using the joint already (on the first pictures of course ) … dont look at the top hand i had to position it fast after dealiing whith the cam
I feel constrained by keeping my pinky on all the time - maybe it is something I need to get used to. I have found that my right elbow position can make a difference in moving my pinky to a better position to keep it on the whistle.
FWIW, I forced myself to learn to keep my pinky constantly on the whistle. I have really large hands, but short curved pinkies, so it took some work to learn this technique properly. I learned to rotate my wrists slightly toward the bell end of the whistle in order to insure proper finger pad alignment. I use this technique from high Eb down to alto/low G. For low F and below I use Super EZ grip, but can’t (yet) keep my pinky on the whistle comfortably so I accommodate my physical limitation by sort of half-holing the bottom hole with R3. This doesn’t affect the pitch on any note, according to my tuner and ears and provides a secure grip for me. YMMV.
The reason I went with the pinky constantly down was because it did indeed change the pitch on high whistles when I kept only R3 down. That bottom hole is too small for me to reliably half-hole it and it would occasionally squeak too from the inconsistency. I also couldn’t maintain a secure grip which made me squeeze the whistle with other fingers, tending to cause fingering problems of all sorts.
i did hope its the ringfinger (but i worry to much anyway) ill just do it now 
