I’m fair with a plains flute (Native American Flute). I’m a beginner with a penny whistle. In either case, I don’t have a great turn of speed, so I stick to fairly slow pieces. Speed may come later. Or it may not. I play for myself first. If someone else likes my playing, that just a bennie. I also have a fairly musical family. Right now, in our house we have, let’s see… two acoustic guitars, two electric guitars, one electric bass, one stand up bass, a violin, a trombone, six Native American flutes, one penny whistle (home made), two penny whistles under construction, One low whistle (home made), one low whistle under construction, one flute, a trumpet, numerous drums, a set of pan pipes, an ocarina, and a shakuhachi. There is someone in the house (either me or more usually my kids) who can produce recognizable tunes on any or all of the above. My daughter is very good on the violin, stand up bass and flute. My son is very good on guitar and pretty good on electric bass.
Thanks, Chuck_Clark!
I’ve been ambling along, with my little bunch of Lows, for about eleven years.
I’ve not found a better “meditation.” Play’em daily.
How I’d rank, as a “musician,” is unknown. But I play and enjoy like there’s no tomorrow.
I’ve whistled accross the US, in my little RV, and by rivers, and in forests…and had people say they’d enjoyed it. That was fun, but, frankly, if I were the last person on the planet, I’d still A-Muse myself with these delightful instruments.
Happiness. Simple pleasures. O, yah…
Hear! Hear!
Almost everyone liked to hear my whistle when I played in my first year. Now, three years later, almost everyone still likes it! Because it’s live, it’s free, and it’s real, not coming out of a CD player or piped into a restaurant.
Actually, Squidgirl, your only mistake is giving up the whistling “until next spring!”
It takes me several months to learn a single jig. After four years of playing I only know 8 jigs, hornpipes, reels or polkas–I mean fast tunes. The rest is slow stuff, airs and worship songs. And what is an acceptable speed for jigs, anyway? I doubt that anyone could dance to some of the jigs as fast as I’ve heard them on CDs.
Enjoy yourself, Chuck! Everyone will like your Irish music!
Uh, yeah. Dirty little secret time. My presentable repertoire doesn’t really include that much Irish “Irish” music [*] - and that is mostly airs and songs. O’Carolan, of course (which I’m told isn’t REALLY Irish music), and I like the revolutionary songs.
My real starting point, back when I got my first Generation (long since sold on eBay) was American Folk music and Appalachian, especially around and before the American Civil War.
This is a great thread!
I can only add a couple of insights/clarifiers perhaps ..
To me, the whistle provides entry to a journey. With a whistle, the destination is wonderfully vague - it’s the magic allure behind the sound you once heard. Along the way one gets to visit some interesting places - technical achievements, new tunes memorized, that sort of thing. But also, you meet a bunch of fellow travelers - many of these make you realize how rich the journey can be. The journey is your own, comparisons with others matter little. Certainly - those who walk shoulder to shoulder can enjoy the company and help each other at need, but those on different parts of the road have their own journey to enjoy - it is a wonder to hear their notes echo in the valleys and hills from afar.
The monks who live in the temple regard it all as normal hum-drum stuff: “Hey Steve - could you please levitate the salt over here?”, “Damn - we’re out of wine again, hey John, would you be so good as to change this bucket of water?” “Loaves and fishes anyone?” etc etc.
Of course, to those who observe from outside, it is all sheer wonder.
From the time you pick up your first whistle, you foot is planted on that road, and you enter the temple.
Chuck, and all the others out there, I’m glad to read this thread. So I know I’m not allone with
doubts and frustrations, uppy and downy (?! well, you know what I mean) times.
Like you describe it so wunderfully, Mitch, it’s a miraculous journey - and my own one.
With close to no musical background at all I started whistling say 10 years ago,
haven’t got beyond advanced beginner’s yet, but still - I’ve come that far at least.
And sometimes I just enjoy the sensual feeling of holding the whistle, tapping my fingers, feel the air flow … great.
So yes: “… can’t really play but won’t quit trying”
I realize this is very cliche, but one of my favorite confidence builders, and I think very applicable in this case:
(to paraphrase)
" 'tis not reaching the destination which brings enlightenment…, but the journey."
Great post.
Regarding recorded music, professionals and just plain good music, I saw Sting in concert once, and what he sang sounded just like the recordings but he wasn’t having any fun on stage and it was obvious. So we didn’t have any fun in the audience either. It’s about the craic, not the quality of the music. We had a great time one evening at our local, and I was recording it on my mp3 player so I could capture tunes that I don’t know for practice. We had one of those sets where your feet come up off the floor and you are caught floating in the music. Magic stuff. The place broke out in applause when we stopped. Not because the playing was that good, because it wasn’t anything special at all. I have it recorded, so I have proof it wasn’t the quality of the playing they enjoyed. But there was some serious person-to-person sharing going on that just doesn’t get recorded. Even the punters could feel it. That’s why I play. Not to measure my skill against some scale, but to enjoy the activity. I have just as much fun now as I did two years ago, and I have just as many things I’m working on improving as I did then. They are different things, but my experience is the same. I don’t play to get better, I play because I have to.
I’m with you. I play because I just want to. I want to be better than I am. Always playing at it. But I just plain love it. I know, I don’t even live in Ireland either. Even had a piano teacher tell my parents to quit giving me lessons because I had no ability. But those tunes just invite me to get inside of em. And I love people who understand that too! Hooked against all odds! Keep playin!!!
I dreamed of playing whistle for kids in the park ~~
hehe~~
For how mediocre many of us are, we still have our moments of brilliance and sometimes we’re lucky enough to have those moments in front of people.
Also, I may not play my instruments well but I still play better than 99% of the population.
Every time I decide to learn a new instrument, I think “If snotty nosed grade school kids can figure this out, so can I.” This hasn’t failed me yet.
No one can teach brilliance…but you can be taught the mechanics.
People are really pretty unfair to themselves when they think that they can just “pick up” whistle and teach themselves to play.
Nobody can make you Mary Bergin or Matt Molloy, but a good teacher can make just about anyone competent.
A good teacher is far and away your most efficient and least frustrating way to learn to play…and you’ll be amazed at how much fun you can have, too! 
–James
“Hi, I’m Sarah and I’m a mediocre whistle player.” 
It’s so nice that even on C&F, which presumably has many actually GOOD players, we can admit such things.
Chuck mentioned playing while recuperating in the hospital. The period of time when I played whistle most was when I was ill (an acute thyroid condition) and didn’t have the energy to play my main instrument, the hammered dulcimer. One of the joys of whistle is that it can be played while lounging with one’s feet up, or even lying on one’s back. When I’m well and able to be near my dulcimer, I tend to play mostly dulcimer and not much whistle, so it’s pretty obvious why I’m not a great whistle player. 
(I wouldn’t classify myself as “great” at dulcimer, either, but I’m a lot better than at whistle.)
With regard to music in general (mostly dulcimer for me), I still consider myself an ongoing experiment in how far one can get in music with zero talent but with lots of persistence and love of the music. It’s definitely far enough to fool the non-musician public. 
I’m not done with me yet, either. It is fun to learn, and to make beautiful sounds, and especially to make music with friends. I think there’s plenty of room in the world for us less-than-stellar players.
Ditto!
I play to fill the void…
Arbo