Having just received my first whistle after Christmas (a Clark Sweetone), I have conquered the basic notes and would like to try some ornaments. I have “Mel Bay’s Complete Irish tin whistle book and CD”, which I am enjoying so far. A couple of questions though…
- For a slide, does the finger move across the hole horizontally, or does one attempt to bend at the first finger joint to raise the pad of the finger slowly off? I seem to do a more gradual slide the 2nd way, although I fear if I’m doing it wrong, it may slow me down when my speed picks up.
- Also, I have difficulty between a C and a C#, getting the right pitch, could this be my whistle? or just a lack of talent?
- are the higher notes such as high A and B just played loudly to get the correct pitch, or should I be able to produce a quieter sound on these notes?
- Now here’s an ediquette question…what to do with the moisture in the whistle while playing? Just have a small towel nearby? or is there a cleaning stick of some kind that is used like for a recorder?
Please forgive any dumb questions but feel free to laugh at them!