Believe it or not, today when I was at the RiverFest in the Idaho town of Kamiah, I was walking around and a band was jamming before they went on, or were just jamming, and there was a WHISTLE PLAYER playing with them as they played the popular bluegrass song, RedWing…
My mouth must’ve fell open a foot or two…
She was playing a green and black Sweetone…
Anyone else seen similar things?
Though rarely used, the whistle is a natural with bluegrass, in my opinion. I play whistle in a little bluegrass band–even take a turn on the whistle on Foggy Mountain Breakdown and Salt Creek and other bluegrass standards. Tim O’Brien (current president, by the way, of the International Bluegrass Music Association) uses the whistle a lot in his music: he’s recorded with Seamus Egan, in fact, and I’ve heard John Williams play whistle in the live shows here in the Chicago area. True, O’Brien is exploring the celtic/bluegrass connection: his group called The Crossing includes Williams as well as Karan Casey and John Doyle, all former Solas members. The CD called The Crossing shows how beautifully the whistle mixes in, even though the music on that CD is not “pure” Bill Monroe kind of bluegrass. I don’t know of any other bluegrass bands that use the whistle, but in roughly the same category Michelle Shocked and Steve Earle also add the whistle on some of their tracks–great stuff. Steve Earle’s CD The Mountain especially comes to mind.
Carol Skinner
Yes - my brothers have a bluegrass band and we’ve found several songs in common (Morrison’s Jig, Red-Haired Boy, Jackie Tar…etc) - of course the beat is slightly different when played with them, but we all like the sound and enjoy playing them together. I’ve introduced them to a few songs that are close enough to their “sound” that they’ve learned them (they particularly like “Ridin’ on a Load of Hay”).
I think it’s the Celtic roots of bluegrass…
Susan
You guys stole my thunder. I was thinking of being a bluegrass whistler around here! It’s a natural, like Carol says. I mean, you have worked up all these tunes in common anyway. And you would get to improvise more.
I’ve been playing Bluegrass whistle for about a year around here, mostly because it’s one of the few muscial genres around here that a whsitler can play with and there are no sessions around here at all.
“Red Wing” is fantastic on a whistle.
It is a natural mix…considering so much Bluegrass and Old Timey are direct descendents of Celtic music. Take “Black Velvet Band” and Bill Monroe’s “Blue Velvet Band” and tell me what the real difference is there. Not much!
Heck, the whistle is great on songs like “Jambalaya” and Cripple Creek is great with a whistle and bodhran. It’s even good on “Rocky Top.” Sometimes I even play “Cattle Call” on the damn thing!
If playing Bluegrass is the only way I can play with other people, I’ll keep playing bluegrass whistle!
Waiting for the Mothership…
[ This Message was edited by: Anna Martinez on 2002-07-14 11:49 ]
Yeah, I wouldn’t mind learning… right now I’m just learning/doing “back-up” guitar… But I did find out right quick that A. you need a capo if you’re going to play guitar, and B. you need a whistle in A… 
Other than that, I had a great time at the session afterwards, but after an hour or so, I had to quit, because my left wrist was really starting to hurt… probably because when I play guitar, I have this nasty habit of curling my pinkie up really tight, so it stresses that muscle. And then when I said that I thought I should probably go, they all said “no!! Oh come on! Stay for just one more… it’s your pick anyway, so do a whislte song…” ect. It was fun.
Keep it simple, stay in the keys of D, G and Em! (and sometimes A) Don’t do what I did, like use your pinkie on the pick guard to brace yourself when picking…nasty habit!
Waiting for the Mothership…
[ This Message was edited by: Anna Martinez on 2002-07-14 18:29 ]
grin
Yeah, I’m looking into a Capo right now… so I can easily play in A… grin
And, the guy who gave me a “private lesson” in Guitar yesterday, said I needed to brace my wrist and not use any arm movement, but I feel more comfortable playing with arm movement…
And It was fun! There was this Mandolin player from the Fletcher sisters group I think it was, and I think he really enjoyed doing some Irish stuff… you should have heard him pick out this Jig (it was either Swallowtail, or Irish Washerwoman…)!! Wow!! Phenomenal!!!
I’ve been playing bluegrass whistle
for a couple of years on the street
with The Bates Street Folk and Blues
Band. It’s a natural, as several have
said, and relatively easy too. I suppose
the reason that whistles didn’t find
their way into blue grass sooner
is that blue grass musicians weren’t
aware of them.
Entry point is more on the ballads as fill between verses. Cropping up in Nashville fairly regularly as well as tv/movie instrumental.
But if you can improvise and jam on the reels, it will fit right in. Although mandolin was a staple since Bill Monroe at least, it has skyrocketed through various national styles here in Bay Area because of David Grisman et al. Was called Newgrass here but heck, they play jazz, Brazilian music and everything with that little box.
So why not whistle? Only chromaticism will limit it some.
I’ve often thought Dervish sounded like the Irish version of a bluegrass band, and Cathy Jordan has the perfect voice for both genres.
LOL! I played Redwing on the whistle today in church with the folk orchestra.
I find Altan even more so, mostly the way they attack reels. I have wondered if they sound more Northern Irish/Orange to educated ears out there? Or can you ascribe a style to them? I am thinking of their version of Tommy People’s or Red Crow stuff. I have a fair amount of Scottish records and it seems like Altan has that kind of energy on fast stuff.
I am still trying to discern the differences in regional styles, based on the records I own and Breathnach’s notes in his book. Problem is, I get the feeling that some of the fiddlers are just really unique any way (like Potts).
I have that Clare compilaton (with Mary Custy, Vincent Griffin et al) and Historic Clare of course and sort of have a handle on that style. But I also have solo records of Tommy Potts, Tommy Peoples, Julia Clifford, Mick Coneely, the the various group records, like Altan, Solas, dervish. I have been listening to the Julia Clifford a lot (since I love to play slides, I thought I would go to the source) but I am not sure what makes it Sliabh Luchra-style.
Breathnach said that the Northern play the triplets instead of the rolls (Altan does rolls though but pretty subtle) and that they “favor a strong single bowing stroke”. Not having access to a real irish fiddler, i am not sure what that means, beyond imagining a strong downbeat followed by slurs).
Also, some reels have occassional opposing low notes that are played as though they would have a line over em in classical music. They stick out on purpose. I like the effect and use it on the whistle, like on Dillon Brown.I don’t know if thats a stylistic. And despite Breathnach assertion that crescendos and volume level changes are not stylistic, those Historic Clare quartet most certainly go up and down in volume on a few of the reels in the middle of phrases. It soars then returns.
Somebody make sense of fiddling for me, at least above listed players or recommend the MOST stylistic players so I can compare? IRTRAD is hard to approach for my kind of questions…I am on the verge of purchasing a Donegal fiddlers compilation at the local store but you guys recommend so many dang cds that I am always afraid I will miss the next big thing so I pass on the old familiar choices…
Best to all.
The Confused Weekender
Have you seen the article on Altan in the latest Dirty Linen? In it, they say they are indeed adherents to the Donegal fiddle technique, which calls for bowing each note separately. This would likely translate to much tonguing or “breath-blasting” on a whistle or flute.
However, I also read another article on Altan which states that they all listen to a variety of CD’s and records. If this is true, it will probably come out in their individual styles. So they probably DO listen to some bluegrass. (Mairead, do you have the “O Brother” soundtrack?) 
(Another C&F mystery: Does Finbar Furey own any Ventures records, or is it the other way around? I could have sworn I heard a Ventures version of “The Lonesome Boatman” a few months ago.)
On 2002-07-15 10:03, BrassBlower wrote:
However, I also read another article on Altan which states that they all listen to a variety of CD’s and records. If this is true, it will probably come out in their individual styles. So they probably DO listen to some bluegrass. (Mairead, do you have the “O Brother” soundtrack?) >
Is Ciaran Tourish still with Altan? I read somewhere that he was interested in American music. I remember something about Cajun but not bluegrass.
Steve
As far as I remember, and if my memory serves me right, Cajun is a variant of Bluegrass. It’s very popular around the New Orleans area from what I hear.
Hi, Steve!
On the last album, he was still there, playing his fiddle and his Grinters. He also talked a little in the Dirty Linen article, so if he has left, this is a very new development.
If you want to hear a fine example of the Rock/Country/Celtic/Cajun connection, first listen to the Allman Brothers’ “Jessica”, then listen to Capercaillie’s “Argyll Lassies”, then listen to anything by BeauSoleil!
On 2002-07-15 11:44, The Whistling Elf wrote:
As far as I remember, and if my memory serves me right, Cajun is a variant of Bluegrass. It’s very popular around the New Orleans area from what I hear.
It’s true that cajun music is popular in Lousiana. Alas, bluegrass is getting a lot more priority here than it deserves. Bluegrass as a fairly distinctive style didn’t really come along until the 1940s. The instrumental numbers in blugrass, which are in the minority, are to some extent based on prior old time styles but with some stylistic differences too. Cajun music in no way developed from bluegrass and is certainly not an offshoot. Cajun was a going concern prior to that. Several old time musicians have gravitated to cajun music, though.
Steve
Steve: Oh, okay. Makes sense.
Funny I was just discussing Bluegrass and whistles with another CF member.
In 2000 or 2001 Dolly Parton’s Albumn “Little Sparrow” won best Bluegrass album of the year. In it are both high and low whistle. The low is very haunting on the song “Down From Dover”.
A great rendition of the “Sweet by and by” is done using whistle and one verse is sung in Irish by a guest singer.