Maybe this has been suggested before, but as one of the many learners on this forum, I think it would be very motivating to have a tune of the month thread. Not a competition, just a designated tune that anyone could learn and post a clip of for feedback. Could be a slow air, a reel, a jig, whatever (maybe there could be air of the month and dance tune of the month). Not even necessarily ITM (although that would probably be self-selecting) or even performed on whistle. Just a thought, but I’ve seen this sort of thing work well on other forums.
I may participate.
Depends on the tune.
I can’t play well enough to participate, but I would enjoy listening to others play and also working on the tunes myself. Since I don’t read music it would have to be in whistle tab or ABC for me. 
Do not a lot of people play by ear then? I’d never say no to sheet music but I learn quicker by listening…
I’d totally be down for tune of the month though, great idea!
It’s the old idea on the (now moribund) Whistle This website. There was supposed to be a new tune every two weeks. For me, it didn’t keep going long enough to make much of an impact. I think that’s the potential problem with the idea. It has to be long-lived to work, and who’s going to commit to doing that?
I think the idea itself is nice. As for format of the tune, it ought to be mainly by someone competent recording it for others to pick up by ear. I wouldn’t be too fussed if there were no other format given, but whatever, the tune itself should be the source.
I am, however, extremely skeptical about doing it directly on the forum, partly because, as implied above, I’m a bit cynical about getting the necessary commitment from someone competent enough to choose and play the tunes each month, but also because I don’t think it’s the right place. My personal opinion (not speaking as a Mod here) is that it would be better done as a separate site. That separate site could then be linked on here.
Or, maybe even better - how about just using the clips sections we already have on the flute and whistle forums, and see if you can get some direct interest? Just post your “tune of the month” into one of those stickies. Of course, if you’re doing this, you’d better be competent enough to be able to a play a version worthy of being copied around the globe! 
I love the idea. I’m totally in, however it works out. But since Messenger started the idea, maybe he should start by picking the first tune. In the future if Messenger didn’t want to name the tunes any more, we could rotate through the dedicated participants or ask one of the admins to lend a hand.
I don’t think the person picking the tune needs to be the one to demonstrate it, I think it would be kind of fun to have the tune named, and then it’s up to each of us to come up with how to get ahold of it. We all have the resources, any number of different ways to learn a tune, it would be part of the adventure and we would all come up with slightly different stuff because we would be learning it from different places.
I think it would be fun to do it through the forum, just not sure how the best way to do it would be. We could all post to youtube with key words that would match up and post to a monthly thread, or maybe we could request that it be made a sticky, but it would get supper convoluted… Maybe we should ask an admin for advice on this one?
I think it’s best to keep things simple. Just start a thread like “Tune of the month: The dear little pig in a poke” and let everyone just have at it. Let people learn it by ear, off the ABC or stave notation, whatever. Keep the bar to entry low. Making restrictive rules (got to learn it by ear, etc.) would kill it. It can be as simple as we agree to make it.
I think that’s a really great idea. That’s how Rolf Harris came up with his version of Stairway to Heaven - he’d never listened to the origional - he just had a copy of the dots…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBzJQ6ZA6oA
Can’t speak as to how I’ll participate, but it strikes a chord with what I’m trying to do at the moment. That is trying to transcribe “My Lagan Love” as a guitar duet. I know the tune by heart (or by ear) and the three scores I’ve laid hands on are radically different from what I know. One is in 2/4 (eh?) one is in 3/4 (what?) and one is in nominal 4/4 without bar lines - yes, that would be “freely”. Each of them jumps half an octave up or down in places. It’s not how I would (or even could) sing it.
It’s an aural tradition, yes? So different versions should be welcome! (I might even join in!)
I think a tune-of-the-month is a good idea too. And I think keeping things simple would be the key to longevity. I do think it would be nice to have a version of the selected tune recorded and available for learners to hear and emulate. That could be a challenge to provide long term.
I play with a group of “youngsters” now and again. They’ve used a similar concept for building a base of tunes to play. Each selects a tune in advance of the session (which are held on an irregular schedule) via email and provides a YouTube clip as an example of the tune and a link to notation/ABC/Tabs when possible. Everyone else endeavors to play along with that version at the session. It works to a degree.
So maybe select a tune, provide a link to clip to hear and a link to an ABC.
Feadoggie
Ok, Messenger, get us started. Pick a tune and start a new thread (do use the words ‘tune of the month _______’ so we can find it with the search function), if you can find a link to a sound or youtube file of that song, even better. If it’s a song that some people already know, the challenge to them is to get it recorded and posted as a reference to the rest of us.
I am just beginning to play the whistle but I think this would be fun and is really a great idea to get players involved.
I’d like to, but I think I need the moderators’/list owner’s permission. Also, I think one tune a month is a bit too sporadic to really keep up the interest. I’d suggest a tune very two weeks (tune of the fortnight). Anyway, I’d like to hear from MTGuru or Dale or whoever before launching anything.
Ideally, so this isn’t just about whistles, it would be good for there to be a participatory tune sub-forum. Each fortnight’s thread should at least be sticky until it expires, which I don’t think is a big deal, administratively. But we should see how much interest the idea generates first.
I’d like to see this for several reasons. I would have great fun participating privately by learning or attempting to learn the tunes. Also, it seems that forum members are less active than they were 4 or 5 years ago. I spent a couple of years without internet and kind of lost track. I guess the old forums that have been locked drew a lot of the people in. I just wish people were as active in participating on the Whistle Forum. I don’t post a lot but I read everything that is posted by others. I don’t have the experience ( or talent either ) to add much but I really enjoy benefitting from the talent and experience of others.
I would participate if you can get this going.
It might be fun.
ecohawk
I’m currently busy writing an essay, but if I can get to the music hall before the end of the weekend I’ll start us off with something. I think the Lonesome Jig would be a good starting place for everyone, as much as I’d like to bust out the Glenn Allen reel.
I would love to participate!
It would give me something to focus on since right now I’m having trouble practicing just one song. Being given a random song would be great and would give me something to set my sights on.
I’ve posted the first tune of the fortnight (Scatter the mud) in another thread. The rules are simple and intended to keep the bar to entry as low as possible. Here they are:
- All entries must be in by the day before the date declared in the title.
- On the declared date, the person who started the thread will comment on entries and nominate his favourite.
- The nominated favourite will choose and judge the tune for the next two weeks.
The tune should be easy to find on the internet, as a performance, score or ABC. They should not be recondite performances on out of print CD’s, and ideally at least one performance and one transcription should both be easily available on youtube, thesession, or whatever.
Please keep any comments about the rules, whether the tune is appropriate or not, how stupid I am, etc., to this thread. Just post your entries in the TOTF thread itself. Ideally, each posting to the TOTF thread should just be a link to a performance download or youtube entry or some such.
For this to work, the judge’s decision must be final and should be accepted as such by participants. Please don’t discuss his credentials, taste in music etc., etc. in the threads. After all, if most people don’t like his style, he is unlikely to ever win again and be nominated judge.
Good luck, and enjoy yourselves. I’m hoping this will be fun for everyone.
I think, considering your target group: learners, it may well be a good idea to provide a basic version. For one because not everybody will be as willing or adept at finding a decent version on-line but there are a few tunes circulating under the same name and that will no doubt give rise to confusion, not to mention the cripple stuff already out there waiting to be found.
Also, making it a contest (nominating a favourite) will in the long run probably turn out to be not conducive to attracting all the participants you’d like to have. To make it a positive learning experience it’s probably better to point out the good, bad and improvable (or likeable or not so) in each submission as a more constructive option.
Absolutely agreed!