I learned how to play the whistle solo from the Lotr song, “Concerning Hobbits”, though I don’t know if Galway played for the first album. Anyways, I noticed my cheaper whistle doesn’t sound quite like the one in the Fellowship (I know I’m not as good as the person playing on the soundtrack, but the sound the whistle made is slightly hollower than mine, so I figured it may be a more expensive whistle)
He did play for the Return of the King soundtrack, and i was just wondering what whistle he plays (galway, i mean)
I’m new at this…but I’m guessing a Copeland is what most professionals use…?
It might surprise you, but many pros play Generation cheapies. Other than that, you see lots of Overtons, Burkes and Sindts, and of course a lot of Susatos (Lunasa favors them for soprano whistles).
Yes. They play the Generation with the red mouthpiece. Some say that the newer Gen with the green mouthpiece, “The Folk Whistle,” is of a more consistent quality, but I’ve not tried a green-top Gen.
The Corr girl plays Clares, Mary Bergin plays Generations a lot, Spider Stacey used to play nickel Generations and I think Sean Potts had a Generation in the photo I saw the other day.
James Galway plays an Abell. Joanie Madden plays O’Riordans and some Burkes. Mary Bergin plays Sindts and Generations. Larry Nugent plays Copelands. As does Seamus Egan. Brian Finnegan of Flook plays Goldie Overtons.
No Spider Stacy used Brass and Nickel if youl look on the pictures of him in “IF I Should Fall form Grace With God” you will notice that he uses nickel and brass. Later when they came out with “Pogue Mahone,” although he was not the whistle player, the person playing uses specialy made Overtons (it says so in the liner notes). The best whistle that I have ever played on is a Dixon with a brass tuning slide after that I knew I would never by a different high whistle ever. When I saw Dropkick Murphys in concert it looked like Ryan Foltz was playing a Clare (brass with a green top but not a gen).
For ROTK apparently Sir James G played the hobbit’s ‘theme’ on the flute, because after all their adventures they had ‘evolved’ into sophisticated worldly wee things far beyond the simple countryfolk that the Abell whistle represented. A remark which, as I recall, upset a fair few folk last year (not including me though, I thought it sounded good no matter what it was played on).
When ever you see a pro “play” you arn’t actually seeing anyone play, but a stunt double syncing playing. And pros never use actual whistles, that’s just for show. For performances, they tape a couple of harmonicas together end to end. That’s why you commonly see performers fall to their deaths or burn up, and in the next scene they are up and walking around fine.
I never said he played only nickel Actually, I tried to think while I was posting if I ever saw him with a brass Gen, but all I could bring to mind were the blue tops. Certainly in most of the pics I can find he’s blowing nickel…
Nah, the other one, Sharon. Although David le Bas of Clare whistles claims Andrea also uses them some of the time. I know she normally uses what looks like a Walton LBW…
Actually, I believe her main whistles are an Eb Generation (which she uses a lot), a D Genration with an O’Riordan head, and O’Riordan Travellers for all the keys C and below.
Lunasa definitely uses Susato D and C whistles, both for Kevin and Sean’s high whistle playing. When we saw them in Cincinnati a couple of months back, they used them for the Raffin Island/Sporting Paddy set and for McGinchly’s.
Actually, I tried to think while I was posting if I ever saw him with a brass Gen, but all I could bring to mind were the blue tops. Certainly in most of the pics I can find he’s blowing nickel…