On 2002-05-14 11:34, Martin Milner wrote:
And as for Patrick Stewart, I can play anything he can!!
Me too!! (As we now know this great whistle mystery is solved…)
MCM Transatlantic Whistle Detective Agency - no case too small.
Branches in London and Salt Lake City
[ This Message was edited by: Cees on 2002-05-14 11:40 ]
There was a time (up to some point in the 1970s) when the only whistles available in Ireland were Clarke’s Cs and Generations (Ds and the occasional C). So that’s what people played.
To buy a Generation, if you knew anything about the music, you went to the shop and tried a half-dozen and picked the best. Then people began to worry about health regulations and stuff (herpes and perhaps glandular fever rather than AIDS was the concern then), so you had to buy three or four on the basis of a visual inspection only (rejecting out of hand the ones that had big messy moulding flashes in the window) and use whichever sounded best.
I’ve been out of the country for twelve years now, so I can’t claim to be authoritative, but my impression is that Gens and Waltons are the main players, and that high-enders are very much the exception among the ordinary amateurs whom you’ll meet in a session. One thing which did strike me about three or four years ago was the number of young teenagers playing flutes. My guess is that with dramatically increased prosperity, more families are able to afford flutes and these, rather than a high-end whistle, are the natural progression for the kids who start out on whistle.
Well-observed, Martin, when I’m not too sure of a tune in a session (or if those damned pickers are playing too fast for me to keep up) I do indeed switch from pipes to the whistle, both because it’s easier to bluff the bits I’m unsure of and because it’s less antisocial if I do go wrong.
PS
I also switch to a whistle for polkas, it just seems better.
On 2002-05-14 11:17, DazedinLA wrote:
OK, right, its an Andrea Corr issue. I understand…I was wondering if someone had a problem with Joannie, which was confusing for me because I think she’s wonderful. Much as I dread the thought, I may eventually chug my way through the entire Sickening thread…I’ve only seen the first few pages and that was enough for me.
DazedinLA, just skip the first few screens of the “It’s Sickening” thread and it becomes rather humourous. Its a bunch of nonsense but humourous nonetheless 
On 2002-05-14 11:33, Peter Laban wrote:
you may not have realised almost all sessions in pubs you’ll find will have at least one or two musicians paid to be there to attract the punters.
Pardon my ignorance but what is a “punter”?
DazedinLA, just skip the first few screens of the “It’s Sickening” thread and it becomes rather humourous. Its a bunch of nonsense but humourous nonetheless
Please…oh Please…do not respond to the ‘It’s Sickening’ topic!
On 2002-05-14 12:00, garycrosby wrote:
Pardon my ignorance but what is a “punter”?
Hm, interesting one, it is quite generally used here for ‘customer’. Heard it used in an English tv series during the week so I suppose they use it too overthere. I like the sound of it.
Does half Irish count? My cousin teaches the whistle in a few primary schools in Cork - I went with her for a week’s work experience, and most of the whistles were generations.
All my family play generations - some of them due to the presence of a 3 year old boy who will hit random objects with anything he can get his hands on ie whistles, and I have found it impossible to play a whistle with a 45 degree bend in it. Expensive whistles in that situation would be a mistake.
I’m sure there are a few low whistles around, but I’ve seen more flutes (relatively cheap ones as well).
Jo.
Punter is indeed another word for customer. Used quite a bit in Sarf London.
Steve
On 2002-05-14 11:28, Bloomfield wrote:
PS.: I actually have a “problem” with Joannie Madden, too, although I usually don’t like to risk the flames to say so. Some of the Cherish the Ladies stuff is good, although I don’t listen to it much. I have Song of the Irish Whistle (or something), which I bought after all these raves here on c & f. Apart from being pretty boring overproduced comercial stuff, she doesn’t even show much technical brilliance. It’s all expressive long notes, if you see what I mean. If I want that kind of “celtic” muzak, I’d rather listen to post-Harry’s-Game Clannad. For some reason I also don’t like the Boehm flute for IrTrad. Call me square, call me backward, but there it is. And I don’t care if you can play 3 1/2 octaves perfectly in tune.
I was sort of lukewarm on CTL until their latest album “The Girls Won’t Leave The Boys Alone”. IMNSHO, it’s one of the best IrTrad albums to come out in recent memory, and may very well be CTL’s lifetime best. It certainly made me rethink my opinion of the group.
The primary sense of “punter” is someone who bets, and by extension it has come to be used of customers generally and, in the music context, of music-lovers and non-professional musicians (it’s often used in this sense in Irish Music Magazine’s review of sessions). I seem to remember also seeing it used in reference to prostitutes’ clients. Webter’s online confirms the original sense and perhaps, by extension, its preferential use for people engaged in activities which are subject to moral reprooof:
chiefly British : a person who gambles; especially : one who bets against a bookmaker.
Your resident pedant,
Roger
Roger, I was the resident pedant, wasn’t I?. Or was I the arrogant know-all? Whatever way, I’ll be happy to resign the position in your favour.
Anyway, the term seems to be widely used in Ireland for those visiting the bookies, prostitutes and sessions but only last week I heard An Taoiseach Bertie Ahern use it in the sense of customer in one of his pre-election speeches. Does that make it’s use fairly respectable?
[ This Message was edited by: Peter Laban on 2002-05-15 08:09 ]
It certainly shows that he’s bought into the Thatcherite logic of viewing citizens as no more than customers, and his style of politics wouldn’t be out of place in any red-light district.
Re your status, I thought you were the narrow bore 
[ This Message was edited by: Roger O’Keeffe on 2002-05-15 09:48 ]
Whenever I visit a prostitute I insist on being addressed as the client, I find the terms customer and punter so demeaning.
On 2002-05-15 09:26, Martin Milner wrote:
Whenever I visit a prostitute I insist on being addressed as the client, I find the terms customer and punter so demeaning.
Visit? You are so precious, John - er I mean Martin!
I like the “narrow bore” for Peter. So who’s the wide bore, then?
I think we could start a thread on terms of abuse for whistlers. Dale has already alerted us to the term “perturbed bore”.
How about “woodenhead”? Just don’t call me “backfilled cavity”…
True StevieJ!
I was going to put:
“Whenever I take big Jim & the twins along to the House of Whips, Chains & Pain, for their erring to be corrected by my favoured dominatrix Madame Zaza”
but I though that might be over-egging the pudding.
Less is More
In discussing what instruments are used in session, I don’t think its on point to talk about what is used in a classroom as being equivalent. Classroom instruments are meant to be cheap, available, etc… Here in the states we use plastic Yamaha recorders for our elementary school music classes, but anyone who plays in a Ren fair, or in baroque groups, or such, is using an instrument of an entirely different caliber.
Sure, some people playing in session will stick with the Gen, but others will look at other instruments, what is available to them, and possibly get one that they feel is more appropriate to their situation.
Been following the thread and nobody answered the whole first question, namely, how native Irish would feel about a fancy-pants whistle in their midst. First part was well-answered.
My guess (because I have no real experience there) is that you can play anything you want if you do it well.
If you show up with a $300 whistle but can’t keep up with the session, that would probably raise a few eyebrows and lead to inevitable comparisons, right?
But a beautiful whistle well-played would add to any session, I would think. Is that right, Peter or others?
While it may be interesting and useful to know about common attitudes and practices of local musicians at sessions in Ireland I think there can really be only one answer to the question posed;
“Who really cares what real Irish play? Play whatever kind of whistle is going to make you happy and make it fun for you!”
There now. My whistle reality is checked
Cheers,
David (of the Unreal Irish) 
On 2002-05-15 14:37, Feadan wrote:
“Who really cares what > real > Irish play? Play whatever kind of whistle is going to make > you > happy and make it fun for > you> !”
I totally agree!
I mean, if you really like the inexpensive whistles (I prefer the Clarkes), then you should play them. If you really like the expensive whistles, then play them! Play what you like, because if you don’t play what you like, then why are you playing???