This should be interesting, specially to beginners like me, that got the “Whistle bug” by watching videos from him and TinWhistler (amongst others) on Youtube.
The deadline for your questions is Monday the 31st, if on that date no one shows much interest, I’l postpone it for a couple more days.
In the end I’ll chose the ones that most people ask, together with the most interesting ones and together with some of my own.
Ok people, the thread is "kind of " working, that is nice, but please leave the gossip out, this is supposed to be friendly, and Ryan kindly agreed with the interview even without knowing me, so I guess it’s rude from us to be questioning his faith.
If you have a question, just ask it! If it’s not offensive, I’ll really ask him!
So for now we have:
“I’d ask him if he thinks Matt Molloy wears funny trousers”
“Why do bad tunes happen to good whistles?”
“Why did he stop uploading his videos?”
Come on guys, you can do more than this! I want moreeeeeeeee questions!
o What city or town did he grow up in, and how did that influence his music?
o Why and when did he decide to play Irish music?
o At what age did he begin to play the whistle?
o Is there a tradition of Irish music in his family?
o Was there a particular teacher or mentor who guided or influenced his whistle playing?
o How did he acquire his tune repertoire - sessions, mentors, books, recordings?
o Does he play at sessions, or only for private or personal enjoyment?
o What kinds of whistles does he favor (e.g. O’Riordan, Generation), and why?
o Which other instruments does he play?
I’m in awe of both Ryan’s musical talent and dedication to his faith. I’d like to know what he suggests when aspiring players reach the inevitable plateau or “dead spot” in their development. I know that’s probably a tired, old question that’s been asked here before, but another opinion, especially from a recognized talent, would be welcome (I hope).
I kind of started that off topic banter. Sorry about that MT.
Back on topic, how about asking Ryan’s opinion on the use of high end whistles. Some people maintain that it’s better to stick with the more traditional whistles like Feadógs or Clarkes until you become fairly proficient whereas others (like myself) have found that they prefer playing high end whistles and therefore want to practise more frequently.
How about asking if Ryan likes to play music other than Celtic on the whistle at all? Religious, jazz, Kwela, Klezmer, other international tunes: there are tons of great tunes out there from other traditions that are a blast to play on whistle.
Will he ever go back to playing for Feisanna?
Did playing for hours and hours for Step Dancers strengthen his faith?
Does he still play the box, or has he given it up totally for the whistle?
I’m not going to articulate this very well, but it might help folks to hear more about how he found his voice within the Irish musical tradition … and how he would characterize his own style, what makes it particularly his.
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