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Tin Whistle
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10-hole Diatonic Harmonica
The tin whistle…'cause I can kinda play it.
Yeah, I’ll second what Vape said. I can play one but not the other. I’m kinda partial to instruments I can actually play, versus only listen to.
Again, the tin whistle. Tried to learn the harmonica a couple of times and failed horribly!
~Larry
Tin Whistle.
But Kwanchan, in case you hadn’t noticed, this is a forum for folks who dig the little six-holed fipple flutes we sometimes call tin whistles. Probably everyone will say Tin Whistle.
Not that there’s anything wrong with harmonicas, just that most of us don’t have that obsession (yet).
Have a great Sunday everyone.
The whistle. Can’t play harmonica - I think my lips are too fat.
The harmonica seems to be losing - as I expect would happen to the whistle if this same question were asked in a harmonica forum.
The harmonica
(Not, not really. I just wanted to be different)
The flugelhorn.
(Not really. Just wanted to be REALLY different)
Oh, have I mentioned lately that there’s a great new Irish harmonica CD out? With whistle tracks on it, too! May help people decide… 
http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php?topic=7014&forum=1
Carol
Tin Whistle, definetly!!!
And, Alto Sax, Violin, ect…
Heck, I just love playing music, period. 
Tin whistles blow and harmonicas suck…hey,it’s a whistle forum :roll: Only kidding and to answer your question I love both.I play Lee Oskar harps in all major keys and also a couple of natural minor keys,Em and Am for more melodic stuff. Ir-trad on diatonic harp is fairly difficult though…for this I go for a whistle. Mike
[ This Message was edited by: mike.r on 2002-11-24 11:22 ]
On 2002-11-24 11:20, mike.r wrote:
Tin whistles blow and harmonicas suck…hey,it’s a whistle forum :roll: Only kidding and to answer your question I love both.I play Lee Oskar harps in all major keys and also a couple of natural minor keys,Em and Am for more melodic stuff. Ir-trad on diatonic harp is fairly difficult though…for this I go for a whistle. Mike[ This Message was edited by: mike.r on 2002-11-24 11:22 ]
Hey Mike, harps blow as well as suck. Seriously though, I too play and love both. These days I’m better on whistle because I’m learning it (and concertina) so practising much more regularly.
speaking of sucking harmonicas, I recently tried playing some Irish trad melodies on a diatonic harp and (gasp!) discovered most of the notes are draws in many tunes…quite a drawback…mike.r, any suggestions?
Lisa
[ This Message was edited by: ysgwd on 2002-11-24 23:48 ]
On 2002-11-24 23:47, ysgwd wrote:
speaking of sucking harmonicas, I recently tried playing some Irish trad melodies on a diatonic harp and (gasp!) discovered most of the notes are draws in many tunes…quite a drawback…mike.r, any suggestions?
Lisa[ This Message was edited by: ysgwd on 2002-11-24 23:48 ]
I’m not licensed to speak for Mike—but if he ever goes multinational I’ll apply for a franchise. I do have three suggestions though. In increasing order of seriousness
- Try circular breathing.
- Do what I did, buy an anglo concertina.
- Write to Jim Conway and ask how he does it.
I might even buy an English concertina!
I can’t even circular breathe on the dijeridu.
I am waiting for Conway’s cd as we speak.
I won’t play the melodica outside of the privacy of my own room.
Which all leads me back to concertina fantasies.
On 2002-11-25 11:09, ysgwd wrote:
I might even buy an English concertina!
I can’t even circular breathe on the dijeridu.
I am waiting for Conway’s cd as we speak.
I won’t play the melodica outside of the privacy of my own room.
Which all leads me back to concertina fantasies.
… which is a good place to be led back to. First I fantasized about owning a good concertina; now I fantasize about being able to play it. On the English concertina, no problems with air—just other coordination problems. I just got an email from Jim explaining circular breathing to me. Well, I thought, if I do that my eardrums will implode and my brain will come out my nose. We’ll see; some would regard that outcome as an improvement.
Melodicas were meant for the privacy of one’s own room. Very intimate little wheezers, aren’t they. I’m wondering if melodica can’t be made to ‘come out’, so to speak. I think it might sound interesting in a mix with other instruments.
I forgot one other (serious) suggestion. You could try to make breathing breaks a creative feature of your playing, just as good players do on whistle. As for playing Irish music well on harp, when Jim’s CD arrives you’ll know for sure that it can be done.