Greetings All,
It’s been some time since I posted here, and the reason for that is due to the fact that I’ve hit a wall on my whistle playing progress. It’s been a very frustrating past 6 months, and I’m tired of being frustrated. So, my question to everyone here is:
Does anyone know of a good irish music teacher in St. Louis, MO?
and
How has everyone else overcome these barriers with playing proficency? Should I just continue my practice and wait for some type of epiphany to hit, or is there a better way?
Thanks for any thoughts, comments and ideas on this.
Sincerely,
Jason
Jason, you might look up your local Irish club (one group is called the Ancient Order of Hibernians, or AOH) and ask someone there if there are musicians you can talk with.
You might check with the folks at Music Folk (http://www.musicfolk.com/) in Webster Groves. They can probably put you in touch with someone who teaches whistle. Their Web site says they have an Irish session Wednesdays from 7-9pm.
If you weren’t already planning on attending the Mississippi River Celtic Music Festival, this might be a good place to find a teacher. (www.tionol.org)
John D. McGurk’s Irish Pub
1200 Russell Blvd.
St. Louis (Soulard Area)
Phone: (314) 776-8309
Live Irish music every night.
I think they have a regular session open to the general public but I’m not sure what night. The other nights I believe they have paid performers.
And one last place to check:
St. Louis Irish Arts (http://www.slia.org/). Although, I called them multiple times when I lived in St. Louis looking for a whistle teacher and they never returned my calls (all I ever got was their machine). I think they’re more dance oriented…not sure though.
You should be able to hook up with a good teacher at one or more of the above…I did find a good whistle teacher in St. Louis while I was living there, but he moved to Columbia, MO.
-Brett
Change!
It can be a wonderful thing. When I come up against a creative block on the piano, whistle etc, I find change helps the most.
Get a new whistle, or whistle key (cheap one is all right) Or rent an effects processor and mic from a music store and Play with the settings, use a really silky reverb or tube delay. Enhance the bass. It is amazing how wonderful a whistle can sound this way and how inspiring it can be.
Buy a fresh book with songs you have never played before or try a different style. Get a Celtic C.D. that inspires you (not intimidates…).
The important thing is to kickstart those creative juices. We humans need to explore and be creative. If we know every nook and corner of our territory, we need to expand our territory and explore new ground. This is the same with our music. When you have explored your full potential on the whistles, books and styles you know, then it is time to look outside of our “territory!”
Have fun, I think this will be an interesting year for you!
All te best,
Sandy
Someteimes, just taking a break from playing can make a huge difference. If you are hitting a block, chances are you are playing the same mistakes over and over, getting them really ingrained. Give it a rest, listen to some totally different types of music for a while ( days? weeks?). Come back fresh, and you just may make more progress.
Hi, Jason,
Don’t panic! Take a little break from playing, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised when you pick up a whistle again. Paul and Sandy are dead on the money with their comments…which comes as ABSOLUTELY no surprise… 
Take care, Adrian