Basically this is a pentatonic melody. Except for only two instances of a natural fourth or “ma” the song is built around only five notes Sa Re Ga Pa Dha - the 7th being omitted completely and the natural 4th occurring only twice. Interestingly, in my tradition it would be classified as a song coming inder Pahadi Raag which is literally Hill or Mountain Raag!
Anyways as you all would agree Wild Mountain Thyme (Go Lassie Go) is best played with a three finger tonic. For example, on a D flute you would have a G tonic and cross finger C# to get your natural 4th (C) which is required on only two occasions.
Now if someone is singing it in C (with C tonic) it would be best to use a G flute so that you get your three finger C tonic etc. Nothing Remarkable here.
But lets say that, one day, you don’t happen to have a G flute at hand and the testy woman with her harp must and will only sing the song in C. I know someone like this so this morning I played it on my Irish flute and whistle and crossfingered the C# for the C tonic. It worked beautifully. Of course the F# vent had to be half holed twice for the “ma” or natural fourth. And naturally it allowed dip down flourishes down 6 notes rather just 3 as with the three finger tonic.
Anyone else had fun with a cross fingered C tonic on their Irish flute or D whistle?
Footnote: When I play the Irish D flute I keep my Maple D whistle at hand and switch to that sometimes and vice versa. That is why I am putting this topic in each of the whistle and flute forums.
PS. Whistle Players are welcome to partake in the poll on in the Flute Forum under the topic of the same name therein.
I’d like to feel like I am doing something cool, too. But I don’t think I am quite following you year. It’s bad enough crossifingering the C-nat so that I tend to play the C# ooo ooo. Could you explain a little further?
If you play the piece in G there will be no C# in it - only C. Therefore when you use the D flute to play in G you must cross finger to get your natural 4ths. There is nothing cool or remarkable about that.
But that is not what the topic is about. That was just a preamble.
The topic is about playing the song in C employing the D flute or whistle. See? That means cross fingering to get the C tonic. I can’t imagine anyone trying to play Wild Mountain Thyme in C# on a D tube.
presents, as a preamble, my understanding that one would generally play the song with a three finger tonic
XXX OOO
on any simple system tube, and then introduces
the idea of playing it on any simple system tube with a cross fingered tonic:
OXX OOO
Now if 1 is rebuttable as generality, then the specialty of 2 may diminish. That is why I presented 1 as a preamble. The novelty of 2 is premised on it.
I mean. someone might come along and say, “Talasiga, there is nothing novel about 2, that’s how it is generally played.” Or someone else might come along and say, “Yes that’s fun. I heard a CD and XYZ (famous flute player) did it on her Irish D flute in C. You should get hold of it and listen to it”
Surely it is my fault that I have not made as wide-ranging a study of the beautiful and haunting air to which “Wild Mountain Thyme” is usually sung as I should.
But there are tunes in C and yes one would often use a crossfingering of the C-natural in them, and even half-hole the f-natural.
