Chiff and Fipple Forums

Thanks for the replies, I've been taking the advice into consideration while practicing. I do think I was breathing particularly badly in that recording; part of it probably has to do with the fact that I practice on my D whistle most often, which takes less air than the Bb (which I prefer if I'm pl...

So, I've been fooling around on whistle for about 8 months now, and right now I'm focusing on learning tunes and getting some sort of repertoire together. I'm primarily a singer, but this past weekend I figured I'd bring a whistle to a gig and play a set as a bit of a test. Not my best performance, ...

For a different treatment of Carolan's music, this is actually a quite lovely arrangement of his Lament for Owen Roe O'Neill: http://open.spotify.com/track/3tveqUoO6jsALwcNuCZ2KI For those without Spotify: http://khoctham.us/959125-bai-hat/7-british-songs-woo-158b-7-lament-for-owen-roe-o-neill-piano...

The argument could be made the whistle was at best used to play traditional music and would not have been in use among the circles the Neales (or for that matter Bunting etc) catered for. Carolan's music was arguably not part of the traditional repertoire until O'Riada started playing around with i...

I really only play Generations, so I'm probably just used to them, but I'm able to get up into the 3rd octave without too much problem on the nickel ones I own (and while I loosen the heads to be able to tune them, I don't do anything else). I honestly don't get why a lot of people are so down on Ge...

The the harping tradition was well dead by the start of the 19th century. There's no real record of the stylistic niceties of the old harpers so it's really anyone's guess. This seems to be the general consensus. I wonder how much of the "stylistic niceties" survive in pibroch and other g...

I really enjoy O'Carolan, and not just the Si Bheag/Irwin/Concerto "greatest hits" that seem to have the most currency nowadays. But I'm wondering how best to approach him from a performance practice perspective. His compositions obviously not straight-up trad (and I'm not even sure I'd ca...

I'll put myself down in the play an E category. I'll fold if I know I'll be playing with someone, and I'll fold if it's a faster tune or if I think it fits. But jumping up an octave just for one note, especially if it's in a slower piece, feels pretty jarring. There are waltzes like Ook Pik and Jose...

Maybe it's a matter of location and environment or maybe the hundreds of nights I have spent playing for people dancing sets, I am not ready to fully discount the function of music for dance yet. http://forums.chiffandfipple.com/images/smilies/icon_stick_buis.gif Not discounting it, just saying tha...

A lot of musicians can (and will) switch over to 'dance mode' when playing for dancers. They do now as they did then. Compartimentalising is part of the skill set. Garrett Barry, who did also play for dancers, said something along the lines of ' I play for the heart, not the feet' . Johnny Doran wa...

Just read through the responses to this thread; all very interesting. One thing I thought of when discussing the idea of "hardcore" was the advent of recording technology and how it changed traditional music. At the turn of the 20th century, most people only heard the musicians who lived i...

I ordered a D fife in purpleheart from Angus, and got it last week. Overall, I'm quite happy with it so far. It's a beautiful instrument to look at, and while I'm not very good, the sound I can get out of it is quite nice and sweet. Dave Angus is a good guy to deal with, he answered my (many, many) ...

Thanks for the advice, I've been practicing a bit over the weekend and it seems to be getting better. I realized I needed to really tighten my embouchure to get a more consistent sound, and I'm getting there... Here's a rough (and I mean rough) recording of me doing the Rights of Man, one of the hor...

I've got a cheapo Dixon polymer that I've been fooling around with for a little while. I like the way it plays, and I've been thinking of getting a decent one (I'm the one who posted about the Angus flutes), but right now I'm trying to get used to the difference in breath from the whistle. I feel li...

Ben- what's your experience so far with the fife?