Chiff and Fipple Forums

Hi
I am enjoying a tune titled, The Road To The Isles. On the high D whistle I can obviously play it in D or G. The key of D probably sounds best but it gets fairly high in the second octave so I have been trying the tune in G. However in G there are two low C eighth, notes which again obviously I cannot play on a high D whistle. How could I deal with these two notes? Should I ignore them, or play them as a D or is there an ornament I could use? I know some people might play them as a normal C but that sounds a bit odd to my untrained ear.
Any advice would be appreciated.

Often folks will "fold up" the note by playing it one octave up. Doesn't look like that would sound so good here. You could play a G to keep it in the chord structure or, perhaps the best solution is just to not play anything where the Cs would be.

Them's my thoughts.

Best wishes.

Steve

Thanks Steve. I tried playing a G and actually that seems to work OK - again to my untrained ear.
Cheers

Play it in A, so you have the g natural. Scottish pipe tunes like this, with their 9-note myxolidian scale, sit best in A on a d whistle, to my (Scottish) ear.

(Some years ago I bought a Dixon D-Plus, which has an extra 7th hole for low c natural, but I rarely use this feature. It's made in 3 parts, though, and fits in a shirt pocket, so it's a great travelling whistle.)

Hi Brian,
You are dealing with a musical novice here. Anything I think I know I have taught myself over the last 2 years. Therefore I have no real understanding of what you mean. This is what I think I know - I can play the tune in D but the notes are fairly high in the second octave. Not impossible to play but for someone with my ability I think it sounds better when I am playing the tune in G. If I play it in A as you suggest then isn’t that just playing it in D with the G becoming G# and then I have to half hole the G. If that is the case it doesn’t mean anything because there are no G notes either natural or sharp if one plays it in D?
I am sure I am missing something so please set me straight.
I do understand your suggestion re the seventh hole but I have enough trouble with 6 of them.
All the best.

No need for doing "folding" on that tune, it has a limited range, just an octave and a note:

http://abcnotation.com/tunePage?a=www4. ... Tunes/0030

Here it's in the range of G in the low octave to A in the 2nd octave.

Since it's common in Irish trad music for tunes to go one note higher, to the B in the 2nd octave, you should have no trouble playing this tune in this key (D).

A in the 2nd octave is well within the standard range, so if you're having trouble playing that high it's a matter of practice and/or there's something wrong with your whistle.

For sure there are whistles that have harsh high notes. I don't play those! If you try enough whistles you'll find some with very sweet high notes, where having much of a tune up in G, A, and B in the 2nd octave are a joy to play.

brianholton wrote:Play it in A, so you have the g natural. Scottish pipe tunes like this, with their 9-note myxolidian scale, sit best in A on a d whistle, to my (Scottish) ear.

But the tune only fits in the key of D on the Highland pipes, the same as this arrangement:

http://abcnotation.com/tunePage?a=www4. ... Tunes/0030

That's the thing about Highland pipes, the only key where you get a full Major scale is D

D E F# G A B C#

though the tonic sits in the middle of the chanter's range.

So D is where you need to put any tune where you need all the notes of a Major scale.

The key of A has the G naturals as you noted. Yes there are loads of Highland pipe tunes in A Major, but they're in the "gap scale" that lacks the 7th, the note that distinguishes between a Major scale and a Mixolydian scale.

To get a full A Major scale

A B C# D E F# G#

you need to be able to play High G sharp, which can be crossfingered on some chanters.