On 2001-07-10 20:14, pokeybro wrote:
First, I spent years in high school and college playing trumpet and French Horn. Sometimes I want to insert a fingering from those on one hand or the other, though I'm trying hard to break myself from thinking of those fingerings.
Second, I have a block sometimes, especially in quick (or as quick as I get) passages when I cross over the C# to D gap. I guess I think in lines going up and down the whistle too much, I don't know.
Third, I still have a hard time putting in any orniments. Is there anyplace I can see tips on where to place them? I'm trying to break myself from playing straight from the music.
Ahh... Going from Brass to Woodwinds. A movement which will cause much joy and enlightenment.
Well, practice is a biggie, but there are probably a few places we can offer some tips. Instrument fingerings will come with practice. Scales and Arpeggios as well as some sight-reading is good for this. You've probably played fr horn and trumpet for years, the whistle is just a new girlfriend - you need to learn her likes and dislikes. Don't worry, you'll get the hang of the fingerings, just keep spending time with her.
If you're having trouble with quick passages, you're playing them too fast (see above) - slow them down or else you'll develop more habits that you'll need to break later. A couple of fingering tidbits that you might need to verbally hear, although they make sense and you probably already know: 1. Keep your fingers close to the whistle. On trumpet, you'd need to bring the piston all the way back up, here you need mere millimeters - just enough to keep the tone from going flat. 2. There are "cheats" in fingerings that can be done, especially in fast passages. The two that come to mind is that D' can be played XXXXXX instead of OXXXXX in fast passages, and C# can be OOOXXX instead of OOOOOO or OOOOOX. However, these notes can be a bit out of tune, so I wouldn't hold a note with these fingerings.
Ornaments??? Personally, I'd say work on problems 1 and 2 before tackling ornaments. They are very similar to modern grace notes, turns, and glissandos, but they have a different flavor to them. There are quite a few on-line tutorials that cover these (I think C&F has one too), but Clarke's TinWhistle Handbook by Bill Ochs would be a very good investment.
Good Luck and Enjoy...
-Frank
Subliminal message: Practice, practice, practice... then have an oreo cookie and milk!
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