Chiff and Fipple Forums

I play fake rolls on Middle D with the oxx xxx fingering, cutting with R3 then L3. Sounds like a real roll, is easy. oxx xxo usually sounds as C natural (it's not my favorite Cnat cross-fingering though, oxx xox gives better results on most instruments). But if it's just a quick cut in the middle of...

When I'm sounding worse than usual, I'll: - Check the instrument for alignment, leaks, etc. - Go PHBBBT (make the horse noise) to loosen up my lips. - Do some breathing exercises. - Play exercises aimed at other aspects of technique (scales, sightreading, etc.), that aren't so embouchure-dependent. ...

Relevant story: I'm also originally a Boehm-flute player. Classical types are really picky about posture, as we all know, and so I've had all kinds of advice from teachers, which is generally not contradictory as there's a standard technique everybody uses. Then one day I was at a masterclass with a...

bigsciota's advice of alternate breathing spots is good. If I had a cold and a gig coming up, I'd drink hot tea (probably some herbal concoction designed for cold-busting), do nasal-irrigation a few times a day, and probably take some kind of non-drowsy decongestant before the gig. Anything to reduc...

I've been playing a Dixon Trad (brass body, Delrin head) for around a year. In that time, it seems like the tone's gotten huskier and shriller. It still sounds okay, but I'd rather have a more pure, focused tone. How can I take it that direction? The whistle has already been tweaked by filling under...

I taught myself up to a reasonable level of competence, mostly from Bill Ochs' Traditional Penny Whistle Handbook, which is nice because it includes a lot of American/English/Scottish tunes as well as Irish. Current favorite source is Larsen's Essential Guide to Irish Flute and Tinwhistle, which is ...

In the second octave, pretty much any whistle will be easily heard over strings. In the lower register, it's easy to get covered up. I don't really mind this. Most of the time, I play like I'm just garnish on top of the music anyway, and let the fiddle do most of the work.

I used to have asthma as a kid. It went away about the time I got serious about flute playing. Maybe a coincidence... who knows?

t think your tune is usually called Bonaparte Crossing the Rocky Mountains in the American Old Time tradition, where it's played as a reel. Man, that Bonaparte feller got around. If there isn't a Bonaparte Crossing The Street, there should be. :) The band I play with, we call this tune "Bonapa...

Without the third, how is it a minor chord? Emaj without the third is identical to Em without the third.... You're right, of course. It is actually just an open fifth (E and B), with some other notes (the melody) set against it that happen to include G natural, which makes it sound minor. Which is ...

If you're looking for quiet, for late-evening practice, I actually do have a bit of advice. Over on the "mustard board", you mention considering a Dixon Trad. I play one of these, it's a good solid whistle, nice sound, and I like it. Not quiet, though. It can easily cut through and be hear...

Nanohedron wrote:Is everyone safely bundled up in their fireproof suits now? If not, we highly recommend it.

Meanwhile, hipsters, have a look into the future:

I think I own that shirt.

Huh... I have a Laughing Whistle, it came with no wax in it. I actually added some, on each side of the window. It seems to have strengthened the tone a bit. There's no wax, or very little, in the windway. I still have clogging problems. Weird...did you get yours directly from Noah? I wonder if he ...

No, seriously, baby boomers are the worst. I mean, maybe you personally are the exception. But as a whole, you and your peers are the ones who got the US into the mess it's in right now. <snip> It doesn't work that way. It's not the idea of picking over remains that bothers me - most of my stuff is...

I second krystiepie... a big factor in second-octave screechiness is breath control. At first, you just throw a bunch of air at the high notes, and they're screechy and piercing. With practice, you learn to use the right amount of air, at the right pressure, to make those notes more pleasant. Even 3...