Hi everybody! I have recently decided to learn (or try to learn!) to play the tinwhistle. I’ve visited quite a few sites today and read through several tutorials. Now my poor head is spinning!
I happen to have a Waltons mellow D Irish whistle that my daughter just had to have a couple of years ago. Believe it or not, it has never been used! She just likes to collect shiny stuff. I’ve managed to get some musical sounds out of it and even played a couple of tunes that were on the extensive :roll: one page tutorial that came with the whistle!
Here’s my problem. I really prefer the higher pitched whistles but have no idea what kind to get and what would be easiest to learn on. Also, I think the best way for me to start would be to find a good instruction book that is worded simply and easy for a middle aged mom to read. Is there a “Tin Whistle for Dummies” book??
And while I’m bombarding you all with questions, has anyone ever tried an Elfsong whistle??
Welcome. I cut my teeth on the Bill Ochs’ book and tape (now in CD) and a Clarke C original. A Clarke Sweetone is a good starter whistle.
I have an Elfsong C/D combo. I bought it based on many positive responses here. That brand was very popular here on Chiff a while back, but like many things there is an ebb and flow to popularity. My Elfsong is a nice whistle, on the quiet side. Elfsong tubing is thicker than most other brands, so it helps to warm it up before playing. If I skip that step, the high D in particular seems to drift.
A lot of us have come to whistles later in life, so it is never too late. I suggest to always enjoy your music, and to practice every day, even if it is only for a few minutes. I find commercial breaks on TV are a good time to toot a bit.
Oh, and I agree with Wormdiet, if Irish Traditional Music is your goal, it is imperative to listen to high quality playing. If your interests are more varied, then sheet music, and notation may be plenty adequate.
There is a very good CD available. It has lovely lessons with the music written out and a video clip, which you can loop and play along, of the tutor playing the piece. Brian Finnegan is the teacher. It’s the MadForTrad Whistle Tutorial. Reasonably priced, considering what you get, and it will arrive promptly–often inside of a week.
This is a good option if you are not already able to read music, don’t have access to anyone who plays trad, and most especially if you’re musically impaired, as I am. You can make Brian play that piece for hours on end, and he never complains. Nor does he whine about how you sound!
There is another CD available, too. It’s the set of beginner whistle lessons by the now-defunct Scoiltrad. Conal O’Grada is the tutor on this one and most of the tunes are different from the one on MadForTrad. The format is similar. Also reasonably priced at www.shannaquay.com. Again, the service from Shanna Quay is good and the CD will arrive in a week-ish. Quantities seem to be limited.
Don’t become discouraged. Whistle is fun and your sound will get better almost magically as time goes on. Don’t obsess about weird squeaks and whatnot quite yet. It’ll all clear up eventually.
Thanks for all the replies! I’ve been to a couple of the websites mentioned here and they were helpful to a certain extent. Seeing as how my computer is in the same room as the TV…and I have two teenage daughters…and school is out… :roll: I think I would do better with a book I can take to my bedroom and a cd I can pop in the old Walkman. I will check out the one BillChin suggested.
I should have mentioned that I play the bagpipe. I’m reasonably proficient at reading music for instruments with 9 notes but the music for tinwhistle looks a bit more complicated. At least I won’t get winded or work up a sweat playing a whistle though!
Yes, you should have. I gather from the clues that you get winded and only have 9 notes at your disposal that you play the GHB’s and not their civilized cousin, the UP. That’s okay; C&F’ers are a welcoming, non-judgemental lot. (The fact that I am tolerated here goes a long way to proving that.)
We also tend to be a tad fickle about whistles - not the love of them, of course, but love for a particular whistle seems to come and go. If you hang out on this forum long enough you will see any number of opportunities to obtain a new (to you) whistle. Of course, once you have a full-blown case of WhOA (it’s only a matter of time now) then you can also participate in the great swirling whistle swap.
Welcome, and be sure to stop by the Pub so you can get a handle on what kind of crowd you have fallen in with. We’re not the kind your mother warned you about, but she probably would have had she known.
I too started with the Bill Ochs tunebook and cassette (now available with CD) and highly recommend it to get started. you could start with some of the traditional less expensive models and yours Walton) could be a good one. The Whistle Shop is a good source online for these.
I personally hate Sweetones and would not recommend them for a beginner entry into this music; that’s just me.
As for Elfsong, I have a D and a C - they are very beautiful whistles - while not my very favorites they are quite nice in tone and playability - at that price range though I’d opt for a Burke or a Sindt.
Don’t worry about the whistles too much like the rest of us nuts; listen to the music and enjoy.
Pipers have the advantage of already learning to embellish as you go. All those lovely written grace notes will turn into very nice taps and cuts and cranns on the whistle with very little stress on your part.
Pipers, like fifers it seems, have a tendancy to overblow. Think about breathing into the instrument rather than blowing.
Go to Brother Steve’s pages. If you’re a complete musical beginner you really need one of the written tutorials, but Bro Steve is a step beyond that. I have four different tutorials, and learned a bit from each of them.
Listening to the music will help more than any book, but I think recorded music is better for learning than relying on live players unless those live players are extremely patient and have lots of time (they’re called tutors or teachers usually!). CD’s don’t mind playing the same tune over and over and over. And if you get something like The Amazing Slowdowner you can slow down any cut on a CD, isolate phrases and repeat them until you finally understand, and even shift pitch if you need to move a pesky Bflat tune into D.
Tygress, you are absolutely right about the overblowing! It didn’t take too long to figure that out! Ouch…my ears! However, I find it difficult to get the higher notes to sound unless I blow harder (not unlike playing the GHB) and when I do, it sounds too shrill or the transition from low to high notes sounds sloppy. I guess it’s something I’ll have to learn by doing. I believe I’m going to order Bill Och’s book today. I want something that will start with the very basics. I’m one of those perfectionist types who prefers to go slowly and perfect one thing before moving on to another and I think a book and cd are the best way for me to go.
Unfortunately, there are no whistle players in my area for me to listen to or take lessons from so I’ll probably be bugging the daylights out of all you nice folks on here. You’ve helped a lot already! Thanks!
I once watched a fellow here in Denver play Moving Cloud at breakneck speeds on an Eb whistle (and yes, he had license, expertise, and technical ability to do so…) and after about 3 1/2 minutes he looked like he had hauled 30’ of anchor chain up a mountain side. Of course, he didn’t seem to breathe during the tune either, but… a very impressive display of athletic whistling.
I’m sure if I walked outside right now I could work up a sweat just sitting there holding a whistle! Probably as bad as Big Chief of the “Moving Cloud” fame!
Ok, since there are some whistle/GHB players on here, help me out with a problem please. I’ve been playing up and down the scale here and no matter what I try, I get nothing but horrible sounds when trying to play a C sharp or a high D. I have checked and double checked my finger positioning, tried blowing very softly and slowly increasing pressure to try and find where it sounds right but…sheesh! Is it a worthless whistle, or am I just not used to hearing these notes?? Also, on every note I play I do not get a nice clear sound. I’m not sure how to describe it but it’s like a scratchy echo. Again, I’ve checked and rechecked finger position to make sure the holes are well covered as well as adjusting my breathing. Am I just too used to hearing the sound of a blackwood practice chanter?
Oh, and I’m playing a Waltons Mellow D Irish Whistle for the time being until I can order a different one.
Personally, I dislike the tone of my Walton’s Mellow D, never found the C natural or C sharp to sound quite right, or anything in the upper octave. I think it was the Cs that drove me to try other whistles. I still have it because, well, it was my first whistle. And if I pick it up now after some years whistling, it does sound better than it did, but, I still put it down quickly.
That said, there -are- people that like them, and the C sharp -can- be in tune (but, I think, it is always weak). If you play the rest of the lower octave softer and then the C sharp a little harder it should end up being an in-tune scale. I pretty much only play my Oak D now, though I have a bunch of generations and sometimes pick up one just for variety (esp. the Eb).
So, I guess, the things to get from this are,
Some of us just don’t like the Mellow D sound. You may be one of that group.
If a note is too far out, you may have to change your breathing on the -rest- of the scale to bring in a true scale.
and, of course,
Your breath control will improve with time.
It wouldn’t hurt any (if you have the income to make frivolous expenditures, anyway) to try a Generation or a Clarke (original or SweetTone), if you can find them at your local music stores.
I would also recommend Bill Och’s book/CD as the other’s have said, he makes it really easy to follow the lessons, learn the techniques, and play some tunes.
When Bill gives group lessons, he sells Acorn whistles for the beginners. I have one and it can be nice because it doesn’t require a lot of air, but it’s very sensitive and can go up into the higher octave if you’re not careful. I have a Walton’s Mellow D as well, but I didn’t get a particularly good one. I would also recommend a Generation. I haven’t tried Clarke myself, but I’ve been meaning to get my hands on one. Good luck
Thanks Chris and Nicki. I guess I am one of those who do not care for the Walton D. I’m pretty sure I’ll order a SweetTone and maybe an Acorn and Generation too. I vaguely remember seeing a soprano D that was recommended for beginners but will have to go back and see what brand it was. It may have been the Susato (?) which I have been warned not to get. As inexpensive as most of them are, it wouldn’t hurt to get two or three different ones to try. I’m not a professional musician (not even close) but I do have a pretty good ear and can tell when something doesn’t sound right. And if it makes me cringe then I won’t practice!
Is it really worth the extra $$ to have a whistle “tweaked”?
She just likes to collect shiny stuff. I’ve managed to get some musical sounds out of it and even played a couple of tunes that were on the extensive :roll: one page tutorial that came with the whistle!
