What are the best artists/albums for a novice whistle player to listen to to get inspiration and practice along? I particularly love slower pieces full of melancholy emotion, and it was after hearing “The Waves of Kilkee” by Cherish the Ladies that I bought my first whistle. I also listen alot to Alisa Jones’s band, especially their renditions of “The Lark in the Clear Air” and “Fanny Poer”.
Any suggestions for a beginner in a bit of a slump?
If you’re a fan of Cherish the Ladies, you will probably enjoy Joanie Madden’s solo work.
Joanie has three solo CDs, and all three are fantastic… at least in my opinion. 
I second that. These albums are shining examples of what lovely things can be done with a whistle.
I can’t say that these are campfire play-alongs, but they will surely inspire anyone who loves Irish Whistle or flute:
A Week in January - Seamus Egan
The Windy Gap & Two for Two - Laurence Nugent
Fused - Mike McGoldrick
Feadog Stain - Mary Bergin
An Irish Evening - Chieftains (track 6 the Mason’s Apron)
Wooden Flute Obsession CDs - http://www.worldtrad.org
BT
edited for dadgum spelling errors…where in the hell is the spell check feature on this board??
[ This Message was edited by: BigTex on 2002-08-31 02:53 ]
Hey Big Tex,
Just how big are you? 
JP
Don’t listen to Mary Bergin right off.
You’ll just get depressed. 
On 2002-08-31 03:02, JohnPalmer wrote:
Hey Big Tex,Just how big are you? >
JP
JP,
Whoa…that’s a little bit on the left side of personal, wouldn’t ya say? Trust me when I say I have enough acreage to keep a pretty big herd a running…
BT
Beginning whistle-Clarke tinwhistle tutor
Best explanation of rolls-Cathal McConnell’s instruction book and cd
Best practicing-121 Favorite Irish session tunes w/4cd’s by L.E.McCullough.This is the BEST way to practice. You can play along slow with no ornamentation, or faster and fancier. You can turn off the whistle part on the cd or the accompaniment. L.E. McCullough is an excellent player and is very inspiring.
On 2002-09-01 15:48, Step wrote:
Beginning whistle-Clarke tinwhistle tutor
Best explanation of rolls-Cathal McConnell’s instruction book and cd
Best practicing-121 Favorite Irish session tunes w/4cd’s by L.E.McCullough.This is the BEST way to practice. You can play along slow with no ornamentation, or faster and fancier. You can turn off the whistle part on the cd or the accompaniment. L.E. McCullough is an excellent player and is very inspiring.
I have that set also, and it’s very helpful. I think the very best you can do, though, is to get the Micho Russell CDs and listen intently. He is a legend from the old days, but most of his tunes are easy to follow and copy, unlike some stuff by the modern day favorites. And frequently the way he does a tune will be very different from McCullough. And between the two Micho’s version is always better, IMHO. Be warned, although you’re getting the best by picking him, you’ll have to record the tunes onto a tape or CD to edit out the stories. They are interesting stories, but when you want to focus on learning the tunes, it helps when you can edit out anything that isn’t the tune. You can get them at http://www.ossian.ie
[ This Message was edited by: blackhawk on 2002-09-01 16:52 ]
Little Squeaky, (and anyone else who hasn’t heard of this website..)
Check out http://www.scoiltrad.com. It is an online school for traditional music in Ireland that sells video lessons with some really cool features. A friend of mine at the session told me about it. I downloaded a free lesson, and have been enjoing it for a few days now! It is worth a look or two!!
Nathan
Joanie, absolutely. Her solo CDs are loaded up with tunes that are slow enough for even a drummer like me to hear and understand the ornamentation.
Another artist/group, I have enjoyed is
Slainte who can be found on MP3.COM that have a CD called The](http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/cds/68/68877.html%3EThe) Tunes that has a large number of common sessions tunes.
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Enjoy Your Music,
Lee Marsh
[ This Message was edited by: leemarsh on 2002-09-03 13:00 ]
Also:
John Skelton
Michael McGoldrick
Lawrence Nugent
Cheers,
Michael