How long till you could play in public?

Whistle
1

Just curious how long it took you all till you were good enough to play your whistle in public and what did you play?

I know everyone learns at a different rate, but I am teaching myself (no instructor within 200 miles)and am just curious what I can look forward to (rather than playing twinkle twinkle little star for my wife :slight_smile:)

I ordered the bill ochs book and cd as recommended on this forum, and my sister and mother are very good at the piano,harp and accordian so I hope I inherated a little skill. Thanks!

2

When I get good enough Iā€™ll let you know.

3

It very much depends on the
audience. My public has
been the street, where people
know little of celtic music
and are delighted to hear
live whistleā€“even live
whistle badly played.
I was playing in public
pretty quickly; not knowing
how bad I was helped.

4

I think you should start as soon as you can play an easy piece. The ā€œpublicā€ can be family or friends. It doesnā€™t have to be a formal event. They will like it even if all you can play is ā€œTwinkle, twinkle little starā€. Children are especially appreciative and they donā€™t care if you make mistakes. But it is important to play for others early and often to get used to it.
Mike

5

I started playing ā€˜publiclyā€™ very early on in the game, but Iā€™m playing in a reasonably large session. It took two years before I allowed myself to be miked on certain tunes, and Iā€™m just about ready to do a solo air, or start a tune on my own (play one section alone so others can get my tempo and join in).

Before this, Iā€™ve played for myself in public. That is I was able to sit in a park and play, or at an event, as long as I didnā€™t feel as if I was giving a performance. If I could stop and chat, or ad lib, I was okay. If I felt as if I had to play a tune well, though, I would do a pretty poor job of it.

6

I havenā€™t gotten there yet. I still canā€™t play if I know someone else might be listening. :laughing:

7

I played at church 2 weeks after I picked up the whistle. Of course, my very first instrument was saxophone, which is remarkably similar. Now, I donā€™t have enough air to get a decent tone on sax, but the fingers remember quickly.

8

Iā€™ve been doing it for years, but Iā€™m still not good enough. The main thing is that the audiences generally donā€™t realise it!

9

Iā€™m pretty new myself and havenā€™t really gone public but I sure like the idea of just playing someplace in public like a park or doorstep. A few days ago I was playing in the car while waiting on my better half and got a few strange looks but mostly smiles. Felt real good!

10

Iā€™m not good enough either, but I picked up the whistle two weeks before a Christmas performance with the Polish community here in Memphis, and learned the whistle part for two numbers by a Polish band called Arka Noego. The whistle part was accent and backup for the children singing a Christmas-theme song. I had a great time, even though I made mistakes.
On New Years eve my wife played guitar as I whistled Lord Inchiquin, Si Beg Si Mor, Irisheer, and Hector the Hero at a church gathering. And weā€™re doing those numbers again plus singing/playing Foggy Banks at a talent show during a church dinner Saturday night.
The great thing is, our church family is a great (and very forgiving) audience. They know weā€™re not professional musicians, and not even very good amateurs, but we have lots of fun and laugh together at the mistakes. I can only hope that others have a friendly venue to play in.

Kindest regards,
Rob Mitchell
Bartlett, TN

11

On 2003-02-17 10:30, breedlovejumbo wrote:
I played at church 2 weeks after I picked up the whistle. Of course, my very first instrument was saxophone, which is remarkably similar. Now, I donā€™t have enough air to get a decent tone on sax, but the fingers remember quickly.

Breeder, youā€™re scaring me. My story is remarkably similar to yours, although it took a month for me, and the sax is still doing its thing. Itā€™s amazing how easy it is to play basic stuff on a whistle after playing the sax! I think itā€™s why I prefer to cross-finger the C nat instead of doing the half-hole thingā€¦thereā€™s no way to half hole on a sax, unless youā€™re cheating to bend notes with a semi-closed key instead of using your mouth. :slight_smile:

Jef

12

Yea, Iā€™m with everyone else, I have a long way to go but I impose myself on as many as I can. Theory being that I need to practice playing in front of people and they donā€™t usually ask.(which is good because if they do I get this stupid monkey grin on my face and canā€™t play anyway) No-oneā€™s asked to hear another yet but I usually give them one anyway. :laughing:

By the way, Itā€™s funny you asked about how long before playing in public, If you would have said " Iā€™ve been playing for two weeks, how long before I can play the Legacy Jig" you might have gotten a different set of answers entirely :slight_smile:

1/2 hour a day = huge results over time.

13

Rest assured, the general public is utterly clueless. You can play pretty badly and people will like it. The important thing is that the more you play in front of people, the easier it gets. As the anxiety becomes less of an issue, you can relax and play more like you can when no one is listening. I canā€™t overstate it: the public is clueless. Thatā€™s why Britney Spears is making way more money than Lunasa. 'Nuff said.
Tony

14

I started tinkering around with whistles for quite a while before performing liveā€¦ mainly because there wasnā€™t anything around here. But I did play at parks sometimes, and I drew a crowd every once in a while. It was a little unnerving at first, but you get used to it. Like a lot of people, it took me a long time before I could play really well in front of an audience, and I have a LONG way to go. Just listen to the Over The Waterfall clip I posted recentlyā€¦ needs work big time! :slight_smile:

Biggest thingā€¦ do your best not to be intimmidated or worried about the audience. Most are happy to have a live performance experience.

My first live appearnce was fortunately in a jam session in Arkansas. Jam sessions REALLY hep you in the fact that everyone is laughing and having a good time, and the audience just kind of dissapears until they start clapping in the end!!

Take care, and donā€™t worry. Youā€™ll do just fine. Hey, I just made stuff up at first and didnā€™t know about or how to find tunes!! :slight_smile:

Take care,
John

15

For me music has always been about connecting and self-expression; trying to communicate that which I canā€™t put into words. So as soon as I found a tune I could connect with, I wanted to share it. Anyone can do that from the first few weeks. The more you connect with the tune, the more those that hear will get the connection and enjoy your music.

The more you get to know your new instrument, the more eloquently you can express yourself. When we learn to speak, do we wait until we master the language before we say anything? My boy, Jonathan, at 2 learned the word ā€œNoā€. He was very eloquent with it, proposing it as a universal solution to every problem. Heā€™d parade around the living room saying it. ā€œNoā€, every which way he could, connecting it to wall outlets, and stereo buttons, and light sockets, and a host of other things. ā€œNoā€, sometimes with sterness, sometimes with whimsey, sometime in the whisper of a secret. Now at 27 heā€™s learned a lot more, connects alot more, and shares a lot more.

I think in many ways, learning this new instrument is just like learning the language. Itā€™s like gaining a new vocabulary. Each time I use it to express something from inside, it grows in clarity, connecting me to music and any who hear. For me this makes a real difference in my practice; it becomes as much introspection as exercise. It enables me to experiment with how best to draw out the things inside and give them note and timbre.

So ā€œHow long does it take to play in publicā€? As long as it takes for you to find a tune you connect with and feel the need to share. Play it in public, and you may not connect with everyone, but each time you do connect youā€™ll find the true joy in playing.

So connect, play, and ā€¦

\

Enjoy Your Music,

Lee Marsh

From Harperā€™s Mill, MD.

[ This Message was edited by: LeeMarsh on 2003-02-18 00:25 ]

16

After about 9 months I can almost make a whistle play. Sometimes Iā€™ll take it with me when I go to hear a certain pub session, and I may join in if they play something which I know, but I havenā€™t learned enough tunes to justify sitting with them and drinking the free Guiness, although I have been invited to do so. I donā€™t have any problem with stage fright, although I do get a pleasant little adrenalin rush.

17

Maybe tomorrow. Or the next day.

18

Well, I started taking my whistle everywhere with me and playing wherever I found myself within weeks of picking it upā€¦but then, I was 15 years old, and it never occurred to me that people wouldnā€™t think that was just wonderful. Iā€™m a bit shyer now :wink:

Redwolf

19

Tony is rightā€¦the General Population is clueless. Almost immediately after starting I found a nice park at the Sarasota marina with a view of the boats and the ocean (ok, well, Tampa Bay, but it looks like the ocean) and played in publicā€¦get thisā€¦because I didnt want to annoy my neighbors. I played in the park for over a month before I went to my first session, and having played in the park in front of people and with small crowds made playing in the session much easier.

Of course, playing outdoors in the wind inspired me to design the Amazing Fippleshield, and Dazed Industries was born. So there are many benefits to playing outdoorsā€¦

DAZED

20

On 2003-02-17 08:46, MSzychulda wrote:
Just curious how long it took you all till you were good enough to play your whistle in public and what did you play?

I know everyone learns at a different rate, but I am teaching myself (no instructor within 200 miles)and am just curious what I can look forward to (rather than playing twinkle twinkle little star for my wife > :slight_smile:> )

I ordered the bill ochs book and cd as recommended on this forum, and my sister and mother are very good at the piano,harp and accordian so I hope I inherated a little skill. Thanks!

For me it actually depends on the audience. I have two slip jigs that I play with our dance group for performances (I dance the rest of the time). I have absolutely no problem sitting down and busking at faires, since the general public wonā€™t ā€œhearā€ my mistakes like I will.

However, get me sitting down at our Wed. night session? About the only time I get enough nerve to play is either noodling between regular tunes, or when our guitarist takes pity on me and plays ā€œFields of Athenryā€, or ā€œKesh Jigā€.

Aodhan