Hello, I’m brand new to the forum and I have just picked up the whistle as well. I just recently visted Ireland (first time) and I had the pleasure of seeing many a good session while there.
I’m taking-on learning the whistle quite seriously, and I’d love to be able to do Irish trad (Lord knows we need it out here in Arizona).
Along with a whistle, I also picked-up a book entitled " 110 Best Tin Whistle Tunes of Ireland" (er, something like that). It includes two CD’s of all the music contained in the book.
So, far I’ve learned three tunes, and I’ve found the CD’s very helpful. Since I can’t read sheet music worth a lick, I listen to the companion CD along with the tune that I’m learning until I get the right “feel” for the tune, then once I’ve got it down, I practice without the CD. Am I on the right track? Since I’m a true beginner, I’d love any advice or tips on playing tunes, practicing, etc. Also, any “must have” artists, groups, etc. that play trad Irish music?
Thanks for your time and for putting up with this rambling post!!
…also, I’m interested in eventually writing some of my own tunes. Probably be a good idea to learn quite a number of trad tunes first before attempting my own original tune?? 
I have that set - it’s one of the Walton’s collections. Yes, it is helpful, though it assumes you have some basic knowlege of how to read music (and what ornamentation is).
You might want to look into one of the good book/CD tutors (I like the Clarke book/CD by Bill Ochs) to get you up to speed too - it’s really helped me.
Not a tutorial (but easy to pick up the tunes) is the Packie Manus Byrne collection A Dossan of Heather. Downside: most of these aren’t standard session tunes. Upside: beautiful music, both in written form with suggested ornamentation and on CD.
I’ve heard good things about the new Gray Larson books, but I’m holding off on buying them until I’ve finished wringing all the juice from the Bill Ochs set.
All the same, I think I often pick up more from a few hours listening to other whistlers playing than a similar time practing by myself.
…thank you for the recommendations! Keep ‘em comin’ folks…
Not necessarily!! Try writing some down now,as they pop into your head. You may get some really fresh ideas, uninfluenced by any other type of music.
…good point. Along with learning the trad stuff, I plan on incorporating some whistle into my current musical project, the midnight children. It’s primarily a psychadelic/progressive rock group that consists of myself (guitar, vocals), and my good friend Kelly (guitar, vocals), with a fellow on drums, Mike. We write all of our own material, and we continually try to push the envelope and try/add new things to our sound.
I’ve already written a simple guitar part that I think the whistle will add quite nicely to. All in all, I just need to keep on practicing…
If you’re like me, one of the most difficult tasks you can undertake is playing “accidentals”–for the uninitiated, those are sharps & flats. If you were playing the piano in the key of “C,” that would be all the black keys.
I found a website that gives all the necessary fingerings. It’s <http://www.wfg.woodwind.org/tinwhistle/tw_bas_2.html>. Give it a try!
– docrrnmwp (Dan O’Connell, Rio Rancho, NM) 
Yes, this is a great way to go about learning.
You’re not going to write convincing Irish dance music until you’ve learned a load of tunes, but you shouldn’t let that stop you from trying to write whistle music in a style you’re more familiar with.
I agree with brewerpaul, composing tunes can be done at any stage in your musical development. Why not now, before your brain becomes to restricted by the ‘rules’ of playing trad or reading music? 
…Thanks again for all of your input, everybody! The tin whistle continually keeps getting more addicting for me (afflicted with the Whoa syndrome?), I do, however, feel bad for my girlfriend and my neighbors (we live in an apartment complex). I’ve been trying to get my girlfriend to start learning as well (can’t beat 'em, join 'em), but I don’t think it’ll get too far…
I’ll see you in the forums!
Psychedelic/progressive rock with whistles?
I’ve got 2 words for ya: Avalon Rising.
Ditto. Also a new whistler here, with piles and piles and piles of questions.
I’ve downloaded some tunes from places someone else was kind enough to send me, and I read well, but what’s the best way to pick up on the ornmentation?
I bought some used whistles off Ebay. They taste BAD. How do I get rid of the taste? It’s like the guy must have stuck them in Lysol before he packed them in dirty socks and mailed them to me.
Now,no smart remarks for this next question(i’ve been reading the Stacey’s Avatar thread, so I know you are a bunch of happy little perverts) but how far do I stick the thing in my mouth?
Do I use vibrato? Open my throat? (I just know I’m like totally asking for it here, but these are serious questions.)
How do I keep from splatting the upper notes? lower notes?
Are the fingerings the same as a boehm flute?
Why does my C whistle not sound right when I play C parts, yet my D whistle normally sounds right on D parts? Why are there so many G parts, but apparently no G whistles?
SHould I dry out my whistle after use?
Are tweaked whistles really better?
Wood versus tin versus nickle silver? I’ve already discovered a preference for heavy whistles. Is this a kneejerk classical flutist thing? Am I wimping out?
Wooden fipples (er whatever you call 'em) versus those rather pansy seeming little plastic ones?
Why do I like the tone of the Feadog but it shreiks like a demon from Hades?
What’s the range on an average whistle? How many octaves? Is it just me sucking air really bad, or is two octaves about right?
What do you do with your pinkies when you play? Mine tends to go up like a bluehair drinking cawfee. Is this bad form? Will I be laughed at, humiliated?
How the bloody heck do you trill from a C to a D without tying your fingers in knots?
Can you please feed LoneWhistler and me LOTS of advice?
All advice MUCHLY appreciated!
Melian
OK, I just had my first experience at the “slow session” this afternoon, which, contrary to what my kids say, is not for “slow people”, so I’m going to share, in case there are any lurkers, like I was for several weeks.
First of all, the lady that was doing it here in Atlanta did it in her living room. When I walked in, she must be REALLY into this, because there were bodrhans and fiddles and stuff everywhere, including a fiddle attached to her very talented teenage daughter.
About six people showed up, which eventually doubled later in the afternoon. The guy that was informally running it seemed very knowledgeable, and I was amazed at how many people played everything from Irish flute to whistle to bagpipes (much smaller than I thought, must be a different type?) to fiddle.
All I brought was some whistles. There was another fellow there that was quite good, and he had a toolbox full of instruments, and was kind enough to let me try out all kinds of whistles, as well as an antique flute.
I seriously thought about taking the flute and making a break for the door. It was awfully nice, and they don’t know where to find me, having let me in the door with naught but a first name, but manners (and the fact that I don’t run very fast and have a distinctive license tag to boot) precluded action.
I particularly liked the brass Copelands and Burke (expensive taste, what can I say?) , although he said his personal favorite was a very inexpensive Generations. I think I just prefer something heftier in my hands like the brass whistles to the tin ones, and the brass ones had such a nice rich tone .
They handed out two pieces of music, a jig and a reel, and we went through them verrrrrry slowly, bar by bar. I think if you can’t read music, you would have picked up the tunes pretty easily. We played them about a dozen times or so apiece.
Then they went back and explained basic ornamentation. It’s MUCH easier to have someone explain it to you than to try to read it off a website. Once they’d explained three or four different ornaments (cuts, strikes, rolls, and slides) they went back and picked apart the two tunes we’d worked on, and had a discussion about where they would have added ornamentation, what kind, and why. The nice thing about it was, everybody had their own opinion, so there didn’t seem to be any wrong way.
Then we played through them slowly in bits and pieces and then the whole thing.
Then, they all had some kind of book from Ireland, and they took requests (there were only me and another guy that hadn’t been there before), and played through them. So you could read from the book, if you read music, or pick up the tune, as they played through them three or four times running.
But, apparently, the “right” thing to do is memorize the tunes and their names, and be able to play them as they call them out.
Ack! Are the memory cells up to this? I wonder.
Everyone was REALLY helpful, and answered questions nicely and enthusiastically, and they seemed happy to have new people walking in the door. I had been really worried about egos, or newcomers being less than welcome, or being dogged out if I screwed up, but it was the exact opposite.
It was a lot of fun, and I will definitely go back.
Regards and muchas gracias to all who have proffered advice.
Melian[/i]
I just started playing the whistle a few weeks ago and I picked up this book. I like it and enjoy the CD. I cant seem to progress beyond page 18 until I start learning sheet music though.
lonewhistler, How do you sound with it? This is my first instrument and I am no good, but its a satisfying hobby so far. Until I get frustrated, that is.
Actually, the “right” thing to do is to memorize the tunes, recognize them on the fly, and join in. There are far too many tunes with no name, or too many names, or that share names with other tunes, or that are commonly played in more than one key signature. Calling out names just doesn’t work that well in general.
lonewhistler, How do you sound with it?
…I’ve been playing for about a month now, and I’d like to think that I sound pretty decent at it so far… Anyways, it’s a lot better than how I sounded when I first picked it up.
I’ve learned about 8 tunes so far, from the book that I mentioned in my first post in this topic. It has three sections to it: Beginners, Improvers, and Advanced. The tunes get harder as the sections progress. I just started the Improvers section 
. I havn’t learned every song in the Beginner’s section, just went through and learned the tunes that I liked.
Most of the songs I learned are airs, but I’m just now working on a jig, and I’ve learned one march thus far. Along with learning some of the harder tunes, I’ve been working on ornamatation as well…
…but, enough about me…how are the rest of you beginners doing???