transposing vs. original key

Whistle
1

Most folk music is just handed down, but there is plenty of music out there for which the original is available – O’Carolan is one of the most notable examples. Imagine my surprise when I was leafing through the book and discovered Fanny Power was written in F (I think every time I’ve heard it it’s been played in G). I already knew that Hewlett was in A, but Hugh O’Donnell is in C, Planxty Burke in F, etc. Some of his (for good reasons) less-known pieces have as many as five flats or sharps. (Five flats on a lever harp?)

So what do y’all think of playing things in the original keys? Of course, orchestral composers write in specific keys because they’re perceived as having different feelings (I’m not talking about modes here). I know some on the chiffboard have opined that Calliope House (I think) sounds better in the original E than in D.

The key thing is probably even more important, but has a different effect on the whistle than the harp since an A (or even C in the case of Thin Weasels) has such a different sound than a D.

Charlie

2

Hi,
I transpose it all to be played with one
sharp or 2 and thats all. It may loose
some of its original “feeling” but at least
we can all play them then. I suppose we would have to hear it in the original key to make the best judgement tho,wouldn’t we.
Yes, and I play some of those O’Carolan pieces…all transposed so its easy, ha ha
Lolly

3

I transpose tunes to D or G to learn them, but if I can, I like to play tunes in their original keys.

4

Chas, I run into this issue when I’m plowing through O’Neil’s, looking for something new and interesting. I can handle the one sharp (G) and two sharps (D) like the rest of the whistling world, the three sharps (A), C by thinking down one note, and Bflat by thinking up one. Once I’ve done one of these ‘in my head’ transpositions I find it very difficult to go back to reading D or G for awhile.