And, You Started to Play the Whistle because...

starman · Post by **starman** » Thu Jun 17, 2004 12:56 pm

I've always wanted to play something musical. I started out with the tonette http://www.terrifictoy.com/store/tonette.htmlwhich they taught in my elementary school (I won't say when). Then I took up the violin but gave that up in favor of the trumpet so I could join the high school band which was the social thing to do. After HS, college, grad school, and many jobs got in the way so I quit playing anything and always missed it. A couple of years ago my son brought home a tin whistle but he quickly pitched it in a drawer. I kept it in the back of my mind for about a year until I couldn't stand it any more so I got it out and started playing around with it but only recently decided to make time to really learn how to play it. I'm sure my Irish ancestors are pleased. Oh, and about the tonette-all I remember is that it tasted terrible. Plastics are better now.

Mike

nancymae · Post by **nancymae** » Thu Jun 17, 2004 2:16 pm

I started because I love Irish Music. I never realized the sound I loved was the whistle...I thought it was a harp!

I had been brought up in a musical household...my grandmother played the harmonica, my father a professional sax musician. My parents had me taking clarinet lessons at age 8..and I wanted to play guitar at age 11 (Beatlemania had hit the States). I furthered my guitar by learning classical...but gave it up...due to teenage fantasies with having beautiful nails!! (Little did I know...that visual artists don't have beutiful nails either!...ok...at least me...mine are full of paint, pastel chalk, charcoal...including my clothing..hair, glasses...etc) For those who do not know, I paint too. But, all my life I have loved music...most types (except today's rap and heavy metal)--listen to it daily, create art by it.

In 1996, my family and I attended a family reunion of 5 brothers who came from Ireland and landed in Canada. Irish music abounded at the reunion and I learned that my great grandfather was a fiddler. I absolutely fell in LOVE with the music but I never thought I could play it. (due to prices of instruments). After lusting after a harp I had seen at an art show, I started surfing the net and came across a musical instrument site (Apollo Axes I believe) and they had harps..but they had this little section on Irish musical instruments that had something called a tin whistle. I ordered it (Celtic Clarke..with a Mel Bay "You can play the Tin Whiste!" You can't beat getting an instrument and a book with a cd for less than $20!!!

Then, I started looking around for Irish music on the net..and came across C & F..... WHOA is me!!

The music that I have loved for soo long, I can play somewhat...it is relaxing...fun...makes me lighthearted and I LOVE BLASTING the different jigs I get from Clips and Snips. (When ARE those Merry Blacksmith's going to make a cd anyway??? They are soo good!!)

That is my story and I'm sticking to it!!

Nancy

vomitbunny · Post by **vomitbunny** » Thu Jun 17, 2004 3:05 pm

The judge told me it was either pick up the tin whistle, or back to jail I go.

lonewhistler · Post by **lonewhistler** » Thu Jun 17, 2004 11:31 pm

...decided I'd take a peek at the forum after a few days away. I was very delighted to see such a great response here in this topic!! I've read through each of the posts and have really enjoyed seeing why you have all decided to start playing!

Keep up the playing, everyone!! The world needs more music, more of the stuff with meaning, depth, and soul. Less of the plastic, cookie-cutter, mind-numbing, music we hear so much of these days in the mainstream.

Martin Milner · Post by **Martin Milner** » Fri Jun 18, 2004 1:12 am

lollycross wrote:Mine was cause I saw a VERY CUTE young guy playing one in a band I accidentally ran into at a Celtic NewYears Celebration.

Ah yes, I've lost count of the number of ladies I've drawn into music with my boyish good looks and rakish charm.

Hoed · Post by **Hoed** » Fri Jun 18, 2004 2:06 am

During a group assignment in university, friends of mine played songs/tunes from the Dubliners a lot ... all for fun. This music catched me somehow and I wanted to learn more about this music. I played their cd's over and over and it even got my girlfriends attention.

My girlfriend then had the chance to join a band that plays Irish balads, which she did. I then became interested in playing the tin whistle. Not really to play along, because I liked listening to the ballads, but didn't feel the urge to play them. It were the reels and jigs that got my attention, so I started practising them.

And after half a year of playing the tin whistle I picked up the flute and am still struggling with it. But I'm loving it every time... maybe a bit more each time.

avanutria · Post by **avanutria** » Fri Jun 18, 2004 12:38 pm

Pretty boring story, really. At the age of 8 years old, a large teacher came in and assembled the entire class into a chain gang, laden with recorders. I spent a few years perfecting such favourites as "Hot Cross Buns" and "Mary Had a Little Lamb". In desperation my older brother taught me "The Island Song" just for variety. A nomad since childhood, I discovered that a recorder was a much better travelling instrument than a piano, as my pockets were simply not large enough for any more than one or two keys. (My mother made me put the keys back.)

I had spent over a decade in the sinful company of a recorder, stuck in a rut of mimicking tv theme songs and Christmas Carols, when I happened to go to the Sterling Renaissance Festival in New York. I heard a group called Double Indemnity (now slightly disbanded and reformed as www.emptyhats.com ) and managed to talk to the whistleplayer of the group. He assured me that his Susatos were the best whistles in the world and, without breaking character, offered to retrieve his palm pilot and 'scribe' me some information for getting some. So I went off to place an order, got a set of susatos, hurt my ears, and stayed away from whistle for another two years.

In 2001 I came to my senses, got a Dixon, joined Chiff, and *sigh* all the accompanying nonsense followed. It's all down to that blasted Island Song*....

--ava

* It has been nearly 20 years since my brother played that song for me. Last April I was playing whistle for him and launched into the Island Song, and he made a face at me - he remembered it all too well!

Martin Milner · Post by **Martin Milner** » Fri Jun 18, 2004 1:41 pm

Martin Milner wrote:
lollycross wrote:Mine was cause I saw a VERY CUTE young guy playing one in a band I accidentally ran into at a Celtic NewYears Celebration.
Ah yes, I've lost count of the number of ladies I've drawn into music with my boyish good looks and rakish charm.

Sorry, that should have read:

I've lost an unaccounted number of good ladies that I've bored with my music, rakish looks and boyish charm.

Unseen122 · Post by **Unseen122** » Fri Jun 18, 2004 1:49 pm

I was listening to Flogging Molly went through th liner notes and saw someone plays a tinwhistle I decided to buy one, one day at a music store later I bought a whistle book and now I am a real good whistler.

Canbarelywhistle · Post by **Canbarelywhistle** » Sat Jun 26, 2004 2:39 am

This is my first post on these forums. I guess I decided that I wasnt satisfied with replying with "drinking and playing video games" whenever anyone asked me what my hobbies were or what Im good at. I felt like I needed a nice hobby. It didnt take me long to figure out that I might like to learn an instrument. My girlfirend plays the piano and is going to be a music teacher, so why not learn music? Maybe she can help me with the sheetmusic.
I already enjoy this ban called The Dropkick Murhpys. It's Irish punk rock, punch a guy in the mouth, hug your best friend, and drink a pint of Bass kind of music. With the bagpipes and penny whistle solos of course mixed in.
So it just popped into my head about a month ago to buy an all black Clarke and two "Teach yourself"books and start learning to play. Im no good at it right now, but I can pass with easy songs like Old MacDonald, Au Clare De la Lune, and London Bridges. I have rough times with C sharps, High D's, and reading music without having letters under the staff.
*sigh* I guess ill get there.
By the way, Im from Milwauke and can't wait for Irish Fest this year.

lonewhistler · Post by **lonewhistler** » Sat Jun 26, 2004 12:12 pm

...Canbarelywhistle, you may want to check-out the "...tips for beginners" post that I started. A lot of folks replied, and you may find some useful ideas there. We're all no good at any instrument once we start playing, but everything will come with practice!!

kevin m. · Post by **kevin m.** » Sat Jun 26, 2004 12:28 pm

Canbarelywhistle,
If you're into the 'Dropkicks',then be sure to hear 'The Pogues'-plenty of whistle from Spider Stacy in this Hiberno-Punk band.
If you wanted to a path from that to more Trad. Irish stuff,then 'The Dubliners' would be a possible next step,followed by 'The Clancy Brothers,'The Chieftains'(new,then old stuff).By then you are ready for Micho Russell,Willie Clancy,Mary Bergin..........

Emrys · Post by **Emrys** » Sat Jun 26, 2004 2:05 pm

I needed a LOUD, flute-like voice to cover up some not so great sounding harp tracks on one of my older albums that I was in the process of re-releasing. Whistle was the natural choice, though I'd never played it before. I have been a flute player a long time, but after I got Bell's Palsy my embouchure has never been quite the same. So my whistle playing started out on a ridiculously pragmatic note. Then, before I even realized what was happening, I had completely fallen in LOVE with playing the whistle. All of a sudden all those Celtic tunes I've played for all those years on the harp and flute... well, now I could REALLY play them. I could, quite literally, sing my heart out. I barely touch the flute anymore. I loved how the simplicity of this instrument lets me toss it in my backpack and whip it out any old time. I've garnered more than one odd look from Austinites (and our logo is "Keep Austin Weird!") by sitting out a red light while playing the whistle. The other thing is I love how KIND the whistle is to my body, compared to the contortions my other instruments demand. I call the fingering "the electric typewriter of all instruments" because you don't have to bang away, get huge callouses or grip the instrument to play up a storm!

boomerang · Post by **boomerang** » Sat Jun 26, 2004 7:09 pm

Many a dull and boring day in my youth was spent listening to my grandmothers irish and scottish records, i grew to love the sound, i guess it made me happy,
I played a euphonium and a trumpet at high school, and i was taught by a wonderful teacher, music was part of my life and it has always stayed with me,
Like so many others i also dabbled with the Rec***er and i prided myself in being able to quickly learn tunes by ear,
I went to a concert given by an Australian band called Redgum, One bandmember was a very sexy lady who co-incidently played tin whistle, she made the band special with her playing, and i was inspired,
one day in a music store i bought a tin whistle, a soodlums C and the bill ochs book, and told myself ima gunna learn to play this one day,
About 12 years later while recovering from an injury and with plenty of time on my hands i picked up the whistle and book,which had been stored in my trumpet case, and i have not stopped since, I am a whistle playing addict, I searched the web to look for music and found C&F, and i havent looked back since, while ever i draw breath i am sure whistling will remain a large part of my life,
David

Canbarelywhistle · Post by **Canbarelywhistle** » Mon Jun 28, 2004 12:19 am

kevin m, I definatley will check out those bands you mentioned. I always liked the Dropkick Mupheys because it was so different from some of the other stuff I listened to. Im eager to check these out.
Boomerang, how do you like the Bill Ochs book?

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And, You Started to Play the Whistle because...

I started to play the whistle because...