Ghosties, Ghoulies and Tin Whistles

[mcfeeley]

There's a fair amount of folk tales where, say, someone comes back from a visit with the fairies carrying an enchanted harp or set of pipes. Or encounters with a fiddler in abandoned places who turns out to be a ghost. Turough O'Carolin is supposed to have fallen asleep on a fairy rath and awakened with the tunes that would enchant Ireland running through his head.

Never a tin whistle is heard of. No one ever goes to the Sidhe and finds any of the Good folk busking away on a tin whistle. Out of curiosity, anyone care to speculate on this one?

[blackhawk]

It's discrimination against whistles, of course. What else could it be?

[emmline]

Perhaps the "tin" whistle, as opposed to bone and other more primordial whistle forms, is not an ancient enough instrument to have earned a spot in the old mythologies.
The time is ripe. Write a ghost story featuring a whistle.

[peeplj]

Well, you wouldn't have a ghost playing whistle or flute, would you?

After all, these instruments take living breath.

--James

[CHIFF FIPPLE]

LOL

[emmline]

Well, you wouldn't have a ghost playing whistle or flute, would you?

After all, these instruments take living breath.

--James

and pipes don't? And harps take living fingers, last I checked.

[peeplj]

Being silly I was, and set humor to be my goal.

Talk like Yoda I do.

Tired I am.

--James

[DCrom]

Being silly I was, and set humor to be my goal.

Talk like Yoda I do.

Tired I am.

--James

But James - right you are.

Ghosts have breath.

Only to moan.

Ghosts play harmonica.

[jim stone]

midi wind controllers. ooooooooooo

[emmline]

I betcha anything there's a Revolutionary war ghost or two playing fife.

[monkey]

"Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad" by M. R. James.

The speech served to remind Parkins of his little discovery of that afternoon. It was with some considerable curiosity that he turned it over by the light of his candles. It was of bronze, he now saw, and was shaped very much after the manner of the modern dog-whistle; in fact it was - yes, certainly it was - actually no more nor less than a whistle.

http://www.gordon-fernandes.com/hp-love ... histle.htm


A Classic ghost story....

[colomon]

Actually, I've heard one since this topic originally was posted. In the words of Newfoundland flute and whistle player Gerry Strong...

(Patsy Judge, an old Newfoundland whistle player) also had his own tune that he called the Fairy Tune. He claims that it was taught to him by the fairies one night. He says that he used to have his whistle lodged across 2 pegs in the wall over his bed and that one night they came in, took the whistle off the wall and played the tune. He played it for a lot of people and they all said they never heard it before.

I haven't managed to extract a copy of the tune from Gerry yet, but with any luck I'll get to visit him this summer and see if he can play it for me.

[monkey]

Actually, I've heard one since this topic originally was posted. In the words of Newfoundland flute and whistle player Gerry Strong...

(Patsy Judge, an old Newfoundland whistle player) also had his own tune that he called the Fairy Tune. He claims that it was taught to him by the fairies one night. He says that he used to have his whistle lodged across 2 pegs in the wall over his bed and that one night they came in, took the whistle off the wall and played the tune. He played it for a lot of people and they all said they never heard it before.

I haven't managed to extract a copy of the tune from Gerry yet, but with any luck I'll get to visit him this summer and see if he can play it for me.

I'd like to hear that! I have some tunes and lyrics i have written for my guitar that came to me from out of dreams.