Bluegrass Whistlin'

[caedmon]

So, I've been working on some plans to learn, then record a few songs. Some of those songs are bluegrass tunes. While the songs (i.e. Angel Band, Dream of a Miner's Child, Little Orphan Girl) are not specifically meant for whistle, I have found the results to be quite pleasing. Especially Little Orphan Girl, which is more a lament and the kind of ending that makes you 'guh'.

[Jason Paul]

I think using the whistle in bluegrass has been mentioned here before. Makes perfect sense to me. A lot of bluegrass isn't too far off from ITM, really.

Jason

[R Small]

I think whistle could fit in nicely in a bluegrass context if given a chance.

[Bothrops]

I'd love to listen bluegrass played on whistle. If someone could upload something, it'd be great!

[caedmon]

I'd love to listen bluegrass played on whistle. If someone could upload something, it'd be great!

That is my project right now. I have the lyrics learned for the various songs, now I am working on the songs on banjo, whistle, fiddle and bodhran. If all works out, I'll record the separate parts, and use Reaper to combine them all into one coherent song.

[Ballyshannon]

Bluegrass is a way of life in this area where Celtic and Bluegrass always seem to cross paths, going hand-in-hand. There's a large contingency of both and personally I don't know anyone involved in Bluegrass who hasn't at least dabbled in Celtic music and vice-versa. Most I know are very much involved in both. For example, our band does many events with Claire Lynch and I've played whistle on several of her songs (all live concerts....nothing recorded). Our bouzouki/fiddle player Larry Lynch is Claire's ex and both were brought up on Bluegrass. All of us in the band have in one way or another been involved in Bluegrass over the years and touches of Bluegrass can be heard in many of our arrangements and harmonies. I still play whistle on occasion with a local Bluegrass group and it's a lot of fun. Basically I take a melody ride when it comes around and add some fill. Great fun.

Ricky Skaggs, Kathy Matea, Tim O'Brien and other Bluegrassers have used whistle in their music. Kathy plays pretty good whistle herself. Claire also plays whistle pretty well but we can't get her to play it in front of anyone.

[jim stone]

nice thing is you get to improvise. Not possible generally with ITM sessions.

[Ballyshannon]

nice thing is you get to improvise. Not possible generally with ITM sessions.

Exactly. It's a nice break away from sessions and can really enhance one's playing and ability to improvise on-the-fly.

[jim stone]

I like to play country music too.
american fiddle tunes.

[caedmon]

This is all good information. I was worried that I might be sullying the reputation of the whistle. The bluegrass songs I have sheet music for are certainly a lot simpler than much of the Irish music, leaves a lot of space for the previously mentioned improvisation. I don't see myself taking my whistles to bluegrass jam session anytime soon. I don't have enough whistles to cover all of the keys they use, or the skill to cross-finger all the notes on just one whistle.

[walrii]

I've been going to a bluegrass session with my whistles for a couple months now. They welcomed me with open arms. Most of the tunes here are in G, A, D and E which is pretty similar to ITM. One difference is many Bluegrass tunes drop below the tonic. I use a D whistle for G and A tunes, half-holing the G# on the A tunes, an A whistle for tunes in D and a B whistle for tunes in E (G fingering on those last two). That gets me low enough for the tunes I've encountered so far. The person leading the tune will call the key so I usually have time to get out the right whistle. I'm also learning to "read capo" - looking at where the folks who use capos put them to figure out what key we're in.

Few bluegrass players use sheet music and many of the tunes are under copyright in any case (learned by ear off a CD or the radio), so I tape the sessions with a small digital recorder and learn from that. Most bluegrass sessions are in communtiy centers or similar places, not bars, which means a quieter venue and better recordings with a small recorder. I've noticed a similar looseness with tune names as well. Tunes are as likely to go by some random phrase in the lyrics as by the actual title.

If you have a bluegrass session in your area, drop in on them sometime. Pretty much any acoustic instrument is welcome and the people are friendly and fun to play with.

[jim stone]

And the same goes for country. All for extending Irish instruments into these venues, where
they are generally quite welcome.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WO-19ONE2C4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7rrfy9rxbY

[I.D.10-t]

I have heard "Soldier's Joy" (I think) played in the style of Blue Grass, ITM, and in Fife and Drum. The older tunes traveled in ways that modern tunes rarely do not. The Beggars Opera ends with "Thus I stand like a Turk" which is set to the tune of an Irish song "Lumps of Pudding". I really wonder which tune could be found to cross the most musical traditional.

Compare this to the modern day. Men at Work's 80s hit 'Down Under' just lost a court battle over the flute section that has a small section of the 'Kookaburra' song. Crossovers like NIN's "Hurt" over to country seem relatively rare.

[cj]

The whistle goes perfectly with any type of American roots music. I play old-time and Civil War era music on it with a banjo player all the time, and the folks around the campfires seem to enjoy it. As others have mentioned, a lot of American bluegrass/country/old-time descends from Irish and Scots folk music. Enjoy!

[Thomaston]

One of my goals in life is to start an Irish/Bluegrass/Old Time fusion band. Still lacking the talent and other willing participants.