Im New, Help me!

The2ndgarpo · Post by **The2ndgarpo** » Mon Aug 20, 2001 12:28 am

Good day, Im just getting into playing whistles. I got interested in the whistle from listening to spider stacy play. As a huge pogues fan i thought how much i would love to play the whistle. On a suggestion from thewhistleshop.com I just purchased a sweetone D as well as a waltons nickel D whistle. The problem is that i dont know how to read music. Can anyone suggest any pointers to help me off to an effective start? Your help is greatly appreciated! thanks, Garp

[ This Message was edited by: The2ndgarpo on 2001-08-20 02:35 ]

raindog1970 · Post by **raindog1970** » Mon Aug 20, 2001 5:32 am

Nice to see another Shane MacGowan/Pogues fan on this board!
Spider Stacy was my inspiration for taking up the tin whistle too.
You'll be needing a C whistle as well as a D if you're going to be playing along with The Pogues CDs.
As for recommending good a tutorial, I am using You Can Teach Yourself Tinwhistle (Tutorial and CD).
The only complaint I have is that all the songs in the book aren't on the CD... but most of them are.
I couldn't read a note of sheet music when I started, but I'm making steady progress with the book.
The real problem you're going to have is finding Pogues sheet music... and I've never been able to find any with the whistle parts in it.
You should find the following website useful because it has the lyrics and guitar chords for almost every Pogues song.
<A HREF=http://www.vaxxine.com/mtbhl/pogues.htm ... es.html</A>
One of these days I'm going to have to start transcribing Spider's whistle parts and make them available on a website.
Until then, I guess you'll just have to learn them by ear.
If you happen to find any sheet music with Spider's whistle parts in it, please let me know where I can find it.

[ This Message was edited by: raindog1970 on 2001-08-20 09:22 ]

brewerpaul · Post by **brewerpaul** » Mon Aug 20, 2001 6:20 am

Try a method book such as Bill Ochs'"The Clarke Tinwhistle" (will work with any D whistle, not just a Clarke). He starts you out reading music very simply, and builds from there. Some players will tell you that reading music is not necessary, but trust me that it is a BIG help.

avanutria · Post by **avanutria** » Mon Aug 20, 2001 6:25 am

Here's the book:

http://www.thewhistleshop.com/catalog/t ... /ochs.html

Now I'm thinking of getting it myself, hehe

JessieK · Post by **JessieK** » Mon Aug 20, 2001 8:26 am

Or you could try not reading music and playing by ear.

Jessie

Ron Rowe · Post by **Ron Rowe** » Mon Aug 20, 2001 8:41 am

And so the great reading music vs playing by ear debate begins again....

(big Grin)

StewySmoot · Post by **StewySmoot** » Mon Aug 20, 2001 8:57 am

I find playing along with a CD or MP3 works best for me (dont try any reels to start! I got lost after the first bar, on the music, that is).

Reason is this: I am an engineer, and tend to think logically, and all my life I have tried to read music and play, but it comes out stiff, without anything resembling feeling. You can almost hear me counting "and a 1 and a 2 and a 3 and a 4".
Playing along at least trains me to follow someone elses sense of music and when I play the piece later without "accompaniment" it is almost enjoyable. Besides, what did musicians do when sheet wasnt available 500 years ago, anyhow?
I do try to read, tho, since it really does round out the experience.

Jens_Hoppe · Post by **Jens_Hoppe** » Mon Aug 20, 2001 9:03 am

Besides, what did musicians do when sheet wasnt available 500 years ago, anyhow?

Forgot a lot of tunes?

<ducks>

Jens

avanutria · Post by **avanutria** » Mon Aug 20, 2001 9:20 am

I've played recorder < ducks

> for over ten years, and although I've never been able to read music, I can play by ear really well. Though if you played just one note I wouldn't be able to tell you what it was (C, D, etc).

I wish I could read music though. While I love playing by ear, I can see how useful it would be to be able to read as well. Not to mention the fact that I wouldn't have to hunt around for demo music files for online sheet music. =)

About all I know for reading music is "FACE" and "Every Good Boy Does Fine", hehe

[ This Message was edited by: avanutria on 2001-08-20 11:20 ]

TonyaD · Post by **TonyaD** » Mon Aug 20, 2001 9:26 am

One word of advice -- try to stay away from the sheet music with the notation under each note of the six holes of the whistle and which ones to close and open. This might be good for the first week or so of playing, but after that it really hinders learning to read the music. I find that I just can't ignore it and look at the notes instead. It's a crutch that keeps you from progressing.

For new music readers, I really recommend Mel Bay's "Fun with the Tin Whistle." I tried some of the Irish Tin Whistle tutor books, but found they started with the advanced tunes too soon. The Mel Bay is entirely beginner music and has several exercises for each new concept. What also helps a lot is that I already know the melody for most of the tunes, so I can hear if I'm doing it right. Most of the Irish tunes are new to me.

After a month of practicing with this book, I have made great progress. Now I've started working on Morrisons Jig, something that was way beyond my skills a month ago.

garycrosby · Post by **garycrosby** » Tue Aug 21, 2001 9:24 am

Welcome!

As a relative newcomer, I can highly recommend Bill Och's book mentioned by brewerpaul. It progresses more slowly than most whistle books and, if you use it properly, teaches you the basics of reading sheet music as you go. Its got a good selection of tunes as well.

You might want to take a look at the thread named "First Whistle" which is along a similar theme.

Post by **rich** » Tue Aug 21, 2001 9:56 am

On 2001-08-20 10:57, StewySmoot wrote:
Besides, what did musicians do when sheet wasnt available 500 years ago, anyhow?

It was available 500 years ago! The first known Western musical notation started appearing around the 9th century, but only served as reminders of the shape of a tune -- they couldn't teach you a melody you didn't know.

But by the 12th century, a formal notation system had developed from which you could learn a melody from scratch.

garycrosby · Post by **garycrosby** » Wed Aug 22, 2001 1:34 pm

Rich, thats very interesting. I had no idea written musical notation had been around that long.

Besides, what did musicians do when sheet wasnt available 500 years ago, anyhow?

With respect, I've never thought this was a good justification for learning to play by ear. Just because people approached a problem a certain way "500 years ago" does that mean it is still the best approach today? Consider that 500 years most people couldn't read or write so learning from musical notation (even if available to them) would not have been an option. People learned to play by ear because it was the *only* way they could learn - there simply was no other option. But, today most of us can read and write so reading musical notation is another tool that we have. The same goes for cassette tapes, CDs, videotape, streaming video, bulletin boards, computers, and whistles made out of *modern* materials. These are all great tools that we use when we need them. If we use the "500 years ago" arguement then we'd have to stop playing Susatos, Hoovers, and Silkstones because they are made out of plastic and that wasn't available 500 years ago ...

One more point, if it weren't for musical notation much of the music we have today would have been lost. Consider the countless cultures in the world that had oral (or aural) traditions because thay had no written form of communication. Sadly, the vast majority of these cultures are now extinct or on the brink of extinction

Tyghress · Post by **Tyghress** » Wed Aug 22, 2001 1:54 pm

I learn a tune usually from written music, but then you hear an embellishment, or a different take on something, and you encorporate it. Or I'll learn something on one instrument, and when you 'convert it' all sorts of neat things sneak in.

I remember picking up a hornpipe once and a LONG time later learned that it was actually a reel. Occasionally when the reel is played now, at the end I'll do a few bars with that hornpipe bumpity-bumpity rhythm and get GREAT reactions.

BCRusty · Post by **BCRusty** » Thu Aug 23, 2001 10:29 pm

I think I'm doing reasonably well, and having fun too, using the old and the new. The booklet with my first C Clark was awkward, especially after stumbling across the WhistleWorkshop site. Having the musical notation in front of me on the screen while listening to the clips and playing along has brought me light years. I also got LE McCullough's book & CD. I'm a total retro traditionalist, but the personal computer has opened up music for me. Not that I play in public, mind.
Unless alcohol is involved.