Chiff and Fipple Forums

I've played mostly mandolin -- bluegrass, oldtime, folk for the last many years. One thing I like about it is bluegrass and related folky country styles is it seems to be the easiest generate to find a jam the intermediate level. So, I can find people to play with. I've dabbled in whistle for a couple years but start playing a lot more this last winter when I tore a ligament in a finger skiinger and couldn't play mando for a few months. I started going to BG jams again recently and one I attend is pretty laid back, medium speed, a couple guy play harmonica which is folky/country but definitely not bluegrass in a strict sense. At some point I'll probalby bring a D and C whislte in case someone ever calls a tune I can play on whistle.

So, I'm curious does anyone play whistle in any bluegrass/folk/country/oldtime jams?

-K

I play irish flute in old time, country, blue grass ensembles. It works very well, pretty much because it works well with the same instruments in Ireland. There has sometimes been resistance when I took out a flute, but they liked it better after I played.

I love this idea, sounds like a lot of fun! Having grown up in Southern Appalachia, I can totally imagine the whistle fitting well into this style!

learn2turn wrote: ↑Mon Aug 30, 2021 6:35 pm I started going to BG jams again recently and one I attend is pretty laid back, medium speed, a couple guy play harmonica which is folky/country but definitely not bluegrass in a strict sense.

This reminds me of a classic story about Bluegrass legend Bill Monroe:

A bunch of people are playing in a bluegrass jam at a festival. At some point a person started playing harmonica in the jam. As a round ended Bill Monroe walks up to the harmonica player and says “Son, that’s a nice instrument you have there. But not for Bluegrass.” Then walks off.

I've seen whistles played in Folk groups, & they are even played in Metal bands, so why not.

Loren wrote: ↑Fri Dec 17, 2021 6:27 pm

learn2turn wrote: ↑Mon Aug 30, 2021 6:35 pm I started going to BG jams again recently and one I attend is pretty laid back, medium speed, a couple guy play harmonica which is folky/country but definitely not bluegrass in a strict sense.

This reminds me of a classic story about Bluegrass legend Bill Monroe:

A bunch of people are playing in a bluegrass jam at a festival. At some point a person started playing harmonica in the jam. As a round ended Bill Monroe walks up to the harmonica player and says “Son, that’s a nice instrument you have there. But not for Bluegrass.” Then walks off.

But the classic 70s able "May the Circle Be Unbroken" had several instruments like Harmonica that aren't classic bluegrass. I'd put that album in the "America" genre. Most of the BG jams I go to aren't very strict and a couple people play harmonica. In fact, I think people just got in the habit of the calling most jams BG jams when many are more like Amercana folkd acoustic jams.

My favorite Bill Monroe quote was when Elvis Presley put "Blue Moon of Kentucky' on the B-side of 'That's Alright'. Back then the B-side of singles payed the same songwriting royalty as the A-side. When Bill was asked if it bothered him that a rock-and-roller covered one of his songs, he responded "Them was powerful checks." Bill originally wrote BMofK as a waltz but Elvis did it up tempo in 4/4. Once the audience got used to hearing the up-tempo Elvis version, Bill changed his arrangement to do the first verse as a waltz and then the rest of the song as up-tempo 4/4 bluegrass.