Another Instrument besides the whistle

Wombat · Post by **Wombat** » Thu Jul 24, 2003 1:02 am

Most of the instruments that have been suggested so far require you to develop and maintain an embouchure. all require you to go from a diatonic instrument to a chromatic instrument. Sax gets my vote as the easiest way to get results given both of these obstacles.

I learnt sax many years ago and was using it on stage with my band at the time within about three or four months. (I practiced very hard.) I can't imagine getting basic proficiency on french horn, trumpet or flute in that time. Firstly, the required embouchure for those instruments is much more difficult to acquire, and to maintain it takes daily dedicated practice. Second, whistle fingering is similar to sax fingering but not to brass fingering.

If you're put off sax by the thought that European composers seem strangely reluctant to write for it, my next suggestion would be clarinet.

Zubivka · Post by **Zubivka** » Thu Jul 24, 2003 1:24 am

Wombat wrote:If you're put off sax by the thought that European composers seem strangely reluctant to write for it, my next suggestion would be clarinet.

Clarinet has always, and still is popular for Breton music, too.

Say, what's a good clarinet you'd advise to a beginner?

Wombat · Post by **Wombat** » Thu Jul 24, 2003 1:56 am

Zubivka wrote:
Wombat wrote:If you're put off sax by the thought that European composers seem strangely reluctant to write for it, my next suggestion would be clarinet.
Clarinet has always, and still is popular for Breton music, too.

Say, what's a good clarinet you'd advise to a beginner?

I'm not sure what to suggest. I've never payed the clarinet myself; my opinion was based on comments my fellow sax players have made.

brewerpaul · Post by **brewerpaul** » Thu Jul 24, 2003 5:01 am

On a completely different tack, consider the Mandolin. You can get decent used ones for not a huge amount of money. They play tunes in the same written range as the whistle and then some. No embouchure to learn. They fit excelllently into sessions. Lots easier than fiddle to learn, although the fingering is the same in case you ever decide to pursue fiddle too. You can play melody, chords, or a combination of the two. A very fun instrument.
Don't know about jamming, but the recorder is probably the easiest transition to a fully chromatic instrument from the whistle. YOu can get terrific plastic ones for ridiculously little money too.

Flyingcursor · Post by **Flyingcursor** » Thu Jul 24, 2003 6:07 am

May I suggest a harmonica? I prefer Lee Oskars, standard tuning. Once you learn to bend the notes you can jam.

I strongly recommend that you do not learn the french horn just as something to do or to jam. One of my pet pieves is people who treat the french horn casually. It is NOT a casual instrument, but rather a very beautiful instrument that requires love and most importantly respect to master.

What instrument does not require above prerequisites to master?

But I'll have to agree. You should never try to use an instrument for a type of music it is not intended for. Thus you should never play jazz on any instrument since they were all 'intended' for something else. Never try to play bluegrass with a violin or mandolin, never play Irtrad on a Boehm flute (maybe an Emerson but not a Powell). Never play anything else on a whistle BUT Irtrad.

And heaven forbid if you should ever EVER try to play a part on one instrument that was written for another. Why I think I'll explode if I hear one more person try to Bach on a piano when it was NOT written for one!!!!

Hey I have an idea. If possible this weekend I'll see if I can find some pieces written for French Horn and play them on a bamboo flute or my wife's clarinet. If I do I'll be sure to post them.

Lothiel · Post by **Lothiel** » Thu Jul 24, 2003 8:08 am

brewerpaul wrote:On a completely different tack, consider the Mandolin. You can get decent used ones for not a huge amount of money. They play tunes in the same written range as the whistle and then some. No embouchure to learn. They fit excelllently into sessions. Lots easier than fiddle to learn, although the fingering is the same in case you ever decide to pursue fiddle too. You can play melody, chords, or a combination of the two. A very fun instrument.

Yes, it is really, really fun. And the beauty of the mando is that you can play practically everything on it! (I own one myself and love it!) I was at a bluegrass session last saturday and I had a total blast! We played not only bluegrass, but some celtic (courtesy de moi), blues/jazz, ye olde country

, and even some modern-style stuff. Very versatile instrument... it was so cool to go from songs like "The fox" and "The cuckoo's nest" to soloing with a blues-style swing. Very neat.

Don't know about jamming, but the recorder is probably the easiest transition to a fully chromatic instrument from the whistle. YOu can get terrific plastic ones for ridiculously little money too.

*gasp* OMGosh!!!! How dare you suggest such a thing!!! The horror! The horror!!!

j/k

LeeMarsh · Post by **LeeMarsh** » Thu Jul 24, 2003 2:17 pm

If you want to play contemporary and blues, you might want to be come more conversant with alternate key whistles. You may find that having C, Bb, A, G, F, and E whistle to range between your hign and low D's give you a range to apply whistle to new tunes. I have a Dixon C, and Overton A and F whistles, that I find usefull with a number of tunes. I planning on getting a Low E to try to play blues on.

If your playing with friends a lot, and have the above whistles to share lead with; but, your looking of more. You might want to pick up a harmony/rythym instrument like Guitar. Here you can support their play, let them carry the melody and you add the richness.

Either way you can ...

Patrick · Post by **Patrick** » Thu Jul 24, 2003 5:39 pm

Gotta go with guitar or mandolin, here.

Personally, I don't play either. However, if I wanted a different instrument to jam with, I would pick up the guitar. With some simple chords, you can already get started in the jam. You can add melodic playing over time, as you learn how. And you can get a decent one fairly cheaply.

I agree that the whistle is pretty easy to play. I learned to read music by learning the whistle. I still have not developed an ear for learning from other folks' playing, which is sorta bad.

If you want an example of a truly limited instrument, check out the highland bagpipe. Try jamming with that! Not only are you limited to nine notes, the chanter is typically not pitched to match any concert-tuned instrument. (There are some folks now making chanters in Bb that really is Bb.) And yet, there are thousands of tunes just from the Scottish tradition. Of course, as an example of how you can adapt just about any instrument, look at Rufus Harley - the only jazz bagpiper I know of. And actually pretty good...

-Patrick

SteveK · Post by **SteveK** » Fri Jul 25, 2003 5:38 am

Zubivka wrote:
Say, what's a good clarinet you'd advise to a beginner?

I started out many years ago on a Selmer Bundy. They were made of ebonite. They were pretty good instruments. I later got a good wooden instrument but the Bundy really served me very well as a beginner instrument. I don't think Selmer makes them any more. They do make some plastic beginner instrument as does Yamaha. Any of those should be good but if I wanted a relatively inexpensive instrument I'd try and find a used and refurbished Bundy on the net. When I searched Google for them I saw some for sale.

Steve

Cariad · Post by **Cariad** » Fri Jul 25, 2003 5:47 am

Wombat wrote:I learnt sax many years ago and was using it on stage with my band at the time within about three or four months. (I practiced very hard.) I can't imagine getting basic proficiency on french horn, trumpet or flute in that time.

It's possible with a bit more time - took me about a year on boehm flute playing classical and I've managed to get to around grade 6 or 7 within 18 months if that means anything to non U.K. contributors (I think you need grade 8 before you can study music at university here) I don't think I'm doing too badly since I'm not exactly 21

Now I'm going at wooden flute and whistles the same way (as much practise as I can put in) These things are possible but it just depends how much you really want to do it which then gives you the motivation and determination to keep at it to improve.

Best wishes
Sarah

slowair · Post by **slowair** » Fri Jul 25, 2003 6:13 am

I would suggest the silver flute.

I taught myself to play a loooong time ago. Never really got good at it...about where I am today on whistel.

The transition between the two was easy.

A used one is pretty cheap.

Give it a shot. You can always sell the instrument for what you paid for it should you not like it.

Mike

markv · Post by **markv** » Fri Jul 25, 2003 7:39 am

As a former sax player I would have to suggest.....Mandolin

Huh? you might say?

The reason is that althought the sax is a wonderous instrument that you can pick up the fingering pretty quick, it takes a long time to get a decent tone and embouchure to control it. The sax can also be quite quite loud until you learn to tame it so if you are going to be playing with others in enclosed spaces you will likely drown out a couple guitars and whatever instruments are playing with good ole wheezing and honking until you get your chops built up. There is also the whole semi-permanent lip dent thing on the inside of your bottom lip. I haven't played any serious sax in ten years after 15 years or so of playing and I still have the dent. Just plain wierd.

I've never played a stringed instrument before and I just started playing mandolin a couple weeks ago and already have a half dozen or so chords and can plink out simple slow melodies with minimal practice. Fellow contra dance band members occasionally pull out a song in a wierd key or one that is just akward on a whistle so last night I tried playing along with the mando player we have, just matching what he was doing rythmically and it actually worked!

The way the mandolin is layed out (in fifths I believe) makes playing melody easier than on a guitar for me. You can play an entire octave on just two strings using three frets. I always got frustrated trying to learn guitar but am having loads of fun playing mando.

Mark V.

Wombat · Post by **Wombat** » Fri Jul 25, 2003 11:23 am

LeeMarsh wrote:If you want to play contemporary and blues, you might want to be come more conversant with alternate key whistles. You may find that having C, Bb, A, G, F, and E whistle to range between your hign and low D's give you a range to apply whistle to new tunes. I have a Dixon C, and Overton A and F whistles, that I find usefull with a number of tunes. I planning on getting a Low E to try to play blues on.

Lee, unless your approach to blues playing is very different from mine, I don't think you'll have much use for that E whistle. I mainly use a whistle that gives me a five finger start so I play in E on a D whistle. Unless you want to play blues in F#, an E whistle would notbe much use to you.

When I want to play fluent chromatic runs from b3 through major 3, 4th, b5 to fifth, I choose a two finger start: A on a D whistle. This also has the advantage of giving you a clean b7 without half holing, as does the two finger start. On an E whistle, this approach would have you playing in B which is not a common blues key either.

All the other whistle keys you mention except A are very useful for blues as is Eb which you didn't mention. I make frequent use of A for other purposes so my A whistles are important to me.

breedlovejumbo · Post by **breedlovejumbo** » Fri Jul 25, 2003 12:57 pm

markv wrote:As a former sax player I would have to suggest.....Mandolin

Mark V.

Same here.

Mandolin is easy enough to pick up that you can go from the "STINK" phase to the "Below Average" status fairly quickly.

mrosenlof · Post by **mrosenlof** » Thu Sep 04, 2003 10:15 am

I think if Bufo has "always wanted to learn to play" the Sax, then sax it should be. Just be prepared for a much longer learning curve than for the whistle. Count on months for a good two octave range with decent tone. Probably a bunch of months. Don't even think about it without a good teacher.

What kind of sax? Soprano is a rather different instrument than a Bari.

Plucked strings have the advantage that you can get decent sounding tone pretty easily. Decent sounding _music_ still takes a while.