Last month I went to the Maryland Renaissance Festival with my boyfriend. He's a semi-career musician as in game developers hire him to write music for videogames. Of course this means we have to stop at every place that sells instruments so he can check them out.
We came across a place that sold flutes and whistles and spent a lot of time there sampling what they had. The boyfriend insisted I should try to pick up an instrument because he thought I would enjoy trying to learn and play. I thought about it for awhile and figured that the whistles there weren't that much, so it wouldn't hurt to take his advice. I talked to the man at the store and took his suggestion of buying a Susato Kildare in C along with Bill Ochs' instruction book.
I have never played an instrument before and I didn't know how to read a bit of sheet music. Nor had I bothered to listen to any Irish music. Even so, I've really enjoyed playing. I'll be at work and think about sitting down and playing some when I get home. It's so easy to just pick up and play, not to mention relaxing. The musician-boyfriend gets a kick out of out me asking him about basic musical stuff. Sometimes he'll sit with his guitar and follow along with my playing.
Even more surprising is the community of people who share the same interest. I was kind of pleasantly surprised when I came across this forum. This is my first real post, but I've had so many questions answered just by reading through old threads. Since then I've ordered L.E. McCullough's instruction book with the CD set and a Clarke Sweetone in the key of D. The other book I got didn't come with a CD and I think the boyfriend is tired of me demanding that he play the music on his keyboard so I can hear it.
Sorry for my rambling but thank you for reading and sharing your knowledge on this forum.
At least now when I post in the future, you will know who the heck I am. If you have any advice for a total beginner like me, feel free to share!
