Whistle testing tunes...
- brewerpaul
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Whistle testing tunes...
I was just curious if people have favorite tunes for testing out new whistles-- either when purchasing them, or tunes that whistlemakers use to put a new whistle through it's paces.
I usually play The Kid On The Mountain for a fast tune. It uses most of the range of the whistle, has some good rolls and some nice interval hopping arpeggios. For something slow, I like the opening Aria from Bach's Goldberg Variations. Again, it uses nearly the whole whistle range plus some half holed notes. I realize that many of the whistles I send out in the world will never be used for Bach, so I feel good sending them to their owners with at least one dose of this splendid music having passed through their bores...
I usually play The Kid On The Mountain for a fast tune. It uses most of the range of the whistle, has some good rolls and some nice interval hopping arpeggios. For something slow, I like the opening Aria from Bach's Goldberg Variations. Again, it uses nearly the whole whistle range plus some half holed notes. I realize that many of the whistles I send out in the world will never be used for Bach, so I feel good sending them to their owners with at least one dose of this splendid music having passed through their bores...
- waitingame
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Re: Whistle testing tunes...
So how about a chromatic Busman......or would that be a re*****r?brewerpaul wrote:I realize that many of the whistles I send out in the world will never be used for Bach
- glauber
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Re: Whistle testing tunes...
Do you have the ABCs for that?brewerpaul wrote:For something slow, I like the opening Aria from Bach's Goldberg Variations. Again, it uses nearly the whole whistle range plus some half holed notes.
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- Wombat
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I often play a tune composed by the South African pianist Abdullah Ibrahim to test for responsiveness and ease of transitions. (In the space of a bar or two it leaps two octaves from low D to third octave D and back to second octave D.) Sorry, can't remember the name of the tune off hand. Lots of tunes are good for speed of response: Harvest Home is a favourite of mine too. I play a bit of blues to test for how easily I can make it wail.
- PhilO
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Paul - I usually play a series of my some favorites of didderent types/speeds that cover two octaves and some ornaments - The Lonesome Wave, Down By the Sally Garden, The Worn Torn Petticoat, Dunmoor Lasses, Cis Ni Lathain, Morrison's Jig, Out on the Ocean and The Pikemen's March, and always Danny Boy to check the ease of that high B in the second section...You see, it's a vicious circle....new whistles are an excuse for playing and playing is an excuse for new whistles...
Regards,
Philo
Regards,
Philo
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- serpent
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Music for Testing (with procedure)
First a full scale from bell to high as it will go without damaging the dog. Then my current favorite, "Tour de Taille", at the moment, then "Haste to the Wedding" / "The Kesh" as a set, and finally I stumble through "Jean's Reel". If I'm not pressed for time, I may do either or both of "On Castle Rock" or "Inis Oirr". Finally, I stand in front of the Korg and check the bell note for center. I know that's superfluous, as the whistle wouldn't have gotten this far were the bell not good, but hey, it doesn't hurt. I then slowly play each note through its range and note variations. If the centerpoint of any note is more than a few cents flat, and cannot be brought to center by minor trimming (can't trim out sharpness), the whistle is beheaded and the body given to the scrap bin.
Finally, the head is dunked in (ethyl) alcohol, and the whistle is set aside for final polish and washing with Ivory Liquid before shipment.
Then if it's lunchtime or quitting time, I have a Guiness and play my own whistle for a while. Right now, I'm working on "The New Mown Meadows".
serpent
Finally, the head is dunked in (ethyl) alcohol, and the whistle is set aside for final polish and washing with Ivory Liquid before shipment.
Then if it's lunchtime or quitting time, I have a Guiness and play my own whistle for a while. Right now, I'm working on "The New Mown Meadows".
serpent
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- vaporlock
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I usually use the Belfast Horpipe. It's good to show you what the octave transitions are like, plus it's fun to play as fast as your little fingers will wiggle. Then I usually try The Howling Wind (Tam Lin, Glasgow Reel) substituting triple-tounging for the rolls to see how responsive the whistle is to start/stop air pressure changes. WARNING: Triple-tounging will get the insides of a whistle WET...at least the way I do it !
For what it's worth,
Eric
For what it's worth,
Eric
- syn whistles
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- CHIFF FIPPLE
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Its A Bag O Spuds followed by Andersons for me .
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