Need suggestions: How to work out of a whistling rut?

[spittin_in_the_wind]

I'm finding myself in a rut right now, playing the same tunes all the time, and not really progressing much right now. Anybody else have this experience and how have you broken free from it? I was thinking of maybe doing a tutorial or working through an instructional book, preferably something that will leave me an improved player with a better understanding of the music. Attending sessions would be great, but are not to be at this point in my life, considering the distances and times I would have to go.

On another related note, has anyone ever set up an informal acoustic folk music group/session not necessarily restricted to ITM? I was thinking that this might be a fun thing to try with people from my church, as there seem to be a lot of closet musicians there. Any suggestions on a list of possible tunes which could be easily adapted to various levels of players (Irish, American and otherwise)? I am envisioning putting together a little booklet with 8 or 10 tunes with chords that could be handed out to people, including lyrics for the tunes that have them, as a starter. The tunes might be anything from Irish to bluegrass to old time country or folk. That's sort of the idea here.

Any suggestions appreciated!!



Robin

[FJohnSharp]

I think playing with other people would be a very good way to break out of a rut. Mind you, I've never done it, but I'm thinking about doing it soon. A local Guitar shop is starting informal sessions and he invited me to sit in with whistle. I figured I'd bring maybe three of four tunes with chords and see what happened. So you could do the same with the church folks. I sat in (on drums) with a church group once and it was fun. And my friend (who plays oboe) played whistle for one song.

Whenever I get bored I open one of my books to a random page and try to play. Also, I go to Clips and snips or to Mick's virtual Whistle page and try to learn something by ear. But I don't get bored too often anymore since I started lessons. And my teacher is cool, as he lets me make suggestions for things I am interested in. We did Christmas music last week.

[tomcat]

i think you're on the right track by getting together with musicians from your church. they probably won't know irish trad, but the interchange may pull you out of the "slump."

until we moved, i got together monthly with musicians from various churches. we played texas country (trust me, not my choice...) but it was fun harmonizing and playing by ear with the group. i was amazaed at how adaptable the whistle really is. thanks to our lap top dulcimer foks, everything was played in either d or g. then the second hour we played gospel. i learned a lot from those times and miss them dearly.

seems to me, that one of the joys of music is sharing it.

[Wombat]

Well I have three suggestions.

First, do you play another instrument? If so, put the whistles away for a little while and concentrate on that for a while. You can even work on tunes you feel are not working for you, getting another angle on them. You can also learn new tunes that you can then transfer to whistle when you return to it.

If you play with musicians in other folk styles, you'll probably have to learn how to improvise suitable parts to what they are playing. I can't stress how important it is to your general musicianship to be able to play in a variety of styles. Even if ITM is what you really want to play, you'll have a better feel for what it is that needs improving when you have other skills you can contrast with those you mainly want.

The most conservative approach is to learn some new tunes. Sometimes we don't notice improvement because we keep reinforcing bad habits learnt early on by playing the same old tunes, even when our improved technique would allow us to break out of them. It is a myth that, to improve at all, you must keep playing the first few tunes you learnt over and over until they sound the way you'd like them to sound. Obviously repetition is important but it's also important to know when to move on.

[Caj]

I'm finding myself in a rut right now, playing the same tunes all the time, and not really progressing much right now. Anybody else have this experience and how have you broken free from it?

Hi,

When I'm in a rut I figure I'm just not practicing with enough discipline---not practicing tunes I should practice, not practicing enough or carefully enough, not playing scales, not working on steadiness and phrasing.

Usually I react by sitting down with a tune list and a metronome and doing a half-hour to an hour's worth of the real boring busywork we tend to avoid when practicing. This usually works like a charm.

Caj

[thurlowe]

I would suggest recording yourself and listening carefully. That usually shocks me out of a rut

Cara

[MurphyStout]

Well I don't know about other styles of music but I do know a bit about ITM. So if you're looking to improve and get out of a rut, I would suggest you try www.scoiltrad.com If you try that you'd find yourself playing new tunes, using new techniques and improving alot by challenging yourself. You'll also have to record yourself like Cara said and you'll get feedback on your playing from a top notch whistle player which can also help you out. So that's my advice if you don't have anybody else handy who can show you a thing or two on the whistle.

[BillChin]

As for groups, I attend Southern California Songmakers meetings (www.songmakers.org). The format of the meeting is that each person takes a turn leading a song, a sing-a-long, or performing solo with everyone else being quiet, requesting a certain song, or passing. I really enjoy this format, because it gets everyone involved, including those that just enjoy singing, and those with less talent. It also lets people experiment in a relaxed atmosphere. Everyone performs so it tends to be an encouraging environment.

The intimidation factor and ego factor are powerful forces. Those with talent may want to hog the spotlight, and those with less talent may feel like an unwelcome adornment.

There are similar groups in other areas. The song book, "Rise Up Singing," is a good resource. The book has lyrics and chords for about 1000 popular songs. The chords are not much use for whistle players, but at my meeting guitars dominate.

My local meeting usually attracts 20 to 25 people, and each person gets two turns during a four-hour long meeting.
+ Bill

[Pat Cannady]

If you're aiming to improve your ITM playing, try listening to other trad instruments as well as whistle.

Try some slow down software to decipher those tunes that go by too fast for your ear.

You may not like to hear it, but I'm going to offer this, too, and I want it to be clear that I'm not denigrating folkies, singer-songwriters, sacred music or the church:

You only have a finite amount of time to practice. You may find it more productive to abandon backing singers for a time in order to develop your playing and deepen your knowledge of ITM.

And don't let distances be an excuse!

[Mongoose of Righteousness]

On the rut issue. I broke out of a medium size rut by getting into Lunasa. I've been downloading some of their tunes from JC's ABC Tune Finder. When you listen to what they can do with a tune it's humbling and you realize you have a long way to go. Playing with others is a must, I think.

[TonyHiggins]

Learning new tunes always keeps my enthusiasm up. I listen to cd's quite a lot. I make mental or paper notes of tracks to look up and learn. I also have some days where I focus on slow airs and others on reels, etc. If my enthusiasm has declined, it means I'm getting the flu.
Tony

[Whistlin'Dixie]

All good advice ~ I should copy this page!
My New Year's resolution: Scoiltrad or Grey Larson's Tune Bank....

Mary

[ThorntonRose]

Try some totally different music -- blues, jazz, classical, Jimmy Buffet, ...

[Talbert St. Claire]

hi there! one suggestion would be to practice tunes really slowly and
really get the feel of the tune played at various speeds! you have know
idea how wonderful it is to slow something down to half speed.
its like a whole new tune!!! try to create a slow-air from a reel! it can
and has been done. takes a little practice. to review: 1- play the tune at your normal speed. 2- slow it down and really enjoy it w/ out the full speed of the tune.(tweek w/ the way its being played) 3-try to create
an air out of the tune! now you have 3-ways of playing the same tune!
instead of learning so many, enjoy the "game" of playing! personally,
i love "slow-airs" and "slow reels" more than anything because you have a chance for lots of expression! give this a listen. hope i was of some help!
http://www.talbertstclaire.com.(or go to my profile)

[Loren]

If my enthusiasm has declined, it means I'm getting the flu.
Tony

Yeah, but you're a freak Tony.

Loren