Low D - CD's recomended to aid a self learner

[Whistle-man]

Hi all - I'am looking for some advice on what's you recomend...

I have been playing the Low D for a year or so, having great aid from the low whistle Book by Steafan Hannigan. I am looking for other suggested books or CD's to give me some variety & to aid in the learning & practice sessions..

Many Tks!

[Zubivka]

1) Do as I did, complain to Steafan's publisher, so they'll finally release that 2nd (improvers) CD, cruelly lacking from the book... announced and NEVER released
The whole book I'd call a scandal if I wasn't so darned PC and Continental. It proves a good musician is not necessarily a good tutor. The best thing about it, now I come to think of it two years after purchase, is its appendix, addenda and pudenda gave me this site's address. And here I found the relevant information, help, advice and I'll daresay, brotherhood...

2) get a high D, learn the tune octaved high with a truly good book (like the basics: Bill Ochs'), then when you've learnt it high, take back the low D. I know, playing high D IS painful, especially if you have a cat, but it helps thru them tutorials... and, well, you might even acquire a taste for soprano!

[Whistle-man]

Good sugestion I will contact the publisher...

Funny you refered to the book appendix as I found this site via the same way! All the discussion here and clips's & snips has helped me learn & progress...

Actually I have a small collection of entry level high D's which I practice with a bit but I ready enjoy the low D much better, thus my orginal question...

I do like your suggestion to learn the tune in High D with the help of the book/CD, then switch to Low D.

[billw]

Phil Hardy's "Whistleworks" is a very nice CD featuring his low whistles. Good music, and a good listen. Best of all, it's free for the asking from Phil - just send him email with your snailmail address! You don't even have to pay postage!
Cheers,
Bill Whedon

[Berti66]

REALLY? I would be interested in his email address

berti

[Whistle-man]

Tks for the suggestion - I have the CD but not the music sheet so learning the tunes is more difficult. :roll:

His address is Kerrywhistles@yahoo.com, or phil@kerrywhistles.com, the site is www.kerrywhistles.com.

[Wombat]

Early Solas CDs have a lot of Seamus Egan on Copeland low D. Any album by a good D flute player would give you material in the right key and register but don't expect to get the tonal versatility from a low whistle you can get from a flute. Lunasa albums have plenty of excellent low whistle but not necessarily in the key you want. Joe McKenna has a low whistle album with, I suppose, a lot of tunes in D or D-friendly keys. I find it a bit uninspired as a CD to listen to just for enjoyment but it is good to listen to to get lots of low whistle from someone who knows how to play. There isn't much, if any, low whistle on pure drop CDs, flute CDs would be your best bet if that's what you want to play.

For my part, I just play any tune I know on any whistle when I'm practicing so I usually do learn a tune on high whistle and transfer it to low as I get more familiar with it. This isn't especially helpful, though, if you want tunes to play along with. I'll play the very same tune in five different keys on successive days if I'm working through whistles in different keys.

[chas]

Don't sweat finding low-whistle music. If it's Irish music you want to play, listen to it. If it's something else, listen to that. Assuming it's Irish music you want to learn, I would recomment going to the transcriptions at Brother Steve's site, and to the flute geezers at Rich Lafferty's site. The URL for that is: http://www.lafferty.ca/music/irish/ . Both the geezers and the transcriptions are almost entirely solo, so it's easy to hear what they're doing. I'd also recommend listening to some fiddlers. Kevin Burke's live album is mostly solo, and he doesn't thrive on blazing speed.

[pthouron]

Also, Joe McKenna's "The Irish Low Whistle", and Fred Morrison's "Up South" (this is primarily pipes, but there are three or four beautiful low whistle tunes).