F-nat challenged

Leel · Post by **Leel** » Fri Feb 27, 2004 4:02 pm

Is there any way to play an F-natural (lower octave) other than half-holing on the 5th?

LEE

Pat Cannady · Post by **Pat Cannady** » Fri Feb 27, 2004 4:13 pm

Not that I'm aware of. Don't get discouraged yet, just keep trying to do it, you'll nail it, trust me. If I can do it you can, too, I have no major motor skills to speak of yet can manage it on both pipes and whistle. It just takes a while.

Remember to keep your hands relaxed and don't think about it too much, just do it. Slowing down and playing this movement in the context of a steadily-executed phrase helps a lot. The set dance "The Ace and Deuce of Pipering" is a great tune to practice if you want to get that Irish F (un)natural just right.

trisha · Post by **trisha** » Fri Feb 27, 2004 4:16 pm

Not on a D whistle. It's possibly just a case of a whistle with small holes. It's easier with bigger holes.

Trisha

DanTheWhistleMan · Post by **DanTheWhistleMan** » Fri Feb 27, 2004 5:49 pm

trisha wrote:Not on a D whistle. It's possibly just a case of a whistle with small holes. It's easier with bigger holes.

Trisha

Well my holes on my Howard low D shure are big.

I´m still having alot of trouble half-holing when useing pipers grip though. Anyone have any tricks for that?

Dan

Brian Lee · Post by **Brian Lee** » Fri Feb 27, 2004 5:55 pm

The only whistle I own that I can hit Fnat regularly and consistantly is my O'Riordan. I believe it has to do also with the thicker walls which allow for better corss fingerings and half holing.

NicoMoreno · Post by **NicoMoreno** » Fri Feb 27, 2004 7:10 pm

you might try curling your finger... that is the technique for pipes, I am told... although I lift up the end of my finger a bit....

The tone WONT be the same as an F# or an E, but that is as it should be....

Bretton · Post by **Bretton** » Fri Feb 27, 2004 7:30 pm

Try straightening your middle finger out. This is all I do to play F-Nat. My fingers naturally curve a bit to cover the hole and when I straighten out the middle finger (r2), out pops an f-nat.

I only use it a one tune (The Chicago) though...and I'm sliding from an E up to an F-nat and back down to the E, so this makes it easier.

-Brett

E = Fb · Post by **E = Fb** » Sat Feb 28, 2004 9:17 am

Love conquers all. If you find a tune (with an F nat) that you REALLY love, and love to play, that F nat will work out in time. I'm not great at F, but I got a lot better after stumbling into a tune that I HAD to learn...Lament for Limerick.

I would think it's more difficult with pipers grip, though.

Zubivka · Post by **Zubivka** » Sat Feb 28, 2004 9:30 am

Leel wrote:Is there any way to play an F-natural (lower octave) other than half-holing on the 5th?

1) Let's assume your tune has also C-sharps, right? Otherwise, you'd take a C whistle, and you could manage the occasional F# by = xxo xxx.

1B) We'll suppose your tune has also F#, otherwise you'd have taped the big F# hole to make it =F

2) Try this : = xxx xox]
i.e. cross-fingering while closing the tip of the whistle. Some manage with the pinkie on high whistles. You can also put the whistle on your thigh, chanter-like.
Depending on the whistle, it may sound sharp for an F-nat or reasonably in tune.
Same trick used = xxx xxo] may give an acceptable low Eb for a passing note.

FJohnSharp · Post by **FJohnSharp** » Sat Feb 28, 2004 9:31 am

Rodney's Glory has a nice little run up to Fnat that is easy and give you the chance to get some practice in. In this one, I just roll my finger downward to get the Fnat.

The one in Give Me Your Hand is a little harder because you have to jump from the D and if you have my setting, there is a sixteenth note run of B-Cnat-D before jumping to the Fnat. So I have to hit it on the fly. But I really like both tunes--especially Give Me Your Hand--so it's worth the effort.

TonyHiggins · Post by **TonyHiggins** » Sat Feb 28, 2004 1:54 pm

Whatever you try, stick with it and it'll start getting easier. One technique is to poke your fingernail down onto the hole at the right spot. I started doing that to play an f nat as part of a triplet for L Nugent's version of Tatter Jack Walsh. He does it on a flute on his cd. Whether he uses a key or not, I have no idea. The hole is small, so I find the other techniques, like straightening the finger or rolling off, pretty tricky and unreliable.

I've found different whistles allow different cross-fingerings to work for certain notes while other whistles don't, so experiment. Unfortunately, I can never remember which was which, so I don't use any except the standard c nat one in slow places. Even then, sometimes half-holing to get a slightly flatter sound seems nicer.
Tony

trisha · Post by **trisha** » Sat Feb 28, 2004 2:25 pm

DanTheWhistleMan wrote: Well my holes on my Howard low D shure are big. I´m still having alot of trouble half-holing when useing pipers grip though. Anyone have any tricks for that?

Dan

You have a point - I never play my Howard, and manage the Copeland and Kerry Pro without piper's grip BUT, that's just putting off the issue that you mention...accurate half holing with piper's grip...I do have a much bigger whistle that I would have no choice with. So any answers out there?

Trisha...ignoring the mega whistle in the broom cupboard again...

Zubivka · Post by **Zubivka** » Sun Feb 29, 2004 4:44 pm

trisha wrote:...accurate half holing with piper's grip...I do have a much bigger whistle that I would have no choice with. So any answers out there?

I kind of roll my fingers up, towards the fipple. Now that I'm paying attention, it seems to start from the wrist, or at least involve it...

Awkward at first, but I find it more accurate than my half-holing when forced to play a high whistle. Now this may be only because the low whistles are larger and heavier (thusly more stable), too.

Maybe I should give more time to recXXXXXX err, standard fingering.

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