How do I rate my playing?

Flyingcursor · Post by **Flyingcursor** » Wed Mar 24, 2004 9:31 am

I wonder if others here can rate their whistle playing skills.
Most people will underrate themselves but try to be honest. If you're good then say so.

Consider such things as tonal quality, expression, ornamentation etc.

Flyingcursor · Post by **Flyingcursor** » Wed Mar 24, 2004 9:32 am

Well?

peeplj · Post by **peeplj** » Wed Mar 24, 2004 9:46 am

I consider myself pretty decent; Mary Bergin need not fear.

Five years ago, my goal was to gain in technique, accuracy, and abililty, and by that standard I have achieved much of what I sought; yet, now, my goal is changed, and the grail I now pursue is called authenticity, the pursuit of which is greatly more challenging, all the more that I am located so far from the ultimate spring and source of this our art.

By that standard, as I am frequently reminded, my playing is found greatly wanting, and will likely always be, yet there is great pleasure and satisfaction in the pursuit of this goal, and I think even great worth, whether or not it proves finally attainable. For like the Greek protagonists of old, my playing carries within itself vital and insurmountable flaws, which, were it not for my stubborn and blind persistance, would surely prove the end of this endeavor.

And so I now retire myself from such introspection, and return to the daily business at hand.

--James

GaryKelly · Post by **GaryKelly** » Wed Mar 24, 2004 10:26 am

"Move over Mary Bergin."

Then I wake up, and it's back to being poor but learning... :roll:

fiddling_tenor · Post by **fiddling_tenor** » Wed Mar 24, 2004 10:30 am

I can play the notes, some basic ornamentation. Passable. Must admit I play fiddle more...

BrassBlower · Post by **BrassBlower** » Wed Mar 24, 2004 10:34 am

I consider myself pretty decent, but arguably non-trad. My favorite player is Joanie Madden, but she has nothing to fear from me, either.

JamesF · Post by **JamesF** » Wed Mar 24, 2004 10:55 am

I don't want to talk about it.

I recorded myself today and it was painful to listen to.

The tune was a reel and it all sounded like a blur, muddy, like-notes-overlapping mess. The neighbor's dog howled too.
But who cares, it's fun to play.

chas · Post by **chas** » Wed Mar 24, 2004 11:06 am

JamesF wrote: I recorded myself today and it was painful to listen to.

My wife and I were just talking about this last night. I've been recording myself some lately, and I would say some aspects, specifically ornaments, sound much better on tape than they do to the ears that are a few inches away from the blade. OTOH, for some reason I tense up, even just recording for myself, so there are a few mistakes and squawks that aren't normally there (seriously). On the flute, my tone sounds a little more robust, but the mic picks up a lot of octave dropping that I can't hear while playing.

I was going to give myself a "pretty good", but if James Peeples is in that category, I'm definitely a passable.

peeplj · Post by **peeplj** » Wed Mar 24, 2004 11:38 am

chas wrote:I was going to give myself a "pretty good", but if James Peeples is in that category, I'm definitely a passable.

My reasons for placing myself within this category may not apply to you; "pretty good" is surely a wide enough category to hold us both, though I will admit I have gained much weight over the years, still I think we'll fit...

As for recording yourself, I think it to be a necessary and sometimes painful learning experience.

Usually on the day I do a recording, I play it back to proof it and think "Ok, that went pretty well." I have never done one I considered perfect; I doubt I ever will.

The painful truth comes when you go back and listen later. Even recordings I produced just two weeks ago make me wince. Recordings from a few years ago will make me hang my head in shame.

So why do I keep recording tunes and posting them online?

This is not a question I can answer. My music is a large part of my life, my technical skills are another, and my website is the place they meet and mix in complicated ways.

Perhaps the real answer is somewhat simpler: masochism. Lord knows it must be why I post them here!

--James

Berti66 · Post by **Berti66** » Wed Mar 24, 2004 11:57 am

well I can only rate myself as "poor but learning" since I only play the whistle since last summer, have started to take lessons this month and working on cuts and double cuts right now.
I can read music already and play rising of the moon, blind mary and a few other slow airs....

greetings
berti

don't need to be as good as joanie madden, if I will be able to play up to speed without making mistakes, I am happy!

The Weekenders · Post by **The Weekenders** » Wed Mar 24, 2004 12:26 pm

peeplj wrote:As for recording yourself, I think it to be a necessary and sometimes painful learning experience.

Usually on the day I do a recording, I play it back to proof it and think "Ok, that went pretty well." I have never done one I considered perfect; I doubt I ever will.

The painful truth comes when you go back and listen later. Even recordings I produced just two weeks ago make me wince. Recordings from a few years ago will make me hang my head in shame.

Recently our historical group did some recording and the engineer cracked us up with the following term: "wince wave." The mutual feeling that passes over folks who are listening to the playback when they hear something un-salvageable.

feadogin · Post by **feadogin** » Wed Mar 24, 2004 12:30 pm

peeplj wrote:The painful truth comes when you go back and listen later. Even recordings I produced just two weeks ago make me wince. Recordings from a few years ago will make me hang my head in shame.

I have the opposite problem...when I listen to recordings of myself from years ago, I think about how much better I used to be!

I guess I really should play more and work on getting my chops back.

J.

Chuck_Clark · Post by **Chuck_Clark** » Wed Mar 24, 2004 12:37 pm

This is very subjective and for me very difficult to answer. All I have to go against are the professionals I've known and whose recordings I've heard since I know no other amateur whistlers. Not very good, I suspect, certainly not satisfied with my playing.

I think we only need to answer two questions:

1. Are you as good as you'd like to be? (NO), and

2. Are you trying to improve? (YES)

chas · Post by **chas** » Wed Mar 24, 2004 12:38 pm

peeplj wrote:As for recording yourself, I think it to be a necessary and sometimes painful learning experience.

Usually on the day I do a recording, I play it back to proof it and think "Ok, that went pretty well." I have never done one I considered perfect; I doubt I ever will.

The painful truth comes when you go back and listen later. Even recordings I produced just two weeks ago make me wince. Recordings from a few years ago will make me hang my head in shame.

Ain't that the truth! I started taking flute lessons about 2 months ago. Of course, one has to go back and listen to the lessons, and I put in the tape of the first one by accident recently. I just about hurled. I felt like calling up the teacher and telling him how kind he was for not telling me I was beyond all hope.

It's also painful to listen to the things I posted to Clips and Snips a year ago, but until I get 'round to recording something on those whistles again, the clips will stay up.

Steven · Post by **Steven** » Wed Mar 24, 2004 12:46 pm

peeplj wrote:The painful truth comes when you go back and listen later. Even recordings I produced just two weeks ago make me wince. Recordings from a few years ago will make me hang my head in shame.

That sounds like an awfully "glass half empty" way of looking at it. Just think how much you've improved since then! I'm still only a "Passable," but the way I keep myself inspired (besides just having fun playing the music) is to think of how much better I am than I used to be. That may not be saying much, but it's something!

Steven

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How do I rate my playing?

poor but learning