FREE FROM SERPENT MUSIC - A THANK YOU

[Cayden]

Wombat talked to you about you not admitting to what your sentences imply so I won't go into that.
But really, when you say a basic version doesn't sound right to an experienced player and then go on to recommend looking up any old version of the tune, you can hardly blame someone for reading a meaning into that now can you?

[peeplj]

I have no interest in arguing with you, Peter.

My contribution to this thread has been to state that you do, in fact, know what you are talking about. Perhaps Wombat took issue with the way I said it, but be that as it may, I respect the depth of knowledge and experience that you bring to the board.

If I were to have any gripe with you it is simply that your tongue is every bit as sharp as your playing.

That is a sin I am also guilty of.

Allow me to apologize if in any way I have given offense.

---James

[glauber]

Forgive me if I missed this - wayding through 13 pages on a slow modem is slooow. If someone has a URL for a download of an `approved' version of the Kesh Jig I would appreciate it.

Brian

I like the one in the first Bothy CD. It always amazes me by its relentless power.

[Wombat]

Forgive me if I missed this - wayding through 13 pages on a slow modem is slooow. If someone has a URL for a download of an `approved' version of the Kesh Jig I would appreciate it.

Brian

I like the one in the first Bothy CD. It always amazes me by its relentless power.

As soon as I saw the words Bothy Band in this connection, I thought 'power' before I even read the rest of your sentence. That version just drives along doesn't it? I think I prefer a more gentle lilting treatment myself but when I listen to the Bothy Band play it, they sure have my complete attention. Not bad for a tune you probably hear hundreds of times each year. There's one or two points where it feels like they're trying to drive me through the wall.

[glauber]

Yes. They spolied Kesh for me. I always try to sound like that, to no avail.

That was the first thing i heard with the Bothys, and the first word that came to my mind was: power.

[billw]

This is the weirdest thread I've ever just left after the opening post. Please, allow me to explain some things to you all...

First of all, I'm not an expert whistle player. That is astoundingly obvious to those of you who are, as well as those of you who've heard experts.

My breath control is what it is. It's the result of past heart problems, and the need to breathe rather frequently. I guess I could've muffled or cut out the hisses of intake. Sorry.

The Kesh is a durn hard piece for a beginner. I teach a little class in a town where there seem to be no other (experienced) whistlers with any interest in helping beginners, so I just do it. No, I'm not the best, nor even close. But some of my students, most of whom surpass me within a short few months, may be eventually, and I hope one of them may someday take my place.

Look, I just like whistles a lot. I make them, I play them adequately for my venue, and I just wanted to give something back to the community, not stir up a stink. I'm not the same person I was when I first came to C&F as a maker. Peter's right in his assessment of my skills, and I have no argument with him, Loren, anybody. Please, just accept what I've put up in the spirit it was given. If you don't think it's worth anything, that's your call to make. Please don't beat me up for trying, though.

Thanks,
Bill Whedon
Serpent Music

[Loren]

Damn, everyone is getting to be so damn reasonable around here (myself included as someone recently pointed out), I just don't know what to make of this place any more

Loren

[lyrick]

Bill, you sure have a good attitude about this. You mention "past heart problems". You don't seem to have any heart problems now. My hat's off to you.

[littlejohngael]

I've finally figured it out. This isn't about Bill and his ability to play ... no ... not really. It's not Bill's fault at all. It's Colin Goldie's fault! You heard me right! He's spoiled the whole lot of you ... making such a fine whistle ... then calling you from Germany to play it so sweetly ... Oh yes. That's where the "Fine Whistle Player Makes a Fine Whistle" argument comes from ... Derned Overton marketting ploy ...



Best to all,

Little John

[DCrom]

Bill comes off a bit brash at times, but his heart's in the right place. And a warm, giving heart it is.

Love or hate his whistles (a whole other slew of threads, I fear), or his whistle playing, he's one of the folks on the board I have the most respect for as a person.

Dana

[billw]

I've finally figured it out. This isn't about Bill and his ability to play ... no ... not really. It's not Bill's fault at all. It's Colin Goldie's fault! You heard me right! He's spoiled the whole lot of you ... making such a fine whistle ... then calling you from Germany to play it so sweetly ... Oh yes. That's where the "Fine Whistle Player Makes a Fine Whistle" argument comes from ... Derned Overton marketting ploy ...



Best to all,

Little John

Aha! See, I KNEW that Colin was behind all this, somehow!
Cheers,
Bill Whedon
Serptne Music

[Azalin]

Cheers,
Bill Whedon
Serptne Music

Darn, Bill, you should be using the system's signature (is there one?) to write your whistle making information instead of writing it by hand every time, much faster

[billw]

Cheers,
Bill Whedon
Serptne Music

Darn, Bill, you should be using the system's signature (is there one?) to write your whistle making information instead of writing it by hand every time, much faster

Well, Az, those of us who are inept at playing are evidently inetp at tpyngi!


BW
ledit] ... uh... Serptne? How the heck am I ever gonna pronounce that!?

[billw]

Okay. I've finally taken the time to read the first few pages of this thread, and I have a very few things to say that may help clear up things so everyone will understand what I was aiming for. Evidently I did NOT get the point of it across, and that's totally my fault, and I will correct the oversight on my website, too.

The four pieces I put up, were definitely NOT meant to be sterling examples of music of any sort, trad or otherwise. They were merely meant to help real beginners "get" how to listen to a simple melody and play it on their D whistles. I recorded them "live" during a real class session over at Alcott Arts Center, and my students noted at the time, that I made no effort to do any decoration, and did nothing to correct my mistakes. My reasoning was simple - I had students, they wanted some easy music to learn how to pick out notes from, and so I gave them some. That is the sum total of what I posted here and on my website.

I am sorry that there are so many people who were disappointed in the stuff. My students seemed to be appreciative, but again, they are from a venue where there aren't many really good people teaching whistle. I'm not gonna do any stupid "mea-culpa-I'll-take-the-stuff-down" thing, though. Instead, I'll do something else - I'll issue a request to all of you better players, to please send me some music, again, in a "graded" form, that I can put up to supplement what I did. If you would be kind enough to use the same pieces, I would be really appreciative, but if you have four other "graded" pieces, that would be just fine, too.

In return, I will name a folder on the website for you, and will put up an index off the mainpage, so people who want to learn, can go listen to you all.

Please don't take this as a "challenge". It is no such thing. If you'd rather not participate, that's fine, and I won't say a word even if you go on telling the world what a crappy teacher Bill Whedon is. I'm not very good, I know it, and admit it freely, and am trying to get better. That's all I can do. Maybe someday I'll be an intermediate player, but don't hold your breath!

People who have come out in support, thank you, I appreciate it. And I also appreciate those who have pointed out my failings. Every critique helps, and even bad press is good. But this isn't about me, really, it's about getting some cool tutorial material up for the many people who want to learn how to play the whistle. It's a wonderful instrument! "Flogging Molly", for instance, uses it extensively in the "Drunken Lullabies" album, and I just flat LOVE it!!!

So, hey, C&F Community... email me some music and how you want it presented. We'll get a good thing going!

Cheers,
Bill Whedon

[Bloomfield]

Okay. I've finally taken the time to read the first few pages of this thread, and I have a very few things to say that may help clear up things so everyone will understand what I was aiming for. Evidently I did NOT get the point of it across, and that's totally my fault, and I will correct the oversight on my website, too.

The four pieces I put up, were definitely NOT meant to be sterling examples of music of any sort, trad or otherwise. They were merely meant to help real beginners "get" how to listen to a simple melody and play it on their D whistles. I recorded them "live" during a real class session over at Alcott Arts Center, and my students noted at the time, that I made no effort to do any decoration, and did nothing to correct my mistakes. My reasoning was simple - I had students, they wanted some easy music to learn how to pick out notes from, and so I gave them some. That is the sum total of what I posted here and on my website.

I am sorry that there are so many people who were disappointed in the stuff. My students seemed to be appreciative, but again, they are from a venue where there aren't many really good people teaching whistle. I'm not gonna do any stupid "mea-culpa-I'll-take-the-stuff-down" thing, though. Instead, I'll do something else - I'll issue a request to all of you better players, to please send me some music, again, in a "graded" form, that I can put up to supplement what I did. If you would be kind enough to use the same pieces, I would be really appreciative, but if you have four other "graded" pieces, that would be just fine, too.

In return, I will name a folder on the website for you, and will put up an index off the mainpage, so people who want to learn, can go listen to you all.

Please don't take this as a "challenge". It is no such thing. If you'd rather not participate, that's fine, and I won't say a word even if you go on telling the world what a crappy teacher Bill Whedon is. I'm not very good, I know it, and admit it freely, and am trying to get better. That's all I can do. Maybe someday I'll be an intermediate player, but don't hold your breath!

People who have come out in support, thank you, I appreciate it. And I also appreciate those who have pointed out my failings. Every critique helps, and even bad press is good. But this isn't about me, really, it's about getting some cool tutorial material up for the many people who want to learn how to play the whistle. It's a wonderful instrument! "Flogging Molly", for instance, uses it extensively in the "Drunken Lullabies" album, and I just flat LOVE it!!!

So, hey, C&F Community... email me some music and how you want it presented. We'll get a good thing going!

Cheers,
Bill Whedon

Bill, that's sweet of you. But I hope you realize that this is not about you. Nor about "support" for you, or dissapointment in you. The way you play is fine, everyone starts at the beginning, no shame or dissapointment in that.

You think (and others here, too) that what you offer can be helpful to some beginners, provided they are really beginner beginners and want to learn "to pick out notes." Others in this thread have suggested that you are doing your students harm by giving them such examples to learn from and that if they ever do want to play music rather than picked-out notes on the whistle, their early work with your sound clips will be a liability and will have to be unlearned. Unlearning as anyone will tell you is harder than learning.

So, don't even think about the issue in personal terms, or in terms of good intentions, or even in terms of stylistic preference. What I am taking away from this thread is this: Good traditional musicians think that a beginner should be warned against learning from sound clips that don't have good rhythm, phrasing, intonation, and so forth.