Pinky Problem and Poll

fpoulenc · Post by **fpoulenc** » Thu Dec 02, 2004 11:11 am

Yikes! I was just starting to get really comfortable with my hand position, when I got Grey's flute and whistle book, where he makes clear that he believes the bottom hand pinky is essential to a stable instrument. I should note this question applies to the high D whistle, since my Low D has arrived yet. In addition to your poll answer, I am curious to hear your thoughts. Thanks!

Andy

Ailin · Post by **Ailin** » Thu Dec 02, 2004 11:18 am

Something I had to actually stop to think about, but I believe the pinky always is somewhat firmly planted on the whistle.

Ailin

seisflutes · Post by **seisflutes** » Thu Dec 02, 2004 11:19 am

Mine is lightly resting on the whistle most of the time,but it leaves the whistle sometimes,and although I'm not sure quite what those times are,there is some kind of pattern to it.I haven't got a whistle with me at the moment (I'm at work),or I'd play a bit and try to analyze what exactly I do.
-Kelly

Flyingcursor · Post by **Flyingcursor** » Thu Dec 02, 2004 11:30 am

Just like that Eagles song:

I've got a peaceful, easy feeling.
I know you won't let me down.
'Cause my pinky's firmly planted
On the whistle.

amar · Post by **amar** » Thu Dec 02, 2004 11:30 am

mine floats freely, sometimes, it is below the whistles itself, and when i then lift it, i sometimes knock the whistle with my pinky-fingernail, audible to me of course..

FJohnSharp · Post by **FJohnSharp** » Thu Dec 02, 2004 11:33 am

I was taught to use my D finger for stabilizing the B and C# fingerings. It took some getting used to--the having to make a mental note to put it down in the right paces and pick it up in the right places--but now I'm better at it.

Odd thing is, the tunes I learned before I mastered it I still have trouble with. It's like there is a sequence of muscle movements I use and I can't alter them.

colomon · Post by **colomon** » Thu Dec 02, 2004 11:37 am

I use the pinky if I need it (say, when playing C#), tend to lift it if the right hand has fingers down, and otherwise it varies on the sequence of notes. It all happens quite automatically....

colomon · Post by **colomon** » Thu Dec 02, 2004 11:43 am

FJohnSharp wrote:Odd thing is, the tunes I learned before I mastered it I still have trouble with. It's like there is a sequence of muscle movements I use and I can't alter them.

I've noticed the exact same thing with tunes in general -- my playing has improved a lot, but the tunes I worked on hard when I was just starting out still sound disturbingly like I'm just starting out....

OnTheMoor · Post by **OnTheMoor** » Thu Dec 02, 2004 11:53 am

That's a problem I'm having with the Grey book, alot of it is very black and white (this wrong, that right). I never played with my pinky and was doing fine. Then I read that, put my pinky down, and it gives me trouble on some tunes. So I don't make a conscious effort to keep it down, it falls there when it needs to.

burnsbyrne · Post by **burnsbyrne** » Thu Dec 02, 2004 1:17 pm

My pinky is too short. I tried putting it down but then I had to play with my fingertips or with the piper grip. Now I just let it fly free.
Mike

FJohnSharp · Post by **FJohnSharp** » Thu Dec 02, 2004 1:41 pm

I saw a guy at a session who played with his left hand thumb off the whistle completely. The whistle was supported only by the right thumb and the left fingers seemed to fly above the whistle. Occasionally he put the thumb on the whistle for certain notes, but I didn't want to stare long enough to see which notes they were.

I tried doing it when I got home, just to see. My fingers felt a tiny bit faster, but the lack of stability wasn't worth the gain. It was probably an illusory benefit anyway.

DCrom · Post by **DCrom** » Thu Dec 02, 2004 1:54 pm

This may be an artifact of playing some other wind instrument. I know that since I came to whistle from recorder (where lifting the RH pinky is necessary) I normally keep it high.

I do touch it down when necessary for stability (actually, for some notes, I may put both R3 and R4 down when it doesn't affect the tone).

This is very definitely not a claim this is the one correct way - it's just what I do. And it may change if I find the pinky-down style works better for me. But for now, it seems to slow down my RH playing speed.

Dana

Feadan · Post by **Feadan** » Thu Dec 02, 2004 2:01 pm

I learned from Robin Williamson's book to put my right ring finger back down on the bottom hole to keep a grip on the whistle when playing c# or gracing the b. On the vast majority of whistles out there this will not effect the tone of those notes. I've only encountered 1 whistle that has a problem with this and that is in the second octave.

Cheers,
David

Darwin · Post by **Darwin** » Thu Dec 02, 2004 2:05 pm

I started out with it floating, but after seeing my Burke aluminum fly up and out, coming down on ceramic tile, I began planting it. (Fortunately, the result was just a couple of minuscule dings, but I didn't want it to happen again.)

jen f · Post by **jen f** » Thu Dec 02, 2004 2:10 pm

My pinky is too short to reach the whistle.

Chiff and Fipple Forums

Pinky Problem and Poll

Where is your bottom hand pinky when you are playing a high D whistle?

Pinky Problem and Poll