Technique on the whistle

ennistraveler · Post by **ennistraveler** » Wed Dec 08, 2004 3:29 pm

What sort of technical things do you think I should practice on the tin whistle? Every instruments has its technical difficulties. What would you advice a beginner to work on? I'm quite lost on whistles....I play tunes and try to reach the higher notes and do different rolls (but I know they were called something else on Steve's page), but is there anything more I should be practicing?

Bloomfield · Post by **Bloomfield** » Wed Dec 08, 2004 3:33 pm

Rhythm.
Rhythm.
Rhythm.
Bcd triplets.

Easily_Deluded_Fool · Post by **Easily_Deluded_Fool** » Wed Dec 08, 2004 3:35 pm

ennistraveler wrote:What sort of technical things do you think I should practice on the tin whistle? Every instruments has its technical difficulties. What would you advice a beginner to work on? I'm quite lost on whistles....I play tunes and try to reach the higher notes and do different rolls (but I know they were called something else on Steve's page), but is there anything more I should be practicing?

A tune that you 'really' want to be able to play because you enjoy that tune.

Practice, practice, practice it.
Then you will find that any techniques that you learn for that tune will be available in some other tune that is similar.

In my experience, the tunes choose you

HTH

FJohnSharp · Post by **FJohnSharp** » Wed Dec 08, 2004 10:59 pm

I found that every new tune presents a new fingering pattern to learn (I suppose this will wear off once I've learned a lot more tunes). So when I run across those, I practice them until I master them, and when I see them again, I'm ready.

Also, for me, I practice scales at various speeds for smoothness.

Also, (and I just learned this), that the first four measures of the B part to Muenster Buttermilk is an excellent way to work on A and B rolls, because the rolls are followed by the same note which is supposed to be cut, so you're playing an A roll then a cut A then a B roll and a cut B then repeat. I struggled with A and B rolls for a long time and I've seen more progress in the two weeks since I've started doing that than in the previous six months. I almost don't hate them now, and I dreaded them before. I'm hoping to like them a tiny bit in another week ot two.

Koss · Post by **Koss** » Thu Dec 09, 2004 1:19 am

In my experience, the tunes choose you

..wise words ....

TonyHiggins · Post by **TonyHiggins** » Thu Dec 09, 2004 2:25 pm

Practice cuts so they're very quick little blips, barely raising your finger off the hole. Make them part of the following note, not making them a different note.

Practice taps so they evenly divide up the time between two notes. I'd say taps are a separate note as opposed to cuts, which are an attack on a note.

Learn different tunes that force you to play different runs of notes. For instance the reel, Mountain Road, has you bouncing the fingers up and down, while Wise Maid has you running adjacent fingers off the whistle, which I find challenging in terms of keeping steady rhythm. Sweeny's Buttermilk has something going on that'll twist your brain into a knot.

If you latch onto something that sound good to you played fast, slow it way down and work out some interesting phrasing and ornamentation, otherwise, you'll be faking it if you only go fast.

Get some ideas in your head about how a tune should be phrased and let the ornamentation support that instead of forcing in things that sound cool for the sake of sounding cool. (Maybe they sound cool because they belong there. Don't forget that.) Think hard about when and why you tongue notes. It can be a valuable tool for phrasing parts of the tune- creating beginning and ending runs of different lengths. Too much tonguing and you sound like a r######r player

(just kidding. well, partly) Not enough, and nobody can keep time with you unless you have advanced technique that can compensate for it.

When you play rolls, make sure they take up only their alloted time, don't let them drag out too slowly and disrupt the rhythm.

Record yourself and evaluate how you sound. You'll get a lot of good ideas about what works and what doesn't. You can't always hear those things while you're playing.
Tony

Will O'B · Post by **Will O'B** » Thu Dec 09, 2004 3:10 pm

TonyHiggins wrote: Think hard about when and why you tongue notes. It can be a valuable tool for phrasing parts of the tune- creating beginning and ending runs of different lengths. Too much tonguing and you sound like a r######r player (just kidding. well, partly) Not enough, and nobody can keep time with you unless you have advanced technique that can compensate for it.
Tony

Thanks, Tony. I value your insight and experience . . . and love your tunes in clips & snips. Something that has bothered me since I read it on Brother Steve's site is that separating phrases and accenting notes should be done with the tongue and not with the diaphram -- by going "huh" with more forceful air instead of "tuh" with the tongue. I'm paraphrasing what Steve said and I hope I have it correctly. Anyway, I use the diaphram method instead of the tongue -- I can't tongue cause it knocks the lower note into the next octave, even when I do it softly. Do you feel that using the diaphram as I described is a bad habit that destroys the effect (it sounds fine to me, but I don't have your expertise) or is this something that I need to seriously start working on?

Thanks,

Will O'Ban

Pat Cannady · Post by **Pat Cannady** » Thu Dec 09, 2004 3:29 pm

Bloomfield had it right the first time:

RHYTHM.

brewerpaul · Post by **brewerpaul** » Thu Dec 09, 2004 6:10 pm

Listen a LOT, to many different players.
Play at sessions-- listen for the first two or so go-rounds of each tune, then work your way in when you have the FEEL of it.

ennistraveler · Post by **ennistraveler** » Thu Dec 09, 2004 6:19 pm

Thanks all and hi Tony Higgins, I love your tunes on Clips and Snips too. Lots of valuable advice here!!!

TonyHiggins · Post by **TonyHiggins** » Thu Dec 09, 2004 6:46 pm

I read it on Brother Steve's site is that separating phrases and accenting notes should be done with the tongue and not with the diaphram -- by going "huh" with more forceful air instead of "tuh" with the tongue. I'm paraphrasing what Steve said and I hope I have it correctly. Anyway, I use the diaphram method instead of the tongue -- I can't tongue cause it knocks the lower note into the next octave, even when I do it softly. Do you feel that using the diaphram as I described is a bad habit that destroys the effect (it sounds fine to me, but I don't have your expertise) or is this something that I need to seriously start working on?

Will, In general, I totally agree with this advice. I'm wondering what kind of whistle you're playing if it jumps octaves with light tonguing. You must be blasting the air out. The only whistle I ever had that kind of trouble on is an O'Briain tweaked, but got that under control with practice. It's a really soft blowing whistle. So practice the technique with the tongue.

I'd say the diaphragm technique is also legitimate (ie, sounds fine) to use once in a while. I've heard it done by good players and has its own effect that works in places. It doesn't replace tonguing, however.

You know, tonguing a cut sounds different from huffing into a cut. Also how soon you lift your finger for the cut- a little sooner and you get a quick blip prior to the cut which may have rhythmic value as opposed to doing it simultaneously to tonguing or huffing the note. The point is there are a lot of minute variations to the sound you can get just by timing what you're doing. Mess around and see what happens.

Thanks all and hi Tony Higgins, I love your tunes on Clips and Snips too. Lots of valuable advice here!!!

Thanks, Erin. Feel free to send a tune one of these days.
Tony

Jennie · Post by **Jennie** » Thu Dec 09, 2004 8:06 pm

One more from the Tony Higgins fan club, here.

Thank you for posting all those clips. I learned Green-Eyed Lass and it's my current favorite. And for all the rest of you sharing your playing with us, thank you! It helps tremendously to listen.

I'd also add to the string of advice to be patient with yourself and focus on one thing at a time, just a tune or two at a time. Don't try to do it all.

Jennie

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Technique on the whistle

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