Free, Floating Fingers

[Crevan]

What do you do with your fingers as they lift from the whistle? I've been told to keep playing fingers as close to the holes as possible so long as they don't interupt with the sound. I've heard that this should allow you to play more efficiently. Unfortunately, my fingers like to rest a good two inches from the whistle.

Does anyone else have this problem? I've tried to correct it but it has proven to be quite difficult for me to bring those fingers down! How does one correct this? Is it necessary to correct?

Are there any proud finger floaters out there?

[aderyn_du]

Darn! I thought I was finally going to score a good deal on some floating fingers. What a let-down!!

[lixnaw]

try a conical whistle, it helped me!

[Crevan]

You can have the floating part

[peeplj]

Like so much else, I think it's a trade-off; keep 'em very close to the whistle and you gain speed and the ability to more completely relax the hands at the expense of tone and crispness; keep 'em too far from the whistle and you gain a nice fully-vented tone and better volume and response, at the expense of slightly more tension in the fingers.

For me the range of about and inch to an inch and a half is my "sweet spot." The fingers are far enough up that the ornamentation doesn't get muddy, but still close enough for that speed and the stability of holding the whistle aren't sacrificed.

This is also about the distance I use on flute as well.

--James

[teeisblue]

Ugh, me too. I've just started playing but I have a tendency to flip my fingers as far away from the whistle as possible. It feels so weird to keep them close. I can't wait 'til it feels more natural to barely lift them.

[FJohnSharp]

I've found that my fingers vary in height depending on the tune and even depending on the part of the tune I'm playing. Finger height seems to be a sort of expression of the music of the moment.

that sounds so corny.

Okay, I don't think about it or even monitor it. It just happens. New slogan: Finger Height Happens.

Alls I know is that sometimes I notice my fingers are flying high and sometimes they're sitting low.

[Redwolf]

I think it's an individual thing, to be honest. It makes sense to suggest to a newbie that he or she keep the fingers relatively close to the whistle, but for most of us who have been playing for a while, if what we are doing works, there's probably not a lot of need to change things.

Redwolf

[happyturkeyman]

Grrr. I was even willing to pay postage.

[Rod Sprague]

Darn! I thought I was finally going to score a good deal on some floating fingers. What a let-down!!

At the Palouse Empire Mall here in Moscow Idaho, there is a sign that says "CATION, FOOT TRAFFIC” making it seem like I’m being warned to keep an eye on my feet before someone steals them and then peddles them (no pun intended) on the elicit foot market.

Rod

[chas]

I agree with Redwolf. Watch video of some well-known players, and some lift their fingers incredibly high, others barely at all. (see some of Peter Laban's posts on how Irish kids learn) Much more important than how high you lift your fingers is how relaxed they are.

[Crevan]

Grrr. I was even willing to pay postage.

They float remember? No postage required.

--------

Thanks for all of the advice. I've read from a source or two that it is very bad to have your fingers up high. I seem to play fine with a 1-2 inch distance, which is comfortable for me because I have big hands and I'd rather not struggle to bring them in closer if it will not do my playing any justice.