How to hold the whistle...???...!!!...???

Tyghress · Post by **Tyghress** » Thu Feb 10, 2005 8:00 pm

Robin, I haven't been to the dulcimer group in AGES. . .let me know next time and I'll bring my HD as well as the whistle. Of course, it'll take me ages just to get the HD tuned up...... :roll:

spittin_in_the_wind · Post by **spittin_in_the_wind** » Thu Feb 10, 2005 9:11 pm

You're on! It's first Saturdays, 2pm in Old Avon Village. Last time, it was in a space over the Subway shop. I will probably miss the March gathering, if it's the weekend of the 5th, but will be there after that. They're working up some tunes to play at the Soundingboard Coffeehouse concert in June, nothing too tough. If you need me to send you some music let me know. It's wayyy too much fun!! It's a 3 hour round trip for me, but well worth the drive.

Robin

BoscoBear · Post by **BoscoBear** » Fri Feb 11, 2005 2:06 pm

Tyg/Spittin - Thanks for the input! I'm actually from CT originally, and lived in Farmington, CT (just south of Avon) - So the drive is something I'm used to - As for MA locations, I'll keep looking -

Talasiga - I appreciate your input as well, I was not looking for a tutorial on how to hold the whistle, I came across it while perusing a whistle site - I wanted to make sure that it wasn't a "hard and fast" rule that my hands be placed in any particular order/fashion so as to avoid learning a bad habit -

TomB · Post by **TomB** » Fri Feb 11, 2005 2:10 pm

BoscoBear wrote:Tyg/Spittin - Thanks for the input! I'm actually from CT originally, and lived in Farmington, CT (just south of Avon) - So the drive is something I'm used to - As for MA locations, I'll keep looking -

Talasiga - I appreciate your input as well, I was not looking for a tutorial on how to hold the whistle, I came across it while perusing a whistle site - I wanted to make sure that it wasn't a "hard and fast" rule that my hands be placed in any particular order/fashion so as to avoid learning a bad habit -

If it's sessions your after, there are some in the Boston area, and also some in Western, Ma.

Tom

oscartherabbit · Post by **oscartherabbit** » Mon Feb 14, 2005 7:19 am

Jeff_H wrote:Good question. It's one I've asked myself many times. I'm right handed and I play right hand on top. It's more comfortable for me probably since my very first instrument was trumpet so I'm used to having my right hand closer. I've tried left on top and it was too foreign of a feeling for me. Laziness on my part? Perhaps.

This might work against me if I decide to try flute or pipes but for now it's of no concern to me since I have a hard enough time with the whistle!

That's really interesting. Like you, I'm right handed but have always played with the right hand on top and I've occasionally wondered why I picked it up that way. I'd always assumed it was just rank stupidity on my part when reading the generation instruction sheet, but I started on trumpet too, and I'm also chronically lazy, so your explanation seems to make a lot of sense.

I'm thinking of moving on to the scottish small pipes and/or border pipes some time. Is hand position important for these instruments?

Teri-K · Post by **Teri-K** » Mon Feb 14, 2005 8:50 am

oscartherabbit wrote:
I'm thinking of moving on to the scottish small pipes and/or border pipes some time. Is hand position important for these instruments?

Having your left hand on bottom could make it somewhat uncomfortable, or add a bit of strain. The bag will rest under your left arm. I play warm wind smallpipes, so I can't comment as to how that would affect play with bellows added.

brewerpaul · Post by **brewerpaul** » Mon Feb 14, 2005 11:53 am

If you ever want to play low D, you might find that some of those have an offset bottom hole to make fingering easier. However, if you play with your left on the bottom, you won't be able to reach it.

StewySmoot · Post by **StewySmoot** » Mon Feb 14, 2005 4:41 pm

As stupid as this idea seems, after 4 years I have thought about reversing my hands to compensate for what seems like a weak right hand (I am naturally left-handed). In fact I have tried this with rather bizarre sounding results.

I told you it seems like a stupid idea.