Another tyro strikes out

[miffle]

Greetings, all!

As this post is likely to be a ramble, I will start by asking some questions first. That way, some of you who are inclined to be helpful need not read all my blather in order to tell me what you think. BoscoBear already got some good answers to our similar questions. Thanks, especially to vomitbunny and BillChin.

How do I proceed?
Is “Play Pennywhistle Now” OK to start with?
How about Mel Bay’s “Fun with the Tin Whistle”?
How many (more) whistles should I get?
What kind of wood is the Clarke fipple made of? Does it make anyone else’s lip tingle?

As time passed, I felt a void (What kind of void? An empty void.) in my experience and education: I have never learned to play a musical instrument. (I have never learned to skydive either, but some things I’ll skip.) When I was a kid I wanted to learn the violin, but my mother had had a bad experience with a violin-playing childhood neighbor, so forbade it. In grammar school I had the usual music classes, but those consisted mainly of learning to sing (badly in my case) some patriotic and folk tunes and giving my homeroom teacher a half hour smoking break. In high school it was discovered that I could not easily tell one note from another, so I was not drafted into the band. I took music appreciation and learned some of the technical aspects of music for the casual observer and a bunch of composers names and dates. For a while I tried to teach myself how to play the out-of-tune piano that my parents inherited from a deceased cousin, but nothing much came of it but the first few measures of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata.

Much later I took it into my head to try again to learn some musical instrument. I am not quite sure how I came to focus my attention on the pennywhistle. Perhaps it was the lingering effect of owning a Chieftains CD or maybe it was after a visit to the Texas Renaissance Festival, where the Flying Fish Sailors included a whistle player and Daniel Duke of Danger played two at a time while standing on his head on a teeter board. How hard could it be, right? Ten fingers versus six holes sounded like a lot better odds than ten fingers versus eighty-eight keys. How do I proceed? I somewhat rashly rushed out and bought some stuff: “Play Pennywhistle Now” came with an Acorn whistle (red and toyish-looking), a book, and a CD. How does that particular set suit the beginner like me? I thought it very important to have something to hear, since I have trouble associating a sound with one of those dots on the staff. Oh sure, I can (have to) count the lines reciting the ABC’s or Every Good Boy Deserves Fun to identify a note, but I have no idea when I put my fingers on the appropriate holes (after consulting the little chart) and blow whether I have played the correct note. The short version of this is that I pretty much can’t tell if the tune follows the written music unless I already know what it’s suppposed to sound like. I take it that this is the normal circumstance for the beginner and why they bother to include a CD. While I was there at the shop I noticed a nice shiny chrome whistle, so bought it as well. It’s an Oak.

I got all my supplies home and gave it a try, perhaps with a little too much zeal. My first several efforts to produce a note sounded more like a fight between a mating loon and a bosun’s pipe. I was blowing too hard. The red Acorn was harder to play as it required very little air. The chromed one is a little easier to play and has a more flutey and less airy sound (if that makes sense to anyone). It was obvious to me that I need help. In searching the web I found Chiff and Fipple and much useful information. It turns out that I needed a new whistle. Clarke’s whistles seem to be well recommended, so I put in an order. My black, bediamonded Clarke whistle came with Mel Bay’s “Fun with the Tin Whistle”. Oops, no CD with this one. Good, clear information on musical notation, but not many tunes that I already know. How does this book rate?

I want to learn music. I really don’t have too much preference what kind. I have notice that there are many hymns that are in right key for the D whistle, so I can try those if I already know what the tunes are supposed to sound like. There is much discussion on Chiff and Fipple about Irish traditional music. That suits me fine, too. (My great-grandmother was a Healy from county Kilkenny.) In fact, I bought some Irish music books and, yes, you guessed it, they came with another whistle. This newest one is an Irish Black Whistle, apparently this is a black Walton with a Guinness sticker on it. I haven’t tried to play it yet, but I believe that this now qualifies me for WhOA disorder. How many (more) whistles should I get?

Tooting on these whistle in my garage, I have discovered a few things--though, how to play a tune seems not to be one of them. (I am consigned to the garage so as to not annoy my family more than I do already.) The easiest of my whistles to play is the Clarke as it seems not to require as much breath control as the Oak, but it’s not really the best sounding one. The Clarke sounds “empty” and “windy” (Again, please excuse these descriptions if they seem odd. I am a base beginner with very little musical knowledge--and probably a tin ear, too.), but I am hesitant to try to modify it--especially using the stepping-on-the-fipple-to-close-the-airway method. Oh, incidentally, I have another question about the Clarke whistle: What kind of wood is the fipple made of? It reminds me of drinking from a wooden sake cup (then I get distracted from the whistle). After tooting on the Clarke for a while, I notice a tingling sensation in my lower lip. Anyone know anything about that?

I would be most thankful for any guidance.
Thanks.

miffle

[ChrisA]

If you're allergic to the wood in the Clarke, which it sounds like you might be, you might be better off playing another whistle.

I like the Oak, personally... not everyone does. The little black guiness whistles are okay. The acorns I like for one reason: They come out of the factory perfectly in tune with each other, which means when you play in unison with someone else, you don't have to do anything special. They don't have much else to recommend them though, they're kind of dull in tone.

The windiness of the Clarke is normal, a lot of people seem to like it. The Clarke Sweettone is a little less windy and has a plastic mouthpiece, if you like the Clarke.

Good luck, and welcome to the asyl... err, Chiff & Fipple.

[jen f]

How many (more) whistles should I get?

That's a dangerous question to ask around here!

I can't help you much on what tutorial books are best, as I don't have any, but I just wanted to congratulate you on taking the initiative to learn a musical instrument. Welcome to the board, and happy whistling!

[Entropy]

Miffle,

I'm a relative newbie also (less than a year of playing), so I might not be the best qualified to answer. However my musical background and reasons for taking up the whistle seem similar to yours, so I figured that I would give it a crack. From what you've written, I'm assuming that you're doing this for personal enrichment, not in an attempt to become a serious musician. If that's the case, I would suggest that you precede in whatever fashion pleases you the most.

I started out with a Walton's package that included a MellowD and a book with some simple Irish tunes put down in tablature. The first thing I did was to learn a couple of the tunes. After a while I started to get curious about the dots that corresponded with the tab. So I checked out a couple of books on reading musical notation and introductory theory. After that I started to get more curious about some of the ornamentations common to ITM, so I read those sections on Brother Steve's site and messed around with that a bit. Now I'm back to learning a few more tunes. By doing this, I know that I'll never be a true musician, but that's not what I set out to be. I simple want to have fun and broaden my general area of knowledge.

As for how many whistles should you have, I guess that depends on how many you can afford. I've currently got about ten, all cheapies except for my Burke DAN and Dixon low D. I'ld still like to get a Freeman tweaked Shaw sometime in the near future, but after that, I'm probably going to be done for awhile.

[Charlene]

Welcome Miffle!

I'm no expert either. After seeing a few people play the tin whistle and thinking it looked real easy, I first bought a whistle probably 20 years ago - don't remember the brand, it was gold with a red mouthpiece.

My first attempts sounded like a dying seagull. I used to get so frustrated I'd chew on the mouthpiece. (BAD!) I put it away someplace, got it out again after a few years, and now it's lost. So about 3 years ago I saw a Meg for sale at the Fall Folk Festival here in Spokane, and it was inexpensive, so I bought that and learned a bit more. Then I stumbled across Chiff and Fipple and found out there was a lot more to this than I ever imagined. This Christmas I got a Clarke and I like the sound of that better than the Meg. I can actually play recognizable songs now I'll never be brave enough to play in front of people other than family and friends, though.

Like you, I never played an instrument in school. I was one of the annoying kids who used to go to the "play by the numbers" organs they used to sell in department stores and play around with that but that was the only thing. Tried to learn guitar but it makes my fingers sore. The tin whistle is nice because it's small and I can take it with me and find some quiet out of the way place where I won't bother anyone and have fun. And having fun is what music should be about anyway!

[Wanderer]

or maybe it was after a visit to the Texas Renaissance Festival, where the Flying Fish Sailors included a whistle player

Oddly enough, this is the exact reason I took up the tinwhistle a decade ago.

I would be most thankful for any guidance.
Thanks.

miffle

I personally had pretty good success starting with a Sweetone and the Clarke Tinwhistle tutorial by Bill Ochs. (Well, I actually started with a Clarke orginal, but moved to a Sweetone when I found it easier to get along with as a beginner)

[TooTs]

Ten fingers versus six holes sounded like a lot better odds than ten fingers versus eighty-eight keys.

Have you tried a djembe. Two hands versus one skin is even better odds.

Joking aside, i think everyone has an instrument out there just waiting for them to get into music. Most people's inability to play music is cause they haven't practiced.

I see that a lot of people today just want the instant fix. Why take time to make your own life interesting when you can turn the tele on a watch all about someone else's interesting life? Why bother to bake your own bread when you can go to the shop and buy a loaf? Why bother to spend years learning to make your own music when you can go and buy a CD and make no effort at all?

Answer to all the above... satisfaction, joy, real pleasure!

[walrii]

Welcome to the ultimate traditional music scene! Considering that the fipple flute is probably the second oldest instrument on the planet (after the drum), you are joining the earliest traditional music genre: the self-taught musician. After Og carved that first fipple flute, he then had to teach himself to play it!

Learn where you can. I find tunes I like on CDs, look up the sheet music then teach myself to play it using the CD to see if I'm anywhere close. Occaisionally, I am. I also have a friend who plays piano and we play together on occaision. She likes Broadway tunes so I'm learning a bunch of those. I use my recorder for those sessions as its lower and can play more keys. OK, its a recorder playing Broadway, but its loads of fun!

Here's some resources you might find helpful:

For learning to read music and understand the dots, get "The Idiot's Guide to Music Theory." I'm not kidding, its a great reference. Don't try to read it all at once, just look stuff up when you have a question.

Visit the ABC homepage and get one of the shareware abc programs. There are thousands of songs available on the net in abc format. With most of the shareware programs you can print sheet music and listen to a computer generated version of the tune. The computer tune sounds like a very dull rendition on a not-very-exciting flute but it gives you an idea what the tune is supposed to sound like. So far, I've found every song I've looked for in abc format.

Buy a CD for every whistle you buy. Listen to them.

Get some books on playing and practice what they tell you at least a little every day. But also, set some time aside each day to play a tune you know by heart. Pretend you are in Carnegie Hall or on your favorite street corner and let it all hang out. Enjoy the magic of blowing into one end and having music come out the other.

Welcome to C&F. Oh, yeah: try to spend as much time practicing as you do on this forum!

[miffle]

Thank you, everyone, for your valuable information and kind words of encouragement.

Back to the garage with me . . .

miffle

[jonharl]

I would get a Freeman Tweaked Generation D for a little more money. It's only $36.50 plus postage. It's worth the extea money to get a whistle that really plays good. You then know it's not the whistle. I've got three and they're all very good.

For a tutorial I'd also spend more money ($39.95) and get the madfortrad.com tutorial. It plays on your computer and starts at the beginning. There's airs, reels, jigs, and hornpipes for beginners, intermediates, and advanced studies. The tutorial is progressive and by the time you get done you'll have quite a few tunes under your belt. There's Quick Time video and audio that plays on both PC and Mac. Brian Finnegan is the instructor, he plays very well.

Good Luck,
Jon Harl

[Lambchop]

Congratulations! You are a perfectly normal new whistle player! And you've been doing all the right things! Your observations are right on target, too.

It's interesting that you have noticed it isn't easy to play a tune straight from the notes. Happily, traditional music is handed down by ear. So, your goal is to learn to play by ear, which turns out to be not such a problem. Listen to it played, then follow along with the notes, and you'll start developing a feel for where the sounds are on the flute. Once you've got that . . . you're ready for anything.

Don't worry that playing by ear will be difficult. I think if you'll try playing some tunes you already know by heart, like Row, Row, Row Your Boat, Michael Rowed the Boat Ashore, Mary Had a Little Lamb, and the Mr. Rogers Song (It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood), you'll discover that with a little experimentation you can figure them out just fine. That will show you that you don't have as far to go as you may think.

I second Jon's suggestion of the MadforTrad CD tutorial. It has the music and a video of it being played, so you can learn from both the music and your ears and eyes.

Meanwhile, try the whistle tutorial at www.nigelgatherer.com. I really liked that set. You may not have heard any of this music before, but you'll hear it on the website and it's worthwhile stuff.

Brother Steve's whistle pages at www.rogermillington.com are great, too.

[Miwokhill]

miffle, There's been some excellent suggestions already so I don't mean to confuse things but after reading your account of learning this is what I'd suggest. There's a book/cd/video combination pack called 'Teach Yourself Pennywhistle' They have it at The Whistle Shop, online, for $19.00. The guy who teaches on the video I thought was one of the best music teachers of any instrument I've seen period, really well paced and they have the little chart below the notes for all the songs until about halfway through the book so you can learn to read the music as you're also learning to play. If you start to get the hang of it with this book then perhaps get a book/cd like L.E. McCullough's '121 Favorite Session Tunes'. You can get a new copy, with the 4 cds for about $30. thru one of Amazon's used sellers, although it is a new book, as it will say on the used seller's page. This will give you alot of Irish tunes to play and continue improving with.

The other thing I'd suggest would be to get a Dixon D whistle, also at The Whistle Shop, also $19.00. They are very hard plastic but actually have somewhat of a woody tone to them.

If you decide to give the piano another go, maybe don't start with Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. It sounds like it may be easy like picking out arpeggios on a guitar, but it's not that easy. -mike

[Tommy]

Miffle, there are others of us that play in the garage also, and make whistles from cpvc to understand how they work. I performed in the hardware store saterday morning once and recieved a round of applase.
Pepole in the hardware store dont always know much about music. I also play for youth at summer camp. And they also do not always know a lot about music. Decide what leval you want to play at and come on out sometimes. start with simple tunes that you know by heart. I also have an electronic tuner that helped me get started.

[Chuck_Clark]

Welcome, miffle. Sorry to pick this up so late, I don't come around as often as I used to.

My comment is a question. Why are you playing?

If you're only playing for the relaxation and gentle pleasure a whistle can provide you, then just take it slow, enjoy the nice sounds and it'll come around. If you have a 'goal' it will be hard work, especially with no prior instrument experience. Most of us have played SOMETHING even if it was not very well or a long time ago (both, for me). Even so, we've all been displeased with our progress at times, excpt of course those lucky few blessed with effortless talent.

My only advice is don't make it hard work or you won't keep it up. Take it at YOUR speed, don't set too many expectations or allow others to impose them on you, and when it isn't fun, go do something else.

Again, its only my experience, but I've found that it comes faster if you don't demand that it does so.

Good luck. Even simple playing can bring much pleasure if you let it.

[Cynth]

From another beginner---Look, just find some songs or tunes you like and play them on the whistle that is easiest for you right now. Try to learn to read music if you will not be having a live teacher. Perhaps practicing from hymns to read music would be easiest since it sounds like you would recognize your mistakes most easily there---so just work on that for now, think of the millions of people that read music, you can do it too. Don't get all into the weird stuff of how many whistles should you get---take it from me, that is just a way to avoid practicing that horrible note you can never get. Just learn a few simple tunes well enough so that you get a little encouraged. You should sort of bounce around and be happy when you learn one well enough. There are lots of hymns where you could do that. It is not easy to play the whistle. I have had many moments of wondering if I would ever improve. But if you practice, it is not possible to not improve. It does sound horrible at first. I am still making sounds that make me just burst out laughing, but some of them are getting better. It is related to one thing---how much you practice. The more you practice, the more you will learn the little weirdnesses that help you to make a better sound. Just don't pick things that are too hard to practice, because of course that will cause discouragement. Pick easy tunes when you are just learning the notes. But tunes that you like, that is the most important thing. If you have a really bad session, where you start to feel angry, put it down for a couple of days and consider that you are expecting more than is reasonable from yourself. Practice a little bit every day, rather than a whole lot on one day. If you aren't feeling up to tackling something harder, just do something easy. The main thing is practice every day. Don't keep measuring your results. Just sit down and do it---trying to improve, naturally, but getting enjoyment at the same time. Just set little goals---like "I will play this note 25 times". Not "I will get this note perfectly". You aren't going to get it perfectly for a long time, so just practice it thoughtfully 25 times. That is all you can expect of yourself for one practice session. Just practice it. It will get better. Don't think in terms of perfection (I'll bet you are a perfectionist), think in terms of playing some music for yourself and seeing if you can relax about it.