Non-Irish tinwhistle

brownja · Post by **brownja** » Tue Aug 14, 2001 4:55 pm

India?
I was playing my whistle during lunch one day. A collegue said i sucked, in so many words. and I said, "oh, yeah, how many tinwhistlers do you know that could do better". and she said it's very popular instrument in India and some other things about people lying dead in the gutter playing better than me, etc. etc.
So I can't point you to any cd's or anything, just this anecdote that's it very popular in other parts of the world.
jb

TonyHiggins · Post by **TonyHiggins** » Tue Aug 14, 2001 7:19 pm

I hope you didn't take it personally. (Are they really that good in India?)
ps: I liked your comeback.
Tony

Eldarion · Post by **Eldarion** » Tue Aug 14, 2001 11:26 pm

Hrmmm... I don't think that the tinwhistle (at least not the tinwhistle as we know it) is a popular instrument in India. You friend was probably just pulling your leg. It might be though, that its an instrument that looks like a tinwhistle, because they're just so many end blown 5-6 hole instruments in many different cultures.

mike.r · Post by **mike.r** » Wed Aug 15, 2001 2:42 am

I supose he was refering to those snake charmers.An overton low D would be useful for keeping the beast at a safe distance and you could hit him over the head with it if he made a go at you(the cobra,that is!):)Mike

TelegramSam · Post by **TelegramSam** » Wed Aug 15, 2001 5:26 pm

I've heard appalachian folk tunes played on whistles before. This shouldn't be surprising, though, as a lot of irish, scottish, and welsh settlers ended up in the appalachians, but whatever...

WhistlingGypsy · Post by **WhistlingGypsy** » Wed Aug 15, 2001 8:18 pm

I have, what I believe is an Indian whistle. Actually you don't blow in the end of it - there is a small protrusion from the side and you play it like a flute.

It is in the key of A and has the word 'RAJAN' which I believe means King engraved on it. There is also something else that I cannot make out stamped on it. I will try to get a digital photograph of it and post it here.

Cheers,

Gerry

rebl_rn · Post by **rebl_rn** » Wed Aug 15, 2001 9:11 pm

I started playing tin whistle with American folk music, specifically Civil War era tunes (and songs). Granted, many of these are Celtic in origin. But it was a couple of years before I really started playing Irish music on the whistle. I also play my whistle a lot as part of the music ministry at church. Old hymns take on a whole new sound when you play them with whistle and guitar as opposed to the organ. And it works with contemporary worship music too.
I know others on the board have talked about playing in church as well.

Beth

MarkB · Post by **MarkB** » Thu Aug 16, 2001 5:35 am

Hi Blaine et al

There is a beautiful quarterly journal published in the United States called "Sing Out" http://www.singout.org/ that deals specifically with world folk music.

Historically and contemporary. Our library has been subscribing to it for years. If you live a large urban area try your public library to see if they have a subscriptiion,

I have my own at home now. They cover the world in their approach of saving and promoting world folk music. They publish original tunes that can be transposed to tinwhistle. There are tons of reviews of recorded music.

And the best part of all this is that if you are a subscribing member they will do tune/song searches for you.

I hope this can help

Mark

Post by **rich** » Thu Aug 16, 2001 7:32 am

There's a neat world-jazz group out of Montreal called Orioxy composed of percussion, sitar, guitar, bass clarinet, and miscellaneous winds. The miscellaneous-winds player -- I'll put his name here when I have the CD handy -- plays among other things an old-style Clarke whistle. Some really neat stuff.

I'll see if I can't put a little clip of Indian-jazz-whistling up early next week once I'm settled enough here at the office to be able to rip a CD.

<center><a href="http://www.lafferty.ca/photo/2001-06-ja ... .JPG"><img src="http://www.lafferty.ca/photo/2001-06-ja ... T.JPG"></a> <a href="http://www.lafferty.ca/photo/2001-06-ja ... .JPG"><img src="http://www.lafferty.ca/photo/2001-06-ja ... a></center>

(Click to enlarge. Excuse the photo quality, as I was still learning a new camera during the fest.)

A few weeks later, in the same location but at Francofolies, I saw the same whistler playing whistle and flute with a Quebecois group but didn't have a chance to say hi.

I've been meaning to record a whistle Swinging Shepherd Blues and stick it up on Clips and Snips, but my whistle jazz chops aren't quiiite there yet.

<ul>-Rich</ul>

[ This Message was edited by: rich on 2001-08-16 09:41 ]

Blaine McArthur · Post by **Blaine McArthur** » Thu Aug 16, 2001 10:55 pm

I have finally gotten around to really following up on all the great tips you all passed on.

First of all Eric - Rant on.... It's OK, really. I was referring specifically to the fipple instrument we all commonly refer to as the tinwhistle. I know there are other endblown wind instrument out there.

Mark, the link to "ZAKS" thread on Kwela on the old list was interesting. I have subscribed to Songlines for a couple of years now, and remember the issue that featured a short history of the South African music scene (winter2000/spring2001.) It is indeed a fascinating magazine. Every issue they do an in-depth feature on a particular instrument. Native American Flute, Charango (I want one, Kamencheh, Didjeridu, and others .... There is so much incredible music out there around the world. I am so thankful for the day I broke out of the rock and roll/country straightjacket and discovered the rest of the world. (I also read Singout.)

I went back through all my old issues and found the issue in question and reread about West Nkosi, Spokes Mashiyane, and the other S. African tinwhistlers of the 50's. I know the King Kwela CD is still available, I hope there is more of it availble. I have the "One World - South African Music Cyberstore open in another browser window at this very minute. It is my next stop.

Rich, the photos of Orioxy are great. This type of stuff, rather than Irish, is what I am really into - "percussion, sitar, guitar, bass clarinet, and miscellaneous winds" - real eclectic stuf with radical combinations of instrument. I'm feeling lazy, what is the name of their CD?

Does anyone remember a group rom the west coast a few years back called Barefoot? ("New Agey, etherial etc.") They had a flute/wind instrument palyer named Sulabiki or something like that who I think played the whistle on their self-named Barefoot album.

Anyway, thanks all.

Blaine

gitchel · Post by **gitchel** » Fri Aug 17, 2001 12:43 pm

Just felt like sharing: My favorite pastime is to turn up the sound on my rather eclectic collection of mp3 versions of 70s, 80s, 90s, various Irish, folk, Blue Grass and Country songs - and whistle my head off. You would be surprised how many great songs there are that just lack a whistle accompaniment or lead

You'd also be a bit amazed at how many songs were written to match my Cook Low E - a marvelously jazzy whistle.

Seriously, you can stretch yourself technically or just plain relax. The only thing I can't add SOME sort of flavour to are most of the irish reels and jigs, etc. I'm just too damn old and slow for the fast stuff. On the other hand, I can really jam to "Life in a Northern Town"

--
Jeff Gitchel
jeff@trainorphans.org