Greetings All!

ashboomstick · Post by **ashboomstick** » Fri Oct 07, 2005 8:48 pm

Just wanted to pop out and say hi; I've been lurking here for a little while checking on whistle reviews and tweaking strategies and I figured it was to get a little more involved. At this point I'm just a beginner's beginner, with an uncommonly hard time reading treble clef. Not cause I'm an idiot (regardless what my wife says!

) but I've got 17 yrs of trombone playing behind me so my brain automatically sees bass clef regardless. Ah well, I'll get over it... I do seem to emerged with a pretty solid case of WhOA in an amazingly short period of time, but I'm sticking with inexpensive whistles for the time being 'till my skills progress past the level of being able to play a D scale. Actually I did manage to play along with "Nao Vas Ao Mar" off the Chieftains Santiago album, but I think that was just a fluke!

As of now my stash includes such diverse elements as:
Walton Guinness (my first, from years ago)
Clarke Original unpainted D
Sweetone C
Meg D
Generation nickel F
Generation brass Bb
Acorn D
Feadog D

oh yeah, and a Generation D tabor pipe that I got on a whim and I have no idea how to play! (yet)

So far they're all untweaked, but I'm going to rectify that as soon as I get some time off from work. Unfortunately here in Richmond, as far as I can tell, there aren't any sessions going on least of all for rank amateurs. Oh well, I reckon there are enough resources out there to get me to a level where my dog won't try to bite my ankles whenever I pick up a whistle!

talimirr743 · Post by **talimirr743** » Fri Oct 07, 2005 9:30 pm

Welcome to the "family"

Unseen122 · Post by **Unseen122** » Fri Oct 07, 2005 11:12 pm

Welcome, tis quite a "family" we got going.

Cynth · Post by **Cynth** » Fri Oct 07, 2005 11:27 pm

Hi ashboomstick--Glad you've come out of hiding. It is really true here that the more, the merrier. Just don't spend more time tweaking than practicing

. Although your dog might feel otherwise.

Slayer · Post by **Slayer** » Fri Oct 07, 2005 11:58 pm

Welcome! Let Whistlemania begin!

Lambchop · Post by **Lambchop** » Sat Oct 08, 2005 2:43 am

Welcome. Let me be the first to invite you to the Flute Forum . . .

Screeeech!!! · Post by **Screeeech!!!** » Sat Oct 08, 2005 5:11 am

Hello

Unseen122 · Post by **Unseen122** » Sat Oct 08, 2005 11:31 am

Lambchop wrote:Welcome. Let me be the first to invite you to the Flute Forum . . .

Check it out some time.

Kingfisher · Post by **Kingfisher** » Sat Oct 08, 2005 12:04 pm

Glad to have you drop in ! Hope you enjoy your stay !!

Have a Great Day and Fun Whistling !

brewerpaul · Post by **brewerpaul** » Sat Oct 08, 2005 12:36 pm

Welcome! You're in for a lot of fun with the whistle. Hang in there regarding whistle-- you'll start seeing treble clef before long.

Wormdiet · Post by **Wormdiet** » Sat Oct 08, 2005 12:39 pm

ashboomstick wrote: At this point I'm just a beginner's beginner, with an uncommonly hard time reading treble clef. Not cause I'm an idiot (regardless what my wife says! ) but I've got 17 yrs of trombone playing behind me so my brain automatically sees bass clef regardless. Ah well, I'll get over it... I do seem to emerged with a pretty solid case of

[snip]

Actually I did manage to play along with "Nao Vas Ao Mar" off the Chieftains Santiago album, but I think that was just a fluke!

Congrats on your conversion!

A piece of advice:
Do less of the former (worrying about reading dots) and more of the latter (learning by listening).

Why?
1) If you eventually want to play in sessions, the way to expand one's repertoire is to learn tunes on the fly. This is a learned skill, and takes a lot of practice. It is possible though.

2) You will remember tunes a lot more thoroughly, in less time, if they are picked up through the ears

3) By listening to the tunes, you will pick up all sorts of nuances in the idiom of Irish music that aren;t apparent in sheet music. If nothing else, it will lead to more appreciation for it.

Screeeech!!! · Post by **Screeeech!!!** » Sat Oct 08, 2005 2:34 pm

One problem with learning by ear is that you can only learn the tunes that you can hear - and you can tend to end up mimicking others and sounding like someone else.

Learning to play by reading music gives one a much broader base to expand their personal repertoire as more music is available and accessible this way. I see nothing wrong in me playing a piece of music the way i wish to interpret it from the notation.

I've been reading music since i was a child and i really enjoy learning this way. There's absolutely nothing wrong with it. If i hear a tune i like, i get the music and learn it.

Another thing with notation is that a piece of music that may not have been played by anyone for two hundred years is still available to everyone who wishes to try it out. If we all played by ear the world would lose many tunes that future generations may enjoy playingt even if our generation doesn't.

BillChin · Post by **BillChin** » Sat Oct 08, 2005 4:59 pm

Welcome Ash.

You might try ABC notation to get over the bass/treble block.
Basics:
http://trillian.mit.edu/~jc/doc/abc/ABCprimer.html

The tune finder has a huge archive searchable by title
http://trillian.mit.edu/~jc/cgi/abc/findtune.html
mirror site
http://jc.tzo.net:1742/~jc/music/abc/findtune.html

Learning by ear is by far the best way to go for Irish Traditonal Music. If your musical interests are elsewhere, sheet music, and ABC notation are okay.

anniemcu · Post by **anniemcu** » Sat Oct 08, 2005 8:17 pm

Welcome aboard!

Pete D · Post by **Pete D** » Sat Oct 08, 2005 8:46 pm

Don't tweak unless absolutely necessary.

Chiff and Fipple Forums

Greetings All!

Greetings All!

Re: Greetings All!