I've recently started trying to teach myself to play the tin whistle, and I'm having a rough go of it so far. anybody got any [/b]really basic[b] tips? like on how to get an even tone out of my whistle, how to blow into it, how not to get shot by the other kids in my dorm for all the annoying racket, etc. any and all help will be appreciated. thanks!
- the mad woodsman [/b]
HELP!!
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mad woodsman
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HELP!!
"...to stive, to seek, to find, and not to yeild"
-Tennyson
-Tennyson
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Congratulations
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Re: HELP!!
Hm.mad woodsman wrote:I've recently started trying to teach myself to play the tin whistle, and I'm having a rough go of it so far. anybody got any [/b]really basic tips? like on how to get an even tone out of my whistle, how to blow into it, how not to get shot by the other kids in my dorm for all the annoying racket, etc. any and all help will be appreciated. thanks!
- the mad woodsman
Brother Steve does it better than I ever could.
Also, The Whistle Shop has what is probably an even more beginner-focused tutorial.
And, upon further search, I located a website I've never heard of that seems to have some very fine beginner material.
oh Lana Turner we love you get up
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mad woodsman
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Thanks
thanks for the help, I really apreciate it. and yes, I do try to be kind as often as possible
"...to stive, to seek, to find, and not to yeild"
-Tennyson
-Tennyson
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Cynth
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Hi mad woodsman---I'll just add a couple more sites to the ones Congratulations mentioned.
http://nigelgatherer.com/index.html
http://www.whistleworkshop.co.uk/home.htm
I found this tutorial to be very helpful:
Many other people have other tutorial books with CD's that they like as well.
As for how to blow into your whistle and how to get an even tone. My very limited experience has been that each whistle is a little different. Some I tend to blow too hard and I have trouble getting the low notes. Some I have a harder time getting the high notes. If I blow too hard I raise the pitch. It is not that easy a thing, so if you are having trouble you are not alone!
Whistle a tune just using your lips---try something like the Star Spangle Banner with some jumps from high to low. Do you notice that when you change pitch things are happening inside your mouth with your tongue, throat, cheeks, and with your lips?
Well, for me playing the whistle is sort of similar. In order to get the best tone or any tone, to hit the high and low notes, to get the pitch right, I have to experiment with the things I can do inside my mouth, with my lips (I put the whistle in my mouth only as far as I need to, no further, so that I can move my lips around) and with how hard I am blowing.
I make it sound complicated, but really I just mean that if you are having trouble getting a note don't give up. Just keep trying different things with your mouth and with how hard you are blowing. Tiny variations can make a big difference.
The whistle is supposed to be held at about a 45 degree angle I believe. Just experiment with that by raising and lowering the whistle to see what effect position has. I don't mean that you would be raising and lowering your whistle while playing. This is just to show yourself something.
If you want to get an even, non-wavering tone, once you figure out how to hit the note, you won't want to move your mouth or your whistle because, as you will have discovered, those things all affect the tone or pitch.
Again, I am not an expert. This is just based on my tutorial book and my very limited experience. But if you keep at it, you will get it, don't worry. Unless your dorm mates get you first!
http://nigelgatherer.com/index.html
http://www.whistleworkshop.co.uk/home.htm
I found this tutorial to be very helpful:
Many other people have other tutorial books with CD's that they like as well.
As for how to blow into your whistle and how to get an even tone. My very limited experience has been that each whistle is a little different. Some I tend to blow too hard and I have trouble getting the low notes. Some I have a harder time getting the high notes. If I blow too hard I raise the pitch. It is not that easy a thing, so if you are having trouble you are not alone!
Whistle a tune just using your lips---try something like the Star Spangle Banner with some jumps from high to low. Do you notice that when you change pitch things are happening inside your mouth with your tongue, throat, cheeks, and with your lips?
Well, for me playing the whistle is sort of similar. In order to get the best tone or any tone, to hit the high and low notes, to get the pitch right, I have to experiment with the things I can do inside my mouth, with my lips (I put the whistle in my mouth only as far as I need to, no further, so that I can move my lips around) and with how hard I am blowing.
I make it sound complicated, but really I just mean that if you are having trouble getting a note don't give up. Just keep trying different things with your mouth and with how hard you are blowing. Tiny variations can make a big difference.
The whistle is supposed to be held at about a 45 degree angle I believe. Just experiment with that by raising and lowering the whistle to see what effect position has. I don't mean that you would be raising and lowering your whistle while playing. This is just to show yourself something.
If you want to get an even, non-wavering tone, once you figure out how to hit the note, you won't want to move your mouth or your whistle because, as you will have discovered, those things all affect the tone or pitch.
Again, I am not an expert. This is just based on my tutorial book and my very limited experience. But if you keep at it, you will get it, don't worry. Unless your dorm mates get you first!
Diligentia maximum etiam mediocris ingeni subsidium. ~ Diligence is a very great help even to a mediocre intelligence.----Seneca
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mad woodsman
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thanks!
thanks alot! as soon as I get paid this week, I'll try to go buy that book. no worries about my roommate, if he gives me a hard time, I'll just use me tin whistle like the pied-piper and lure him out of our dorm and lock him out. I think twenty minutes of maine's october night will ensure future compliance. 
"...to stive, to seek, to find, and not to yeild"
-Tennyson
-Tennyson
Hi, Woody,
Uneven and ghastly tones plague everyone at first, I think. You'll get better as you get the hang of it. Your mouth will learn what to do and things will start sounding better.
Meanwhile, the purchase of a quiet, mellow whistle--or at least just a mellow whistle--might help soothe your roomie. On the whistle forum, there are suggestions. Some whistles are screechier than others, so if you get a less screechy whistle, you'll do better. A Mellow D, or the Freeman-tweaked "MellowDog" version of it, for instance, might help. You'll have to work less hard to get good results on that. If your funds are limited, I'd go with the better whistle before the book, because the websites Cynth gave you can take you a long way. The books also kind of difficult to use right off, I thought.
Practicing in a remote stairwell or laundry room might be an option for you. If your college has a music department, they may have practice rooms you can use.
And then there are earplugs. They're not expensive at all and really work! I recommend the kind you get in gun shops--they'll cut out nearly everything. Walmart usually sells them with the sporting goods, even if they don't have guns at that store.
Good luck, stick around, and let us know how you are doing!
What part of Maine, by the way? My dad was from Maine. We spent a week or two at a lakeside cabin when I was small. I remember that the woods were incredible. Tall, tall trees with the most wonderful-smelling plants. There were berries everywhere. Even though it was July, it was cool and crisp at night. The water in the lake was clear and cold. It was so opposite from here.
Hmmm . . . Maine . . . must check to see if we have any job openings in Maine . . .
Uneven and ghastly tones plague everyone at first, I think. You'll get better as you get the hang of it. Your mouth will learn what to do and things will start sounding better.
Meanwhile, the purchase of a quiet, mellow whistle--or at least just a mellow whistle--might help soothe your roomie. On the whistle forum, there are suggestions. Some whistles are screechier than others, so if you get a less screechy whistle, you'll do better. A Mellow D, or the Freeman-tweaked "MellowDog" version of it, for instance, might help. You'll have to work less hard to get good results on that. If your funds are limited, I'd go with the better whistle before the book, because the websites Cynth gave you can take you a long way. The books also kind of difficult to use right off, I thought.
Practicing in a remote stairwell or laundry room might be an option for you. If your college has a music department, they may have practice rooms you can use.
And then there are earplugs. They're not expensive at all and really work! I recommend the kind you get in gun shops--they'll cut out nearly everything. Walmart usually sells them with the sporting goods, even if they don't have guns at that store.
Good luck, stick around, and let us know how you are doing!
What part of Maine, by the way? My dad was from Maine. We spent a week or two at a lakeside cabin when I was small. I remember that the woods were incredible. Tall, tall trees with the most wonderful-smelling plants. There were berries everywhere. Even though it was July, it was cool and crisp at night. The water in the lake was clear and cold. It was so opposite from here.
Hmmm . . . Maine . . . must check to see if we have any job openings in Maine . . .
Cotelette d'Agneau
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mad woodsman
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I'm currently attending college in the Augusta area, but I hale from down east, near ellsworth, and yes, maine is one of the most beautiful places on earth. if you think the nights were crisp in june, try spending a night outside in january.
thanks again for all the help, everybody
thanks again for all the help, everybody
"...to stive, to seek, to find, and not to yeild"
-Tennyson
-Tennyson
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I.D.10-t
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Augusta GA?mad woodsman wrote:I'm currently attending college in the Augusta area,
Every once in a long while there was an amazing folk player that played at the Fox’s Lair. Small hole in the wall bar, you would miss it if you blinked. It was a jewl in that town (especially now that Orwell’s coffee shop is closed)
"Be not deceived by the sweet words of proverbial philosophy. Sugar of lead is a poison."
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mad woodsman
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