What was your inspiration?

Brenna Joy · Post by **Brenna Joy** » Tue Aug 13, 2002 11:32 am

What makes people decide to play the whistle?

For me, I got interested from movies and TV. I remember seeing the Star Trek:TNG episode with the duet in the Jeffries Tube. I was only 12 or so. Then I heard the Titanic soundtrack which, I think, was impossible to avoid.
And then one of my friends introduced me to the Cheiftans. But I never figured out what the instrument was that made such a beautiful sound.
Finally, The Lord of the Rings got me hooked into figuring it out, which led me to Chiff and Fipple, the buying of the first whistle, and, well, I think you can figure the rest out.

So that's my inspirations for whistling.

avanutria · Post by **avanutria** » Tue Aug 13, 2002 11:39 am

The star trek episodes (there's a lot of info on those here) were probably an influence for me. They put me on recorder in elementary school and that was nice but all I could ever do was play along melodies in 'real' songs, and it was never very satisfactory. I went to the Sterling Renaissance Fest in Sterling NY summer of 99, and talked to a whistler in the then-group Double Indemnity. He recommended I get some susatos, like him. Did so, disliked them, stopped playing for two years. Got involved with native american flutes during that time. Something happened to re-intrigue me with whistles last summer but I can't remember what the trigger was. I went online to look for whistles that sounded better than my dusty susatos, found C&F, got a Dixon, posted 1000-some odd times and am having a C&F 1-yr anniversary party on Friday. Free cake at my place!

Kim in Tulsa · Post by **Kim in Tulsa** » Tue Aug 13, 2002 12:04 pm

On 2002-08-13 13:32, Brenna Joy wrote:
What makes people decide to play the whistle?

I liked the Star Trek episode and also was crazy for the sound of the whistle in "Concerning Hobbits" from LOTR. But what got me really interested in playing one myself was the whistle playing on Star Kindler; A Celtic Conversation Across Time by Michael Card.

http://shopping.yahoo.com/shop?d=product&id=1921305839

I have bought a bunch of this CD and given it out as gifts just because it is so good. (IMO anyway.)

_________________
"Whistling women and crowing hens never come to no good end"

[ This Message was edited by: Kim in Tulsa on 2002-08-13 14:18 ]

douga · Post by **douga** » Tue Aug 13, 2002 12:08 pm

On 2002-08-13 13:32, Brenna Joy wrote:
What makes people decide to play the whistle?

I took up the whistle with the intention of improving my interval sense, thereby making me a better fiddle player. Since then, though, I've found that the whistle poses its own set of challenges and is pretty cool all by itself.

Switched off between fiddle and whistle in a slow session this weekend, and I think the whistle made a better impression.

SteveK · Post by **SteveK** » Tue Aug 13, 2002 12:21 pm

I don't really know what inspired me to take up the whistle. I guess I thought it would be a nice easy instrument for Irish music since I already had some woodwind experience. Of course, it isn't that easy. But I did get inspired last weekend at the Celtic festival in Goderich Ontario. Loretto Reid and Keith Easdale did a whistle side stage performance. Keith is a piper with a Scottish band and Loretto a weird and wonderful whistle player with a totally unique style. She often plays quite fast with lots of slurs, bent notes, etc. Keith's style was a complete contrast. Much more piperish. He also had some good things to say about whistling and trad music and he was funny too. I wish you all could have been there. Anyway, I've had my whistles out and working for the last couple of days.

Steve

burnsbyrne · Post by **burnsbyrne** » Tue Aug 13, 2002 1:03 pm

My inspiration to play the whistle came about 30 years before I actually decided to learn to play it. In 1974, while living in Switzerland, I read a book called "The Glass Bead Game" by Hermann Hesse. I believe it was his last work. In it, he describes a complex monastical society which has as its heart the mystical awareness that can be attained by playing the Blass Bead Game, a complex mathematical and musical discipline. The main character, after rising to be the head of the order, decides to leave the whole thing behind to find peace in a simple life. The only posession he takes with him is a wooden whistle which he uses to make the most beautiful music he has ever made. (Pardon requested for my errors. I haven't read the book in 30 years) The image of that whistle germinated in me for decades and is now coming to fruition...I hope.

Mike

Timotheus7 · Post by **Timotheus7** » Tue Aug 13, 2002 1:22 pm

My biggest inspiration to play whistle was the movie "Waking Ned Devine". The funeral procession scene has someone playing a very beautiful, haunting melody that still leaves me enthralled.
More recently, I've heard recordings of Paddy Keenan...I don't know if he is the one playing that whistle, but I think he is. Whether he is or not, I would still make an attempt to bow at his feet if I met him("We're not worthy! We're not worthy!).

Walden · Post by **Walden** » Tue Aug 13, 2002 1:27 pm

Mel Bay Catalogue and Lark in the Morning Catalogue, together with articles in music books intrigued me toward the whistle a few years back.

psychih · Post by **psychih** » Tue Aug 13, 2002 1:37 pm

i wanted to play the pipes
but they were too expensive
so i got the whistle instead

Pat Cannady · Post by **Pat Cannady** » Tue Aug 13, 2002 1:41 pm

I'm a little embarrassed to admit it, but the guy who made me want to play whistle at least initially was Spider Stacy from the Pogues.

Ironically, it probably saved me from turning into a lifelong punk rocker.

Got a problem with dat, new age "celtic" (whatever THAT means) types and purists?

Didn't think so

blackhawk · Post by **blackhawk** » Tue Aug 13, 2002 2:37 pm

I heard Eoin Duignan playing in a pub in Dingle, Ireland, and knew I had to learn to make that magic myself.

raindog1970 · Post by **raindog1970** » Tue Aug 13, 2002 2:37 pm

That's an easy question for me to answer, it was this guy...

_________________
<MARQUEE>Bainne na mbó 's na ngamhna, and the juice of the barley for me.</MARQUEE>

[ This Message was edited by: raindog1970 on 2002-08-13 16:37 ]

blackhawk · Post by **blackhawk** » Tue Aug 13, 2002 2:38 pm

and who is that guy?

The Weekenders · Post by **The Weekenders** » Tue Aug 13, 2002 2:40 pm

I already was using a whistle in folk group but what made me want to play well:
Paul McGrattan playing Christmas Eve-Old Bush-Scholar on cd.

Brenna Joy · Post by **Brenna Joy** » Tue Aug 13, 2002 2:56 pm

I'm not only finding out others' inspirations, I'm finding a lot of great music from them!