E and A whistles - what for?
- Mitch
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E and A whistles - what for?
I've been thinking of spending a bit of time on whistles in other keys and maybe exerimenting with non Irish material. E and A whistles have puzzled me for a while now - Is anyone here using A and E whistles? and what for?
- sweet potato
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E and A whistles....
I play my A whistle a fair bit, mostly trad tunes and songs. It's a lovely instrument, and much of the time I play with a flute player (and other intruments). I don't have an E whistle, and right now I don't have a need for one, but A and relative keys get played a lot!
Laura
Laura
- Borderpiper
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- colomon
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- Tell us something.: Whistle player, aspiring C#/D accordion and flute player, and aspiring tunesmith. Particularly interested in the music of South Sligo and Newfoundland. Inspired by the music of Peter Horan, Fred Finn, Rufus Guinchard, Emile Benoit, and Liz Carroll.
I've got some compositions up at http://www.harmonyware.com/tunes/SolsTunes.html - Location: Midland, Michigan
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I've used my low E very successfully to handle tunes in A and E in a Quebecois tunes workshop.
It's also handy in an Irish session if the fiddle players start getting surly and playing G tunes up a whole step in A -- you can just switch to the E whistle and play them like normal. At our local session recently, for instance, I've heard both "Out on the Ocean" and "The Red-Haired Lass" played in A. Other common tunes that one hears played in either G or A include "Foxhunter's Reel", "Mason's Apron" (usually played in A unless you're a flute/whistle player), and the jig "Kitty's Wedding" -- with any of those you could learn the G version and use an E whistle to play it in A. (Also good for common non-Irish tunes played in either D or E, like "Andy Dejarlis's" and "Calliope House".)
On the other hand, I admit that I don't usually have an E whistle handy at the local session, and most of those tunes I just have learned in A on a D whistle in self-defense.
I've also heard it said that E is a very common key for singers.
An A whistle is as if not more useful in Irish music -- it's great for tunes in D which go below the range of a D whistle, as well as tunes in A that you didn't learn in G. The examples that pop to mind are "Bea Maye's" (D), "Pull Out the Knife" (D), and "The Dawn" (A). And while it's completely unneeded for this, it always amuses me to play "Atholl Highlanders" on an A whistle. (I suppose it's more like the way a highland piper would play it then or something.)
It's also handy in an Irish session if the fiddle players start getting surly and playing G tunes up a whole step in A -- you can just switch to the E whistle and play them like normal. At our local session recently, for instance, I've heard both "Out on the Ocean" and "The Red-Haired Lass" played in A. Other common tunes that one hears played in either G or A include "Foxhunter's Reel", "Mason's Apron" (usually played in A unless you're a flute/whistle player), and the jig "Kitty's Wedding" -- with any of those you could learn the G version and use an E whistle to play it in A. (Also good for common non-Irish tunes played in either D or E, like "Andy Dejarlis's" and "Calliope House".)
On the other hand, I admit that I don't usually have an E whistle handy at the local session, and most of those tunes I just have learned in A on a D whistle in self-defense.
I've also heard it said that E is a very common key for singers.
An A whistle is as if not more useful in Irish music -- it's great for tunes in D which go below the range of a D whistle, as well as tunes in A that you didn't learn in G. The examples that pop to mind are "Bea Maye's" (D), "Pull Out the Knife" (D), and "The Dawn" (A). And while it's completely unneeded for this, it always amuses me to play "Atholl Highlanders" on an A whistle. (I suppose it's more like the way a highland piper would play it then or something.)
Sol's Tunes (new tune 2/2020)
- dlovrien
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EXCELLENT explanation. I would only add that the most common tune I use my A whistle for is "Silver Spire" - for the reason you cited about it going below the range of the D whistle. I also use it to play along with "Ashokan Farewell," a common waltz at sessions around here.colomon wrote:An A whistle is as if not more useful in Irish music -- it's great for tunes in D which go below the range of a D whistle, as well as tunes in A that you didn't learn in G. The examples that pop to mind are "Bea Maye's" (D), "Pull Out the Knife" (D), and "The Dawn" (A).
David Lovrien - 5 Second Rule & Trinity Hall Session Players - Dallas, TX
- colomon
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- Tell us something.: Whistle player, aspiring C#/D accordion and flute player, and aspiring tunesmith. Particularly interested in the music of South Sligo and Newfoundland. Inspired by the music of Peter Horan, Fred Finn, Rufus Guinchard, Emile Benoit, and Liz Carroll.
I've got some compositions up at http://www.harmonyware.com/tunes/SolsTunes.html - Location: Midland, Michigan
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Oh yeah -- I learned that one on D whistle, so I usually don't think of it in this context, but of course you're right, the B part has that scale run starting on low A.dlovrien wrote:I would only add that the most common tune I use my A whistle for is "Silver Spire" - for the reason you cited about it going below the range of the D whistle.
Sol's Tunes (new tune 2/2020)
- Crysania
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I use my A whistle mostly to accompany singers - one particular singer at our session often sings in A, and I got the whistle specifically for some gigs that involved her.
I use my E mostly for tunes in A that the fiddlers play - at our session, this is quite often Foxhunter's, Calliope House, and occasionally Mason's Apron.
~Crysania
I use my E mostly for tunes in A that the fiddlers play - at our session, this is quite often Foxhunter's, Calliope House, and occasionally Mason's Apron.
~Crysania
<i>~`~"I have nothing to say and I'm saying it." <blockquote>-- John Cage~`~</blockquote></i>
- tommyk
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My A is my second-most used whistle.
D then A then C.
Off hand:
Broom of the Cowdenknowes
The Sweetness of Mary
Gwerz Ar Vezhinierin (sp?)
Carolan's Draught
Lovely haunting Abell A.
D then A then C.
Off hand:
Broom of the Cowdenknowes
The Sweetness of Mary
Gwerz Ar Vezhinierin (sp?)
Carolan's Draught
Lovely haunting Abell A.
- Tommy Kochel
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- billw
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Don't forget that a lot of basic guitar music is in the keys of A, D, and E. Especially rock stuff gets into E a bunch. Hey, why not add whistle to some of the old "Honky Tonk" based tunes! And bluesy stuff, too! Very common in A minor.
Cheers,
Bill Whedon
Serpent Music
Cheers,
Bill Whedon
Serpent Music
Ye Olde Whistlesmith Saying:
A whistle without a fipple, is just a piece of leaky pipe!
Click the WWW and come have some fun with poems and music and now BOOKS! and check out the preeeety whistles and the T-shirts with attitude!
A whistle without a fipple, is just a piece of leaky pipe!
Click the WWW and come have some fun with poems and music and now BOOKS! and check out the preeeety whistles and the T-shirts with attitude!
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- Tell us something.: I am in my 70s and played music since fourth grade. Paid gigs include everything starting with church solos in 4th grade, nightclubs starting 9th grade, and worship ministry. Had a 29 year career teaching high school music both choral and instrumental. I've played several instruments starting with trumpet as my main ax. I added flute, sax and keys after college. Early 2000s whistles were added to my arsenal. I'm back to playing again after a 5 year hiatus.
Thanks Bill Whedon. I'm still pretty new to all this whistles stuff -just started last September. BUT I can share from years of playing trumpet & sax with guitar players. Because of their preferance for keys like E and A the transpositions for brass required me to gain proficiency in keys like C#, F#, and and B (7,6, and 5#s respectively) with all the awkward fingerings that came with them. Sooo - what a relief with whistles. I knew from the outset I would need to acquaire an A and an E pretty quickly (and then,whoopie, just think of everything in D An G). The other solution of course is to have guitar players learn to play in flat keys but what are the odds of that???
- Art
How do you get a guitar player to stop playing - put a piece of music in front of him/her to play from!
- Art
How do you get a guitar player to stop playing - put a piece of music in front of him/her to play from!