Not many from UK seem to post here.

selkie · Post by **selkie** » Sat Oct 19, 2002 6:24 pm

It would be nice to see more helpful posts as to where tutors could be found. I know it's a US site but UK exsists and certainly in my area it is horrendouse trying to find other whistlers. I am going to have to travel 140 miles to get a tutor.

E = Fb · Post by **E = Fb** » Sat Oct 19, 2002 7:08 pm

Surely in the border area there are instructors in pipe playing.

And more to the point, why do you need a tutor for the whistle? You have us! I think I'll start a thread asking how many members have had formal instruction in whistle playing specifically.

Any music teacher can teach you to read music, and we'll encourage you not to. It's all very confusing, I know.

Paul · Post by **Paul** » Sat Oct 19, 2002 7:14 pm

E = Fb is right, Selkie, this forum is an excellent resource and many of the musicians are either self-taught or self-teaching (like me). If you have a question just search the archives or if you can't find the answer, post your question. It's kind of like having a teacher with 1500 heads.

Chuck_Clark · Post by **Chuck_Clark** » Sat Oct 19, 2002 7:38 pm

FWIW, many if not most of the US members have just as much trouble finding a teacher as you folks. It seems like all the teachers are in the big cities - and most of those who need them aren't.

John Allison · Post by **John Allison** » Sat Oct 19, 2002 11:32 pm

On 2002-10-19 21:14, Paul wrote:
It's kind of like having a teacher with 1500 heads.

It's also like having a teacher with 1500 mouths...and not one of them saying the same thing.

Just food for thought...

peeplj · Post by **peeplj** » Sat Oct 19, 2002 11:47 pm

Well, this board is a wonderful place, and it has some wonderful folks, and you can learn a lot here.

I don't think it's a good substitute for a teacher though.

If you need an online teacher because of where you live or how you learn best, Scoiltrad in my opinion is what you need to check out.

Then use the board to get specific questions answered or when you want a broader view on something.

Also beware: there are a few folks on here who are self-proclaimed experts but almost all the "advice" they give is negative and much of it would be thus be counter-productive to a beginner.

Rather find a teacher and trust what they tell you, especially in the early years of playing when you would be easily discouraged by an overly negative approach.

And never forget to have fun at every stage of learning.

Best wishes to all,

--James
http://www.flutesite.com

Wombat · Post by **Wombat** » Sun Oct 20, 2002 8:26 am

A great many of us play in relative isolation. I'm lucky to have an Irish flute player who also plays whistle a few offices away. We talk when work demands permit. There are only four Aussies who post regularly now and two (I think) are posting from overseas. (Not sure where Mike is posting from.) Taptone lives in Perth which is on the opposite side of the continent to me.

On a more positive note, perhaps we could compile a register of whistle teachers and post it somewhere on this site, updating it as more information comes in. It wouldn't be easy to do in a useful way since we shouldn't just take it for granted that everybody who says they are a teacher are truly qualified to do so. Who would exercise quality control and how? I don't know. But I do think that even a highly imperfect list would be better than none.

mike.r · Post by **mike.r** » Sun Oct 20, 2002 8:54 am

There are only four Aussies who post regularly now and two (I think) are posting from overseas. (Not sure where Mike is posting from.) Taptone lives in Perth which is on the opposite side of the continent to

I,m posting from Vienna,Austria John.I,m also fortunate to have some whistle and flute playing friends to share tunes with.Some of my old guitar playing friends think I,ve lost the plot since taking up whistle.I,m pretty certain there are no other Ausie whistlers in Vienna..I,m it I suppose. Mike

Wombat · Post by **Wombat** » Sun Oct 20, 2002 9:32 am

On 2002-10-20 10:54, mike.r wrote:
There are only four Aussies who post regularly now and two (I think) are posting from overseas. (Not sure where Mike is posting from.) Taptone lives in Perth which is on the opposite side of the continent to
I,m posting from Vienna,Austria John.I,m also fortunate to have some whistle and flute playing friends to share tunes with.Some of my old guitar playing friends think I,ve lost the plot since taking up whistle.I,m pretty certain there are no other Ausie whistlers in Vienna..I,m it I suppose. Mike

I knew you were in Vienna, Mike; I just wasn't sure whether you were travelling around. Just so long as you know other whistlers, they don't have to be Aussie whistlers, although it would be nice if there were more of us. One of my best friends is into prog rock; I even play on his records (blush!). Now nobody likes his music and there isn't even a little corner of the record store marked 'prog' like there is a corner marked 'celtic'. My old guitar playing friends look on my whistling with quiet amusement but they start to listen when I play celtic stuff on guitar. So what's that funny tuning, eh John? Oh the Led Zep Blackwater Slide tuning. Ha, ha, ha.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Wombat on 2002-10-20 11:33 ]</font>

weepiper · Post by **weepiper** » Sun Oct 20, 2002 11:11 am

Selkie, where in the Borders are you? (Selkirk?!) If you can make it into Edinburgh occasionally there are lots of good sessions where you will find whistle players and where you would be made welcome. Have you tried the Adult Learner's Project in Edinburgh, they do group classes based on learning by ear, on all sorts of trad instruments, I'm sure they have whistle classes. But like others have said here, you can do an awful lot learning by yourself. Don't get discouraged!

Paul · Post by **Paul** » Sun Oct 20, 2002 11:17 am

Selkie, speaking of teaching yourself, check this out. http://www.ronimusic.com Try out the amazing slowdowner. You can download the sample version for free. It is really cool and is a great aid for learning by ear.

sweetone · Post by **sweetone** » Sun Oct 20, 2002 11:21 am

On 2002-10-20 13:17, Paul wrote:
Selkie, speaking of teaching yourself, check this out. http://www.ronimusic.com Try out the amazing slowdowner. You can download the sample version for free. It is really cool and is a great aid for learning by ear.

Great aid to write score and arrangements too! Must have!

kevin m. · Post by **kevin m.** » Sun Oct 20, 2002 11:58 am

Hi Selkie,I can remember reading a short article,cum letter to Dale which appeared in Chiff and fipple last year(i read it last year,but it may have been a back number)from a lady living in Edinburgh who had attended classes locally. 'Folkworks' have classes based in the Gateshead,tyne and wear area ('Angel of the North' country!),but obviously that is too far for you to travel for weekly classes,though their summer school may be worth thinking about.Anyway,who are the 'Brits.'on this forum? Off the top of my head,in no particular order -Mick Woodruff,Martin Milner,Nick'blackwood Rose'Turner(Hey Nick,you aren't The guy who played sax/flute for Hawkwind are you?!),'Lepricaun',Ginger, er,the others escape me for now.This forum is a Fantastic resource of collected info. and (sometimes)wisdom, which is a 'music school plus'in its' collective own right!

Martin Milner · Post by **Martin Milner** » Mon Oct 21, 2002 2:42 am

I admit I'm suprised myself to find so few UK posters, and London based posters in particular. NickT and I are I think the only posters in the South East area.

I know there are hundreds of whistlers in London, but I guess they don't use the internet as a resource for their hobby. I'm fortunate to have free access through work, so I can pop in and out anytime during the working day.

nickt · Post by **nickt** » Mon Oct 21, 2002 3:05 am

On 2002-10-20 13:58, kevin m. wrote:
Off the top of my head,in no particular order -Mick Woodruff,Martin Milner,Nick'blackwood Rose'Turner(Hey Nick,you aren't The guy who played sax/flute for Hawkwind are you?!),'Lepricaun',Ginger, er,the others escape me for now.

No!! That was Nik Turner, not Nick Turner! I saw them once at the Rainbow on Seven Sisters Road - absolutely awful.

We get back to statistics: 80% of American families regularly use the Internet while only 20-30% of British families do (the most in Europe). Add to that the fact that most folk musicians are impecunious luddites and there you have it, the reason why there are not so many British posters.

Selkie - I agree with whoever said it, having a regular teacher is a real bonus. Mine is a Scot (!) living in Barnet and has made all the difference for me. He is a recorder player first, a flautist second, and a whistler and piper third; all this means that he understands breath control, fingering, etc etc. I got his name from a little card ad in a local newsagent! Keep hunting around, looking in the local papers, newsagents, music shops - there MUST be someone in the Borders who can help.