Which hand do you generally use on top while playing?

[KatieBell]

I'm curious after watching several YouTube videos how it breaks down.

When playing the whistle, which hand do you generally use for the upper holes? Your right or your left? Notice the poll also takes into account which is your dominant hand.

[mutepointe]

i learned how to play off the internet and the on-line instructions need to start with, "IF YOU WANT TO PLAY THIS THE MOST USEFUL WAY, PUT YOUR LEFT HAND ON TOP." when i picked up the whistle, it felt natural with the right hand on top. my only background in music is the keyboards and guitar. it made sense to play the lower notes with my left hand.

now that i learned to play the silver flute, i still play the whistle and irish flute left-handed and the silver flute right-handed. i could have saved myself a lot of trouble if i didn't learn left-handed. i'm starting to be ambidextrous with the whistle but in public, i still play left-handed.

[KatieBell]

Why do you think it is more useful to play with left on top?

[MagicSailor]

Hi

I'm curious after watching several YouTube videos how it breaks down.

When playing the whistle, which hand do you generally use for the upper holes? Your right or your left? Notice the poll also takes into account which is your dominant hand.

I believe that all (?) keyed wind instruments are built to be played with the left hand at the top. Therefore if you ever intend to learn to play a keyed wind instrument like a Clarinet, Saxophone, Boehm Flute, Bassoon, Oboe etc, you should learn the whistle with your left hand at the top. I've played the Clarinet (on and off) since I was eight, so for me there was never any question about the hand placement when I took up the whistle. It would be impossible to play a modern Clarinet with the hands swapped around.

Regards,

Owen Morgan

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[pipersgrip]

i always put my left on top which isnt dominant naturally, it always felt better there.

[JordanII]

I always put my left on top (not dominant). I've tried it the other way and it doesn't work well at all.

[CranberryDog]

I also play guitar and mandolin right handed and it made sense to have the left hand on top for the whistle. If you hold a guitar vertically like a string bass player, your left hand ends up on top.

I also now play Irish flute and I am glad I learned whistle with left on top. Everything I learn on whistle easily transfers to flute. In fact, any tune I intend to play on flute, I first learn on whistle.

Cheers, Cyril.

[DCrom]

Non-dominant left hand on top.

But I learned to play recorder when I was 8 or so, saxophone when I was 10, and my teachers insisted on left-on-top. (I'm not sure it's really possible to play a non-custom-built sax right-on-top, anyway). By the time I first encountered whistle, many years later, left-on-top seemed natural - and the tutorial I started with strongly recommended left-on-top).

Works for me. I was especially glad I play left-on-top when I started playing Irish flute - even playing keyless, the majority of the flutes were built for players using the conventional grip, and any ergonomic features, specialized embouchure cuts, etc work better if played that way.

If you're at an early stage in your learning (which you are, from your other posts), it's probably better to train yourself to play left-on-top, just to keep more options open down the road. But unless you intend to learn flute or pipes later on I wouldn't sweat it if you can't make the changeover, either.

I would point out, though, that both hands do about the same amount of work playing a tune, so there's no particular advantage I can see in having your dominant hand on top.

[wvwhistler]

I use my left non-dominate hand on top. I have no rational explaination for it other than that from the first time I picked up a whistle it just felt natural to have my left on top.

[syn whistles]

I actually learnt to play simple system on a fife with a couple of keys, and we were taught then to use left hand on top (so to speak) because, as it was made as a horizontal and right handed instrument, to do otherwise would mean a very uncomfortable crossing over of the arms to play. Not to mention that if we graduated on to a Eb or larger instrument it would be physically impossible to play that way, try it! If we had gotten to the stage of using the keys, they would have been on the wrong side of the flute for our fingers, a further complication!
If ever flutes are made left handed then the transition for right hand on top players would be easy, but as far as I know flutes are only made right handed. Thus , I suppose, why we should play the whistle left hand on top.
Just a thought here, when I play tabor pipe, I do so with the left hand which leaves the right free for playing a beat and that feels much easier than the other way around. The right handed playing of the pipe is fine, but playing the beat lefthanded just feels wrong. I wonder if that is related to why stringed instruments are fretted with the left and strummed with the right?

[anniemcu]

I use my left, non-dominant hand on top.

If you really want to get confused, I had a guy try to convince me one time that the *real* Irish whistle players learn by playing with their fingers interlaced, like Left index on top, then right index, then left middle, then right middle, then sleft ring, and then right ring, and he swore he had it on good authority (he did not play whistle, I might add). The *real* Irish whistle player who told him that must have gotten a good laugh indeed.

[mutepointe]

magic sailor explained it well. i just wanted to clarify that i don't think of right/left hand on top as right/wrong, it's just more useful to play with the left hand on top.

amazingly, it doesn't confuse me to play the irish whistle/flute left-handed and the silver flute right handed. the only problem that i've run across is the fingering for a high C. it's only difficult when i'm playing a song that i memorized on whistle but i'm playing on the silver flute and i'm also using sheet music.

[john17]

Wow! Looks like I'm the first lefty to chime in. I am predominantly a lefty (writing, hammering, brushing teeth, eating, etc.), but use my right hand for alot of other things (throwing a ball, batting, golfing, using a computer mouse, bowling).

When I first picked up the whistle, with no instructions, my left hand naturally gravitated to the lower holes and my right hand to the upper. I don't understand why one way would feel more natural than the other being that they all do about the same thing. The only difference I could think of is that the lower hand can support the whistle when playing an open C. Other than that, it's all just lifting and dropping fingers. I tried reversing my hands and could play somewhat, but it just didn't feel right.

Interesting topic.

Cheers!

John

[TheSpoonMan]

I am left handed... my right hand is pretty useless except for moving a mouse and typing. But I play whistle the normal way. I'd never paid attention to anyone playing a wind instrument, taht's just how I picked it up.

[lalit]

When I first picked up the whistle, with no instructions, my left hand naturally gravitated to the lower holes and my right hand to the upper.

Mine too. Oddly enough, I'm pretty sure that if I were to pick up the flute I would play it the "normal" way, with the right hand playing the lower notes.