Do you like this whistling?

[Guinness]

I completely agree. Why the rush? Where is the rhythm? Where is the soul?

True, at least about the soul part. It does seem to be missing a Ray Charles like quality.

[Cayden]

I vote rushed. Skilled, but rushed. Where's the fire?

All things considered maybe the fire was within. It was also 1978/79 and the player a teenager with a distinct and justified feeling time was limited. Just a wild guess these things may have contributed to what you hear.

I personally don't feel the track is overly rushed and while playing on this track is fast, part of the speed may have been caused by the tape recorder I played back the tape on (check the pitch and you'll know by how much).

[edited to make more sense by inserting word that was omitted first time around ]

[Tucson Whistler]

I liked it. It was fast, but I still thought it sounded good. It's not something I'd relax to, but it is something I'd like to practice with. Granted, I still consider myself somewhat a beginner, but I don't think tonguing is horrible. I do think it's okay to tongue some (I've heard players tongue a lot and sound awesome). I'm sure I still tongue too much (I've been practicing my ornamentation). But, when I play badly, I don't think it's the tonguing that sounds bad sound, it's the lack of rhythm, the lack of confidence, and the lack of practice.

I would also like to point out that I'm not talking about tonguing every single note or tonguing really hard and making everything staccato.

[Pat Cannady]

I thought it was brilliant whistle playing. Your man sounds like a force of nature.

[lalit]

The first tuned sounded rushed to me once it got going. I had to stop the track. It was raising my heart rate. I voted that I didn't like it.

Then I read everyone's comments. I went back and listened to the second tune. I liked it. The first tune still had the same rushed feeling to me.

Knowing that the player was a teenager when the recording was made explains something.

[kenny]

A bit unfair, don't you think, to judge a musician on the basis of one single track ? Probably best that I say no more about this.

[crookedtune]

Well, I have to say I love everything about it --- the speed, the expressiveness, the angst, fear and anger, the imperfections, the pushing the limits of ability... I personally feel it to be brimming over with soul. As a bit of solo whistle playing I think it's brilliant.

Once again, it's all subjective. I'd bring hellfire down on myself if I named a few prominent whistle players I don't really care for!

[Cayden]

Well, I have to say I love everything about it --- the speed, the expressiveness, the angst, fear and anger, the imperfections, the pushing the limits of ability... I personally feel it to be brimming over with soul. As a bit of solo whistle playing I think it's brilliant.

Once again, it's all subjective. I'd bring hellfire down on myself if I named a few prominent whistle players I don't really care for!

I think we can all name a few 'names' that don't speak to us. I sure can.

This is not one of them, Donncha's recording, even if it's very much of it's time, is one of the highlights, one of the great classic recordings of whistle music.

[anniemcu]

I loved it.

I find no need to criticize it, not because there is no point where it could be criticized, but because I don't feel the need to pick at it. It is one person's version at one point in time, and it was very enjoyable. The player is obviously skilled and no newcomer to the instrument.

(Yes, I do know who it was)

Would I play it the same way. LOL! I would love to be so capable.

[pipersgrip]

I thought it was awesome, but I really like fast music too, I also really love music slow and full of soul. My two favorite guitarists are Stevie Ray Vaughan and Yngwie Malmsteen, those are an example what I like, I like extreme music playing.

[Cayden]

Interesting enough I uploaded a slow air by the same player (from a 1975 home recording) and linked it to a thread a few weeks ago. After two weeks it had 8 downloads all done during the first week, I took it down then.

What does that tell us?

[BoneQuint]

Interesting enough I uploaded a slow air by the same player (from a 1975 home recording) and linked it to a thread a few weeks ago. After two weeks it had 8 downloads all done during the first week, I took it down then.

What does that tell us?

Tells me I'm glad I saved it.

[Jon-M]

This is one of those silly discussions, like when someone claims that Mary Bergin "overornaments" or "plays too fast" except that the virtuosic Donncha O'Briain is--for reasons many of you know--even more immune to these proclamations of personal taste than Bergin is.

[cowtime]

I voted neutral. Tounging or lack of is not a factor to me provided the tune flows. I do agree that it lacked something in expression- much to mechanical sounding to suit me. But no doubt that it does show great technical ability.

[lyrick]

I love it. Every six months or so I come across a whistle recording that I find mesmerizing, and I spend weeks trying to learn the tunes and internalize the rhythms. For the last few weeks it’s been this recording, along with another version of the same tunes by him.

If you think it’s missing something, try slowing it down with Audacity or Amazing Slowdowner, which I’ve done in order to learn it. I was amazed to hear how much swing he has in his playing (it’s almost hornpipey in spots), and how perfect his rhythm is. It’s just too fast for most people’s ears to hear it when he plays it at that speed.

It shows how good he is, in my opinion, that he can play at that speed and still have swing and great rhythm. I enjoy it more a little slower. And maybe some of us just need to develop our listening skills.

If someone hadn’t mentioned this as a supposed example of lots of tounging, I wouldn’t have even thought about it. It’s just awesome playing, that’s all I hear. I also like Micho Russell, who tongues a lot. I like Willie Clancy’s playing, who has a very legato style. Brian Finnegan’s playing does nothing for me, but not because he tongues a lot, he just doesn’t get me into an internal groove like these other players. Go figure.

Maybe the music is more about the rhythm and phrasing and some intangible groove (and personal taste) and not whether someone tongues or not.