How come whistles are sparcely used in sessions?

[crookedtune]

The one I attend is fiddle-heavy, with boxes second (which surprised me). I'm usually the only flute/whistle player there. This is nice in some ways, but I often wish there were accomplished wind players I could observe and learn from.

[Jayhawk]

Our session is pretty large, 12-16 folks on average. All our whistle players, play other instruments (3 flute players including myself play whistle and the other whistler plays bodhran). Only the bodhran/whistle player plays the whistle as his primary session instrument (although he teaches classes at Zoukfest on bodhran), but he's not at the session that often. Normally, we'll only have one whistle playing at a time, but if Doug is there that week he and I have a blast whistling together - maybe it sounds so good is because the session is large enough to handle two whistles at a time whereas one is often lost amidst the fiddles, accordions and flutes.

I can't speak for most flute players (who all play whistle as far as I know), but flute is my primary instrument so I'll play that 90 to 100% of the time in most sessions. But there are a few tunes I prefer on whistle and I'll switch to whistle if I'm tired or having a terrible flute embouchure day.

Eric

[Dameon]

Two whistlers with non-tunables can be okay, if they're somewhat in tune with each other. Once you get three or more, it can be a little ridiculous.

I'll usually pull out my low whistle when another person pulls out their high whistle.

[hoopy mike]

I'm curious why ITM (and I guess sessions) seems to usually involve players echoing the tune rather than playing harmonies (not that it's a bad thing just unusual/distinctive when compared to other folk music).

Any thoughts?

Stay hoopy
(and stick to the melody)
Mike

[MTGuru]

"Echoing the tune" sounds a bit pejorative, no? Because ITM is a strong monophonic melody-centric tradition, like many other world musics. And there are lots of traditional harmonic elements - drones and regs, harp, accordion left hand, etc. As well as the harmonic suggestions of the melodies themselves. Just not necessarily post-Palestrina Western art music harmonies, I-IV-V stuff. Because ITM isn't Western art music.

[hoopy mike]

"Echoing the tune" sounds a bit pejorative, no?

Oh, I certainly didn't mean to sound pejorative, because I like the overall effect, and yeah, the sound can be filled out with mandolin / guitar etc, but I was just curious and wonder what the reaction would be to someone on a whistle trying a harmony in a session

Hoopy

[Jayhawk]

Oh, I certainly didn't mean to sound pejorative, because I like the overall effect, and yeah, the sound can be filled out with mandolin / guitar etc, but I was just curious and wonder what the reaction would be to someone on a whistle trying a harmony in a session

Hoopy

That would depend upon the session and how good the whistle player was. Unless you're firmly rooted in the tradition and are one heck of a player, it's best not to go messing around in a session setting. Odds are, someone would think you've jumped off onto another tune and get confused...I know I would.

Eric

[hoopy mike]

That would depend upon the session and how good the whistle player was. Unless you're firmly rooted in the tradition and are one heck of a player, it's best not to go messing around in a session setting. Odds are, someone would think you've jumped off onto another tune and get confused...I know I would.

Eric

And the Union Jack T-shirt's a no?

Stay hoopy!

[sbfluter]

We have a whistle player who plays whistle exclusively If the whistle player is there I don't play my whistle. He is good and that's his instrument and if I play along it'll only mess things up. We have another flute player and it seems ok if both of us play the flute at the same time. Flutes are quieter.

There is one lady who is a beginner on whistle and fiddle. When she plays the whistle it is awful. So the idea that it's a beginner instrument is definitely an error in judgment.

[Cayden]

Flutes are quieter

[breqwas]

I've seen only two sessions - Moscow session which I attend regularly and Kiev session, where I've been only once.

Moscow session was started a year ago as a session of tinwhistle.ru community, and at first there were ONLY whistles there. Four, five, six whistlers. Sometimes low whistlers. And sometimes no bodhran or guitar. Then things a bit changed, and in the beginning of the year I've found myself the only whistler among 4 fiddles, 4 flutes and low whistles, one bodhran, two guitars and two bouzoukis.

This summer the session was pretty dead, so I don't know who will come up in autumn.


Kiev session had three or four whistlers, one of them (Rut) was great, others were either good or mediocre.

[TheSpoonMan]

I've never been in a marching band.

I've been in marching bands. The Boehm system, et al, makes this easier by
regularizing the requirements to play in tune. If you can play one clarinet in
tune on every note, then you can generally play another clarinet in tune on
every note. With simple-system instruments, this seems to be less the case.
One whistle may need more air on A but less on G, another whistle vice-versa.
This makes it possible for two whistlers who do not play every note perfectly
in tune to be horribly out on certain notes, and perfectly together on others.

I haven't played much with a simple-system flute, but I know that there are definately differences in Boehm flutes. On my Gemeinhardt you really have to push to hit a middle C# in tune; on my friend's Pearl it feels like you have to hold back. Other notes have similar issues. Maybe the differences aren't as strong as on simple-system instruments, though.

[fearfaoin]

I was just curious and wonder what the reaction would be to someone on a whistle trying a harmony in a session

Often not welcoming. I've done this, but only sparingly, and I stop if I get a
dirty look. Often, because of the open harmonic structure, a guitarist (or
other accompaniest) has several choices of chords, which can alter the
harmonic structure of a tune. You'd have to make darn sure the harmonies
you're playing agree with what the guitarist is doing.

[Ceili_whistle_man]

'Sparcely' I love that word!! A cross between sparse and scarcely.

[Key_of_D]

Well if there's no guitarist, then not much else to worry about.