(sigh!) Not all are born to be virtuosos

[Chuck_Clark]

Sometimes I'll be reading newbie posts here and I get the feeling I should be looking around for a yellow brick road or a man behind a curtain.

The responses, as often as not, assume for everyone a level of talent I can barely imagine, let alone hope to exhibit.

What airs should we know? How large a repertoire should we possess? How does one develop the finger speed of a Mary Bergin? Etc.

I've been playing with this thing for a decade now. I know a few dozen tunes and recognize as many more, though no one else might recognize them in my hands. But "memorized" ? I carry a little homemade fake book with me, just in case I have to look up the opening notes to jog my memory. And I've long realized that I'll never, ever, be able to play "Irish Washerwoman" at anything near proper speed.

After this long, I should probably quit in disgust. But the whistle still helps me relax after a long day. And I still enjoy playing for little kids who don't know - or care - that I just made four errors in "Garryowen".

Just for the heck of it, am I the only one who can't really play but won't quit trying?

[walrii]

...am I the only one who can't really play but won't quit trying?

That statement applies to everyone in every field of human endeavor. In the fields where I am very good (there are a couple but not whistling), I look ahead and realize, good as I am in those fields, that I've barely scratched the surface of what could be done. In the fields where I'm not very good (whistling, among others), I look ahead and realize I've barely scratched the surface of what could be done. When I compare those two horizons, they're in the same place - way, way out there with thousands of interesting things to learn along the way.

The only game I know that one can completely master in a very short time is tic-tac-toe. No one plays it more than a few times for precisely that reason.

Short answer to your question: "Yes, all of us."

[mamakash]

I keep trying, knowing I'll never be very good but heck, I enjoy it. Doesn't seem to bother me that I won't be up to speed. I don't/won't put the time in that I should, but how much can a person truly learn on their own? At best, it's a challenging diversion.

You might enjoy reading "This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession" by Daniel J. Levitin. It has a chapter on what causes a person to excel at music and the whole nature vs nurture debate. It's a dry(technical) book, both musically and neurologically, but I enjoyed it, even though music is a more of a hobby to me.
I thought it was out of print, but it seems to be available now.

http://www.amazon.com/This-Your-Brain-M ... 270&sr=1-1

[projektio28]

I can play piano, Great Highland bagpipes, whistles, accordions, drums and guitar. But that does not mean I play each of them like Rubenstein, Donald MacLeod, Finbar Furey, Phil Cunningham, Vinnie Colaiuta and Segovia!

I am very content in my abilities to be better at some of these than others, but never a true virtuoso. I keep trying to get a little better on each of them and always seem to make progress on something with practice.

As a friend of mine says, "When people ask me what instrument I play, I always tell them I'm a multi-instrumentalist, which means that I strive to suck equally at each of them."

I love music and I love being a musician. I make a little money playing the bagpipes for weddings and funerals and I make no money playing with an Irish punk rock band. I can't imagine not practicing and performing music...

Cheers to everyone who endeavours to become better no matter their abilities!!

Matt

[jkrazy52]

Just for the heck of it, am I the only one who can't really play but won't quit trying?

Chuck, you are definitely not alone! Few may admit the level of playing they've actually obtained, but we are legend ...

I enjoy the whistle and the flute. Most of those who are forced to listen (always pity the poor family members!) to my playing don't cringe, some even like it .... and ASK for it. However, these are people totally unfamiliar with ITM. They don't know they are listening to bogus music when I attempt "Fanny Po'er" or "Hector the Hero". That not an important issue here. The sheer joy of music in any form has always been a main goal in my family. The poor musician will be applauded just as freely as the good. The Bible says to make a joyous noise -- that I can do!

Gotta say I did make some people very happy when I switched to playing mountain dulcimer more than whistle ....

[DrPhill]

After this long, I should probably quit in disgust.

Why quit? You are enjoying it. It gives you new challenges and pleasures. I bet some folk enjoy listening to you, and that increases the amount of pleasure in the world......

Just for the heck of it, am I the only one who can't really play but won't quit trying

Hell, no. I am in the position you were nine and one half years ago.... and I aint going to quit. You should have made recordings all those years ago so you could listen now and see how far you have come.

Keep enjoying whistling.

[plunk111]

Just remember - there's always somebody better (and worse) than you... Even in his prime, Lance Armstrong lost bike races and Tiger Woods doesn't win EVERY golf tournament he enters!

Keep plugging - you're not alone!

Pat

[rhulsey]

Absolutely you are not alone. I have been playing now and hoarding whistles aplenty for 2 1/2 years now. While I'm fairly pleased with how I play and might even enjoy playing with others, it's out of the question because these tunes, with a few exceptions, don't stick in my head, and scores and music stands and sessions don't mix, I understand. So, away I play, and like you, it's a great way to unwind at the end of the day. Keep on keepin' on!

Reg

[caedmon]

You know what you know. This isn't a competition.

[pipersgrip]

I can't get the hand of The Irish Washerwoman, and it has been three years.

[crookedtune]

I can't get the hand of The Irish Washerwoman, and it has been three years.

Feh..... It's a scaly thing anyway.

[Jetboy]

I can play piano, Great Highland bagpipes, whistles, accordions, drums and guitar.

Matt

I hate you!

[chas]

Of course you're not alone. OTOH, I don't think it's a sentiment that should be propagated willy-nilly.

I'll give myself as an example. About 2 years into playing the flute, I posted something on the flute board about striving for mediocrity, and one poster said that I should set higher goals for myself. It hadn't occurred to me that I should set my sights as high as possible. I'm not sure I've progressed beyond mediocrity, but I've damn well progressed beyond where I would have if I'd continued with my previous attitude. There are months at a time when I don't feel like I've made any progress at all, interspersed with occasional epiphanies. What I want is never to have to say that my progress has been limited because I thought more effort was pointless.

[Mack.Hoover]

Chuck Clark,
You are a hero to me.
Mack

[Chuck_Clark]

Thanks, Mack, and eveybody else.

It isn't all bad. Little kids at the park like to hear me and their mommies and babysitters are happy for the respite I bring, so they don't complain.

Mack's weighing in brings back another incident. A few years ago I was confined to a rehabilitation center/nursing home for a couple of months. TV sucks when its all you have, and my CDs got boring, so I asked my wife to bring in my Hoover brass narrow D. To assure not bothering anyone, I'd close the door when I played.

After a day or so, the head nurse asked if I was the one playing the "flute"? Thinking I''d offended someone, I admitted culpability. She then said that the staff and other residents had asked if I'd leave the door open when I played.

So its true - your hearing really does fail as you age