Questions from a New Member & Absolute Beginner

[Katherine]

Hello! This is my first post on this lovely forum, so please forgive me if the questions that I pose have already been covered in other discussions.

A quick introduction: I recently bought a Cooperman Company tin whistle at a US National Park, and realized quite quickly that it would not do as a "musical instrument". So I moved up (what some might consider a half-step) to a Clarke Sweetone, having read several positive reviews online. I think that it will be a suitable instrument with which to practice, especially until I can afford a better whistle.

I have three newbie questions:

1. Are there any instructional books that you would recommend? As I'm on a graduate student budget, are there any books that are absolute rubbish? I took eight years of piano lessons in my childhood, so reading sheet music is not an obstacle.

2. Does anyone have any tips that have worked for them on dealing with asthma in the playing of the tin whistle (or other wind instruments)?

3. And lastly, is it just me (or my area), or is the tin whistle generally played by men more than women?

Thank you very much!

[fearfaoin]

3. And lastly, is it just me (or my area), or is the tin whistle generally played by men more than women?

We don't know, what's your area?
Perhaps you would be willing to fill
out the Location on your profile?
Anyway, I've known many, many
women whistlers in Baltimore MD,
and the parts of NC I've lived. I
can't say what the numbers are
exactly, but I'd say equal or more
women in my experience.

[Feadoggie]

Katherine, welcome to C&F.

I would like to say that since yuo have already thrown off the Cooperman in favor of a Sweetone, you are both a well grounded and astute player. The Sweetone is IMO a good whistle for a beginner.

1. You will probably get as many suggestions on a suitable beginner book as there are beginner books. A book is not necessary for many. There are tons of resources on the Internet to get you going. But since you asked about books I could recommend the Clarke Tin Whistle tutor by Bill Ochs. http://www.pennywhistle.com/clarkepage.html
Or you could look for the Essential Tin Whistle Toolbox by Grey Larsen. http://www.greylarsen.com/store/catalog ... ucts_id=26
Yes, some books seem to be "absolute rubbish" but one person's garbage is another's treasure as the antique dealer would say. It all depends on what you are expecting from the book.

2. Sorry I can't advise about the asthma question. The whistle can present a challenge to anyone in terms of breath control but it seems to be far less of an issue on most high D whistles than it is on other instruments. You don't have to blow too hard or stretch the phrases out much between breaths on the whistle. Just take things in steps and you are sure to find a comfortable style of your own.

3. No the whistle is not generally played more by men. Again that's just my opinion. Certainly two of my favorite players, Joanie Madden and Mary Bergin, are women. And some of my least favorites happen to be men. I will not mention names! I take in a workshop when I can and the players generally are split between the sexes or perhaps even favor the ladies. My experience at sessions is a bit different but that could be due to several environmental factors shall we say.

Above all, have fun.

Feadoggie

[straycat82]

Hello Katherine,

What are your musical goals in picking up the whistle? This information could make your questions easier to answer.

[mutepointe]

Welcome Katherine:

1. Keep the Cooperman in your car or some other place that it may come in handy when you have time to kill. You will come to enjoy a good traffic jam/road block or wait for the soccer game to end.
2. I have a mild case of asthma compared to what everyone else tells me about their asthma. I think the whistle is beneficial although there are plenty of days when I don't play. I have found that playing a harmonica builds up lung power like nobody's business and I keep my harmonica in my pocket and play the thing any chance I get including waiting in line and in general waiting. I hate to wait. I enjoy making music.
3. I don't know if it's more men playing whistles than women but I do know a person has to be strong and thick skinned to make it through the early stages of playing. People and animals can get downright hateful with the squawks and the squeaks that come with beginning whistle playing. A person has to be able to defend themselves. Maybe that's why so many of us like playing the low whistle. Low whistles are handy weapons.

Please let us know how it goes. Hurry up and learn some Christmas Carols. They're naturals for the whistle.

[RonKiley]

I do not have asthma but I do have a lung power problem due to a heart attack. In fact I began to play whistle seriously in order to build up my lung power. I still have trouble with whistles below low F. If you want to see how women play the whistle go to youtube and search for Joanie Madden, Mary Bergen or Andrea Corr. Happy whistling! A better whistle will come along when you learn what a better whistle should play and sound like. Everyone is different.

Ron

[brewerpaul]

Great advice from other people here so far. I'll second the Bill Ochs recommendation.
I would imagine that playing the whistle would be great respiratory therapy.

[swizzlestick]

Welcome!

This is the place to be for whistle advice. If anything, you will get too much, but you will quickly learn to filter out what you don't need.

One of the few rules around here is that we must avoid giving medical advice. (You can probably imagine why the management might feel that way.) So, as someone who has well controlled asthma (finally!), I will only say that whistle playing has been a very positive experience for me. I hope it will be for you too. And the problems I have with low whistles are not related to breath control.

[PhilO]

The Bill Ochs book is a great place to start, but i'm prejudiced as he's been a long time friend and mentor; but, alas it all started with his book and companian cassette (at the time) and now CD plus whistle package.

As for asthma, the only "tip" I would give is learning that you need to breath at the appropriate places in tunes - longer notes, leaving out one note of a triplet, etc. That way, you won't really have to worry much about breathing and keep it nice and slow and easy at first.

As for the men v women - I've seen and met many women players, just as many as men and as for the unbelievable talents, Joannie Madden, Geraldine Cotter, Mary Bergin, ANdrea Corr, Catherine Mcevoy, Brid O'Donohue....that ought to hold you for a while.

Best,

Philo

[benhall.1]

Since you have already had a good grounding in music (your 8 years on piano) I wouldn't bother with any book. Think about which hand to put at the top of the whistle - I would recommend the left, as this is standard and will also, for various reasons, keep you in good stead later. Then, just play the tunes you hear. I honestly don't think books will help at all. Just listen to lots of whistle players. How they play will seem daunting at first, but, once you get the tunes in your mind, things will start to fall into place. When I started on whistle, I kept it by me all the time, and played along, for instance, to any and eveything that came on the telly. Lots of telly music is not appropriate really for a D whistle, as the keys are too far from that whistle's home keys, but even so, it's helped my finger-ear association, and has also helped my half-holing (a term you will come across soon enough). But, just play anything. That's my point.

Have fun!

[Folk312]

Hi Katherine,
You can take a look at both Grey Larsen's 'The Essential Tin Whistle Toolbox' and Bill Ochs' 'The Clarke Tin Whistle' on Google Books:
http://books.google.nl/books?id=Q9iK1lh ... &q&f=false
http://books.google.nl/books?id=8dxkCbD ... &q&f=false

I started with both based on the recomendations on C&F and I liked both, but for very different reasons.

Two years ago I also bought Claire McKenna's "Ireland's Best Tin Whistle Tunes Volume 1", and still use it daily.
http://books.google.nl/books?id=Xa4sNhx ... &q&f=false

My personal preference is for books that have a CD with the tunes. It makes leaning the tune much easier.

Good luck!

[Katherine]

Thank you all for your advice and your warm welcomes! I've ordered the book by Bill Ochs, so hopefully I can progress much faster in the near future.

fearfaoin: I'm currently based in Boston. My experience is very limited, but I've seen mainly men playing the tin whistle both in Kansas City and Boston, as well as on tutorial videos online.

Feadoggie: Thank you for your encouragement and your suggestions.

Straycat82: I haven't actually put much thought to why I want to learn the whistle. I had one when I was young (also purchased at a national park), and when I saw one last week, it brought back a wave of nostalgia. I love Irish music and was hoping to find an inexpensive way to get back into playing as a form of relaxation (pianos being not grad school budget friendly). My partner plays the banjo and the guitar, and I was also hoping to be able to play along with him from time to time. I suppose my overall goal is to have a fun, enjoyable hobby that makes me feel in touch with my Irish heritage.

Mutepointe: Thank you so much! I've already started working on some Christmas carols--I've found that they sound especially beautiful on the tin whistle. (Albeit when someone else is playing it!)

RonKiley: Thank you for sharing your experiences and your encouragement. I'm relieved that I won't be the first to attempt a wind instrument with lung power difficulties--it shows that success is possible!

brewerpaul: Thank you!

swizzlestick: I completely understand, and in hindsight realized that asking a medical-related question was dicey. Thank you so much for your warm welcome. I'm glad to hear that the low whistles are also a possibility for the asthmatic whistler!

PhilO: Thank you so much, especially for your advice on breathing--it is still definitely a sticky point for me!

benhall.1: I'm trying to hammer out the tunes that I hear, but I decided to go with a book as well because after being in classes for so long, having something that feels like "homework" will ensure that it gets done. Plus, that way I can get familiar with what music is best for the D whistle--nothing has proven quite as frustrating as getting halfway through a song, only to realize that it can't really be played appropriately on the D whistle!

Folk312: Thank you for posting the links to Google Books! Free resources are wonderful. I've already decided to purchase the Ochs book, but if I find the Larsen book helpful, I'll order it as well.

Thank you all for your help, and especially for recommending other well-known female whistlers. I was only aware of Andrea Corr previously, but will now be checking out all of the others mentioned here!

[ricmcm]

i will highly recomend Grey Larsens book. His book is the only book I have seen that truly explains how ornaments are played, and you will eventualy want to add ornaments to your playing. They are essential if you want to play traditional Irish music. I think that I have every book writen on how to play Irish music, and Grey's book is by far the best.
Since you have a lot of experiance with staff notation, I hope you understand that while staff notation gives you the pitches involved, it does not help very much for rythm and phrasing. So listen alot to recognized good players, and compare what they are doing with what Grey says they should be doing, and draw your one conclusions. Don't be in ahurry to play fast, the best way to learn to play fast is to play slow. Above all, have fun because thats what it's all about.
Please enjoy the whistle and Irish music.
Dick

[benhall.1]

I suppose my overall goal is to have a fun, enjoyable hobby that makes me feel in touch with my Irish heritage.

In that case, the whistle is perfect for you.

Just one more thing: there ain't nothing that can't be played on a D whistle. Might want to transpose a bit occasionally ...

You've made a great start by coming, IMHO.

And you're really welcome. It's lovely to have your honest, simple enthusiasm. It's going to be great!

[MTGuru]

Thank you all for your help, and especially for recommending other well-known female whistlers. I was only aware of Andrea Corr previously, but will now be checking out all of the others mentioned here!

The Whistle Recordings sticky lists a number of recordings to check out. It also provides at least one data point regarding the M/F distribution of whistlers, to the extent that recordings may or may not reflect the more general trend.

Nothing wrong with being aware of well-known female whistlers. But as a criterion for deciding what to listen to ... Well, you know ...