How many years have you been playing?

pthouron · Post by **pthouron** » Tue Jun 10, 2003 7:34 am

5 months. It is a struggle for playing time between the whistle and the guitar and those pesky 8 hours spent at work (

)every day!...

janice · Post by **janice** » Tue Jun 10, 2003 8:20 am

My Mom brought me back a whistle from Ireland in 1983 (I'm a sax player, how hard could it be to play a little piece of tin with no keys?

). I didn't start to seriously pursue playing trad until 1987, and got my pipes in 91.

I'm now about to start pursuing research (that will hopefully lead to my dissertation) on informal music education and adult learning with traditional music as the focus.....the point being that you never know where life will eventually take you, and that serendipity is a good thing!

RonKiley · Post by **RonKiley** » Tue Jun 10, 2003 8:26 am

It is only 7 months since I started playing the whistle. I bought my first
Whistle about 10 years ago which sat on top of the fridge for all that
time. I still have it. It is my favorite. It is a Feadan, which is no longer being made, and I treasure it.
It plays well and has a great sound.
Guitar 48 years
5 String Banjo about 40 years
Ron Kiley

MarkB · Post by **MarkB** » Tue Jun 10, 2003 8:35 am

Eleven years on whistle and bodhran, six good months on flute. Janice has an interesting idea for a thesis. It was serendipity that led me to ITM and serendipity that got me and a bodhran hooked up eleven years ago.

The whistle playing is so --so, but my flute playing is making my whistle playing better. Aackwards bass--

MarkB

Redwolf · Post by **Redwolf** » Tue Jun 10, 2003 10:31 am

I should add too, that while I've been playing the whistle off and on for about (yikes!) 28 years, I haven't been playing Irish trad (at least that much) for anywhere near that long. When I first started playing whistle, I couldn't find a tutor anywhere, and I didn't know (or know OF) anyone else who played it, other than Will Millar of the Irish Rovers and Paddy Clancy of The Clancy Brothers. I figured out how to play some tunes I knew (mostly camp songs and hymns, and a few folk tunes) more or less on my own. Some time later I did find a tutorial (Robin Williamson's "Pennywhistle Book"), which helped quite a bit, but even then, most of the music was English and Welsh. While I picked up a few things from my Irish LPs (most of which were vocal rather than purely instrumental), I didn't start focusing seriously on Irish Trad until about a year ago.

Redwolf

Jo C · Post by **Jo C** » Tue Jun 10, 2003 11:39 am

This is interesting! something I have wondered about people. 13years for me.

kevin m. · Post by **kevin m.** » Tue Jun 10, 2003 12:08 pm

Playing 'seriously' for about two years.Really just starting to get a slight 'grasp' of Irish trad. instrumental music over the last year or so.
Previously mucked about with sax., Bass Clarinet,Boehm Flute(Jazz,Blues,Improv.)-though hadn't played anything for about ten years prior to re-discovering Irish music.

Jayhawk · Post by **Jayhawk** » Tue Jun 10, 2003 12:48 pm

I think this is an interesting question, and I'm glad so many folks have posted clarifiers to their votes. For example:

I've had a tin whistle since probably 1990 or so, a Hall crystal flute and a few bamboo flutes since 1993 or 94, but I didn't get serious on any of these instruments until last August. AND, I've only gotten truly, truly serious with ITM in the past 4-5 months. I voted less than 1 year, but I've been playing pub songs while my wife sings on the whistle since 1990, so it just depends on how you count the years.

As for other instruments, I'm an old sax player (school bands, semi-pro local jazz band), part-time mandolin picker (more off than on though) since 1988, and beer bottle blower since 1985...

Eric

littlejohngael · Post by **littlejohngael** » Tue Jun 10, 2003 1:26 pm

I've toyed with cheap whistles for years, but never really considered myself a whistle player until I joined Chiff and Fipple and got infected with WhOA. It did amazing things for my stress level. Case in point: I woke up in a foul mood this morning. As I was walking out the door, my wife handed me my Low D and said, "Here. You need this today."

Amazing discovery. The homeless guys leave you alone if you walk down the street playing a Low D.

Aerandir

Flyingcursor · Post by **Flyingcursor** » Tue Jun 10, 2003 1:27 pm

Whistle for about a year.

ChrisLaughlin · Post by **ChrisLaughlin** » Tue Jun 10, 2003 2:17 pm

6 years

LimuHead · Post by **LimuHead** » Tue Jun 10, 2003 2:20 pm

It took me a while to actually work out how long I've played whistle, but I've finally figured it at 11+ years. I have vivid memories of living in an apartment when I first started playing whistle and having the elderly lady who lived upstairs commenting/asking, "Are you making those whistling noises? I keep hearing whistling noises. Are you making those whistling noises?"

One whistler's music is an upstair neighbor's whistling noise!

lollycross · Post by **lollycross** » Tue Jun 10, 2003 5:39 pm

Gee, I'm older than most and played longer than most...no wonder I don't need to ask as many questions, so I don't have 1000 posts yet!
Lolly

klezmusic · Post by **klezmusic** » Tue Jun 10, 2003 5:59 pm

Since 1977-78 I think, or close enough. The end result was the breakup of a long term relationship. It was harder to lose his family than him. He never did cotton much to Irish music, but his mom and niece loved it.

Walden · Post by **Walden** » Tue Jun 10, 2003 6:08 pm

lollycross wrote:Gee, I'm older than most and played longer than most...no wonder I don't need to ask as many questions, so I don't have 1000 posts yet!
Lolly

Touche.