Should I or shouldn't I?

[hannah]

Hi, I’m new here and I’m 16. What got me really interested in this sweet little instrument was after watching and listening to Clasen playing “Sunset at Flamingo Park”, “Reel Express” and various other amazing songs from my James Last DVDs. I thought to myself, “I must buy this instrument and learn to play it myself!” but I’m not sure whether I should or not, because I only began like it after hearing someone else play it. If I hadn’t watched those DVDs then the thought of learning to play the tin whistle would never have crossed my mind. So, should I go and buy one? I mean, I could get one very easily as some of them are so cheap but what I’d hate to see is that after a couple of months my poor tin whistle sitting in the cupboard abandoned…that’d be so sad. I think I’d probably be able to learn the notes quite easily too as I already play two other instruments (the violin and the piano). But the downside is that none of my friends here are interested in the tin whistle, so if I do buy one and play it I’m probably not going to have any accompaniment…but then again, the sound it makes is gorgeous, so I probably don’t need any accompaniment anyway and would be happy to play it on my own. I read the Disorder page on Chiff & Fipple’s site which made me really scared…is WhOA really real?. Anyway, I have played a lot Scottish and Irish music before on my violin so I have a good idea how the songs would be like. So, if I were to buy one, which shop would be best? I live in Oxfordshire so I’m thinking of going to Blackwell’s Music Shop. Also, from a lot of websites it seems that the D and C whistles are the most popular for a beginner’s, so I’m probably going to buy a metal C whistle. Anyway, I shall stop rambling now, sorry if I’m annoying you guys but I’m just confused and would like some advice, thanks.

[Cayden]

What got me really interested in this sweet little instrument was after watching and listening to Clasen playing “Sunset at Flamingo Park”, “Reel Express” and various other amazing songs from my James Last DVDs.

[Mitch]

Hi Hannah. I think you should do it! If nothing else, it will make you re-appreciate your violin

But beware - there's worse things than WhOA - particularly when you start referring to your violin as a "fiddle".

[Tommy]

Welcome to Chiff & Fipple and the exciting world of whistle. Lets cut the chase and get you started right away with a D and c whistle. And don't worry about accompaniment. You can play your fiddle too. Mr Royer of Royer's one man band is very nice, and would help you get started. www.guitarmachine.com Drop in the Tir na nOg pub in Somerville MA and give a listen.

[hannah]

Hi Hannah. I think you should do it! If nothing else, it will make you re-appreciate your violin

But beware - there's worse things than WhOA - particularly when you start referring to your violin as a "fiddle".

Ah, ok then! Lol, my old violin teacher called it a "fiddle" all the time

Peter Laban...now you've made me feel really embarrassed

[Gabriel]

Hannah,
that's no question. You should not, you have to. Quite simple, isn't it?
But a short advice: If you want to play Irish Music, you should consider getting a D whistle since most of the music is written in D or G-major and their parallel minor keys.
Have fun!
- G.

[Martin Milner]

Hi Hannah,

I have dozens of unused whistles sitting in a jar at home. You're welcome to some. I live in London.

Drop me a Private Message with your snailmail address and a I'll pop some in the post.

If you're wary about giving out your address to a strange man on the internet (very wise), check out Avanutria on this site, she's my wife, and drop her a private message or email instead. Avanutria (Beth) is a far better whistle player than I ever was.

You should definitely give it a go - it doesn't matter what your inspiration is, making your own music is a great way to enjoy yourself, and eventually entertain others in the process.

cheers, Martin

[Cayden]

Peter Laban...now you've made me feel really embarrassed

Sorry, I honestly thought someone was thoroughly taking the mickey.

[TomB]

), check out Avanutria on this site, she's my wife.

cheers, Martin

Martin: I know that there is a thread on the Pub, but just wanted to offer my most sincere congratulations to both you and Beth. You two are a "match made in heaven." May you have a long and happy life together.


All the Best, Tom

[avanutria]

Hiya Hannah, welcome! Martin and I will be going to the Oxford Folk Festival in April, that might be an event that would interest you. http://www.oxfordfolkfestival.com/ ..I'm hoping there might be a concertina workshop this year, as that's my primary instrument, but concertina events are fairly thin on the ground around here.

If you hadn't watched those DVDs the thought of the tin whistle wouldn't have crossed your mind. So what? A lot of us got started in similar ways. The Titanic movie inspired some. An episode of Star Trek got others. In my case, I saw someone playing a Susato at a reenactment festival in America and chatted with him about it after the show.

If you got some whistles and decided they weren't for you, and felt sad seeing them unused, you could give them away to others - the music teacher at your school, or just randomly to people who would like to have them. I've seen Martin's pile of unused whistles and I'm sure there are some that would suit you in there. I've been "a kid online" too, by the way, and if you or your parents hesistate at your giving your address to receive some free whistles, we'd be happy to send them care of a parent's work address or some other address that would eventually reach you. And if you found yourself in London sometime I'd be happy to give you some pointers!

A quick note regarding keys: Most Irish music is played in D or G so a D whistle will be best for that right now (a D whistle can play in G fairly easily), though many people use additional keys later on. A C whistle will be most straightforward if you're relying on piano to help the whistle make sense to you, I think. Might as well get one of each, it can't hurt. A lot of Christmas tunes tend to be in D from my experience, though of course that's not a hard and fast rule.

--Beth

[dow]

Yes, you should.

[Wombat]

Hi, I’m new here and I’m 16. ..... But the downside is that none of my friends here are interested in the tin whistle, so if I do buy one and play it I’m probably not going to have any accompaniment…but then again, the sound it makes is gorgeous, so I probably don’t need any accompaniment anyway and would be happy to play it on my own. ..... I live in Oxfordshire so I’m thinking of going to Blackwell’s Music Shop.

Hi Hannah, and welcome. I wouldn't worry about being alone. I play tin whistle and I lived in Oxford for 7 years. And there's always Busker Sean. For all I know, there might be others.

I wish I could give you some advice on where to purchase but I've been in Australia a bit too long to know now. But Martin has made you an offer too good to refuse, I think.

Next time I'm in Oxford, I expect to see you busking at Carfax. I'll stop and introduce myself if I hear some James Last tunes.

[Martin Milner]

Martin's pile of unused whistles

--Beth

OY!

It's not a pile, they're neatly and lovingly arranged, so as to be easily to hand should the urge to play strike me.



A recent photo of us - Beth is holding the flowers.

[Cynth]

Hi hannah! I had never heard of James Last so I had to go listen to some clips. They are fun. I'm not quite sure about Orange Blossom Special although it did make me whoop a bit, but I liked Besame Mucho and Mamma Mia and the polkas alot.

Since whistles aren't very expensive, you could give it a shot. One good thing would be to have the experience of playing a wind instrument even if you don't pursue it really seriously. I find it is much more different than piano or guitar than I expected. A whistle can sound good with a lot of other instruments---maybe your fiddle or piano teachers would be willing to play along just for a few laughs. Or you could tape yourself playing a tune on the fiddle and then play along with your whistle.

There are some pretty nice on-line tutorials which I'll put here just in case you are interested:

http://www.whistleworkshop.co.uk/instruct.htm
http://nigelgatherer.com/whist.html
http://www.whistletutor.com/
http://www.rogermillington.com/siamsa/b ... index.html

This is a website where you can see some clips of people playing high and low whistles and pipes and, well, lots of things really. You have to just explore around there. The music is not necessarily traditional, but it is very interesting.
http://www.kerrywhistles.com/dl.php

[dfernandez77]

But the downside is that none of my friends here are interested in the tin whistle...

It seems you already have many friends here (at Chiff & Fipple) who are interested and encouraging.

Give it a go.