Chiff and Fipple Forums

After reading Kar's post about "playing out" during the Holidays, I got to thinking it might be fun to do a little busking for charity this season. I haven't played on the streets in years because I don't need the money and there are plenty who do, but I do enjoy it, and I figure if I donate any "take" to one of our many local charities, it would be well within the spirit of the season. Anyway, I just spent a happy and productive hour figuring out how many Christmas, Advent and Epiphany songs I could play easily on the whistle, and came up with a good list, but I'd love to add to it. Suggestions welcome!

Here's my list so far:

O Come, O Come Emmanuel
Sleepers Wake
Prepare the Way, O Zion
Come Thou Long Expected Jesus
O Little Town of Bethlehem ("Forest Green")
Of the Father's Love Begotten (plainsong)
Adeste Fideles
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
See Amid the Winter Snows
It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks By Night
Angels We Have Heard on High
Joy to the World
Away in a Manger (both tunes)
Once in Royal David's City
Christians Awake
In Dulci Jubilo ("Good Christian Men Rejoice")
The First Nowell
Silent Night
In the Bleak Midwinter
I Saw Three Ships Come Sailing In
Good King Wenceslas
Ding Dong Merrily On High

I'd like to find a relatively easy key for Greensleeves/What Child Is This...I'm not having a lot of luck picking it out today (my ear's off). I'd also like to add some Chanukah songs, and any other Christmas carols people can suggest. Thoughts, anyone?

Redwolf

Redwolf -

I gave my student Greensleeves at our lesson last week, though I don't have my stuff with me today. Drop me an email to remind me and I'll send you the notes tomorrow.

While reading your post I had a thought, though - maybe you could find one of the Salvation Army red bucket things and ask the bellringer if you could play a few tunes there. It would give you practice, give the ringer a break, and be much more welcome to the public than the ring-ring-ring of that bell. People might then donate more.

Just a thought. Email/Remind me about greensleeves, I think it was pretty straightforward in whatever key I have it in.

I'd actually thought about that (the bellringer idea). We have a nice older fellow with a beard like Santa's who does the Salvation Army bit at our local Safeway every year...maybe I'll ask him if he'd like some accompaniment . I was even thinking that the bell would be a nice counterpoint to "Ding Dong Merrily on High."

Thanks...I'll drop you a line re Greensleeves.

Redwolf

I chose the version of greensleeves on my website specifically because it was easy to play on the whistle. Give it a look-see.

http://www.tinwhistler.com/music/sheet. ... eensleeves

whoops..ignore the double post!

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Wandering_Whistler on 2002-11-19 10:32 ]</font>

That's it! Many thanks. You know how it is when you KNOW you've played a song before (and you know it wasn't hard), but you can't remember the starting note, and when you try to find it you keep sequeing into something else? That's where I was with Greensleeves today...I finally gave up before I threw the whistle out the window in frustration . Too many songs in one practice session, I guess.

Redwolf

Last year I played with carolers
in hospitals and we did some
pop carols, too. To my amazement
I actually enjoyed them--
Frosty the snowman--first note, high D

Rudolph the rednosed reindeer--same
first note

Jingle Bells,

Santa Clause is coming
to town.

Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas,
in G--much good fun!

Here's a thread from Lee Marsh last year, it's a cheat sheet of starting notes for various christmas tunes. Very helpful.

http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php ... 72&forum=1

Just today I was figuring out God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen: it's not hard, sounds pretty good.

Thanks for the Greensleeves, incidentally; I've been meaning to pick it up one of these days.

We Three Kings is another that works.

DOn't forget good king whats his nuts, and Ould Langsyne, Did you say Silent Night I forget... Ah well...

Thought of a few more when I was at working with the chorus this afternoon:

"Deck the Halls" (very easy)
"Sans Day Carol"
"Un Flambeau, Jeanette, Isabella"
"Patapan"
"Fum, Fum, Fum"
"Il Est Ne, Le Divin Enfant"

Redwolf

Because phpBB (our bulletin board) software displays posts by auto-generating tables, it doesn't like posts with internal tables. So I've reformated my table from the previous post that Beth (Ava.) mentioned above. I hope this makes it easier to read.

<hr><hr><b>Christmas Carol Worksheet.</b><hr><hr>Title: Here We come A-Caroling<br>Key: D - Starting: DEF#E<hr>Title: Over The River and Through the Wood<br>Key: D - Starting: AAAF#G<hr>Title: Hark! The Herald Angels Sing<br>Key: G - Starting: DGGF#<hr>Title: The First Noel<br>Key: D - Starting: F#ED,EF#G<hr>Title: What Child is This<br>Key: G - Starting: E,GABcb<hr>Title: Joy to The World<br>Key: D - Starting: dc#B,AG<hr>Title: Bethlehem<br>Key: G - Starting: B,BBA#B<hr>Title: Jingle Bells<br>Key: G - Starting: DBAG,DDD<hr>Title: God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen<br>Key: G - Starting: E,EBBA<hr>Title: We Wish You a Merry Christmas<br>Key: G - Starting: D,GGAGF#<hr>Title: We Three Kings of Orient Are<br>Key: G - Starting: B,AG,EF,GFE<hr>Title: O Come, All Ye Faithful<br>Key: G - Starting: G,GDG<hr>Title: O Holy Night<br>Key: C - Starting: EEE,GGAAFA<hr>Title: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel<br>Key: G - Starting: E,GBBB,<hr>Title: Silent Night, Holy Night<br>Key: C - Starting: GAGE<hr>Title: Angels We Have Heard on High <br> (The Westminster Carol)<br>Key: G - Starting: BBBd,dcb<hr>Title: O Christmas Tree (O Tennenbaum)<br>Key: G - Starting: D,GGG,ABBB<hr>Title: Away in a Manger<br>Key: G - Starting: d,dcB<hr>Title: Deck The Halls<br>Key: D - Starting: AGF#E,DEF#D<hr><hr>Title: *Deck the Halls (alt)<br>Key: G - Starting: dcBAGABG<hr>Title: *Once in Royal David's City<br>Key: D - Starting: DFG2,GGFGAAF,<hr>Title: *White Christmas<br>Key: G - Starting: B,cnatBAG,B,c#d<hr>Title: *Good Christian Men Rejoice<br>Key: G - Starting DG,GB,Cnatd,ed<hr>Title: *It Came Upon a Midnight Clear<br>Key: D - Starting: DB2,FAG,ED2,ED2<hr><hr>

In addition to the above list,

White Christmas ("I'm dreaming of a white Christmas, just like the one we...") works wonderful on a whistle.


_________________
Enjoy Your Music,<br><br><b>Lee Marsh</b><br>

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: LeeMarsh on 2002-11-21 14:11 ]</font>

Oh, I am loving this thread.

Getting some great ideas!!!

It has motivated me to pull up a few of my dulcimer books. Written in the key of D.

Christmas Wonder and Christmas Sweetness by Maiden Creek Dulcimers have a few great selections of unfamiliar carols.

My dream, is the same as your Redwolf... just never had the nerve to do it solo.

A friend of mine and I played once at a historical house during a christmas high tea shindig... It was fun, our payment was the clothes on our backs.... Literally.

The lady provided for us 1800 attire to fit into the theme and then just said, you want it? So now we have the outfits to go with our performances.

My dream is to get with other whistle players and do christmas duets for charity.
That way there is safety in numbers

One book that I have found helpful is
33 Christmas Carols for Three Recorders.
by Susato Press. It has a Renaissance flair to it.

Have fun, and thanks for the inspiration!

Laura

Too bad we live on different sides of the country, or we could team up! I'm a little nervous doing it on my own as well...I'm hoping to find a guitarist or somesuch to come along for fun

Redwolf