Amazing Grace

[celticangel]

I am so happy. I just played my very first song Amazing Grace. It even sounded like it Does anybody know if there are music (tune) books for whistles that contain modern worship songs for church worship bands?
Debbie

[Mikethebook]

Hi Debbie,
To begin with, you don't actually need a book specifically for whistles. You can simply play the voice part from any church worship music and that's possibly the most up-to-date source of worship music. Another idea is that many churches subscribe to on-line worship resources like CCLI https://uk.songselect.com/. I was given access by the worship group and now I can download most contemporary worship songs and in whatever key I choose which is great. You might try asking at church.

I have come across web-sites with such music. I'll try and dig out further examples but here's one suggestion http://www.blaynechastain.com/hymns.

Finally, for now, you might be interested to know that, Michelle Wooderson, the whistle player for worship leader Robin Mark has written a book on whistle playing in worship which should be published soon. In it as well as giving instruction, she has written out the introductory parts she plays for many of his songs. Keep an eye on her site under construction http://www.michellewooderson.com/.

Blessings

Mike

[Mr.Nate]

Here is a good example of the whistle in modern worship music. This one is played on a D whistle.

Everyone I know that plays the whistle at church plays by ear and add libs their parts. I prefer to call it "noodling".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJ5wGy39IvA

Also, here is the praise whistler's forum

http://praisewhistlers.org/PraiseWhistl ... _Home.html

[jkrazy52]

Congratulations on playing "Amazing Grace", Debbie! Isn't it a thrill when you get the first song 'right'? A few years ago I was trying to play a keyless flute without much success. A friend recommended trying a Casey Burns folk flute instead of the one I had. Right out of the box, I nailed "Amazing Grace" on the Burns flute. No goofs, no off notes. My family was amazed. It is a grand feeling -- and one you won't forget.

The Praise Whistler's forum is small and not very active right now, but the members will be glad to help in any way. (I'm Judy K on PWA) If you read standard music notation, all songs can be available. You just might need to change keys to make them more whistle friendly. A Fake Book of hymns can be a good start - melody notes on a lead sheet makes for easy.

[pancelticpiper]

I play whistle and uilleann pipes quite often at church services. The settings I play in are more formal. I'm either playing a written part or, less often, playing off a lead sheet. I don't have a jazz background and "noodling" or improvising in the jazz sense over the chords isn't something I'm good at. If I have a lead sheet I can noodle appropriate stuff.

I tend to take more of an ITM approach to the use of the whistle and pipes in church, sticking to the melody. (ITM is based around one or more instruments playing the melody in unison with no harmony parts, antithetical to the jazz/pop approach.)

Yes you don't need any specialized music, and in fact if you're blessed with a good ear you won't need any music at all. I'm more of a sightreader so I tend to want things written out. The problem with this is that the praise music will be in all sorts of different keys and whistles are usually written from the assumption that a D whistle is being played. So, much of the music needs to be transposed.

The bane of my existence is the dreaded "gearshift key change" which has become so common in praise music as to be regarded as mandatory. Trouble is, when the song goes from D Major to E Major (or F Major to G Major etc) on the final verse I have to switch whistles! Oh the joys of traditional hymnody which stays in the same key throughout.

http://www.gearchange.org/muso_intro.asp

Keep it up! Richard

[mutepointe]

From way back, I have always loved the "gearshift key change". I'm going to have to remember that term. For one song, I stacked two harmonica, so I could be ready.

Congratulations on playing your first song. I hope you get many opportunities to play the whistle at church services. Steal one of your church songbooks.

[Feadoggie]

I've said this before but it bears repeating. One purpose of much worship music is that it be uplifting. The modulation of a chorus or verse up a half step or two at the end of a hymn is perceived by the worshipers as being "uplifting". Worship done right is supposed to be an emotional experience shared by the congregation. The music is supposed to support that experience if not lead the way. I find it very useful and carrying a bag of whistles in the necessary keys is just part of the territory.

Steal one of your church songbooks

Yes, congratulations celticangel. I'd just ask the pastor to borrow a hymnal though.

Feadoggie

[pancelticpiper]

The modulation of a chorus or verse up a half step or two at the end of a hymn is perceived by the worshipers as being "uplifting".

Somehow worshippers got through two thousand years being fully uplifted before the gearchange modulation was co-opted from pop music 30-odd years ago.

I view it as being a mere gimmick.

I love traditional sacred music, and question the need for sacred music to ape secular pop music.

A perfect example is the guy who felt that Amazing Grace just wasn't adequate as it was, and had to have a pop-music "bridge" added. (Traditional hymns normally have a single melodic unit, lacking pop music's requisite verse/chorus/bridge structure.)

To each his own! I recently attended a church I'd not been to before and the praise band played song after song which (to me) all sounded alike, being rather untuneful, and all following an identical predictable pop structure. The words likewise didn't do anything for me.

I've attended another church a few times and the music was very simple, being a young woman playing piano and singing, that's all. I'd never heard any of her songs before but the music was lovely and the words deeply spoke to me. I have no idea where her songs came from; for all I know she wrote them herself.

[Mikethebook]

I couldn't agree more. I have a problem with most worship today too! As you say it tends to ape popular secular music and in fact popular music of about thirty or forty years ago. Every year we have a Eurovision Song Contest where European countries complete with their chosen songs and most of it seems to be stuck in a time warp from that same period. The songs all sound much the same, they start off quietly getting louder as they progress and go up in key. To me today's worship music wouldn't be out of place in the contest.

Unfortunately the church today tends to ape the secular in so many ways without ploughing its own furrow. They take the secular and put on a sacred veneer. I was disgusted to find it was possible to buy several Christian versions of the game Monopoly, for example, church planting replacing property buying!!!

We do have a fantastic legacy of sacred music from the past. Unfortunately too often that is discarded in favour of the new and novel.

[Feadoggie]

Modulation is not a 30 year old kid. It has been used in church music all my life - double the 30 years plus. I suspect some congregations have used it far longer.

A perfect example is the guy who felt that Amazing Grace just wasn't adequate as it was, and had to have a pop-music "bridge" added. (Traditional hymns normally have a single melodic unit, lacking pop music's requisite verse/chorus/bridge structure.)

The guy, provided we are talking about Chris Tomlin, that added the bridge was doing so for a specific reason. He was commissioned to provide a piece for a movie about William Wilberforce and his efforts in ending the slave trade in Britain and in the context of the movie that was what worked. Because that arrangement has had a positive emotional impact on many congregations, it is widely played now. There are many other arrangements which climb on the back of that particular hymn as well as many others.

Don't mean to be argumentative here, really. We are all entitled to our own opinions and worship preferences. I'll keep shifting gears as the terrain changes. Others may wish to remain in a single gear.

Feadoggie

[megapop]

Modulation is not a 30 year old kid. It has been used in church music all my life - double the 30 years plus. I suspect some congregations have used it far longer.

Like this guy, what was his name... you know, he used to modulate quite a bit in church music... uh... Johnny B.?

(But I guess I know what you're all getting at...)

[benhall.1]

A perfect example is the guy who felt that Amazing Grace just wasn't adequate as it was, and had to have a pop-music "bridge" added. (Traditional hymns normally have a single melodic unit, lacking pop music's requisite verse/chorus/bridge structure.)

The guy, provided we are talking about Chris Tomlin, that added the bridge was doing so for a specific reason. He was commissioned to provide a piece for a movie about William Wilberforce and his efforts in ending the slave trade in Britain and in the context of the movie that was what worked.

I'm in that film! Second fiddle in the string quartet on the ship when Wilberforce gives his keynote speech.

[Feadoggie]

Now how cool is that?

Here's a short video by Chris Tomlin on the arrangement he did for the movie.

[celticangel]

Thank you everyone for all your help. Being new at this there just seems so much to learn. I'm planning on whistle lessons so maybe there will be hope for me

Debbie

[mutepointe]

A perfect example is the guy who felt that Amazing Grace just wasn't adequate as it was, and had to have a pop-music "bridge" added. (Traditional hymns normally have a single melodic unit, lacking pop music's requisite verse/chorus/bridge structure.)

The guy, provided we are talking about Chris Tomlin, that added the bridge was doing so for a specific reason. He was commissioned to provide a piece for a movie about William Wilberforce and his efforts in ending the slave trade in Britain and in the context of the movie that was what worked.

I'm in that film! Second fiddle in the string quartet on the ship when Wilberforce gives his keynote speech.

Do you have a still? screen capture? (Sorry about the thread drift.)