I'm doing a ceilidh tonight, and have been asked to do a solo on the whistle.
The problem is...I DON'T HAVE A TUNE!!!!!!! (aaaaaaaarrrrrrrrggggghhhh)
So, please, please, PLEASE can someone suggest some good whistle solos
(preferably slow airs), and before everyone starts jumping down my throat saying,
"Why the hell have you left it so late?!"
I only got told about this at 11 o'clock last night.
An Feachin (sp?)
An Coulin
Aisling Gheal
The Blackbird
May Morning Dew
I am Sleeping, Do Not Wake Me
Buachaill Caol Dubh (The Dark Slender Boy)
Bean Dubh A' Ghleanna (The Dark Woman of the Glen)
The Wild Geese
Women of Ireland
John of the Glen
The Level Plain
Rosin Dubh
The Parting of Friends
The Coombe
Amhran Na Leabhar
Cailin Deas Cruite na mBo (Pretty Girl Milking the Cow)
An Maighdean Mhara (The Sea Maiden)
Lament for Limerick
Casadh an tSugain is about the only slow air I play, and it usually goes down well with a jig or reel after it (I'm talking about appeasing ignorant audiences here, not playing 'authentic' traditional music). However, if you are looking for something you can quickly learn for tonight, I wouldn't recommend slow airs at all, as you can't learn them from the dots - you can't even come close.
If you want to play something other than a jig or a reel, perhaps something like an O'Carolan tune would be a better choice:
Si Beag, Si Mor
Carolan's Concerto (this might take a bit more learning)
...or do a search in the tunes section on "planxty" (nothing to do with the band). This should return a number of O'Carolan tunes to choose from.
....And don't fret. If you have been asked to do a ceili, then presumably you can play the whistle. So you must have some tunes up your sleeve. If all else fails, why not just play something you already know?
If you've got to learn it quick, choose a song you've already got in your head and play it as an air...
e.g. The Factory Girl (listen to paddy Keenan on Poirt An Phiobaire if you have it, it only has about 3 notes, but it sounds great)
or Boolavogue or something like that.
Or Inisheer maybe
mmm......might do, but most of the stuff I know you can't really play solo, you'd need some kind of backing for the whistle, and there's no way I could sort that out in time.
For whistle airs I almost always choose a song's melody... Foggy Dew, She Moved Through the Fair, and Carrick Fergus are three that are well known/liked (if arguably overplayed) and can really work well adapted for whistle....
highland cathedral sounds lovely on the pipes and recorder, and would sound good on whistle. Also some of the slow shetland airs, as played on fiddle by Aly Bain.
Tuireadh Ian Ruaidh, a wonderful lament, and Braigh Loch Iall, are also good on the whistle.
URGENT!!!! PLEASE HELP!!!!!
URGENT!!!! PLEASE HELP!!!!!
I'm doing a ceilidh tonight, and have been asked to do a solo on the whistle.
The problem is...I DON'T HAVE A TUNE!!!!!!! (aaaaaaaarrrrrrrrggggghhhh)
So, please, please, PLEASE can someone suggest some good whistle solos
(preferably slow airs), and before everyone starts jumping down my throat saying,
"Why the hell have you left it so late?!"
I only got told about this at 11 o'clock last night.
So PLEASE! help :¬(
# Posted on November 27th 2004 by Folkie Junkie
Re: URGENT!!!! PLEASE HELP!!!!!
An Feachin (sp?)
An Coulin
Aisling Gheal
The Blackbird
May Morning Dew
I am Sleeping, Do Not Wake Me
Buachaill Caol Dubh (The Dark Slender Boy)
Bean Dubh A' Ghleanna (The Dark Woman of the Glen)
The Wild Geese
Women of Ireland
John of the Glen
The Level Plain
Rosin Dubh
The Parting of Friends
The Coombe
Amhran Na Leabhar
Cailin Deas Cruite na mBo (Pretty Girl Milking the Cow)
An Maighdean Mhara (The Sea Maiden)
Lament for Limerick
...just to name one or two. Good luck!
# Posted on November 27th 2004 by uilleann_craic
Re: URGENT!!!! PLEASE HELP!!!!!
Casadh an tSugain is about the only slow air I play, and it usually goes down well with a jig or reel after it (I'm talking about appeasing ignorant audiences here, not playing 'authentic' traditional music). However, if you are looking for something you can quickly learn for tonight, I wouldn't recommend slow airs at all, as you can't learn them from the dots - you can't even come close.
If you want to play something other than a jig or a reel, perhaps something like an O'Carolan tune would be a better choice:
Si Beag, Si Mor
Carolan's Concerto (this might take a bit more learning)
...or do a search in the tunes section on "planxty" (nothing to do with the band). This should return a number of O'Carolan tunes to choose from.
# Posted on November 27th 2004 by CreadurMawnOrganig
Re: URGENT!!!! PLEASE HELP!!!!!
....And don't fret. If you have been asked to do a ceili, then presumably you can play the whistle. So you must have some tunes up your sleeve. If all else fails, why not just play something you already know?
# Posted on November 27th 2004 by CreadurMawnOrganig
Re: URGENT!!!! PLEASE HELP!!!!!
If you've got to learn it quick, choose a song you've already got in your head and play it as an air...
e.g. The Factory Girl (listen to paddy Keenan on Poirt An Phiobaire if you have it, it only has about 3 notes, but it sounds great)
or Boolavogue or something like that.
Or Inisheer maybe
# Posted on November 27th 2004 by Ottery
Re: URGENT!!!! PLEASE HELP!!!!!
mmm......might do, but most of the stuff I know you can't really play solo, you'd need some kind of backing for the whistle, and there's no way I could sort that out in time.
# Posted on November 27th 2004 by Folkie Junkie
Re: URGENT!!!! PLEASE HELP!!!!!
Ottery's got it - Boulavogue would do fine.
# Posted on November 27th 2004 by Rudall the time
Re: URGENT!!!! PLEASE HELP!!!!!
For whistle airs I almost always choose a song's melody... Foggy Dew, She Moved Through the Fair, and Carrick Fergus are three that are well known/liked (if arguably overplayed) and can really work well adapted for whistle....
# Posted on November 27th 2004 by bestcraic
Re: URGENT!!!! PLEASE HELP!!!!!
there's always 4mins 33seconds.....
http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display.php/2399
# Posted on November 27th 2004 by Rudall the time
Re: URGENT!!!! PLEASE HELP!!!!!
Slip jigs sound lovely when played slowly on whistle.
Na Ceannabhain Bhana: http://thesession.org/tunes/display.php/1968
Fig for a Kiss:
http://thesession.org/tunes/display.php/750
# Posted on November 27th 2004 by slainte
Re: URGENT!!!! PLEASE HELP!!!!!
highland cathedral sounds lovely on the pipes and recorder, and would sound good on whistle. Also some of the slow shetland airs, as played on fiddle by Aly Bain.
Tuireadh Ian Ruaidh, a wonderful lament, and Braigh Loch Iall, are also good on the whistle.
# Posted on November 27th 2004 by gummidge
Re: URGENT!!!! PLEASE HELP!!!!!
lonesome boatman?
Vomit! beuurrrghaaghh!
# Posted on November 28th 2004 by Rudall the time
Re: URGENT!!!! PLEASE HELP!!!!!
I've submitted "The Factory Girl" to the tune database.
Trevor
# Posted on November 28th 2004 by Trevor Jennings
Re: URGENT!!!! PLEASE HELP!!!!!
Why not just play your favourite tune slowly, be it jig or reel,or whatever, try,relax and enjoy. (slow airs can be very hard work you know)
# Posted on November 30th 2004 by curlew