My wife would like to take up the Irish tin whistle. She is a former flute player and plays the piano fairly well. Could you suggest a good learning book and CD?
I've heard good things about Cathal McConnell's tutor, and L.E. McCullough's book and cd come highly recommended. There are also several great web site tutorials--I particularly like Brother Steve's at www.rogermillington.com/siamsa/brosteve/
But even more important in my humble (or is that humiliating?) experience is a good whistle. I messed around with Generations, Oaks, Feadogs, and such, but I never enjoyed it and made progress until I bought a Tony Dixon plastic D. For about $30 you save yourself all that misery of trying to find an $8 whistle that actually works, and the Dixon is tuneable, so you can play with other people as soon as you're ready. Intonation and tone are great, and volume is adequate for smallish sessions. Also, the whistle is comfortable on the hands as well as on the lips, and fairly resistant to clogging compared to metal whistles. All in all, a terrific value and very rewarding for someone just starting out.
The biggest help to me in learning whistle has been to have access to a good whistle player who can help me over the occasional technique hurdle. Ask at your local session to find someone who'll give lessons or at least advice now and then.
yes, will is right: find if you can a real live person to help shepherd you/your wife in the way of the whistle and irish trad music in general. now, as far as tutorial books, in addition to the ones already mentioned, i've found Gerldine Cotter's 'traditional irish tin whistle tutor' very helpful. be sure to get the companion CD. good luck and welcome to the fold!
I'd actually by a meg that was just put out by Clarke's, it's extremely inexpensive and the one's I have played have kept a great tune. They can be made tunable (with a little boiling water). I have always found lesson's on any instrument to be sub par. Why spend money on someone telling you to practice and listening to you practice. You can't go really wrong on the whistle, it's no oboe. I say just get some fingering charts and go at it. It's like any other instrument, only a lot easier. The Sweetone is a very good one as well. check out chiffandfipple.com
Thanks all. I've checked out both of the web sites suggested (from the links section of this site.)
Although I haven't done a completely exhaustive search, there isn't a regular session within hundreds of miles from where I live in Logan, Utah. So I look to books and recordings.
Will, you play fiddle, piano, harmonica, drums, 5-string banjo, guitar, mandolin, AND whistle? Sheesh!
And all this time I thought Michael Coleman was a fiddler!
It's not every day that I get a chance to disagree with the legendary Michael Coleman so I have to take this opportunity. Actually, I probably more agree with what he said above about lessons on whistle--I'm learning mostly on my own, and whistle is not all that difficult (compared to fiddle, say), so a teacher is not absolutely necessary.
But a good teacher does so much more than just "listen to you practice." A good teacher helps you find your own approach to the music, helps you think about it in ways that might otherwise not occur to you, helps unravel some of the mysteries of advanced techniques, and shows you how to teach yourself without having to reinvent the wheel.
I've seen too many "self-taught" musicians struggle for years and years to discover and polish ideas and skills that are common knowledge among experienced players--a teacher can save you huge amounts of time by systematically exposing you to the concepts and skills you need when you're ready for them. And a good teacher leaves plenty of room for individual exploration, so you still get to follow your own path, get lost (it builds character), make mistakes (which teach more than your successes do), and develop your own relationship to your instrument and the music.
Troy, yes, there's no limit to the number of instruments I can play badly *grin* General ineptitude is a great enabler--if I have no hope of being truly good on any one instrument, I can at least enjoy dabbling in all of them....
Zina, I bought my Dixons through the Whistle Shop at www.thewhistleshop.com. Even Tony recommends this for US customers because the shipping costs are so much less than directly through him. You can order online, and the Dixons are almost always in stock, so it takes about a week. I bought soprano Ds for my sons for Christmas, and I'm very impressed with how consistent the quality is--among my three Dixon Ds, I cannot tell them apart, and they all sound great. Even though I now own several higher-end, more expensive whistles, I still really enjoy playing the Dixon, and it's my first and only choice when I take a whistle on a hike, in the car, etc. Dixon Bbs are also wonderful--terrific, fat, sweet tone, spot-on intonation, and decent volume. And still not at all pricey.
(Here's the requisite waiver--I'm just a happy Dixon owner and fan, and no one compensates me for recommending Dixon or the Whistle Shop. These are just my personal, inexpert opinions...take 'em for what its worth.)
It is quite funny that my great uncle would play the fiddle I would play the Irish flute and the tin whistle. I agree with some of the comments, but in my experience the beginning portion of lessons is just teaching logistics that can be picked up through learning on your own. This has been my experience with lessons on the french horn, saxophone, piano, guitar and bagpipe. The style that WIll alluded to can be gained not from some hired teacher, but even through listening to countless players who have amazing style of there own. Listening is the greatest key to learning your instrument, but it's in listening to these players that you will develop your own style. As great as my great uncle was, I do not want his style, I want something original to bring to the music.
Hi, one more comment. Instead of a learning book and Cd she could go for the lessons from Scoiltrad (www.scoiltrad.com), they recently launched a complete beginners course for the whistle and this is more like learning with a teacher but at the pace you intend to. I really like it and Conal O
Hi Troy, Drop me a line at uilleann_craic at yahoo.com and I can fill you in on the local happenings. I've been playing whistle and low whistle here for about three and a half years now, though my recent sickness has involved the uilleann pipes among other instruments. I'll do my best to give you all the info I can.
Learning the Whistle
Learning the Whistle
My wife would like to take up the Irish tin whistle. She is a former flute player and plays the piano fairly well. Could you suggest a good learning book and CD?
-Troy
# Posted on January 3rd 2003 by RTP
Re: Learning the Whistle
I've heard good things about Cathal McConnell's tutor, and L.E. McCullough's book and cd come highly recommended. There are also several great web site tutorials--I particularly like Brother Steve's at www.rogermillington.com/siamsa/brosteve/
But even more important in my humble (or is that humiliating?) experience is a good whistle. I messed around with Generations, Oaks, Feadogs, and such, but I never enjoyed it and made progress until I bought a Tony Dixon plastic D. For about $30 you save yourself all that misery of trying to find an $8 whistle that actually works, and the Dixon is tuneable, so you can play with other people as soon as you're ready. Intonation and tone are great, and volume is adequate for smallish sessions. Also, the whistle is comfortable on the hands as well as on the lips, and fairly resistant to clogging compared to metal whistles. All in all, a terrific value and very rewarding for someone just starting out.
The biggest help to me in learning whistle has been to have access to a good whistle player who can help me over the occasional technique hurdle. Ask at your local session to find someone who'll give lessons or at least advice now and then.
# Posted on January 3rd 2003 by Will Harmon
Re: Learning the Whistle
yes, will is right: find if you can a real live person to help shepherd you/your wife in the way of the whistle and irish trad music in general. now, as far as tutorial books, in addition to the ones already mentioned, i've found Gerldine Cotter's 'traditional irish tin whistle tutor' very helpful. be sure to get the companion CD. good luck and welcome to the fold!
# Posted on January 3rd 2003 by Brendan
Re: Learning the Whistle
I'd actually by a meg that was just put out by Clarke's, it's extremely inexpensive and the one's I have played have kept a great tune. They can be made tunable (with a little boiling water). I have always found lesson's on any instrument to be sub par. Why spend money on someone telling you to practice and listening to you practice. You can't go really wrong on the whistle, it's no oboe. I say just get some fingering charts and go at it. It's like any other instrument, only a lot easier. The Sweetone is a very good one as well. check out chiffandfipple.com
# Posted on January 3rd 2003 by michael_coleman
Re: Learning the Whistle
Thanks all. I've checked out both of the web sites suggested (from the links section of this site.)
Although I haven't done a completely exhaustive search, there isn't a regular session within hundreds of miles from where I live in Logan, Utah. So I look to books and recordings.
Will, you play fiddle, piano, harmonica, drums, 5-string banjo, guitar, mandolin, AND whistle? Sheesh!
And all this time I thought Michael Coleman was a fiddler!
-Troy
# Posted on January 3rd 2003 by RTP
Re: Learning the Whistle
Will, did you get the Tony Dixon from himself off the website, or somewhere else? I've been thinking of getting one for my husband.
Zina
# Posted on January 4th 2003 by Zina Lee
Re: Learning the Whistle
It's not every day that I get a chance to disagree with the legendary Michael Coleman
so I have to take this opportunity. Actually, I probably more agree with what he said above about lessons on whistle--I'm learning mostly on my own, and whistle is not all that difficult (compared to fiddle, say), so a teacher is not absolutely necessary.
But a good teacher does so much more than just "listen to you practice." A good teacher helps you find your own approach to the music, helps you think about it in ways that might otherwise not occur to you, helps unravel some of the mysteries of advanced techniques, and shows you how to teach yourself without having to reinvent the wheel.
I've seen too many "self-taught" musicians struggle for years and years to discover and polish ideas and skills that are common knowledge among experienced players--a teacher can save you huge amounts of time by systematically exposing you to the concepts and skills you need when you're ready for them. And a good teacher leaves plenty of room for individual exploration, so you still get to follow your own path, get lost (it builds character), make mistakes (which teach more than your successes do), and develop your own relationship to your instrument and the music.
Troy, yes, there's no limit to the number of instruments I can play badly *grin* General ineptitude is a great enabler--if I have no hope of being truly good on any one instrument, I can at least enjoy dabbling in all of them....
# Posted on January 4th 2003 by Will Harmon
Zina, I bought my Dixons through the Whistle Shop at www.thewhistleshop.com. Even Tony recommends this for US customers because the shipping costs are so much less than directly through him. You can order online, and the Dixons are almost always in stock, so it takes about a week. I bought soprano Ds for my sons for Christmas, and I'm very impressed with how consistent the quality is--among my three Dixon Ds, I cannot tell them apart, and they all sound great. Even though I now own several higher-end, more expensive whistles, I still really enjoy playing the Dixon, and it's my first and only choice when I take a whistle on a hike, in the car, etc. Dixon Bbs are also wonderful--terrific, fat, sweet tone, spot-on intonation, and decent volume. And still not at all pricey.
(Here's the requisite waiver--I'm just a happy Dixon owner and fan, and no one compensates me for recommending Dixon or the Whistle Shop. These are just my personal, inexpert opinions...take 'em for what its worth.)
Happy whistle hunting!
# Posted on January 4th 2003 by Will Harmon
Re: Learning the Whistle
There's a CD ROM tutorial (including videos!) for Tin Whistle by Brian Finnegan which can be found at http://www.madfortrad.com -worth checking out.
# Posted on January 4th 2003 by Concertina Player
Re: Learning the Whistle
It is quite funny that my great uncle would play the fiddle I would play the Irish flute and the tin whistle. I agree with some of the comments, but in my experience the beginning portion of lessons is just teaching logistics that can be picked up through learning on your own. This has been my experience with lessons on the french horn, saxophone, piano, guitar and bagpipe. The style that WIll alluded to can be gained not from some hired teacher, but even through listening to countless players who have amazing style of there own. Listening is the greatest key to learning your instrument, but it's in listening to these players that you will develop your own style. As great as my great uncle was, I do not want his style, I want something original to bring to the music.
# Posted on January 6th 2003 by michael_coleman
Re: Learning the Whistle
Hi, one more comment. Instead of a learning book and Cd she could go for the lessons from Scoiltrad (www.scoiltrad.com), they recently launched a complete beginners course for the whistle and this is more like learning with a teacher but at the pace you intend to. I really like it and Conal O
# Posted on January 7th 2003 by drdagmar
Re: Learning the Whistle
Hi Troy, Drop me a line at uilleann_craic at yahoo.com and I can fill you in on the local happenings. I've been playing whistle and low whistle here for about three and a half years now, though my recent sickness has involved the uilleann pipes among other instruments. I'll do my best to give you all the info I can.
Brian~
# Posted on February 3rd 2003 by uilleann_craic