I'd like to get a book for learning the tin whistle to improve my technique. Now I don't want to waste my money and time on crappy books. What books do you guys reccommend? I was thinking about The Complete Irish Tinwhistle Tutor, or maybe The Clarke Tin Whistle Handbook.
Geraldine Cotter's Traditional Irish Tin Whistle Tutor.
It's thorough, right-on and has a really good tune collection too. Do your utmost to get the accompanying CD of the 100 tunes. Actually I bought it as a tune resource, as my cat doesn't let me practice the whistle. (I can listen to the CD with headphones, and that seems to stop her from hearing it, though she can hear the sound of a knife going through butter.)
Dear Celtic Lass,
I second the motion for Geraldine Cotter's book, and it is very clear to read. You can mute a whistle by inserting a small strip of paper say 3-4cm long folded in half crosswise, . You tuck one side carefully down the block/sound edge,and move the angle a little to get the required decrease in volume.
My family tolerate it after a friend showed me how to use it, but it is definiltely not satisfying to play, although good for practice. However your cat may be less tolerant than my family.
It's not my cat's intolerance that's the problem - it's her overwhelming adoration of the sound. As I once wrote before, she will come bounding up, onto the whistle-player's lap, and attempt to get the bottom end of the whistle up her nose, which is better than trying to get the mouth end up her bottom, but it still makes it hard to play.
I tried the muting tricks, but all they seem to do is reduce the range from which she is called by the sound from 30, 40 yards or more (when we lived in the countryside) to about one or two rooms away. I can cut it down that far if I don't put the end into my mouth, just press it against my chin and blow in the direction of the "blade", to be left with a faint, slightly tonal hiss. I assume it's high, even ultrasonic frequencies she is reacting to.
The flute doesn't have the same effect; she likes it, especially tunes with a lot of high notes, but only to the extent that she will come and sit nearby, not that she will try to melt corporeally into the source of the music.
Awwww. My cat tolerates the fiddling well enough, but when she first saw a trombone, she had to chase the moving bit back and forth, dancing and pawing at the instrument under the player's nose. This soon put an end to trombone playing in the house.
To comment on topic for a moment (outrageous!),Sarah, what about Grey Larsen's tome "The Essential Guide to Irish Flute and Tin Whistle". It is a pricey book, but at 480 pages, you will never need another technical guide. As a fiddler, I studied the chapters on ornamentation and the author's general comments on musicality, and learned a lot. My tinwhistle-playing friends say the technical instructions for tinwhistle are equally useful, especially if you've already been playing for awhile.
I don't Know Much about books/tutorials. but in my opinion the best way to improve technique is to play with others, ask their advice.
regarding ornamentation, a book can olny take you so far, you have to hear the real thing and get used to adding it into tunes. Ask others axactly how to do rolls and cuts....
dont think that there is gonna be this 'magic book' that will solve all the problems with your playing, you must keep trying different things to improve.... good luck!
btw if your not already a member, join your local ceoltas....
My favorite book is Grey Larsen's Book. If your just interested in learning tin whistle then the Essential Tin Whistle Toolbox is good. I also have the Essential Guide to Irish Flute and Tin Whistle which has alot of detail about many aspects of Irish music, not just tin whistle and flute. They are both great books.
Now does Geraldine Cotter's Traditional Irish Tin Whistle Tutor cover info on other keys of whistle besides D? I've seen some books where they are just teaching you how to play in D, and not much if any info on the other keys.
saxwhistle-I'd love to join a session some time and meet other whistlers, but there are a couple of problems. 1) The only session I know of so far here in Maine is in Portland, which is quite a distance for me. 2) The sesssion is in a pub, and I'm under 21. :(
OT- Isn't that weird how cats like music? One of my three cats just loves it when I'm playing the fiddle or the whistle. Why do you suppose is the reason for why they like it so much?
tin whistles are generally only played in two keys: the home key, and the key which is a 4th up. so if you have a D whistle, that means you can play in D (with f- and c-sharps) or G (with f-sharp and a c-natural). if you want to play in c, you must get a C whistle which will play in C and F (with a b-flat). you could get a G whistle as well, but they are not very common.
if you ever get skilled enough or feel so inclined, you can also play in a key a fifth up if you learn to half hole, which would mean the key of A (c- f- and g-sharps) on a D whistle.
do you have many cd's with irish music? a book with an accompanying cd is not enough; a major part of learning to play is listening to so many tunes that they bounce around your head without your permission. a lovely cd i would recommend is kitty lie over (http://www.kittylieover.com/ kit ) which is primarily bagpipe and fiddle but has some great whistle playing on it. be warned that they are in a flat key, so if you learn the tunes by ear you will have to transpose them (either in your head or with software).
if you want something you can learn tunes by ear from right off the bat, i would definitely recommend speed 78 (http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/mikerafferty). the tunes are nice and slow and played brilliantly. if you are not learning tunes by ear yet, give it a try, take the plunge, you won't look back and this is a great place to start.
I have about 2 dozen celtic cds, most of them are Irish. I have one of Green Linnet's Celtophile cds with just the flute and whistle (which has artists like Jonnie Madden, Frankie Kennedy, etc.).
Hello, this is not on the whistle book topic but is in response to the muting/noise part of the discussion, hope that's OK! I just wanted to write because there is a really great new Generation whistle designed for home practise, it's SO quiet, if you have neighbours/flatmates/kids asleep etc etc it's really handy. You can get it from the big whistle shop for about £10. It takes practically no breath so is a very different playing experience but really useful for home tootling. It's called a 'Shush'.
Not a book, but have you checked out the (rather new) website dedicated to teaching/learning the wlhistle called "Whistle This !"? It's been up about a year. They add a new tune every other week, complete with sheet music and samples of mentors playing. All "members" are invited to learn the tune and send in their rendition of it for comments/critiques by other members. Very supportive group.
Recently added to the site is a video series tutorial on how to play the whistle from absolute beginner status. Very well done.
Whistle books
Whistle books
I'd like to get a book for learning the tin whistle to improve my technique. Now I don't want to waste my money and time on crappy books. What books do you guys reccommend? I was thinking about The Complete Irish Tinwhistle Tutor, or maybe The Clarke Tin Whistle Handbook.
Sara
# Posted on February 20th 2007 by Celtic Lass
Re: Whistle books
Geraldine Cotter's Traditional Irish Tin Whistle Tutor.
It's thorough, right-on and has a really good tune collection too. Do your utmost to get the accompanying CD of the 100 tunes. Actually I bought it as a tune resource, as my cat doesn't let me practice the whistle. (I can listen to the CD with headphones, and that seems to stop her from hearing it, though she can hear the sound of a knife going through butter.)
# Posted on February 20th 2007 by Lingpupa
Re: Whistle books
Dear Celtic Lass,
I second the motion for Geraldine Cotter's book, and it is very clear to read. You can mute a whistle by inserting a small strip of paper say 3-4cm long folded in half crosswise, . You tuck one side carefully down the block/sound edge,and move the angle a little to get the required decrease in volume.
My family tolerate it after a friend showed me how to use it, but it is definiltely not satisfying to play, although good for practice. However your cat may be less tolerant than my family.
# Posted on February 20th 2007 by mrs.b
Re: Whistle books
It's not my cat's intolerance that's the problem - it's her overwhelming adoration of the sound. As I once wrote before, she will come bounding up, onto the whistle-player's lap, and attempt to get the bottom end of the whistle up her nose, which is better than trying to get the mouth end up her bottom, but it still makes it hard to play.
I tried the muting tricks, but all they seem to do is reduce the range from which she is called by the sound from 30, 40 yards or more (when we lived in the countryside) to about one or two rooms away. I can cut it down that far if I don't put the end into my mouth, just press it against my chin and blow in the direction of the "blade", to be left with a faint, slightly tonal hiss. I assume it's high, even ultrasonic frequencies she is reacting to.
The flute doesn't have the same effect; she likes it, especially tunes with a lot of high notes, but only to the extent that she will come and sit nearby, not that she will try to melt corporeally into the source of the music.
# Posted on February 20th 2007 by Lingpupa
Re: Whistle books
Why not lock the fleabag in the garage / garden shed / another room?
# Posted on February 20th 2007 by nicholas
Re: Whistle books
Because I love her
# Posted on February 20th 2007 by Lingpupa
Re: Whistle books
Awwww. My cat tolerates the fiddling well enough, but when she first saw a trombone, she had to chase the moving bit back and forth, dancing and pawing at the instrument under the player's nose. This soon put an end to trombone playing in the house.
# Posted on February 20th 2007 by treecipitation
Re: Whistle books
To comment on topic for a moment (outrageous!),Sarah, what about Grey Larsen's tome "The Essential Guide to Irish Flute and Tin Whistle". It is a pricey book, but at 480 pages, you will never need another technical guide. As a fiddler, I studied the chapters on ornamentation and the author's general comments on musicality, and learned a lot. My tinwhistle-playing friends say the technical instructions for tinwhistle are equally useful, especially if you've already been playing for awhile.
# Posted on February 20th 2007 by treecipitation
Re: Whistle books
I've got the Essential Whistle Toolbox, also by Gray Larsen, and its great. Also its not as big, or pricey!
# Posted on February 20th 2007 by whistlers brother
Re: Whistle books
I don't Know Much about books/tutorials. but in my opinion the best way to improve technique is to play with others, ask their advice.
regarding ornamentation, a book can olny take you so far, you have to hear the real thing and get used to adding it into tunes. Ask others axactly how to do rolls and cuts....
dont think that there is gonna be this 'magic book' that will solve all the problems with your playing, you must keep trying different things to improve.... good luck!
btw if your not already a member, join your local ceoltas....
# Posted on February 21st 2007 by saxwhistle
Re: Whistle books
My favorite book is Grey Larsen's Book. If your just interested in learning tin whistle then the Essential Tin Whistle Toolbox is good. I also have the Essential Guide to Irish Flute and Tin Whistle which has alot of detail about many aspects of Irish music, not just tin whistle and flute. They are both great books.
Richard
# Posted on February 21st 2007 by sharkbat
Re: Whistle books
Now does Geraldine Cotter's Traditional Irish Tin Whistle Tutor cover info on other keys of whistle besides D? I've seen some books where they are just teaching you how to play in D, and not much if any info on the other keys.
saxwhistle-I'd love to join a session some time and meet other whistlers, but there are a couple of problems. 1) The only session I know of so far here in Maine is in Portland, which is quite a distance for me. 2) The sesssion is in a pub, and I'm under 21. :(
OT- Isn't that weird how cats like music? One of my three cats just loves it when I'm playing the fiddle or the whistle. Why do you suppose is the reason for why they like it so much?
Sara
# Posted on February 21st 2007 by Celtic Lass
Re: Whistle books
None of these books are any good at all, I've read all of them and still can't play the whistle.
# Posted on February 21st 2007 by mcknowall
Re: Whistle books
tin whistles are generally only played in two keys: the home key, and the key which is a 4th up. so if you have a D whistle, that means you can play in D (with f- and c-sharps) or G (with f-sharp and a c-natural). if you want to play in c, you must get a C whistle which will play in C and F (with a b-flat). you could get a G whistle as well, but they are not very common.
if you ever get skilled enough or feel so inclined, you can also play in a key a fifth up if you learn to half hole, which would mean the key of A (c- f- and g-sharps) on a D whistle.
do you have many cd's with irish music? a book with an accompanying cd is not enough; a major part of learning to play is listening to so many tunes that they bounce around your head without your permission. a lovely cd i would recommend is kitty lie over (http://www.kittylieover.com/ kit ) which is primarily bagpipe and fiddle but has some great whistle playing on it. be warned that they are in a flat key, so if you learn the tunes by ear you will have to transpose them (either in your head or with software).
if you want something you can learn tunes by ear from right off the bat, i would definitely recommend speed 78 (http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/mikerafferty). the tunes are nice and slow and played brilliantly. if you are not learning tunes by ear yet, give it a try, take the plunge, you won't look back and this is a great place to start.
if you're into whistle music there's a heap-whole lot of recommendations on this thread: http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/4427/comments .
# Posted on February 21st 2007 by daiv
Re: Whistle books
I have about 2 dozen celtic cds, most of them are Irish. I have one of Green Linnet's Celtophile cds with just the flute and whistle (which has artists like Jonnie Madden, Frankie Kennedy, etc.).
Sara
# Posted on February 21st 2007 by Celtic Lass
Re: Whistle books
Hello, this is not on the whistle book topic but is in response to the muting/noise part of the discussion, hope that's OK! I just wanted to write because there is a really great new Generation whistle designed for home practise, it's SO quiet, if you have neighbours/flatmates/kids asleep etc etc it's really handy. You can get it from the big whistle shop for about £10. It takes practically no breath so is a very different playing experience but really useful for home tootling. It's called a 'Shush'.
# Posted on February 22nd 2007 by Pollyanna
Re: Whistle books
Not a book, but have you checked out the (rather new) website dedicated to teaching/learning the wlhistle called "Whistle This !"? It's been up about a year. They add a new tune every other week, complete with sheet music and samples of mentors playing. All "members" are invited to learn the tune and send in their rendition of it for comments/critiques by other members. Very supportive group.
Recently added to the site is a video series tutorial on how to play the whistle from absolute beginner status. Very well done.
the url is: www.whistlethis.com
# Posted on February 25th 2007 by Dianeg