The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
Threads here with queries on whistle or fiddle always get a large response with proponents of this make or that of whistle in particular putting forward their case. Queries on other instruments get fewer replies which leads me to assume the obvious: people who look up this site are probably fairly representative of the ITM community as a whole.
We have had arguments (sorry Discussions) before over the hierarchy of instruments in the tradition. But what would you estimate is the ranking in terms of actual instruments played for ITM? For simplicity, I suppose stick to the main instrument that a person chooses to express themselves on:
My guess would be:
(1) whistle
(2) fiddle
(3) flute
(4) guitar?
(5) button box
(6) banjo
(7) bodhrán? - could even be no.1, as thousands are sold every year but do they ever get used!
(8) piano box
(9) pipes
(10) harp
A poll of readers here would be interesting but lord knows you'd set it up. And what use is this? Don't ask me but if you follow the idea of the 'wisdom of crowds', then the wind players probably have it
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
Sorry Bren!, how could I forget the mando's when I've played beside one many a week. Sure, you stick it in!
I don't even know how to answer this as I might say flute but in terms of actual playing time, I play the whistle more as there are several knocking about and it's so simple to pick up and knock out a tune on.
Can it be that those quintessential Irish instruments, pipes and harp are the least commonly played?
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
Fiddle, mandola, whistle, viola, octave mandolin, cello, bass, cuatro, laouta, djembe, bodhran, and banjo in roughly that order of frequency. It's kind of crowded around here.
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
ah Jaysus, are not bazoukis and mandos all the same thing!! them strange things that came in little 'ol Ireland when we started getting fancy and going foreign on our holiers?
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
Trust the crooners to try and get in Don't give them too much space, lads or they'll get the wrong idea and warble on with endless verses whilst yous fidget!!
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
Whistle and melodeon. When trying to learn or compose a tune, I nearly always pick up the whistle first.
Banjoes may get comparatively few questions asked about them because tenor banjoes vary less / are more standardised than some other instruments. Shoot me down, banjoists, if I'm wrong here.
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
so far ..
fiddlers - 6
fluters - 3
banjos - 3
mand/ baz - 3
whistlers - 2
crooner - 1
where's all them whistlers gone - so much for my half baked theory.
Anyway, I'm knocking off work now .. I'm sure yous can figure it out as you go along!
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
Fiddle. Also ocarina, but not at my session (at this point). No real interest in learning to play anything else; I reckon the fiddle'll keep me plenty busy for the next 50 years...
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
The whistle is cheap and like the bodhran seems to have a sort of "how difficult can it really be?" appeal, so I think there are an awful lot of whistle players.
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
a summary of this great scientific quest so far .... I'm only counting the first instrument listed and you can't vote for other people 'cos that would be agin the rules!
so far ..
fiddlers - 14
fluters - 7
banjos - 4
mand/ baz - 4
whistlers - 3
box - 4
harmonica - 2
concertina (oops, sorry forget them also) - 1
pipes - 1
crooner (sorry singers) - 1
bodhrán - 1
So the fiddlers still have it in this 'first past the post' vote. I suppose if we wanted to be super scientific, we could go down the PR route - you know proportional respresentation. Vote in order of use of instrument and then I could figure out some formula to rationalise the answers and come up with the result that suits best!! But I'm sure there's a few more votes in it yet.
But I wonder again where are all the whistlers? Can it be, that the numerous people here who contribute to whistle threads don't actually play it as their 'main' choice. Nothing wrong with that, of course.
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
I can only assume that Saint's for the goat bashing as he was fairly banging on in that thread about the Br****h Isles! But here, I also see there he plays the bouzouki!! Me thinks he speaks with forked tongue.....
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
Strange to say I have never seen anyone playing a harmonica at a session in my life, certainly not as a main instrument. And my early "professional" playing was done on a harmonica, my mate played the whistle, but it was on stage, not at sessions. There was not a lot of Irish music about then.
Loads of people start on a whistle, which is why so many feel qualified to contribute to whistle threads. Even I play the odd tune on a whistle.
To answer the question, my instrument at a purely trad session would be, and this may come as a surprise to many, the bodhran.
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
I will echo what BBliss said -- many people start on whistle but won't claim it as their "main" instrument. I submit that you are either asking a silly question or else using a silly methodology to answer it. Heck, I forgot to mention, I play tin whistle too.
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
Fiddle (1st) and heaven forbid sometimes whistle (even worser) but I've just picked up an old classical geetar from the tip shop that I'm trying to get in tune and a new bodhran. Very occasionally I've been known to jangle tambourine and clap sticks. So watch out if I ever get to a session near you, you're in fer some squeaking, crashing, banging, thumps and yelps. Sorry!
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
b/c button accordion & concertina. i love uillean pipes and fantasize about undertaking them after a few more years of devotion to my current instruments, but i also would love to learn bandoneon (for musette, tango, non-itm musical genres), and both are formidable enough that it would probably have to be one or the other....
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
53 'votes' so far - sorry Crazyfingers, you're down for fiddle. We even have a harp now! Practically one third of us are fiddlers! But that's only 53 out of 30,000 plus members here. Wouldn't it be mildly interesting to see a larger sample? So, please add your weapon of choice if you haven't already done so.
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
The pipes are catching up on the box players! Well, I suppose they both share certain characteristics - a lot of 'noise', sorry wonderful driving, pulsating rhythm Doesn't sound like reality though to me ... obviously far more box players or are there? Perhaps there's loads of pipers out there playing for themselves who don't session with the pipes.... hmm
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
If I listed my last session, starting with myself;
'zouk/english concertina/bodrhan;
SO ( otherwise known as 'Er Indoors);flute/whistle/washboard/jews harp/spoons/ukelele;and then, going round the table;
Jan; mandolin/whistle;
Neil; guitar/whistle/bodrhan/vocals;
Nigel;guitar ( DADGAD) /vocals;
Peter; harmonicas;
Richard; fiddle/mandolin;
Dave; octave mando ( sometimes slide OM )/vocals;
Mary; whistle/vocals/percussion.
And people we sometimes see include a hurdy-gurdy/lowland pipes player, a uillean piper and low whistler, and an english-style box-player.
Not to mention The Racker, purveyor of poetry to the people.
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
Thanks Guernsey Pete, sounds like a good crowd there but lots of stringed instruments? Anyway, can't really add them in - just you on 'zouk. Otherwise where would you stop - I could think of several fluters, add them in and ignore some other group. Not that this is any more valid, but you need some rule.
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
My main is flute.
I reckon that the reaon you're not finding so many whistlers is because, like me, you start on the whistle then progress to something else like flute or pipes. My whistle always comes to session with me along with my flute!
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
Main - GUITAR!!!!
Yippee - I am the first "guitar player" to post on the thread (although others list it as another instrument).
I am plodding on on the whistle and need to start playing it in sessions more or I will never get to a reasonable standard. My bouzouki is a mere 3 ft to my right but it is in the case and has been for the 5 weeks I have been home. My guitars meanwhile are on the bed right behind me. There, just given them a strum!
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
It's seems that there are a lot of whistle players out there but they don't often consider it to be their first instrument! I play the whistle and though I moved on to the pipes after a few years I am definitely a whistle player first. Like yourself, it's so much easier to practice the whistle. Five minutes have passed by the time I'd be strapped into the pipes.
I'd say whislte and fiddle would be the most popular instruments being learned but whistle is more difficult to play well than most people think. Also it's tough enough to be heard among the rest of you!!
I play a few tunes on the piano too. Would love to be better at it. I have a tune on fiddle, banjo and can play in time on the bodhrán.
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
Re your earlier comment, Hussar, I would like more fiddlers in my session too - if you know any going free, send 'em along. Next session Maddens' on Monday 11th.
But what I wrote was what we had last Thursday. Don't discount the pluckers, sometimes they're a mainstay ! And did you notice we had a harmonica-player ?
Brian McNeill has one as a catalyst for a good session in one of his books.
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
i seem to encounter this bodhran guerilla movement at a lot of sessions these days. You'll be pleased to know they're executing their mission very effectively bbliss.
The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
Threads here with queries on whistle or fiddle always get a large response with proponents of this make or that of whistle in particular putting forward their case. Queries on other instruments get fewer replies which leads me to assume the obvious: people who look up this site are probably fairly representative of the ITM community as a whole.
We have had arguments (sorry Discussions) before over the hierarchy of instruments in the tradition. But what would you estimate is the ranking in terms of actual instruments played for ITM? For simplicity, I suppose stick to the main instrument that a person chooses to express themselves on:
My guess would be:
(1) whistle
(2) fiddle
(3) flute
(4) guitar?
(5) button box
(6) banjo
(7) bodhrán? - could even be no.1, as thousands are sold every year but do they ever get used!
(8) piano box
(9) pipes
(10) harp
A poll of readers here would be interesting but lord knows you'd set it up. And what use is this? Don't ask me but if you follow the idea of the 'wisdom of crowds', then the wind players probably have it
# Posted on June 1st 2007 by the wounded hussar
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
Well, I'll start it off then.
Main instrument: Banjo
# Posted on June 1st 2007 by tnoumarap
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
Main: Whistle
# Posted on June 1st 2007 by feardearg
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
Posted by...
# Posted on June 1st 2007 by SWFL Fiddler
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
Main: fiddle
Mary
# Posted on June 1st 2007 by Antikhntr
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
I'm not even on the bottom rung
# Posted on June 1st 2007 by Bren
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
Was guitar. had to change in order to accomodate my massive head......
fiddle
# Posted on June 1st 2007 by session savage
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
Flute
# Posted on June 1st 2007 by NeilC
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
Sorry Bren!, how could I forget the mando's when I've played beside one many a week. Sure, you stick it in!
I don't even know how to answer this as I might say flute but in terms of actual playing time, I play the whistle more as there are several knocking about and it's so simple to pick up and knock out a tune on.
Can it be that those quintessential Irish instruments, pipes and harp are the least commonly played?
# Posted on June 1st 2007 by the wounded hussar
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
er ..........guess
# Posted on June 1st 2007 by bazouki dave and the real tooty flutey
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
Fiddle, mandola, whistle, viola, octave mandolin, cello, bass, cuatro, laouta, djembe, bodhran, and banjo in roughly that order of frequency. It's kind of crowded around here.
# Posted on June 1st 2007 by reenactor
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
flute
# Posted on June 1st 2007 by jasonlburnfield
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
Fiddle; Table-Drumming . .
# Posted on June 1st 2007 by Bridgee Stewart
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
ah Jaysus, are not bazoukis and mandos all the same thing!! them strange things that came in little 'ol Ireland when we started getting fancy and going foreign on our holiers?
# Posted on June 1st 2007 by the wounded hussar
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
On a completely unscientific basis so far, that makes it 8 'stringers' and 4 'blowers'. Hmm, maybe the hands have it ...
# Posted on June 1st 2007 by the wounded hussar
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
which neglects the fact of course, that us 'windies' use both hands and breath and arms and ..... brains.
# Posted on June 1st 2007 by the wounded hussar
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
Mandolin and Tenor Guitar. Would love to add banjo, and octave mandolin, but money doesn't allow at the moment.
# Posted on June 1st 2007 by North Light
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
Banjo - tenor and 5-string, both fighting for the No 1 spot at the moment.
# Posted on June 1st 2007 by copo24
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
fiddle
# Posted on June 1st 2007 by Kheelch
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
my voice and humour
# Posted on June 1st 2007 by Saint
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
Trust the crooners to try and get in
Don't give them too much space, lads or they'll get the wrong idea and warble on with endless verses whilst yous fidget!!
# Posted on June 1st 2007 by the wounded hussar
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
Play tenor banjo and love it!
# Posted on June 1st 2007 by tctelboy
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
Whistle and melodeon. When trying to learn or compose a tune, I nearly always pick up the whistle first.
Banjoes may get comparatively few questions asked about them because tenor banjoes vary less / are more standardised than some other instruments. Shoot me down, banjoists, if I'm wrong here.
# Posted on June 1st 2007 by nicholas
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
so far ..
fiddlers - 6
fluters - 3
banjos - 3
mand/ baz - 3
whistlers - 2
crooner - 1
where's all them whistlers gone - so much for my half baked theory.
Anyway, I'm knocking off work now .. I'm sure yous can figure it out as you go along!
# Posted on June 1st 2007 by the wounded hussar
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
Mandolin here
# Posted on June 1st 2007 by ed veras
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
Bang! That was nicholas getting shot down!
Banjo
# Posted on June 1st 2007 by Backer
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
Box, but where are the concertinas ? (I'm getting one).
# Posted on June 1st 2007 by pennhorse
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
button accordion
# Posted on June 1st 2007 by dinn2
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
The sessions I have been to seem to have whistle, fiddle, button box, and maybe a guitar. The latest one has an excellent bazouki player.
Typically, the really solid player is either the fiddle or the box.
for what it is worth.
# Posted on June 1st 2007 by zippydw
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
Fiddle for me.
No concertina on the original list, and I see them fairly frequently. Wish I could play one!
# Posted on June 1st 2007 by kennedy
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
Fiddle. Also ocarina, but not at my session (at this point). No real interest in learning to play anything else; I reckon the fiddle'll keep me plenty busy for the next 50 years...
# Posted on June 1st 2007 by Tall, Dark, and Mysterious
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
I'm not sayin'
# Posted on June 1st 2007 by Hanley
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
I'll speak for my household. Currently in residence is one fiddler, one box player and one 7 year old whistle player.
# Posted on June 1st 2007 by Splendid Isolation
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
Flute.
Occasionally spoons. (Tastefully occasionally...or perhaps occasionally tastefully.)
# Posted on June 1st 2007 by Tintin
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
Fiddle, mandolin, tenor banjo, guitar
# Posted on June 1st 2007 by crazy_fingerz
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
Can I vote for my favorite concertina player? She never posts here, but she's great. I play with her once a month plus whenever else I can.
Also, I play with a great flautist too weekly, a dear older lady who is terrified of computers and wouldn't know a BBS from the USPS.
# Posted on June 1st 2007 by SWFL Fiddler
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
Flute, whistle, bodhran, in that order.
# Posted on June 1st 2007 by E
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
Harmonica (followed by jew's harp and shakey egg, but I'm only just starting to learn them!).
# Posted on June 1st 2007 by robharper
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
Flute is the main one.
Why leave out Concertinas, Mandolins, Bouzoukis, and Harmonicas?
# Posted on June 1st 2007 by Unseen122
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
Fiddle
and (sorry hussar...I try to contain myself with the super-long ones:-p...) voice
And some shaky egg on the side, or sometimes a shaky banana...
# Posted on June 1st 2007 by possumawesome
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
Fiddle for me.
Then Whistle, Flute, Banjo, Guitar, Concertina, and let's throw in a hammered dulcimer.
# Posted on June 1st 2007 by nofrets
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
Oops - had to duck to avoid the hammered thingy.
fiddle.
BTW What made you think whistle would come 1st ?
# Posted on June 1st 2007 by kuec
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
Harmonica.
(and occasional duck call, which is surprisingly melodic, though rather unremitting as to expression.)
# Posted on June 1st 2007 by Winslow Yerxa
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
The whistle is cheap and like the bodhran seems to have a sort of "how difficult can it really be?" appeal, so I think there are an awful lot of whistle players.
# Posted on June 1st 2007 by crazy_fingerz
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
Mostly flute, often whistle
# Posted on June 1st 2007 by Char B
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
fiddle and box
# Posted on June 1st 2007 by heike
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
Umm...in order from most often played to least I'd say: flute, guitar, and a tie between fiddle and whistle.
# Posted on June 1st 2007 by dannym
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
my drum
# Posted on June 1st 2007 by Saint
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
a summary of this great scientific quest so far .... I'm only counting the first instrument listed and you can't vote for other people 'cos that would be agin the rules!
so far ..
fiddlers - 14
fluters - 7
banjos - 4
mand/ baz - 4
whistlers - 3
box - 4
harmonica - 2
concertina (oops, sorry forget them also) - 1
pipes - 1
crooner (sorry singers) - 1
bodhrán - 1
So the fiddlers still have it in this 'first past the post' vote. I suppose if we wanted to be super scientific, we could go down the PR route - you know proportional respresentation. Vote in order of use of instrument and then I could figure out some formula to rationalise the answers and come up with the result that suits best!! But I'm sure there's a few more votes in it yet.
But I wonder again where are all the whistlers? Can it be, that the numerous people here who contribute to whistle threads don't actually play it as their 'main' choice. Nothing wrong with that, of course.
# Posted on June 1st 2007 by the wounded hussar
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
Here now, Saint voted twice.. bold boy!! Which do you really prefer now ... singing in the shower or bashing that 'ol goat?
# Posted on June 1st 2007 by the wounded hussar
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
Main- fiddle
# Posted on June 1st 2007 by crfiddler
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
I can only assume that Saint's for the goat bashing as he was fairly banging on in that thread about the Br****h Isles! But here, I also see there he plays the bouzouki!! Me thinks he speaks with forked tongue.....
# Posted on June 1st 2007 by the wounded hussar
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
Strange to say I have never seen anyone playing a harmonica at a session in my life, certainly not as a main instrument. And my early "professional" playing was done on a harmonica, my mate played the whistle, but it was on stage, not at sessions. There was not a lot of Irish music about then.
Loads of people start on a whistle, which is why so many feel qualified to contribute to whistle threads. Even I play the odd tune on a whistle.
To answer the question, my instrument at a purely trad session would be, and this may come as a surprise to many, the bodhran.
# Posted on June 1st 2007 by bodhran bliss
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
Tenor banjo. (Staying succinct.)
# Posted on June 1st 2007 by oldstrings
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
Ok I can't sing but i'd love to be able its the bodhran
If you have a second personailty can you have a second vote
# Posted on June 1st 2007 by Saint
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
flute
# Posted on June 1st 2007 by Lingpupa
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
Bazouki
# Posted on June 2nd 2007 by Joneser
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
I will echo what BBliss said -- many people start on whistle but won't claim it as their "main" instrument. I submit that you are either asking a silly question or else using a silly methodology to answer it. Heck, I forgot to mention, I play tin whistle too.
# Posted on June 2nd 2007 by crazy_fingerz
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
Fiddle (1st) and heaven forbid sometimes whistle (even worser) but I've just picked up an old classical geetar from the tip shop that I'm trying to get in tune and a new bodhran. Very occasionally I've been known to jangle tambourine and clap sticks. So watch out if I ever get to a session near you, you're in fer some squeaking, crashing, banging, thumps and yelps. Sorry!
# Posted on June 2nd 2007 by Clear Drops
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
Pipes and flute mainly, working on fiddle and tenor banjo, whistle when necessary.
# Posted on June 2nd 2007 by seisflutes
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
--------Whistle---->
# Posted on June 2nd 2007 by redindygo
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
b/c button accordion & concertina. i love uillean pipes and fantasize about undertaking them after a few more years of devotion to my current instruments, but i also would love to learn bandoneon (for musette, tango, non-itm musical genres), and both are formidable enough that it would probably have to be one or the other....
# Posted on June 2nd 2007 by ceemonster
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
harp & flute
# Posted on June 2nd 2007 by ch14
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
Whistle is what keeps me goin'...
t'would be flute were it not for the pain.
# Posted on June 2nd 2007 by chscott
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
Pipes and whistle.
# Posted on June 2nd 2007 by TheSilverSpear
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
53 'votes' so far - sorry Crazyfingers, you're down for fiddle. We even have a harp now! Practically one third of us are fiddlers! But that's only 53 out of 30,000 plus members here. Wouldn't it be mildly interesting to see a larger sample? So, please add your weapon of choice if you haven't already done so.
A summary to date: Sat morning 12.20
fiddlers - 17
fluters - 8
banjos - 5
mand/ baz - 5
whistlers - 5
box - 5
pipes - 3
harmonica - 2
bodhrán - 2
concertina - 1
harp - 1
# Posted on June 2nd 2007 by the wounded hussar
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
Main: Pipes
also play the kitchin sink
# Posted on June 2nd 2007 by Scrappy the Godo
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
The pipes are catching up on the box players! Well, I suppose they both share certain characteristics - a lot of 'noise', sorry wonderful driving, pulsating rhythm
Doesn't sound like reality though to me ... obviously far more box players or are there? Perhaps there's loads of pipers out there playing for themselves who don't session with the pipes.... hmm
# Posted on June 2nd 2007 by the wounded hussar
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
If I listed my last session, starting with myself;
'zouk/english concertina/bodrhan;
SO ( otherwise known as 'Er Indoors);flute/whistle/washboard/jews harp/spoons/ukelele;and then, going round the table;
Jan; mandolin/whistle;
Neil; guitar/whistle/bodrhan/vocals;
Nigel;guitar ( DADGAD) /vocals;
Peter; harmonicas;
Richard; fiddle/mandolin;
Dave; octave mando ( sometimes slide OM )/vocals;
Mary; whistle/vocals/percussion.
And people we sometimes see include a hurdy-gurdy/lowland pipes player, a uillean piper and low whistler, and an english-style box-player.
Not to mention The Racker, purveyor of poetry to the people.
# Posted on June 2nd 2007 by Guernsey Pete
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
flute and whistle
# Posted on June 2nd 2007 by esjayo
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
Flute for me; whistle and low whistle for a bit of a break.
# Posted on June 2nd 2007 by Greg the Piano Tuner
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
Thanks Guernsey Pete, sounds like a good crowd there but lots of stringed instruments? Anyway, can't really add them in - just you on 'zouk. Otherwise where would you stop - I could think of several fluters, add them in and ignore some other group. Not that this is any more valid, but you need some rule.
# Posted on June 2nd 2007 by the wounded hussar
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
My main is flute.
I reckon that the reaon you're not finding so many whistlers is because, like me, you start on the whistle then progress to something else like flute or pipes. My whistle always comes to session with me along with my flute!
# Posted on June 2nd 2007 by RoisinB
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
Main - GUITAR!!!!
Yippee - I am the first "guitar player" to post on the thread (although others list it as another instrument).
I am plodding on on the whistle and need to start playing it in sessions more or I will never get to a reasonable standard. My bouzouki is a mere 3 ft to my right but it is in the case and has been for the 5 weeks I have been home. My guitars meanwhile are on the bed right behind me. There, just given them a strum!
# Posted on June 2nd 2007 by No Cause For Alarm
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
Flute and Whistle
# Posted on June 2nd 2007 by Matt_Celta
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
A summary to date: Sat even. 9.30
fiddlers - 17
fluters - 12
banjos - 5
mand/ baz - 6
whistlers - 5
box - 5
pipes - 4
harmonica - 2
bodhrán - 2
concertina - 1
harp - 1
guitar - 1
the fluters are catching up!
# Posted on June 2nd 2007 by the wounded hussar
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
It's seems that there are a lot of whistle players out there but they don't often consider it to be their first instrument! I play the whistle and though I moved on to the pipes after a few years I am definitely a whistle player first. Like yourself, it's so much easier to practice the whistle. Five minutes have passed by the time I'd be strapped into the pipes.
I'd say whislte and fiddle would be the most popular instruments being learned but whistle is more difficult to play well than most people think. Also it's tough enough to be heard among the rest of you!!
I play a few tunes on the piano too. Would love to be better at it. I have a tune on fiddle, banjo and can play in time on the bodhrán.
# Posted on June 2nd 2007 by ceolcraic
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
1) Flute
2) Whistle
?) Hopefully harp, by the end of this year.
# Posted on June 3rd 2007 by wormdiet
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
Fiddle
Guitar is my 'first' instrument but I play more fiddle in sessions
# Posted on June 3rd 2007 by Donough
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
Flute
Whistle
Pipes
...in that order. But mainly flute.
# Posted on June 3rd 2007 by s.g.
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
Yay go flutes!
# Posted on June 3rd 2007 by RoisinB
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
(we're catching up coz we're obviously the coolest gang on the block hehe)
# Posted on June 3rd 2007 by RoisinB
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
flute but there are lots of fidlle players round here
# Posted on June 3rd 2007 by mehere
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
never seen a fidlle, make that fiddle players
# Posted on June 3rd 2007 by mehere
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
1: Fiddle
2: Mandolin
3: Whistle (sometimes low D, dunno if that counts as a separate instrument)
4: Bodhrán
Also, outside of the folk world (it does exist):
1: Trumpet
2: Electric guitar
3: Bass guitar
4: Kazoo
So fiddle, in other words.
# Posted on June 3rd 2007 by Joe CSS
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
to date: sun even: 67 replies
hmm. that's roughly proportioned: 30% bowed - fiddle, 30% wind - flute& whistle, 15% pluckers/ strummers, 8% button pushers + others.
fiddlers - 19
fluters - 15
banjos - 5
mand/ baz - 6
whistlers - 6
box - 5
pipes - 4
harmonica - 2
bodhrán - 2
concertina - 1
harp - 1
guitar - 1
# Posted on June 3rd 2007 by the wounded hussar
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
Re your earlier comment, Hussar, I would like more fiddlers in my session too - if you know any going free, send 'em along. Next session Maddens' on Monday 11th.
But what I wrote was what we had last Thursday. Don't discount the pluckers, sometimes they're a mainstay ! And did you notice we had a harmonica-player ?
Brian McNeill has one as a catalyst for a good session in one of his books.
# Posted on June 3rd 2007 by Guernsey Pete
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
All this thread has achieved is to drive bodhran players underground, where they will form a guerilla movement, to wreck revenge on YOUR session.
# Posted on June 4th 2007 by bodhran bliss
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
Mostly whistle and harp at the moment.
Guitar and psaltery in a previous life.
Dick S.
# Posted on June 4th 2007 by seabrook
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
Mandolin here, but not very good at it! Working on it though.
# Posted on June 4th 2007 by lestow
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
That's OK Bliss, there's always one and sometimes two bodhrans where I play
# Posted on June 4th 2007 by the wounded hussar
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
i seem to encounter this bodhran guerilla movement at a lot of sessions these days. You'll be pleased to know they're executing their mission very effectively bbliss.
# Posted on June 4th 2007 by Bren
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
Bass guitar, Flute (boehm), Flute (keyless).
# Posted on June 5th 2007 by Forensicman
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
Harp.
Formerly bodhran, mandolin, mandola. Oh, yes ... and because this is Irish traditional music I have a shakey potato (top row center on the left: http://www.atlantapropercussion.com/DOTWpages/catalogpages/remowwperc1.html ) but I don't play it in public.
# Posted on June 6th 2007 by Tracie
Re: The wisdom of crowds - What instrument do you play?
Fiddle.
# Posted on July 24th 2007 by Jessie K