He's been learning the ol' "Britches..." polka. He wanted to learn another tune, so I asked him if there's a tune he hears me play that he likes, he started singing the College Groves. I think it's good that he has an interest, it'll be a big bite for him & I told him it has 4 parts & will be tons of work.
He's more comfortable with his recorder, but he can play flute too - but it's a bit big for him still, I'm trying to convince him the merits of the humble tinwhistle over the recorder - maybe he'll turn around after he starts to learn his next tune.
You just can't beat comhaltas for youngsters. They learn tunes and meet other children who are all playing tunes.
Music gives our young ones a boost in life! A lift of confidence.
If he wants to play the flute, then he should go with it. It won't do him any harm to struggle a bit, and I understand that children do get bigger if you soak them in oxygen for an extended period of time. He'll grow into it.
tell him you can teach him college groves if he plays it on the whistle. then tell him if he wants he can put it back on the recorder. i forget which tune it was, but the first tune noel hill's mother taught him when he was 11 was harder than that.
Have to disagree with that - teling the kid "you have to learn the whistle" is a great way to make him not want to play them on the whistle. If he wants to play it on the recorder, that's fine. Later on, after he's got some tunes down, he might figure out that the recorder isn't the best thing for this music, but then he'll have grown into the flute, and it'll all work out.
I'm going to let him try it on both & see what he thinks - it's up to him anyway. There's some fingerings on the recorder that don't crossover to the whistle & flute , esp the high d & that's a really important note. I've already offered him the advantages & disadvantages of each instrument.
No harm in telling him what you think, as long as he gets to decide. The fingerings on the whistle aren't so difficult that he'll have any trouble picking it up when that's what he wants to play.
"There's some fingerings on the recorder that don't crossover to the whistle & flute , esp the high d & that's a really important note."
Not for Irish music it isn't - most Irish tunes go no higher than B.
The crossover won't be an issue with the high D: the flute/whistle fingering is much easier and he should pick it up immediately (though the whistle will shriek compared with the recorder). Crossover might be more of an issue with the high B. On a recorder it's easy to produce with a good tone and in tune. Same goes for Boehm flutes. For conical-bore flutes the intonation can be slightly off, and for cheap whistles both tone and intonation for that note are usually foul. If he's learned to play "The Old Grey Cat" on the recorder he will not appreciate being expected to do it on a basic whistle.
If you're trying to teach a very small kid the flute, it might be an idea to get a pro teacher to help him not hurt himself.
I like Jon and c.j.s comments. What we think of difficult tunes or instruments as adults mean little to kids. To a kid, typically, and instrument is an instrument. This is true of anything artistic. My 14-year-old neice is a brilliant ballerina and well on her way to becoming a professional. She insisted on balet as a 6-year-old although others were suggesting she do something easier as far as dance goes. To her, balet was simply what she wanted to do. Not that I'm equating balet with ITM, but my point is, to children, difficulty means much less than it does to adults.
Haha guys, I noticed my typo after I submitted the discussion - no changing it now.
Brendan is 10 & has been on & off again with learning music since he was born. Mostly off, we started him on fiddle, but it didn't take - then he took some time off. In the US most schools teach music to 8-10 yr olds with the recorder. He already had the basics of holding a whistle down, so he was ahead of his classes curve on the recorder. it gave him a bit of confidence & I heard him try to work out the first few measures of a few tunes, the tunes he was picking were less common & in 'fiddley' keys of C or A with lots of the melody below D. I know, I know - they *can* be transposed or reworked, but I figured I'd give him something more mainstream so he can play the tune with almost anyone who's willing to. So then I taught him "The Britches..." polka.
I thought back to my own childhood & I liked to play things that I liked & knew by heart. So I threw the ball in his court & asked him to sing the tune he wanted to learn next. It was the College Groves, it's not a specifically hard tune, but it does have four parts. I told him he could learn two other two part tunes in the time it will take him to learn that one. He mulled it over & stuck with his guns.
So far he's got the 1st part memorized & we'll see how it goes from there.
You can get him an entry level flute in D with offset, ergonomic, hole placement for smaller hands by makers such as Doug Tipple (PVC flutes, $100 +/-) or Casey Burns (Mopane Folk Flute, $375 +/-). Or start him on an F Flute for easier reach.
My sons interested in playing tunes
My sons interested in playing tunes
He's been learning the ol' "Britches..." polka. He wanted to learn another tune, so I asked him if there's a tune he hears me play that he likes, he started singing the College Groves. I think it's good that he has an interest, it'll be a big bite for him & I told him it has 4 parts & will be tons of work.
He's more comfortable with his recorder, but he can play flute too - but it's a bit big for him still, I'm trying to convince him the merits of the humble tinwhistle over the recorder - maybe he'll turn around after he starts to learn his next tune.
# Posted on September 24th 2011 by B Rad
Re: My sons interested in playing tunes
age?
# Posted on September 24th 2011 by Rudall the time
Re: My sons interested in playing tunes
You just can't beat comhaltas for youngsters. They learn tunes and meet other children who are all playing tunes.
Music gives our young ones a boost in life! A lift of confidence.
# Posted on September 24th 2011 by Renée Adorée
Re: My sons interested in playing tunes
I'm sorry to hear that. Thank God there's still time though to turn him away from this dark road!
# Posted on September 24th 2011 by shanty
Re: My sons interested in playing tunes
If he wants to play the flute, then he should go with it. It won't do him any harm to struggle a bit, and I understand that children do get bigger if you soak them in oxygen for an extended period of time. He'll grow into it.
# Posted on September 24th 2011 by Jon Kiparsky
Re: My sons interested in playing tunes
Don't give him easy tunes. Give him ones he likes!
# Posted on September 24th 2011 by c.g.
Re: My sons interested in playing tunes
Good for him!!!
# Posted on September 24th 2011 by AlBrown
Re: My sons interested in playing tunes
tell him you can teach him college groves if he plays it on the whistle. then tell him if he wants he can put it back on the recorder. i forget which tune it was, but the first tune noel hill's mother taught him when he was 11 was harder than that.
# Posted on September 24th 2011 by daiv
Re: My sons interested in playing tunes
Have to disagree with that - teling the kid "you have to learn the whistle" is a great way to make him not want to play them on the whistle. If he wants to play it on the recorder, that's fine. Later on, after he's got some tunes down, he might figure out that the recorder isn't the best thing for this music, but then he'll have grown into the flute, and it'll all work out.
# Posted on September 24th 2011 by Jon Kiparsky
Re: My sons interested in playing tunes
I'm going to let him try it on both & see what he thinks - it's up to him anyway. There's some fingerings on the recorder that don't crossover to the whistle & flute , esp the high d & that's a really important note. I've already offered him the advantages & disadvantages of each instrument.
# Posted on September 25th 2011 by B Rad
Re: My sons interested in playing tunes
No harm in telling him what you think, as long as he gets to decide. The fingerings on the whistle aren't so difficult that he'll have any trouble picking it up when that's what he wants to play.
# Posted on September 25th 2011 by Jon Kiparsky
Re: My sons interested in playing tunes
"There's some fingerings on the recorder that don't crossover to the whistle & flute , esp the high d & that's a really important note."
Not for Irish music it isn't - most Irish tunes go no higher than B.
The crossover won't be an issue with the high D: the flute/whistle fingering is much easier and he should pick it up immediately (though the whistle will shriek compared with the recorder). Crossover might be more of an issue with the high B. On a recorder it's easy to produce with a good tone and in tune. Same goes for Boehm flutes. For conical-bore flutes the intonation can be slightly off, and for cheap whistles both tone and intonation for that note are usually foul. If he's learned to play "The Old Grey Cat" on the recorder he will not appreciate being expected to do it on a basic whistle.
If you're trying to teach a very small kid the flute, it might be an idea to get a pro teacher to help him not hurt himself.
# Posted on September 25th 2011 by Jack Campin
Re: My sons interested in playing tunes
I like Jon and c.j.s comments. What we think of difficult tunes or instruments as adults mean little to kids. To a kid, typically, and instrument is an instrument. This is true of anything artistic. My 14-year-old neice is a brilliant ballerina and well on her way to becoming a professional. She insisted on balet as a 6-year-old although others were suggesting she do something easier as far as dance goes. To her, balet was simply what she wanted to do. Not that I'm equating balet with ITM, but my point is, to children, difficulty means much less than it does to adults.
# Posted on September 25th 2011 by Jimmy B
Re: My sons interested in playing tunes
So aren't you going to tell us about your sons? The ones you say are interested in playing tunes?
Yes, I'm a nit-picker.
# Posted on September 25th 2011 by Alex Wilding
Re: My sons interested in playing tunes
Lingpupa,the apostrophe on this site generally is overused.Maybe M Boloney has decided to give it a rest (being Sunday an' all).
# Posted on September 25th 2011 by lucy farr
Re: My sons interested in playing tunes
Age?
(Support The Stubborn)
# Posted on September 25th 2011 by Piece
Re: My sons interested in playing tunes
I' like' apostrophes.'' Let's use' them more often.'''
# Posted on September 25th 2011 by AlBrown
Re: My sons interested in playing tunes
Haha guys, I noticed my typo after I submitted the discussion - no changing it now.
Brendan is 10 & has been on & off again with learning music since he was born. Mostly off, we started him on fiddle, but it didn't take - then he took some time off. In the US most schools teach music to 8-10 yr olds with the recorder. He already had the basics of holding a whistle down, so he was ahead of his classes curve on the recorder. it gave him a bit of confidence & I heard him try to work out the first few measures of a few tunes, the tunes he was picking were less common & in 'fiddley' keys of C or A with lots of the melody below D. I know, I know - they *can* be transposed or reworked, but I figured I'd give him something more mainstream so he can play the tune with almost anyone who's willing to. So then I taught him "The Britches..." polka.
I thought back to my own childhood & I liked to play things that I liked & knew by heart. So I threw the ball in his court & asked him to sing the tune he wanted to learn next. It was the College Groves, it's not a specifically hard tune, but it does have four parts. I told him he could learn two other two part tunes in the time it will take him to learn that one. He mulled it over & stuck with his guns.
So far he's got the 1st part memorized & we'll see how it goes from there.
# Posted on September 25th 2011 by B Rad
Re: My sons interested in playing tunes
You can get him an entry level flute in D with offset, ergonomic, hole placement for smaller hands by makers such as Doug Tipple (PVC flutes, $100 +/-) or Casey Burns (Mopane Folk Flute, $375 +/-). Or start him on an F Flute for easier reach.
# Posted on September 28th 2011 by ancientfifer