I have just finished attending the Mississippi Valley Celtic Music Festival (Tionol) here in St. Louis, Missouri. It was an amazing & action-packed weekend of concerts, sessions, a Ceiliah, and of course workshops with some of the most amazing musicians I have ever had the privledge to play along side of. Some of of the teacher / performers were Mary Bergin, Tommy Peoples, John Carty, Kevin Henry, Tommy Martin, John Skelton, Andrew O'Brien, Mark Stone, Ged Foley, Michael Cooney, & Paddy O'Brien. (There were others that I apologize I am leaving out) I am happy to say I took the advanced whistle class with Mary Bergin. There were about twenty of us in the workshop, we were all sitting there with our high end whistles, (Burkes, Copelands, Overton, Abells, Feadogs, etc...(you get the idea) In walked Mary Bergin she asked us all to play a few phrases to get an idea of what kind of players were gathered After we had gone around the room trying hard to impress, Mary pulls out her beatup/duct-taped $10 "Generation" whistle and plays a little reel & blows us all away, which incidently she also used to beat out timing on the leg of her chair. (At $10 I guess you can afford to use it as a metronome as well). Apparently it isn't the whistle that makes the player ... it's the player. I guess we all new that, but sometimes it takes an experience like this to remind us were the music started from, and $300 dollar whistles were unheard of.
Great Post! I couldn't agree more. I had her class in the Catskills and to be truthful, I never let her know I played a Copeland. I took my Generation D that I've used for 28 yrs. I didn't even try to record her class. I had decided that if she had something to teach me I should just pay attention, and 5 yrs later I am still trying to do the things she told me to work on. My favorite teacher as well as whistle inspirator. World class , and Good on ya!
You mean the instrument is not at fault??? OMG what's wrong with that picture? LOL Its got to be the whistle! Surely can't be me!!! I know, its my non stable metronome, too!!
Nah, Bren, just ordinary brass, nickel silver, or aluminum...they're handmade, finely tuned and adjusted, they work a treat, they're easy to play and usually in tune, although with some the player has to adjust to the whistle (not a big deal if you're a decent player). Advantages would be: nice tone, better balance between the volume and tuning of the two octaves, ruggedness, good looks, and often more volume than the inexpensive variety.
Oh yes lest I be pounced on by a bunch of whistle collectors, high-end expensive whistles can come in exotic hardwoods in addition to the metals and alloys listed above.
It is a well known fact among whister's that Mary Bergin, formerly a devout Generation player, now mostly plays Sindt whistles and O'Riordans. Iv'e seen pictures of her clearly holding/playing them.
I also have photo's of my wife mugging up with Gavin Whelan in Dublin, and his Sindt, I also recently had a good bit of craic with Seamus Egan, he told me about his copleland low D getting stolen in Dublin last year, his box of whistles contains mainly Overtons.
My only point being...for every player who swears by the old cheapie whistle there are at least as many if not more who play the more expensive variety. I own half a dozen Generations, some Feadogs, Waltons and Clare whistles. The quality contol issues
are significant. My generations are all flawed in some way, craping out in one way or another. The only cheap whistle I still love to play is my Walton mellow D. It does show me the potential of nice chiffly cheapie, but how many do I have to buy to get a good one? About ten? For the price of ten I could get a solid dependible Sindt (ok after a 9 month wait!!).
Mary probably had her reasons for bringing along the Generation, (If I were there I would have asked).
Hi Paul,
I didn't mean to imply that Mary didn't care for her "higher end" whistles. She did mention that she did own quite a few, she specifically mentioned Micheal Burke & Copelands (I don't know it it is a coincendence, that both of those makers were manning booths at the Tionol). When we asked her about why the Generation whistle, she said that she was traveling on a "vacation" vista, and not a "working" visa. She said she didn't want to have to answer any unpleasant questions in the customs line. oops...hope I didn't just give her away. She also said she couldn't justify beating her Copeland on the leg of her chair to keep time. Hope this clears things up.
It should be obvious that, at that concert, what you all heard was Mary Bergin's lifetime of playing irish music on the whistle, and the skill she could bring to a performance. She would sound great playing on any whistle that worked reasonably well (and quite a few that did not work as well).
Mary Bergin in St. Louis and her $10 whistle
Mary Bergin in St. Louis and her $10 whistle
I have just finished attending the Mississippi Valley Celtic Music Festival (Tionol) here in St. Louis, Missouri. It was an amazing & action-packed weekend of concerts, sessions, a Ceiliah, and of course workshops with some of the most amazing musicians I have ever had the privledge to play along side of. Some of of the teacher / performers were Mary Bergin, Tommy Peoples, John Carty, Kevin Henry, Tommy Martin, John Skelton, Andrew O'Brien, Mark Stone, Ged Foley, Michael Cooney, & Paddy O'Brien. (There were others that I apologize I am leaving out) I am happy to say I took the advanced whistle class with Mary Bergin. There were about twenty of us in the workshop, we were all sitting there with our high end whistles, (Burkes, Copelands, Overton, Abells, Feadogs, etc...(you get the idea) In walked Mary Bergin she asked us all to play a few phrases to get an idea of what kind of players were gathered After we had gone around the room trying hard to impress, Mary pulls out her beatup/duct-taped $10 "Generation" whistle and plays a little reel & blows us all away, which incidently she also used to beat out timing on the leg of her chair. (At $10 I guess you can afford to use it as a metronome as well). Apparently it isn't the whistle that makes the player ... it's the player. I guess we all new that, but sometimes it takes an experience like this to remind us were the music started from, and $300 dollar whistles were unheard of.
-Clay Hunter
# Posted on April 4th 2004 by dumpingsirkey
Re: Mary Bergin in St. Louis and her $10 whistle
Tol-ja *smirk*
# Posted on April 4th 2004 by Phantom Button
Re: Mary Bergin in St. Louis and her $10 whistle
As I have said in the past..
GENERATIONS ROCK
Thank you, ahahah.
Johnathan
# Posted on April 4th 2004 by Harper_Lad
Re: Mary Bergin in St. Louis and her $10 whistle
Great Post! I couldn't agree more. I had her class in the Catskills and to be truthful, I never let her know I played a Copeland. I took my Generation D that I've used for 28 yrs. I didn't even try to record her class. I had decided that if she had something to teach me I should just pay attention, and 5 yrs later I am still trying to do the things she told me to work on. My favorite teacher as well as whistle inspirator. World class , and Good on ya!
# Posted on April 4th 2004 by windybaer
Re: Mary Bergin in St. Louis and her $10 whistle
You mean the instrument is not at fault??? OMG what's wrong with that picture? LOL Its got to be the whistle! Surely can't be me!!! I know, its my non stable metronome, too!!
# Posted on April 5th 2004 by I_Fel
Re: Mary Bergin in St. Louis and her $10 whistle
If I had no read this thread, I would never have known that there was such a thing as a $300 whistle!
What are they made from, platinum?
# Posted on April 5th 2004 by Bren
Re: Mary Bergin in St. Louis and her $10 whistle
Nah, Bren, just ordinary brass, nickel silver, or aluminum...they're handmade, finely tuned and adjusted, they work a treat, they're easy to play and usually in tune, although with some the player has to adjust to the whistle (not a big deal if you're a decent player). Advantages would be: nice tone, better balance between the volume and tuning of the two octaves, ruggedness, good looks, and often more volume than the inexpensive variety.
They still won't make anyone a better player : P
# Posted on April 6th 2004 by Hanley
Re: Mary Bergin in St. Louis and her $10 whistle
Oh yes lest I be pounced on by a bunch of whistle collectors, high-end expensive whistles can come in exotic hardwoods in addition to the metals and alloys listed above.
# Posted on April 6th 2004 by Hanley
Re: Mary Bergin in St. Louis and her $10 whistle
It is a well known fact among whister's that Mary Bergin, formerly a devout Generation player, now mostly plays Sindt whistles and O'Riordans. Iv'e seen pictures of her clearly holding/playing them.
I also have photo's of my wife mugging up with Gavin Whelan in Dublin, and his Sindt, I also recently had a good bit of craic with Seamus Egan, he told me about his copleland low D getting stolen in Dublin last year, his box of whistles contains mainly Overtons.
My only point being...for every player who swears by the old cheapie whistle there are at least as many if not more who play the more expensive variety. I own half a dozen Generations, some Feadogs, Waltons and Clare whistles. The quality contol issues
are significant. My generations are all flawed in some way, craping out in one way or another. The only cheap whistle I still love to play is my Walton mellow D. It does show me the potential of nice chiffly cheapie, but how many do I have to buy to get a good one? About ten? For the price of ten I could get a solid dependible Sindt (ok after a 9 month wait!!).
Mary probably had her reasons for bringing along the Generation, (If I were there I would have asked).
Paul
Mary Bergin
# Posted on April 6th 2004 by Chef Paul
Re: Mary Bergin in St. Louis and her $10 whistle
Hi Paul,
I didn't mean to imply that Mary didn't care for her "higher end" whistles. She did mention that she did own quite a few, she specifically mentioned Micheal Burke & Copelands (I don't know it it is a coincendence, that both of those makers were manning booths at the Tionol). When we asked her about why the Generation whistle, she said that she was traveling on a "vacation" vista, and not a "working" visa. She said she didn't want to have to answer any unpleasant questions in the customs line. oops...hope I didn't just give her away. She also said she couldn't justify beating her Copeland on the leg of her chair to keep time. Hope this clears things up.
-Clay
# Posted on April 6th 2004 by dumpingsirkey
Re: Mary Bergin in St. Louis and her $10 whistle
Anyone got a contact for John Sindt?
# Posted on April 6th 2004 by breandan
Re: Mary Bergin in St. Louis and her $10 whistle
I think it was a red top Gen E flat she was playing. If you heard it you'd know why she was playing it.
# Posted on April 7th 2004 by Hanley
Re: Mary Bergin in St. Louis and her $10 whistle
Nope, She was playing a Gen - D. Same whistle she had in the workshop and she said she only brought 1 whistle with her.
-Clay
# Posted on April 7th 2004 by dumpingsirkey
Re: Mary Bergin in St. Louis and her $10 whistle
So sue me.
It should be obvious that, at that concert, what you all heard was Mary Bergin's lifetime of playing irish music on the whistle, and the skill she could bring to a performance. She would sound great playing on any whistle that worked reasonably well (and quite a few that did not work as well).
# Posted on April 7th 2004 by Hanley
Re: Mary Bergin in St. Louis and her $10 whistle
Brendon, there is a link to Sindt's email address on Chiff and Fipple. The waiting list is nine months, last I heard.
The price for a D is 90.00 including handling. Less money than a lot of the so-called higher end whistles.
Mary Bergin plays them and thats all the endorsment John Sindt needs, in my humble whistlin' opinion.
Paul
# Posted on April 7th 2004 by Chef Paul