Does anyone have any favorite tunes for whistle that aren't in D and G? Like maybe something that's fun on a B-flat whistle?
Mostly, I'm curious about tunes that aren't commonly played in D and G, not D/G tunes that sound cool in another key.
My curiosity is all part of a personal project to stretch my abilities a little, since, as a long-time Boehm player, I gravitate to "concert" pitch, which is where the common but wonderful D whistle lives.
Most of the "classical" Irish dance repertory is in D and G (or, more correctly, in one or two sharps). This probably has to do more with the pipes than with the flute, but it certainly makes life easier for us. In sessions, you won't need anything more than a high D whistle. The low D is nice for playing the slow mournful pieces that most of the lay people identify readily as Irish. Use lots of slides and vibrato.
The next key you see is 3 sharps (aka A).
Eb flutes were popular years ago (playing things 1 semitone up). In certain areas, it's usual to tune the fiddles 1 semitone up (high pitch), and the Eb flute/whistle works well with that.
C whistles used to be popular. I'm not sure why, but is suspect it has to do with the traditional tuning of the Irish bagpipes (low pitch). C flutes never caught on, probably because the D flute is already hard enough to play.
From time to time you'll see a nasty f-nat or g-sharp in the middle of an otherwise perfectly D or G tune. I think fiddlers put those there to annoy flute players. It's possible to fake the G#, but the Fnat requires a key to do right.
Other than that... many Scottish fiddle tunes are in 3 flats. Some modern Irish fiddle tunes are in 2 flats. C (zero sharps, zero flats ) is a popular key for songs. You can use C or G whistles for that (the G whistle works better).
Of course, you'd be playing in D or G anyway, transposed to whatever pitch your whistle is in.
You're absolutely right about transposing pitch, Glauber--that's the focus of my learning exercise.
Much of what I play is in the contra dance (and sometimes "English country dance") repertoire, and while you can indeed get by very well with a D whistle, I want to learn some tunes in other keys. But I'm absolutely flumoxed by trying to transpose on the fly and I'd probably do better to try to learn by ear (not a bad plan) or to actually transpose the tune to learn it (an interesting academic exercise).
But your reply didn't name any tunes C'mon--give one or two up here, why don't you?
Greetings Marguerite,
I have a special soft spot for playing tunes on my copeland C whistle. it has a lovely, less shrilly, sound. the following are three great tunes I like to bust out on the C whistle:
*The Seanahmac Tube Station, a jig in D dorian written by John Carty. Mighty tune.
* THe Drunken Sailor, a five-part workhorse of a hornpipe in G dorian that i think was written by Brendan McGlinchey.
* Mother's Delight, a reel in the key of D Dorian liked by Clare fiddlers.
I'm pretty sure these tune are listed here on this site.
I like playing my viola with a Bflat whistle, especially a Bflat low whistle. Sounds great. Its the same shape as playing if F on the fiddle so any fiddle player should be able to do it. Badger your fiddle playing mates to get a viola
Viola! Fun! One of my fiddle mates is already drooling over a viola so that may not be that hard.
By the way and a bit off topic, I got a Farfisa Fast 4 electric organ from a flea market last year because it came with a humongous Peavy amp, by itself easily worth the price I paid. I've been begging all the keyboard players I know to come crank it up. A little "96 Tears" and "Wooly Bully" in with the jigs and reels would liven a party up.
Marguerite,
If you are playing Irish Session music, I don't know if transposing is one of the central skills. How are your rolls? Nice and even?
Here is something for you, though. Many tunes can be played on a D or a C whistle. I play a set with a fiddler that is Johnny William's aka The Yellow Wattle into Northside Kitchen. Northside Kitchen is a Natalie McMaster tune in Dminor that absolutely wants to be played on a C whistle. The Yellow Wattle (it's on Burke's If the Cap Fits, after Dinney Delaney's, for example) is most easily played on a D whistle, but I play it on the C so I don't have to switch in the middle of the set. Interesting to do by ear, and it requires cross-fingering the g# (actually an f# on the C whistle). On most whistles you can use xxoxxo for the *high* G# (again f# on a C whistle).
A good exercise is also to play G-maj (and related modes) tunes on a G-whistle. That may very well give you an opportunity to play up into the thrid octave (for a, b, c-nat), which is also a useful skill.
Non-D Whistle Tunes?
Non-D Whistle Tunes?
Does anyone have any favorite tunes for whistle that aren't in D and G? Like maybe something that's fun on a B-flat whistle?
Mostly, I'm curious about tunes that aren't commonly played in D and G, not D/G tunes that sound cool in another key.
My curiosity is all part of a personal project to stretch my abilities a little, since, as a long-time Boehm player, I gravitate to "concert" pitch, which is where the common but wonderful D whistle lives.
Marguerite
# Posted on August 19th 2002 by mvhplank
Re: Non-D Whistle Tunes?
Hello, Marguerite,
Most of the "classical" Irish dance repertory is in D and G (or, more correctly, in one or two sharps). This probably has to do more with the pipes than with the flute, but it certainly makes life easier for us. In sessions, you won't need anything more than a high D whistle. The low D is nice for playing the slow mournful pieces that most of the lay people identify readily as Irish. Use lots of slides and vibrato.
The next key you see is 3 sharps (aka A).
Eb flutes were popular years ago (playing things 1 semitone up). In certain areas, it's usual to tune the fiddles 1 semitone up (high pitch), and the Eb flute/whistle works well with that.
C whistles used to be popular. I'm not sure why, but is suspect it has to do with the traditional tuning of the Irish bagpipes (low pitch). C flutes never caught on, probably because the D flute is already hard enough to play.
From time to time you'll see a nasty f-nat or g-sharp in the middle of an otherwise perfectly D or G tune. I think fiddlers put those there to annoy flute players. It's possible to fake the G#, but the Fnat requires a key to do right.
Other than that... many Scottish fiddle tunes are in 3 flats. Some modern Irish fiddle tunes are in 2 flats. C (zero sharps, zero flats
) is a popular key for songs. You can use C or G whistles for that (the G whistle works better).
Of course, you'd be playing in D or G anyway, transposed to whatever pitch your whistle is in.
g
# Posted on August 19th 2002 by glauber
Re: Non-D Whistle Tunes?
You're absolutely right about transposing pitch, Glauber--that's the focus of my learning exercise.
Much of what I play is in the contra dance (and sometimes "English country dance") repertoire, and while you can indeed get by very well with a D whistle, I want to learn some tunes in other keys. But I'm absolutely flumoxed by trying to transpose on the fly and I'd probably do better to try to learn by ear (not a bad plan) or to actually transpose the tune to learn it (an interesting academic exercise).
But your reply didn't name any tunes
C'mon--give one or two up here, why don't you?
Marguerite
# Posted on August 19th 2002 by mvhplank
Re: Non-D Whistle Tunes?
Greetings Marguerite,
I have a special soft spot for playing tunes on my copeland C whistle. it has a lovely, less shrilly, sound. the following are three great tunes I like to bust out on the C whistle:
*The Seanahmac Tube Station, a jig in D dorian written by John Carty. Mighty tune.
* THe Drunken Sailor, a five-part workhorse of a hornpipe in G dorian that i think was written by Brendan McGlinchey.
* Mother's Delight, a reel in the key of D Dorian liked by Clare fiddlers.
I'm pretty sure these tune are listed here on this site.
# Posted on August 19th 2002 by Brendan
Tunes in other keys
One way to find them is to do searches by key in the "tunes" section of this Web site.
g
# Posted on August 19th 2002 by glauber
Re: Non-D Whistle Tunes?
On the Bb whistle try Catharsis and Tommy's Tarbukas.
# Posted on August 19th 2002 by SPeak
Re: Non-D Whistle Tunes?
I like playing my viola with a Bflat whistle, especially a Bflat low whistle. Sounds great. Its the same shape as playing if F on the fiddle so any fiddle player should be able to do it. Badger your fiddle playing mates to get a viola
# Posted on August 19th 2002 by llig leahcim
Re: Non-D Whistle Tunes?
Viola! Fun! One of my fiddle mates is already drooling over a viola so that may not be that hard.
By the way and a bit off topic, I got a Farfisa Fast 4 electric organ from a flea market last year because it came with a humongous Peavy amp, by itself easily worth the price I paid. I've been begging all the keyboard players I know to come crank it up. A little "96 Tears" and "Wooly Bully" in with the jigs and reels would liven a party up.
# Posted on August 20th 2002 by mvhplank
Re: Non-D Whistle Tunes?
We play "Carrickfergus" in bflat and "fields of athenry" in eflat...it all depends on the singer's voice.
btw, I think the use of the c whistle was because schools used it. They used it so the piano players didn't have to use any black keys...
But D is the whistle I use most by far
Oh yes, we also play " will ye go lassie, go?" (Scottish) on bflat.
Stuart
# Posted on August 20th 2002 by cipeen
Re: Non-D Whistle Tunes?
songs don't count
# Posted on August 20th 2002 by llig leahcim
Re: Non-D Whistle Tunes?
Brendan,
The Drunken/(Tipsy) Sailor was printed in O'Neill's, which makes it a good bit older than Brendan McGlinchey !!
# Posted on August 22nd 2002 by Kenny
Re: Non-D Whistle Tunes?
Kenny,
right indeed. and i've seen the drunken sailor in O`Neill's too. i must have been smokin the crack pipe again...
# Posted on August 22nd 2002 by Brendan
Re: Non-D Whistle Tunes?
Marguerite,
If you are playing Irish Session music, I don't know if transposing is one of the central skills. How are your rolls? Nice and even?
Here is something for you, though. Many tunes can be played on a D or a C whistle. I play a set with a fiddler that is Johnny William's aka The Yellow Wattle into Northside Kitchen. Northside Kitchen is a Natalie McMaster tune in Dminor that absolutely wants to be played on a C whistle. The Yellow Wattle (it's on Burke's If the Cap Fits, after Dinney Delaney's, for example) is most easily played on a D whistle, but I play it on the C so I don't have to switch in the middle of the set. Interesting to do by ear, and it requires cross-fingering the g# (actually an f# on the C whistle). On most whistles you can use xxoxxo for the *high* G# (again f# on a C whistle).
A good exercise is also to play G-maj (and related modes) tunes on a G-whistle. That may very well give you an opportunity to play up into the thrid octave (for a, b, c-nat), which is also a useful skill.
# Posted on August 23rd 2002 by Bloomfield
Re: Non-D Whistle Tunes?
bflat ye jacobites by name...scotland ..play's well with gtr with capo on the 3rd fret ....a m...then g.....Marguerite , where are you from ?
# Posted on November 30th 2004 by SOUNDMAN