TSSN - Posted - 01/24/2021:  05:54:32

Yesterday, I found my whistles (a Feadog and a Parks) that I had misplaced in my last move.  I'm awfully rusty now, but it's nice to play them again. 

Any other tin whistle types on the MHO?

Mandodennis - Posted - 01/24/2021:  13:33:56

Hah, the little buggers go missing in the back of drawers and bottoms of packpacks too easily. Don't they?

Yeah, I play whistles (and flutes). I play mostly Irish music, more than a few fiddle tunes and other types of folk music on them. Lots of fun and good music to made with them.

TSSN - Posted - 01/25/2021:  11:53:07

Amen. They do seem to go missing like socks in the dryer.

My study of them never went too deep. I used them mostly for fills and accents back when I was in a gigging band.

Might be time for me to invest more time in playing them and truly learning how.

Mandodennis - Posted - 01/25/2021:  13:26:46

quote:

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Originally posted by TSSN

My study of them never went too deep. I used them mostly for fills and accents back when I was in a gigging band.

 

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Yep, that's how I started with them, a little over 50 years ago.  It looks like a real simple instrument.  RIght?  As James Galway says they are just "a bit of pipe with six holes".  But it takes a lot to play them to their fullest.  Same as any instrument I suppose.  Be warned  - the whistle can become addictive.  And it seems that they multiply when you aren't playing them.

The original Feadog design is one of my favorites. I like the slightly fuzzy timbre.  I favor it against all the other factory made whistles.  I never took to the subsequent improved Feadogs.   I've played one particular Feadog from the early 1980's on.  

Carey Parks makes a nice whistle.  The mute on his whistles is a great innovation.  It has probably saved a few marriages.

Enjoy them!

TSSN - Posted - 01/26/2021:  09:58:53

Very true. Whistles are even more portable than the mandolin. (And my girlfriend does appreciate the mute on my Parks.)

Any advice on a way forward? Mel Bay / Hal Leonard, or something more like OAIM?

Mandodennis - Posted - 01/26/2021:  10:38:17

Best advice is just to listen to good players as much as you can.  Then play and play.  Play what you like, what appeals to you.   Other than that ... getting out and playing with others is a good strategy ... but not too fashionable or safe these days. So we have the web to make up for that.



I have not used OIAM. It seems to be a good source for tuition, AFAIK.  It gets good reviews. I've not heard anything negative about them.  If it looks good to you, go for it.



If you like the Irish style, I would suggest looking into the tutorials and tunes from Father Ryan Duns (he happens to be a Jesuit priest). Been a while since I looked for him but he has a lot of YouTube videos and he had a website with notation or ABC's for the tunes. The price is right! I'll look up his sites.



OK, his YouTube channel is here: youtube.com/channel/UCydT2k8kn...0_ypHqvhg

His web site, more of a  blog as I recall,  seems to be defunct.  I'll look around for where the notes/ABCs are now.  

Duns started making the videos while he was at Fordham teaching a beginner whistle class. (He's now teaching at Marquette.)  He has a progression of tunes/tutorials  that start from simple and build skills as you go along.  So you can really figure out where your chops match up and go from there.  But the basics are there if you want them.

Take a listen to a few of his videos and see if those appeal to you.