tin whistles and related folkish gubbins...

[Haze]

random question - does anyone else play the tin whistle, however badly, or is that just me?

What about related stuff - any folkies floating about?

I wouldn't like to call myself one, though I have a morris dancing friend, and I used to end up at an annual medieval fayre for about 10 years of my childhood as my family had a craft stall there, we had to all be in costume and the works. I picked up a few tunes, etc. through that. The main reason for playing the whistle is that i'm trying to learn to read music, and a whistle is a lot more portable than my keyboard...

[reptile]

[quote]Originally posted by Haze:
<strong>random question - does anyone else play the tin whistle, however badly, or is that just me?

What about related stuff - any folkies floating about?
</strong><hr></blockquote>

reptile does - however badly

[It]

I play French Horn (18 years), Flute (7 years) and piano (? years), I also used to teach music.

[135711]

no i only have a clay pipe, but i can't play it, i've read the tin drum, and i know there are people in mississippi who can play the tin whistle.

[Haze]

[quote]Originally posted by reptile:
<strong>

reptile does - however badly </strong><hr></blockquote>

Ah cool! I've been learning to play one for a whole (*thinks for quite a while*) 6 weeks, except I haven't been playing it much in that time due to scary things like deadlines, and exams

What tunes do you play, or prefer to play...?

[Purple Fencer]

[quote]Originally posted by It:
<strong>I play French Horn (18 years), Flute (7 years) and piano (? years), I also used to teach music.</strong><hr></blockquote>

You hadda pick the most difficult of the brass instruments, huh? That FH mouthpiece is like playing on the leadpipe!

For myself, I have once again gotton my brass chops back into a semblance of shape and am performing with the SoCal Dream Sr. Drum & Bugle Corps in Cerritos, CA. I may even try my hand at arranging music again next season!

It's wierd to see some of these guys I haven't seen since I marched against them in '84.

BTW, I play soprano bugle...think a trumpet in the key of G, and without the third valve and associated tubing. Not being able to play certain notes makes it really interesting for an arranger!

[KShan5[PrFC]]

Well I am a high school student who plays trumpet (5 years). Refering to mouth pieces I use the, 11b, 3c, 5c (sometimes) and for jazz, 14a 4a.

[Catlady]

Well, I already play piano, for a lot longer than my talent, or lack thereof, would indicate. I can play very simple organ music too--the skills are unfortunately not as transferable between the two as it might seem. I'd like to learn guitar--okay, so I want to be Bob Dylan. My grandfather(dad's side of the family) used to play fiddle (that is a definite word choice, since he learned to play by a mail order course of all things, in order to play for square dancing while his father called the steps). I remember him playing when I was a little kid, but for most of the time I knew him is sight and arthritis were too bad for him to do it. Anyway, I now have posession of one of his violins, and I wanted it for the sentimental value if nothing else, but I swear one of these days I will have it restored--after he got to old to play it, it ended up getting stored for quite awhile and the strings are bad, etc.--and learn to play it. When I'll have the time and/or courage I don't know.

As I've mentioned before, I'm interested in medieval stuff. I wouldn't have wanted to live then since I would have either been miserable (and most likely dead in childbirth all ready), or hanged as a witch--I'm just the slightest bit 'uppity', or have had to become a nun--the only segment of female medieval society who got much of an education in scholarly things. but the period still interests me. Back then they probably put too much emphasis on the "mystical", now we've almost gone to the other extreme where there's no room for the "mystical".

[reptile]

[quote]Originally posted by Haze:
<strong>

Ah cool! I've been learning to play one for a whole (*thinks for quite a while*) 6 weeks, except I haven't been playing it much in that time due to scary things like deadlines, and exams

What tunes do you play, or prefer to play...?</strong><hr></blockquote>

Since i am a big fan of the Chieftains, the Dubliners and the Pogues i try to imitate their styles - but i know i shall never succeed

In the book i bought with my "d" whistle it says how to play reels and these complicated rhythms, but my life was lately so full with scary things like deadlines, exams, and slaving for a living, that i didn't get far. I picked up playing the whistle in a squat (occupied building) in Amsterdam and was immediately enchanted! If i only had the time i could sit in a tree and practise for hours!

[Haze]

Yeah I could practice for hours, and sometimes do when i'm at home, at the expense of my studies I guess. Here at uni I find my flatmates wholly unsympathetic to my need to mess about with a whistle every now and then, I got shouted at once and learned my lesson. Hopefully whoever I live with next year might be more understanding.

Have you been here Reptile? It has some tunes with downloadable midi files and whistle dots for most of the scores. Most useful.
<a href="http://sniff.numachi.com/~rickheit/dtrad/" target="_blank">http://sniff.numachi.com/~rickheit/dtrad/</a>

oh btw, ignore the different keys that it comes up with, if the one for the D whistle or the one it comes up with first doesnt look very friendly, go through them all and find one that does. It often tends to be C# for some reason.

[ 06-10-2002: Message edited by: Haze ]</p>

[Chris Aher]

Haze,

Robin Williamson (of Incredible String Band fame) wrote "The Pennywhistle Book" which is an excellent beginners tutorial. It is available in UK at:

<a href="http://www.musicroom.com/se/ID_No/0004945/details.ihtml" target="_blank">http://www.musicroom.com/se/ID_No/0004945/details.ihtml</a>

There are lots of others available also.

I'm an "old folkie" myself and play guitar, hammer dulcimer, pennywhistle, recorder,flute, celtic harp, and have dabbled in instruments such as piano, harpsichord, and fiddle. I made my living as a piano/harpsichord tuner/technician for most of the seventies before changing careers to systems & network engineering. I built my harpsichord, harp and hammer dulcimer.

I don't play as often or as well as I used to because arthritis in the fingers. (also made me switch to a pistol grip from the french) Hammer dulcimer still works fine though, you mainly use your wrists.

My wife, (also an epee fencer) is a professional classical violinist who specializes in baroque and classical period perforance practice on original instruments.

[Haze]

Thanks Chris, I will maybe approach that book when I've got thru the one i'm on at the moment.

From the list you give, you really are an old folkie! Well I can't vouch for the old but still.

Since you mention it, you can answer a question from my friend - what exactly is a dulcimer? He noticed the dulcimer tabs on the site i mentionned previously. I guess we should really look this one up being as we have the whole web at our command...

[Chris Aher]

Hi Haze,

There are two types of instruments that are called a dulcimer. They are not related.

The first is called a hammer dulcimer also known as a hackbrett in German, Tsymbalon in Hungarian, Santor in Greek. There are similar instruments in the far east particularly in Asia.

<a href="http://www.musikit.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=MK&Category_Cod e=hd" target="_blank">http://www.musikit.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=MK&Category_Cod e=hd</a>

The second type is a mountain dulcimer, which is an American folk instrument that originated in the mountain communities in Appalacia.

<a href="http://www.musikit.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=MK&Category_Cod e=MD" target="_blank">http://www.musikit.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=MK&Category_Cod e=MD</a>

The tabs you refered to are mountain dulcimer tabs.

As far as being old goes, I fence in the Vet50 catagory.

[Chris Aher]

[quote]Originally posted by Chris Aher:
[QB] There are similar instruments in the far east particularly in Asia.
QB]<hr></blockquote>

I mean Korea.

[Sabresque]

Trombone, all the way. God, those french horn mouthpieces are tiny. I love playin'! Keep up w/ music, it's great. Anyhoo, I'm done.

Sam, I know someone in a drum & bugle corps. Soudns like a lotta fun.

[It]

[quote]Originally posted by Sabresque:
<strong>
Sam, I know someone in a drum & bugle corps. Soudns like a lotta fun.</strong><hr></blockquote>


Ya know, before I moved here from Westport, Ireland, (so....so....many years ago, when I was a wee tot) my father was in a Bugle Corps. He told me that the Bands here are too filled with young people. He can't understand what they play or represent for. Heck, when I was in the marching band when I was in jr. high school and up to part of college, he thought it was strange. I mean even when we played Fight On! Our college fight song! He thought "Where's the Fight?" (GO TROJANS by the way!!!) Especially field shows! "What are you doing? Why are you making those sissy lines on the field for? When I was your age................." and he'd o on and on and on, until I tell him did you get paid for it?

<img src="graemlins/blah.gif" border="0" alt="[Blah]" />

[Haze]

ahhhhhh


*understands*


Thanks Chris, most useful.

As for the old, well, give it 30 years or so and I'll be there as well

[reptile]

[quote]Originally posted by Haze:
<strong>Have you been here Reptile? It has some tunes with downloadable midi files and whistle dots for most of the scores. Most useful.
<a href="http://sniff.numachi.com/~rickheit/dtrad/" target="_blank">http://sniff.numachi.com/~rickheit/dtrad/</a>

[ 06-10-2002: Message edited by: Haze ]</strong><hr></blockquote>

That sooo nice of you, i liked it!!! It has my favorite song, the foggy dew!!!

Níl mórán Gaeilge agam. Tá brón orm faoin moill.
Táim tógtha le sniff.numachi.com.
Ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a ghabháil libh as an deis.

Thanks!!!

[Haze]

[quote]Originally posted by reptile:
<strong>

That sooo nice of you, i liked it!!! It has my favorite song, the foggy dew!!!
</strong>
<hr></blockquote>

No problem, anytime. *goes off to learn to play the foggy dew*.

[quote]
<strong>

Níl mórán Gaeilge agam. Tá brón orm faoin moill.
Táim tógtha le sniff.numachi.com.
Ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a ghabháil libh as an deis.
</strong><hr></blockquote>

Erm, pardon???

[Purple Fencer]

[quote]Originally posted by Sabresque:
<strong>

Sam, I know someone in a drum & bugle corps. Soudns like a lotta fun.</strong><hr></blockquote>

Oh, it was a blast and a half, let me tell you! To this day I can look at a video of my perfomance at championships and not believe it's actually me out there...that I was NEVER that good, but I was once!

Which corps was your friend in? City, state, how long ago, uniform design., etc?