Forum Activity for @strumelia

Keith, are the holes spacings exactly the same on your two differnt Dixon A whistles, or does one have holes closer together/easier reach?

Yes I do like Norman as well.  I treat the bell note (lowest note on the whistle) as a D despite what key the whistle actually is.  That way, when I read a tune in standard notation, if the notation is in key of G (which has one sharp, an F#) I know I need to locate the tonic note with 3 fingers down and play a 'Cnatural' fingering in the tune.  And when the standard notation is in D (which has an F# and C#), I know the tonic note is with 6 fingers down and that I'll need to play the C# fingering instead of the C natural.
I agree we're all doing the same. 

I'm a bit confused by that as well.

So you're referring to when reading standard notation, then?  Keith does that mean you never use for example the C# note on a D whistle when playing?... because the key of C has no sharps, thus if you played 'as if it were in C" you'd only be playing the C natural on a d whistle.

I like various ones but my current favorite material would have to be black polymer (ABS I guess they also call it).  It has a mellowness that reminds me of wood whistles (which are too pricey for my budget)

I can relate. After you have the first three of any type of instrument, my criteria then becomes:  if you spend more time reading about or shopping for another one than you do actually playing ones you have... then maybe you need to rethink.  

Oh, and here's a handy page of Christmas whistle tabs:

https://www.8notes.com/tin_whistle/christmas/

Ok, so I discovered that one of my favorite Christmas carols is actually not too hard to play on the whistle... yay!

Was working on it last night a little.  Bring a Torch, Jeannette, Isabella has lots of interesting parts to it and is an old carol (I'm not generally as fond of modern carols). Yet it sounds more complicated to play than it really is.

I found a nice whistle tab to it online as well, by a John Atchley:

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/6a/72/3b/6a723b99670eda4358c3a5e3abd463f7.gif

I can't find Mr. Atchley's site or book online (maybe one of you can find it?) as it'd be nice to buy his tab or at least thank him or link to him. But this one image was randomly on Pinterest and I was able to use it to play the carol from the key of G position for a D whistle.. which is an easy approach.  Of course you can play it exactly the same on ANY key of whistle, and I'm liking it on my Bb whistles. (my cat likes it better on the lower whistle as well... lolol)

Here's something I wrote about never being 'good enough' back in 2009.  It's on my dulcimer blog but it applies to playing any instrument I think:

https://dulcimer-noter-drone.blogspot.com/2009/09/am-i-too-old.html

There's no way I could concentrate only on one type of instrument for months at a time. It's not in my genetic makeup!
More accurately, it would take some of the joy out of making music at home for me.

Wow, I didn't know one had to keep harmonicas from getting cold.  Who knew?  

Do you think O Tananbaum might be the easiest Christmas tune to play?

There are TWO ways to add an image to your discussion post. In both cases, the image must first reside on your computer or device and you'll be pointing to it. You can't insert an image that is just sitting on the internet somewhere.

1) Attach the image or file to your post: When typing your post, use the "Attach Files" button underneath the text editor box where you are typing your post. Browse to the image on your computer that you want to attach to your post. This will insert a small thumbnail of the picture into your post.
Note: When you see the thumbnail and text link for an attached image, it's when folks have used that "Attach file" button easily seen at bottom of text editor window. Click right on the thumbnail pic itself to open it right there to SEE it full size.  OR... Clicking on the text link will simply DOWNLOAD it to your computer.

or

2)Embed the image into your post.  That will create a larger picture right within your discussion post.
To do that, when you are typing your post you click on the little icon button that looks like a film strip ("embed local media")- that icon is to the left of the Smiley button in the text editor window. Once in that window, select the SIZE you want the image to be in the left side dropdown menu...XL or XXL usually works well. Then you click the "Select an image to upload and insert" button to the right. When you click that 'Select' button, it'll take you to where you can browse to the image on your computer that you want to embed in the post. An embedded picture will not need to be clicked on to see it, it'll already be showing in the post, at the size you've selected.

1-  go to your Profile Page (by clicking right on your NAME itself at top right of any page).

2-  select the appropriate TAB in your profile page (Video or Audio, etc) (see my screenshot below)

3-  then click the PLUS+ button at upper right to add a new audio item, and choose whether to upload a file from your computer, or to select one of your existing SoundCloud files. Enter the info required for your new Audio file or Video.  Be sure you are complying with site rules on copyright etc.

Remember- you can go directly to your profile page from anywhere on this site by simply clicking right on your name at top right link.

You'll have to accept the brass whistles' tarnish wear spots around the fingerholes, that comes with playing over time,like here:

rogue-whistles

I kinda like that 'look'.  There's also the smell of brass on your fingertips after playing- it's a subtle thing, but some people dislike it a lot.  I don't mind it myself, smells a little 'elemental'/metallic.

Can you hear any consistent difference between the brass and the nickel?  Or is it hard to tell?

Where?  ;)

Norman, thanks for telling us this- it does warm the heart.  So wonderful that you played for everyone to honor our country's veterans.

The B part of Mudgee Waltz has a kind of old caliope sound to it.

How is "Mudgee" supposed to be pronounced, do you know?

@chris , the Mudgee Waltz looks pleasant and fairly playable for amateurs like me.  

I found the sheet music for it in the keys of G, C, and D online. I may try it out in D so that the lowest note is the tonic D with all fingers down on the whistle, and it'll have the C# (which I find easier to play than the Cnatural):

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/ed/80/03/ed8003562d571eef7a240ba11f26d5fd.png

I'll have a go at it later today! I do like old polkas and waltzes.

Are you learning it in G or in D on your whistle?

I like to learn simple old folk tunes from various places- that includes from Ireland, but also Scotland, England, France, Italy, Scandinavia, Spain... wherever!  As long as the tune speaks to me in some way.

I've been trying to learn an old tune that's often associated with Christmas-  Tomorrow Will Be My Dancing Day.

I find it so pretty!  I started out trying to play it on my penny whistle, but I've decided i like it better played on my epinette des Vosges... so I'm practicing it on that now instead.

So nice that you joined, Keith!

@keith , that's sweet of you!  

My positive thing today was getting some new cat toys in the mail to introduce to our kitties, and also just now heading out the door to have a nice coffee in town before I return home to start work. 

Aww... that's a sweetie pie Norman.  

Have fun at the jam!  Banjo, mtn dulcimer and PW seem like a great trio of 'tools' to take for that scenario. (I play all three, as you may know already...tho my pw playing is not up to jamming much yet)

I can appreciate the meditative and calming quality of playing the NA flute. I can envision someone playing it at a window or in front of a fireplace on a grey winter day or snowy evening.

I had moved this thread to the "Adventures with Other Instruments" Forum category here, so you needn't worry at all about talking about other instruments you might play here. I myself like discussing various instruments that people play, and why they play them.   

I've managed to so far resist the 'siren call' of Native American flutes.  I love how they sound, but I suspect the NA flute scales probably don't lend themselves to the types of music I most want to play- early American and European folk tunes and fiddle tunes, and also medieval/Renaissance tunes. And I'm aware of my own tendency to spread myself too thin in my musical endeavors... I'm still new to pennywhistle and am a rank amateur- so much wishful music learning to do -and so little free time!  

Have you tried out or do you own any NA flutes yet, @papasims ?  Do you think you would try playing improvised tunes with a NA flair on the flute ?

@Papasims, I like the tone of the Dixon brass "Trad" models.  I have them in high E, D, C, Bb, and low G.  They all sound pretty nice except the C, which I can't stand to play and takes way too much breath for very little volume. 

I think there's a point where a maker has to switch to a bigger diameter tube when working their way down from key of high D.  Sometimes it seems to be at C, sometimes at Bb.  The Dixon Trad brass is a bigger diameter then the high D, the same size tube as the Bb.  But the Bb works and sounds lovely for me, whereas the C requires way more work and doesn't 'sing' for me no matter what I do.  If you have trouble on the Dixon brass Bb then i advise you to steer clear of the C!  Of course any larger whistle is going to require some extra care in finger placement and breath control- I find larger whistles take some getting used to. But if I spend an hour or so playing one, I always wind up making it sound better than when I sat down with it.

The more I jump around between my various whistles the less I can get better at playing a particular one, because each whistle is different. But it's such a hard choice to purposely stick to just one or two whistles for a long while, when one has a dozen fun whistles in various keys and materials to grab.... 

I'm trying to get better at playing in G on my D whistle... going back to basics to hopefully improve my beginner skills!

So I've been working on some very simple G folk tunes.

Here's a fun little French traditional polka I'm practicing:

Polka de Mirepoix

 polka de mirepoix.jpg - 29KB

Certainly was true for me in the very beginning.  I have enough whistles at this point to have realized that some whistles are more quick to jump octaves than others- I found that to be both a curse and a blessing for a beginner!  Regardless of individual whistles though, logic dictates that the more breath control you develop the more you can adapt to various whistles so you can better control that 'jump' wherever it's located in the particular whistle.

I too have experience only with stringed instruments before this.  I feel your pain!  

To add photos to your pennywhistleclub galleries, go to your own profile page and click on the "photos" TAB there, then click the PLUS button (+) to add either a new gallery or to add a photo to an existing gallery of yours. 

Your photos will then appear on your page, and they'll also appear in the site's main page 'latest photos' section, AND in the site's overall Photo section ...seen by clicking the Photos link along the site's top navigation bar on every page.

I think then in the video they played it in C Dorian mode, on an F whistle with the tonic note at the C (with the top two holes covered).  That gave it the minor-y sound.  Not that I'm any expert, just guessing.

Sedi, I'm suspecting your formatting issue was caused by perhaps you composed your post in another text program and then copy/pasted it into the textbox here..?  Or, did you play with the font settings in the input box as you were typing?  In any case, I removed the text 'styling' formatting it had retained ...from somewhere... so now it looks normal.

P.S. hi Anamcara 

@sedi , I just listened to the Youtube version of "May Morning Dew" by Moving Hearts.  Very haunting and evocative.  Am I correct in thinking that in the video they are playing this in a C minor key?

When you say the Optima F, do you mean a LOW F whistle? ( not  a high F two steps above standard whistle D)  If you do mean the Low F whistle... are you saying you still find it too piercing in the second octave, even on such a low whistle?  

Lately I've been enjoying working on "Ductia" a tune from the 13th century.  It's not too complicated to play in minor on the whistle (your tonic note will be on the next-to-bottom hole, one step up from the bell note), and it has three distinct parts, which gives it some nice length and variety.

Here can be found  the sheet music.

Here is a good instrumental YT video (on rebec I believe) to show how it sounds:

Very retro-groovy looking pouch!

This is Teddy Romeo Roosevelt:

I tend to like to experiment in various instruments and genres of music over time.  I won't list 'all' the instruments I've dabbled in at one time or another, but it also means I will never be an expert player in any one specific instrument.  I've come to accept this and just enjoy the journey.  :)
The ones I currently turn to, either often or maybe just occasionally... are banjo, mountain dulcimer (and it's relatives the epinette des Vosges and the Swedish hummel), the bones, rebec, jouhikko, and of course my penny whistles.

I have been working on "Tourdion" from the 1500s... along with some other early tunes.  I find my C, Bb, and A polymer whistles give a nice sound and tone for early music.  Sort of the 'poor man's recorder'... lol.

Do you play other instruments aside from the whistle?

Tell us about your playing fun on other instruments!   

Though they're kind of expensive, I'm hoping to one day get a low G Susato that has a key for the low note, since i have small woman's hands with short fingers.  Right now I can barely manage an A whistle with 'piper's grip'.  Playing a low G would be very useful for me in my every day playing situations, especially because i like to play higher harmonies to my fiddler.

Has anyone here played a low whistle with one or two keys?  What's your experience with one?

Is the susato high D whistle louder with more punch?  -I need to know for playing in outdoor multi-person sessions.

Bill, when you say "wide bore in D" do you mean the S-series, as susato shows here?:

http://www.susato.com/konakart/Pennywhistles/Kildare/1_144_-1_71.do

I assume you have other high D whistles- if so, is the Susato Kildare high D louder in punch and volume, would you say?