Tin Whistle Beginner Exercises
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- Опубліковано 21 кві 2019
- I've been doing a lot of Skype lessons lately and it turns out that there are a handful of basic exercises that I teach pretty consistently so I figured a video breaking down the basics would help. Let me know if you've got any other exercises that you do that are helpful!
More content on Patreon: / whistletutor
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Whistles are made by Gary Humphrey: web.blomand.net/~ghumphrey/
Flutes made by Terry McGee (www.mcgee-flutes.com/) and Windward (www.windwardflutes.com/)
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![Tin Whistle Beginner Series [LESSON 1] Tin whistle basics and getting started, first exercises](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/957dOp-rRLc/mqdefault.jpg)
Ive found that when practicing always end on a good feeling, meaning play something that you enjoy or something that you play very well just before you finish and put the instrument down .
Thanks for this, my whistle arrived from amazon this afternoon and I thought now what??? Then I found this. Cheers
Excellent - good luck, it's a lot of fun!
Same. watching videos.
For those of yall interested in learning more theory:
The relative minor is the vi of the Major scale. Example: C Major is CDEFGAB, C-I, D-ii, E-iii, F-IV, G-V, A-vi, B-vii°...(lowercase minor, uppercase Major)...the 6 aka vi is A. The relative minor of C Major is A minor.....or you can subtract two letters.
I would highly advise learning the Circle of Fifths, (IT IS NOT A DIFFICULT AS IT SEEMS!!!), start with the order of sharps from C Major clockwise to C# Major and it will start to unlock alot in your mind.
Apps for iPad for notes, key signatures and other:
-Ninja Genius Music Ultimate (NGM Ultimate) (game, alot of drills, fun, challenging)
-Tenuto (many subjects, quizzes)
-Scales Tutor (simple, key signatures, notes quiz)
-Treble Cat (game, notes, great graphics and soundtrack!)
Vids:
ua-cam.com/video/_UxzDjU3-hM/v-deo.html
ua-cam.com/video/kax-bxN3T8E/v-deo.html
ua-cam.com/video/heAcV-kqKrQ/v-deo.html
ua-cam.com/video/c9d26tpvA4U/v-deo.html
thank you so much
Thank you! I am a beginner. And the 2 videos I watch has helped a lot.
I'm going to the music store tomorrow.
Glad to hear it's helping - good luck!
I know it’s slurring is, I was in band class for three years up in till eighth grade. This guy know what he’s talking about.
Useful video, thanks. I've just started whistle playing , having been a brass player for years. Scales and octaves have helped get used to the tiny amount of air needed compared with brass and the variation needed to get the higher register.
Great knowledge and guidance as always!
I played for a while now and used to always jumping straight into playing tunes, i think doing these exercises is really useful :D
Thank you. Love your teaching. I’ve saved this and will try.
Really helpful - with good general advice about practising. That advice doesn't just apply to whistles, but to other musical instruments. I'll watch out for your videos.
Good advice for a beginner. Thank! I'm encouraged when I watch your videos and feel like I have direction. Now if I can just learn by ear . . .
Cracking! Really useful and encouraging! Thanks
I got a Disney advert at the end of the video 😆 Such a cool sounding instrument! Thanks for the upload 👍
Excellent!
I am just starting out and this is very useful to me, thanks. 😎
Nice one,thank you
Great video - people complaining need to reassess whether they have what it takes to learn an instrument.
I'm learning and won't stop now.. The breathing is the hardest part to get right. I didn't know how many scales there are . I'll keep practicing and find the right breathing pace.
Gracias!
I don't play the whistle but i'd love to learn, I was in Dublin the other day and I got myself a nice feadog to get started! I am a music teacher as well, and I like your approach to the study of an instrument. If you let me I'll take you as my whistle tutor. Thanks a lot!
Thanks for the kind words, best of luck with it!
Thanks brotha! New supporter here!😊✌ Just picked up the tin whistle in D and your vids and knowledge frickin' rock!💥🤘
Ahh cool, well feel free to write if you've got any questions I can answer - good luck with the new whistle!
Just what I was looking for as I start my Irish flute practice! My theory books from when I played classical style weren’t quite basic enough for the switch to a folk style flute! LOL! I must also be the only musician who loves doing warm-up work every practice. 😅🎶
Cool, good luck! Let me know if I can answer any questions!
This is great x
another great video...
wow man...made my life..
Nice one Subscribed...Keep'em comin....
Love your videos. Thanks so much. I'm new to the tin whistle and am having trouble hitting the D, E F# notes cleanly. Any suggestions as to how to get better at these. The upper notes I am fine hitting them cleanly.
Cab you recomend some tin wistle for buy a new good one please? Thanks a lot
I’m enjoying your clips.
Excellent content and good presentation.
And your UA-cam channel name is very clever.
Aside from the valuable info you are providing on this session, I was amused to spot something on the wall of your office. It’s the ‘Demotivational Poster’........regarding ‘what you’re being paid for’.
As you’re likely aware, these have been around for a number of years and I have several. Just a couple of days ago, I shared them with some friends who’d never seen them.
Big hit!
So clearly, you have a wonderful sense of humour as well as a talent for instruction.
BTW........I’m a 72 year old (pretty darn good) clarinet player who’s having a heckova time getting onto the tin whistle.
Nonetheless, I’m taking the Churchillian approach. ‘Never give up. Never, never give up’.
Best wishes from Toronto, where currently one doesn’t play a tin whistle out of doors.
Cheers! Thanks for the kind words! And I'm glad someone spotted my demotivators - I had three hanging in my old office and it was always fun to watch people's expressions change once they realized they're not the standard 1990s-2000s office poster promoting synergy.
I do a a three octave jump (well open note plus two more octaves), it's interesting to learn how high you can actually go up the scale before it breaks down.
Joss! Matur Suwun
Cheers dude
thank you!! really helpful to see your fingerings on the ornaments.
Hi Sean.. Just run into your You Tube channel. I am 73 and had played the penny whistle a bit, ten years ago. I knew the notes and the embellishments, and could play a dozen tunes. Then I had what they call a mini-stroke or TIA. I forgot all I knew. I was also learning to play the Great Highland Pipes. Same case. I was rummaging through my dresser drawers the other day and run into my half-a-dozen whistles, and started looking on the internet. HAVE ANY IDEA WHERE I PICK_UP OR START NOW? I ended up watching a bunch of your You Tube vids. BRO DOWN on the BUFFALO RIVER. Looks like you had a BLAST! THANKS!
Are you well now ? Have you continued with the whistle? It is encouraging to me to hear about one undertaking such an endeavor.
I am ok now. I guess I lost some memory. I feel fine. I tried picking up the whistle and trying to do something. Not much. I could get clean notes and all, but it is strange to me now. Who are you? I was hoping to get some advice from Sean, but he has other things to do. I am a year older and this COVID stuff is about the end. I need something. The whistles & the pipes are still tucked away. Thanks for your concern.
@@richardkuhn8115 I'm a nascent whistle player who follows Sean for encouragement and learning. I had played the GHB for about 10 years but fell away after open heart surgery six years ago. I dabble with the whistle as an enjoyable hobby and perhaps as a form of therapy. Am always glad to meet other player online.
@@soslothful Where do you reside? I live in a small village, Scotland, Pennsylvania. My Granny and Pap Pap were from Scotland, UK. My son played GHB in a firehouse Pipe & Drum Band.
@@richardkuhn8115 I grew up in a small town in central PA. I piped with The Seven Pipers and Tucson Highlanders. Did you know there is a movie titles, "Scotland, PA"? I did not know it is a real town.
Hey Sean! Great video man, have you got any advice on A rolls? I play mainly low whistle and was playing Waterman’s by Michael McGoldrick and there’s a series of A rolls that are just killer in it! My G tap usually either isn’t good or just stops before striking when I’m doing the tap part of the roll, is this a common problem? And how do I address it? Cheers
Great question and yes, that happened a lot to me both on A rolls and B rolls. If you're running a tune and something doesn't sound the way you want, I'd suggest stopping the tune completely and just working that ornament a bunch of times until it does. And definitely work it slowly - too slowly, in fact - once you can get 5-10 rolls in good time and with a solid cut *and* a tap then speed them up to a tempo that will fit the tempo of the tune and run another 5-10 of them at that tempo. Then, once that's consistent go back and work them into the tune and see if it's getting better. And I would do that *everytime* you have a roll (or any other ornament for that matter) that doesn't sound the way you'd like. I've found that if you just bulldoze your way through it without stopping to correct things like that then you're going to lock it in the wrong way and have to go back and undo the learning, which is a real pain.
Could you post some exercises helpful in eliminating crossing noises?
I'm the type that needs the why!! Haha. Very helpful. I will now allot practice time the way you suggest.
Have fun, and let me know if I can help!
@@whistletutor Thanks! I will most likely sign up for lessons once this school year ends. It's crazy chaos from now through the end of May! Until then, I will practice what you have posted. 😊
I just ordered a sweetone tin whistle and it hasn't even got here yet but I'm dying to try it, I hate scales too but Imma gonna do em for sure with this
Ahh good luck! A Sweetone is a great one to start with, have fun!
3:12 was the technique I was missing
Thanks again for great videos. I've been playing for about 6 months now and feel that I have a fair grip on basics (although I could probably be spending a bit more time on exercises...tunes are just too much fun!). I was wondering if you have a recommendation of an exercise for switching quickly between B (or A) and C natural. I have a hard time playing tunes like Irish Washerwoman fast enough to keep up with other players when I use the regular fingering. I know you can do a half hole fingering for C natural but I don't know how good of an idea that is (opinion? Is that a bad habit?). If a half hole is suggested for quick tunes, maybe an exercise for that? Thanks for any help!
I almost never half-hole the C-natural. IMO cross fingering has some advantages: it's faster, it's more accurate, and it has the option for some interesting rhythmic tricks due to the crossing noises you can get out of playing the C-natural that way. About the only time I half-hole would be on a few airs where I want to get that slide into the C-natural sound.
@@whistletutor Thank you! I do like the crossing over sound. I guess I just need more practice to pick up my speed!
Great video! If my whistle is making a raspy/harsh/dirty sound, could it be the whistle? or does that have to do more with blowing quality? because your whistle sounds more pure if that makes sense.
It certainly could be - if the mouthpiece is clogged, dirty, or if the blade is chipped it can affect the tone for sure. What sort of whistle is it you have?
@@whistletutor it is the gold one with the green mouthpiece in D. Not quite sure of the brand but I think it is one of the ones that comes in those beginner kits with the book.
Thanks whistle tutor. I've been watching your videos for a long time. I'm curious about something, what is your recommendation for learning a new tune? A blitzkrieg method were you just blast through to get an idea of the melody and feel then go back and polish it up add ornaments etc, or a careful method were you first play every note slowly without ornaments, then slowly work on gaining speed and adding ornaments. What is your recommendation? Do you have a particular method you have when learning a new tune? Thank you
Wow, good question! I generally recommend that folks try and lock down the basic melody first and then go back and see what they can do to work in ornaments, variation, phrasing, all that. That being said, once you're familiar with ornaments you'll probably find that they just drop in without thinking about them so in my case, I don't practice what I preach :) If I'm learning a tune by ear at a session (which is where I've learned the majority of my tunes) I tend to learn it in phrases - i.e. I'll hear bits that immediately jump out to me and I'll get those quickly and then the next time through the tune I'll sort of fill in the gaps on the parts that I didn't pick up the first time, and then (hopefully) by the end of it I'll have it all sussed out.
P.S. The real tricky part for me is then remembering the tune the next time I'm at a session! That's the part that always takes a while!
@@whistletutor 😝
Hi Sean, which type of gary humphries whistle do you have here?
It's so old it predates his current lineup but I believe it's closest to the stealth trad variety
Can you tell me witch penny Whistle tone is Robert Smith playing in the song burn ( in the intro part )
and I’m going mad....😱
I'm not familiar with Robert Smith or a song called Burn, I'm afraid
thanks for the spanish tratuction!
I've played around with my penny whistles for ages but never really learned how to play them, I will definitely use your channel to inspire me to practice and learn! I would like to play some Celtic/Irish tunes that are not under copyright so I can use them on youtube videos. Can you please tell me how I find out what tunes are ok to play?
Thanks for the kind words! And thesession.org is a great source of traditional tunes. Pretty much everything listed there has source information and 99% of them will be public domain, as they're all pretty old. Good luck!
@@whistletutor thank you so much! I created a nice video of a walk in the Scottish Borders and used music that was listed as Creative Commons and ok to use even if for something monetized (which I am not yet!). Si Bheag Si Mhor, such popular tune, is the one UA-cam said another creator has claimed a copyright on in some form. I was really surprirsed and not sure how to contact youtube to let them know it's an OLD song. Any advice would be welcome, I'd hate to redo the music, it takes me a long time! (not a professional here! haha)
Well today I'll be taking my whistle out to the garden with me to have a little play + practice, after I do some digging!
@@marymcandrew7667 Ohh, I gotcha - yeah about one out of every 5 videos I post I get hit with a copyright notice because some troll has attempted to copyright Silver Spear or some other tune that's 200 years old. So I have to go through the appeals process and send them links to thesession or wikipedia saying "come on guys, please do 5-10 seconds of research before dinging me" and after 30 days when the troll can't be bothered to fight back, the notice gets erased.
So point is, you'll probably have to do that same crap but you'll always win.
very interesting! he made the opposite of the common mistake. It should be: "This is a picture of my dad and me." "This is a picture of me and my daughter." xD
its the other way around that people usually do... "Me and my wife went to the grocery store"...
What's your favourite Whistle , from any of your videos, regardless of playing level.
I know, budget wise, for a beginner the sweetone is good,
But what's your absolute favourite you've used?
Gary Humphrey is my go-to, I've got a bunch of his and I've been playing them for about 10-15 years now. Link in the description if you need more info
Interesting. I also realized I have no idea how to read music, let alone know what all the notes corrolate to.
I think I should go to way basics and learn more about music first.
I know this doesn't have anything to do with excercises, but can you please explain to me the difference between JUST and EQUAL intonation on a Tin Whistle? Can the difference REALLY be heard? It would be great if you would do a video that would allow us to hear the difference between those two temperaments - maybe two of the same whistles, with exception to the intonation?
I am definitely *not* the right person to answer that question hahaa - I did find this thread which might help: forums.chiffandfipple.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=53376&start=15
So a cut is the note above the main note, and a strike is the note below... yes?
Yep - typically called a tap but that's the idea.
@@whistletutorAh. Would you consider a video on playing slides? They are fun to paly and I'd like to improve mine.
@@soslothful I actually did one a long time ago and I thought about redoing some of those ancient ones but there's really not much I'd say differently: ua-cam.com/video/sfzNX6uwp_Q/v-deo.html
Oh, no. I meant the tune type called a slide.
@@soslothful Oh gotcha - I did one back in January about a slide: ua-cam.com/video/lDkEPz7aG2o/v-deo.html
Япрактикуюсь ровно до того момента, когда соседи начинаю топать и стучать в свой потолок
Yep air flow... Definitely
Do you train flute and piccolo too?
Not piccolo but Irish (wood) flute for sure!
It's some story time video about photos
Lol the ad I saw was Disney+
1:07 basic scales: D / G / A
2:40 cut/tap scales
4:52 octave jumping
And what is an onarment? Beginner exercises!
Okay, this is way to fast for me. :D
Turn down the play speed on you tube
One question I can't find an answer to... are you right handed? Does it matter?
I'm right handed. I want to keep my positioning the same as I emulate...
I am right handed but started playing right over left and then switched to left over right. It doesn't really matter except that if you're looking to get into flute or uilleann pipes it can be harder finding "left handed" versions which is why I switched way back when
It would have helped had you slowed down, a lot. Really do not know what you are doing after 3.00.
Not much for a beginner.
Way too much information for a first time player- I have no idea where my fingers go when you play a “cut”. I would need a lesson on the scale and the cut within the scale
Scales: 1:08 Cuts within scales: 2:43
Sorry but you talk and play too fast to be useful for a beginner......
totally useless to a beginner.. how about explaining what your doing.. Love that you use the term " im going to Miyagi it. " LOL.. Miyagi would stop and make sure the student understood what he was doing..
Well despite missing the point of the Miyagi reference, you have hit on one of the difficult bits of teaching on UA-cam: once posted, a video cannot be modified to explain things when some folks don't get it. Fortunately, judging by the 97% like-to-dislike ratio I'm guessing that most folks do, but for those that don't I'm always happy to work with them one-on-one over Skype! Cheers!
I thought It was good
The cool thing about UA-cam is you can watch the video over and over, and over, and over, and over again - ad infinitum! Thus, by observation, one can learn what the instructor is doing entirely without explanation!