Sorry!

I'm so failing you people!

But between finding a job, a place to live and all the things that it takes to do it, I really don't have time!

Still, today I played for a bit, trying to learn "Swallowtail Jig", I guess i'm just not ready yet for it. I've been without playing for a while, and so I guess I'll try something simpler to get the hang of it again.

Cheers to you, and until my next post...when it comes! :S

Life's changing

Hello!

With my life in a turmoil in the next month, I'll keep trying to post something now and then! I'm moving out and between finding a job, still working at the current one and find a place to live, and pack everything it's really hard to have time to whistle! Still I do it for a couple of minutes...

For today here it goes:

"The Irish Pub" by The High Kings

Enjoy! (I really got to run now!)

Cheers!

Post-weekend

Hello!

Today I had some news that are going to change my life starting in a month from now. I'll abandon my job and get a new one (still don't know where but that's another story).

One thing is for sure, I'll keep whistling, and if I am good enough at it I even have a couple of invitations to participate in some bands concerts already!

Let's see what the future holds, for now I am smiling. That's a good start don't you say?

Cheers!

Weekend

Hello fellow musicians and alike,

how was your day? Mine was just another one at work, and with barely time to whistle. I blew a couple of notes just to get the feeling while packing my Clarke D in my backpack.

This weekend I'll be out, and I don't intent to use the internet, so more news to come later on Sunday. I am expecting to have some news, that's for sure!

Wish you all a nice weekend, and a nice Friday too in your way there :P

Cheers good folks!

Damn videos

Hi all! How was your weekend?

Around here it's cold, rainy and windy...a perfect day to be at home, next to the fireplace!

So today I practised for about an hour and in the end, confident of my capacities tried to make a "Road to Lisdoonvarna" video...it was hell let loose!

I was playing it well enough, but as soon as I turn the camera on...really, it's squeaks, wrong notes, you name it! I had to quit. Maybe next time!

Hope you all have a nice week!

Cheers!

Road to Lisdoonvarna

Hello everyone!

So today I had a bit of time to play with my new (and old) Whistles.

First conclusion: I used to be a bad player, but now I'm really really bad at it! The whole time without whistling can really be heard.

And so...I tried to play Road to Lisdoonvarna, which I never really learned the last part of the tune anyway. I don't know why, but I just didn't.

I got some music sheet from the net, started following it and though "this is wrong, I don't remember it like this" and magic happened! The tune came to my mind (might as well as say fingers), and I could play it by heart. I learned the last part of the tune and now it is complete.

The only if in the story is that all those squeaks that shouldn't be there, now are again, and so I only have one choice: practise.

Anyway, I played until I ran out of breath (that's untrained too, and let me tell you that you can feel it!) which means I played for about an hour or so.

Even with the disappointment of being almost "back to the beginning", I enjoyed playing and in the end I guess that's the most important thing! Having fun and feel good after a tiring day at work.

Oh, you might have noticed that the banner changed, well probably that isn't the final one, but I'll keep tweaking the blog here and there when I have a bit of free time (and I'm not whistling)

That's all for now,

Cheers!

New blog, no new Feadog

Hello you all!

Today I have bad news and good news.

Starting with the bad ones: I'm not too happy with feadog.ie, I bought a couple of Whistles on the 27th of January and they still didn't arrive. That makes it 10 working days, which I think is much more than enough for a couple of Whistles to come from Ireland to Portugal.

First it took around 3 or 4 days for the order to be processed, and now it says it has been shipped...I'll wait until tomorrow for them to arrive before I contact them.

Now the good news, I'm going to make some visual modifications to the blog, nothing fancy, just a couple of things here and there.

Hope that I still have readers after all these blackouts. Not so sure if I deserve them!

Go on now, it's time for your daily practise, I might be doing the same in a couple of minutes.

Cheers!

DerElligh and a couple of Feadogs

Hello Whistlers!

While roaming around the C&F forum I found DerElligh, which was presented by Stefan (the Whistler off course!)

It's a German band with 5 members, they play Irish Folk and you definitely should check them out! Their site is www.derelligh.de and it's full of videos from their performances and info about the band. The only thing I have to say is that the site is only in German, maybe an English translation might be coming, surely the english speaking fans would apreciate.

As for more news, I'm waiting for my 2 Feadogs to arrive, one Brass D and one Nickel D. I still amaze myself that
one can get 2 instruments (not the best in the world for sure, but fully playable and with a nice sound) for less than 20€.
You know...I came from electric bass, just a set of strings would cost me more than that!!!

And that's all for now people of the Whistle!

Cheers!

10 days later...

Hi there everyone!

Here I am again, with nothing too new to say!

These last days I got a small cold, same as saying that no whistling around :(

I tried the Low D, but the amount of breath together with my goey nose...just doesn't work!

I've been checking on Ryan Duns videos again, to see where I am at, but lacking the time (and breath) to do it. Some days I just wish I could have a couple of weeks in the middle of nowhere, alone in a hut, with my whistles and no schedules whatsoever.

Hope someone still reads this...

Cheers!

Day 1...again!

Yes, today I'm officially going back to the Whistle!

I'll retake some online lessons, and check out some simple tunes until I can figure out where I am at right now!

I hope to be able to post some videos of me playing in a couple of weeks, but that's something that depends on my skill :P (I can always make people laugh by "pretending" I'm playing bad) Hehehehe

I'm thrilled to get back to it, I missed the little bastard!

Cheers to you, and have a nice whistling weekend!

Side note: the visitor counter crashed, I guess it was about 600 unique visitors (IP's) but not really sure, so I'm still unsure as to put another counter or just forget about it. If you want to bother just give your opinion ;)

3 months later...

Helloooooo people of the Whistle!

I'm trully sorry for my absence, life's a mess and for the last 3 months I hardly touched the Whistle (except for one or two incursions :P )

I really hope to get back to it until the end of January, and start learning (almost) everything again.

Cheers to you good people,

Yay!

Hello there!

I finally have a new computer and internet connection, from now on I'll be able to start posting again. I am sorry for the interruption.

Cheers!!

No net

I'm sorry to all, but I don't have internet for these last days, nor will I have in the next, my laptop has a problem and I have to wait for it to be repaired :(

Concerning the Whistle, I've been playing the songs in Bill Ochs book, I wish I could play at night, that would make me improve much better... oh well! We have what we have!

Cheers and have a good weekend!

Loooong week!

This has been a loooong week! Unfortunatly, not for the Whistle, but for work!

I hope to have a couple of minutes to play tomorow, because today was prety much impossible, and I guess I'm going to sleep right now.

Sorry for the lack of good posts this week... I hope to revive the blog during the weekend.

Cheers

Weekend

Hello folks!

The blog had his moment of glory with the interview, we're on top of the 600th unique visitor (or I.P. address :P)!!! Thank you all!

In the future I'm doing some more interviews, and the next one is already planned and accepted!!! I'll let you know later who it is.

For now I'll try to be back to my practising with the whistle, maybe later in the day.

Cheers to you all and have a nice weekend!

Interviewing Ryan Duns pt 3/3

Here goes the third and last part of the interview, It was a pleasure to have the oportunity to do it!

Whistler Bard: What gave you the idea/inspiration to start posting whistle lessons on youtube?

Ryan Duns: I was teaching a course at Fordham University and needed a way to help my students. YouTube was free.

WB: How did you get the sound you have on your videos (software,settings, delay etc.) ?

RD: I use an iMac computer so I run things through iMovie. The effects are used, usually, in order to block out the sounds of New York traffic and construction.

WB: Have you seen these other online sites, and what do you think of them? ( http://www.whistletutor.com/ and http://tradlessons.com/ )

RD: I think they are doing a good job. I'm glad there's such an interest in teaching the whistle.

And then some "quickies" to finish the interview:

WB: Best Whistle you played:

RD: Mine!

WB: Best comment you got after playing:

RD: Brilliant

WB: Worst comment you got after playing:

RD: Cliche

WB: Longest period of time without playing:

RD: 30 days - when I made the Spiritual Exercises in 2005

WB: Favourite musician:

RD: Joanie Madden

WB: Favourite tune:

RD: Martin Wynne's #3

And this was it! Once again I want to thank Ryan for his availability and kindness, as well as all the Chiff & Fippler's that help me out with this!

Cheers and have fun in life!

Interviewing Ryan Duns pt 2/3

No big intro here, as simple as it is, the second part of the interview with Ryan Duns:

Whistler Bard: Which other instruments do you play? And how frequently, compared to the Whistle?

Ryan Duns: I play the piano accordion. I probably play the whistle more, because it takes less effort to pick it up!

WB: What's your opinion on the use of high end whistles? There are two schools that I've heard of: the ones who think it's better to stick with the more traditional ones like Feadógs and Clarkes, while others go for high end whistles, claiming that makes them want to practise more.

RD: I think that the whistle is like the wands in the "Harry Potter" books: each whistler has a whistle made for her or for him. Some people sound great on any whistle, others really need the expensive ones to sound their best. I reckon it doesn't matter: if the music is in your heart, it will come out of the instrument.

WB: Abstracting from the previous awnser, What kinds and brands of whistles do you favor for yourself, and why?

RD: I don't have favorites. As a seminarian, I have a vow of poverty so I can't acquire new whistles very easily. I like my Generation D body with an O'Riordan top. I also like to play the black O'Riordan whistles.

WB: What do you suggest when aspiring players reach the inevitable plateau or "dead spot" in their development?

RD: Keep playing! Even when we're not making big strides, or it feels like we've leveled off, you must trust that your patient practice is having an effect. Deep in your soul, the practice is slowly carving out new areas of your heart to explore through music. In time, you will discover these caverns and your music will take on even more meaning and beauty.

WB: Do you like to play music other than Celtic on the whistle at all?

RD: Not really: I stick to traditional Irish.

WB: You use a lot of tonguing to great effect. Was this taught, was it consciously done, or did it just develop on its own?

RD: It developed on its own over time.

WB: Is there a particular tutorial method book that you like and recommend?

RD: Learn both to play by ear and to read music.

WB: Why do bad tunes happen to good whistles?

RD: Great question. Sin.

So in this part of the interview we got to know some opinions about music from Ryan, who once again replied with a natural simpathy. I personally love the last answer of this part :P

Thank you all for reading, and hope I can keep you interest in the blog even after the interview.

Cheers to you all, and don't forget: tomorow is the 3rd and last part of the interview!

Interviewing Ryan Duns pt 1/3

Hello everyone! Today is an exciting day, since I'm posting the interview I made to Ryan Duns over the internet.

First of all I want to thank everyone on the Chiff & Fipple Forums for the support and questions, this is for you.

I'll post the interview divided in 3, for 3 days in a row.

So here it goes, part 1 out of 3:

Whistler Bard: At what age did you begin to play the whistle? Can you remember the exact moment?

Ryan Duns: I was a fat kid, so my mom would not let me take Irish dancing lessons. She thought that it would be better if I played an instrument, so she signed me up for lessons with Tom Hastings, a teacher in Cleveland. I remember leaving my first lesson as an 8-year old boy, knowing that I would love Irish music.

WB: Why and when did you decide to play Irish music? Is it a tradition in your family?

RD: My great-grandfathers were both musicians: one played the piano, the other played the fiddle. My great-great-aunt was a button-box player and a nun - an Ursuline sister.

WB: About your influences, tell me about the city or town you grew up in, your teachers and how did that influence your music?

RD: We had great local music: Tom Byrne and Tom McCaffery, Tom Hasting, and Al O'Leary were all active musicians. They were so warm to us kids and really welcomed us into the sessions. They taught us not only a great deal of tunes, but they taught us how to be good Irish musicians who welcomed other musicians, regardless of ability.

WB: How did you acquire your tune repertoire - sessions, mentors,books, recordings?

RD: A mix of all of them! We had an active Comhaltas branch in Cleveland during the 1990's, so we had a lot of opportunities to play with others. I also loved to listen to Irish music, so I developed my ear and picked tunes up that way.

WB: Did playing for hours and hours for Step Dancers strengthened your faith?

RD: Totally! It gets repetitive, so I pray when I play. I pray for the kids, usually, and for the various people I come across.

WB: Will you ever go back to playing for Feisanna?

RD: Yes - I'm playing one in just a few weeks! I still play about 20 each year - not as many as I'd like (I love Irish dancing) but with my busy schedule, it's the best I can do.

WB: Do you play at sessions, or only for private or personal enjoyment?

RD: I play in sessions every now and again. I play more frequently for personal pleasure but, when I have the chance, I do love to go to sessions.

Ok, this was it! At least the first part of it. I separated the questions in logical groups, in this one we can find out about Ryan's roots on the whistle.

Hope you enjoyed it, as for me, I'm really proud of myself for doing it, as well as thankfull to Ryan and all the fellow whistlers that contributed with the questions.

Cheers, and don't miss the second part tomorow!

Questions to Ryan Duns

Hello there folks!

So tomorow I'll make the interview with Ryan Duns.

Here are the questions the good people from the Chiff & Fipple forum made 'till now:

1 - Why did he stop uploading his videos?

2 - Why do bad tunes happen to good whistles?

3 - Do you think Matt Molloy wears funny trousers?

4 - What city or town did he grow up in, and how did that influence his music?

5 - Why and when did he decide to play Irish music?

6 - At what age did he begin to play the whistle?

7 - Is there a tradition of Irish music in his family?

8 - Was there a particular teacher or mentor who guided or influenced his whistle playing?

9 - How did he acquire his tune repertoire - sessions, mentors, books, recordings?

10 - Does he play at sessions, or only for private or personal enjoyment?

11 - What kinds of whistles does he favor (e.g. O'Riordan, Generation), and why?

12 - Which other instruments does he play?

13 - What do you suggest when aspiring players reach the inevitable plateau or "dead spot" in their development?

14 - "how about asking Ryan's opinion on the use of high end whistles. Some people maintain that it's better to stick with the more traditional whistles like Feadógs or Clarkes until you become fairly proficient whereas others (like myself) have found that they prefer playing high end whistles and therefore want to practise more frequently." -> I have to find a structured question for this one

15 - Do you like to play music other than Celtic on the whistle at all?

16 - What players do you admire and why?

17 - How did he get the sound he has on his video's (software, settings, delay etc.) ?

18 - Will he ever go back to playing for Feisanna?

19 - Did playing for hours and hours for Step Dancers strengthen his faith?

20 - Does he still play the box, or has he given it up totally for the whistle?

21 - What gave him the idea/inspiration to start posting whistle lessons on youtube?

22 - Ryan uses a lot of tonguing to great effect. Was this taught, was it consciously done, or did it just develop on its own?

23 - Does he play the flute? If so, does he play the same way?

24 - Who were his teachers or influences?

25 - Has he seen these other online sites, and what does he think? (http://www.whistletutor.com/ and http://tradlessons.com/)

26 - Is there a particular tutorial method book that you like and recommends? Grey Larsen, Bill Ochs, etc.

Quite a list hum? Looking forward for the outcome!

Cheers!

News, news, news!!!

Hello good folks!

Today I have some news! I contacted Ryan Duns (check him out here) and he's willing to concede me an interview! It will be posted here on the blog off course!

For the questions, I have some of my own and I'm gathering some from the C&F forum too. Added to that I wanted you, readers of the blog, to ask your question too, so please feel free to do so!

I'm also trying to contact "TinWhistler", another famous Youtube whistler, for an interview, hope I'll manage it!

And now, a bit outside whistling, but part of music too, here goes a video I made today on how to make an inexpensive pop-filter for your recordings, enjoy!



Cheers!