A Complete Guide to Playing Irish Traditional Music on the Whistle
Learn to play Irish traditional music on the whistle with the tin whistle tutor book from Stephen Ducke & Tradschool
– 286 pages; with 429 accompanying audio tracks
– 104 tunes (28 children’s & folk tunes + 76 traditional tunes)
What is it?
This tin whiste tutor book, with its accompanying audio files, is intended to give a complete introduction to playing Irish music in the traditional style on the tin whistle; it covers all from the very first notes on the instruments to the most advanced ornamentation.The book is broadly divided into two parts, with the shorter first part covering the basics of the whistle (pages 1-48) while the longer second part (pages 49-286) covers the playing of Irish traditional music on the instrument. It is currently available as a physical book with its companion volume Irish Music – 400 Traditional tunes
Who is it for?
It is intended for anybody who wants to play traditional music in the Irish style, from complete beginners to confirmed or advanced players who wish to work on their style or ornamentation. Tablature as well as sheet music is used throughout the book, so it is accessible to the complete beginner; while more advanced players will appreciate the attention to detail in style and ornamentation in the later parts of the book.
Introduction – About this tutor- The Irish whistle
Part One
Beginning the Whistle
Holding the whistle – Blowing the whistle – Blowing your first notes – Left hand notes – The note B – Exercise 1 – Left hand notes – continued – The note A – The note G – Exercise 2 – Song : Mary Had a Little Lamb
Unit 2 : Right Hand Notes
Song : Hot Cross Buns – Song: Oranges and Lemons
Unit 3 : The Second Octave
Exercise 1- Exercise 2 – Exercise 3- Song: Au Clair de la Lune
Unit 4 – Scales
1 Scale of D – 2 Scale of G – Tunes using the new note – Good King Wenceslas
Unit 5 – Rhythm, Articulation & Breathing
Playing Irish music on the whistle – rhythm, tonguing and breathing-
Rhythm – Rhythm exercise 1 – Rhythm exercise 2- Rhythm exercise 3 – Tonguing – Tonguing exercise 1 – Tonguing Exercise 2 – Tonguing Exercise 3 – Song : Courtin’ in the Kitchen – Song – Mairi’s Wedding- Song : The Bog Down in the Valley – Song : Cockles and Mussels – Breathing – Breathing after long notes- Making breath spaces – Some More Tunes
Unit 6 – Putting it together 1
Time! – Practicing – Attitude
Part Two
Unit 7 – Irish Traditional Music
Simple system – Combining elements – The Basics – Rhythm – Types of tunes- The structure of the tunes – Ornamentation structure and rhythm – The Details – Making choices – Fast tempo – Ornamentation
Unit 8 – Listening to Irish Music
Listening – Why is listening so important? – What to listen fo r- Instrumentation- Repertoire – Style and technique – Building familiarity – Some players and recordings
Unit 9 – The Jig
Rhythm and tempo – Some jigs – Note Accent and Articulation – Jig Rhythm 1 – Basic Jig Accent – Some More Rhythmic Exercises – Jig Rhythm 2 – Accent on the off-beat – Articulating the off-beat in jigs – Placing the off-beat in jigs – Note Accent in Jigs – More Examples – Phrasing – Breathing at phrase ends – “Overflowing” phrases – breathing after phrase ends – Breathing and Phrasing – More Examples
Unit 10 – The Hornpipe
Rhythm and Tempo – Some hornpipes – Accent and articulation – Hornpipe Rhythm 1 – Basic Hornpipe Accent – Hornpipe Rhythm 2 – Accent on the off-beat – Placing the off-beat in hornpipes – Note Accent in Hornpipes – More Examples – Phrasing and breathing
Unit 11 – The Reel
Rhythm and Tempo – Some Reels – Accent & Articulation – Reel Rhythm 1 – Basic Reel Accent – Reel Rhythm 2 – Accent on the Off-beat – Placing the off-beat in reels – Note Accent in Reels – More Examples – Phrasing and Breathing – Breathing at long notes and phrase ends – Removing notes in reels – Phrasing and Breathing – More Examples
Unit 12 – Ornamentation
Ornamentation 1 – The Cut
Fingering Chart – Cuts – Use of the Cut – The Cut in Jigs – The Cut in Hornpipes- The Cut in Reels
Ornamentation 2 – The Tap
The Tap – Fingering Chart – Use of the Tap – The Tap in Jigs – The Tap in Hornpipes – The Tap in Reels
Ornamentation 3 – The Slide
The Slide – Fingering Chart – The Slide – Fingering Chart (continued) – Use of the Slide – The Slide in Hornpipes – The Slide in Jigs – The Slide in Reels
Ornamentation 4 – The Roll
Fingering chart – Rolls – Use of the Roll – The Roll – Accent and Articulation – G Rol – F Roll – E Roll – A Roll – B Roll – The Roll in Reels – The Roll in Jigs – The Roll in Hornpipes
Ornamentation 5 – The Short Roll
Fingering chart – Short Rolls – Use of the Short Roll – G Short Roll – F Short Roll – E Short Roll – B Short Roll – A Short Roll – The Short Roll in Reels – The Short Roll in Jigs – The Short roll in Hornpipes – The Short Roll in Hornpipes
Ornamentation 6 – The Triplet
The Triplet – Notation and Fingering – Use of the Triplet – FED Triplets on D – The Triplet in Reels – The Triplet in Jigs – The Triplet in Hornpipes
Ornamentation 7 – The Bounce
The Bounce – Fingering Chart – Use of the Bounce – The Bounce in Reels – The Bounce in Jigs – The Bounce in Hornpipes
Ornamentation 8 – The Cran
The Cran – Notation and Fingering – Use of the Cran – The Cran in Reels – The Cran in Jigs
Ornamentation 9 – Combining Ornaments
Tap & Cut – Slide and Cut – Slide and Roll – Tap and Roll
Ornamentation 10 – Staccato Triplets
Ornamentation 11 – Summary
Unit 13 – Other tunes
Polka – Slide – Slip Jig – Set Dance – Barn Dance
Unit 14 – Playing in different keys
Half-holing – Cross-fingering – Whistles in Different Keys
Unit 15 – Playing Irish Music
Repertoire – Choosing your repertoire – Style – Staccato vs legato styles – “Lift” and “swing”- Other stylistic choices – Conscious Choices – Learning by Ear – Advantages of learning by ear – How to learn by ear – Using Sheet Music – Playing in public – Sessions – Sourcing music – Comhaltas Live – Na Píobairí Uilleann Source – ITMA Digital Library
Unit 16 – Putting It Together 2
Learning and playing tunes – Practising
Unit 17 – Tunes
The Haunted House – The Rose in the Heather – The Killavil Jig – The Ship in Full Sail – Saddle the Pony – The Humours of Glendart – Out on the Ocean – The Leitrim Jig – The Frost is all Over – The Rambling Pitchfork – Pay the Reckoning – Club Céilí – The Battering Ram – The Blackthorn Stick – The Mist on the Meadow – The Monaghan Jig – The Skylark – The Ashplant – Jackie Coleman’s – Ships are Sailing – Sheehan’s – Over the Moor to Maggie – The Heather Breeze – Lady Ann Montgomery – The Teetotaller – Saint Anne’s – The Cup of Tea – The Silver Spear – The Humours of Tulla – The Green Mountain – Miss Monaghan – Sean Reid’s – The Wind that Shakes the Barley – Micho Russell’s – The Earl’s Chair – The Galway Rambler – The Home Ruler – Kitty’s Wedding -Boys of Bluehill
Appendix 1 – Troubleshooting
Sound – Tuning – Rhythm and tempo – Learning tunes – Ornamentation
Appendix 2 – Reading Music
Music Notation – Basics – Notes and the Staff – Key Signatures – Note Values
Appendix 3 – Bibliography
Appendix 4 – Tracklist
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The following tunes are included in the tutor. Part 1 (Units 1-7) contains easier tunes such as children’s songs and Irish folk songs, aimed at introducing you to the whistle. Irish traditional music itself is covered from Unit 8 onwards (pages 49-286)
The book features 28 children’s & folk songs, with 76 Irish tunes – giving a total of 104 tunes in all.
Part 1
Children’s Tunes
Mary Had A Little Lamb
Hot Cross Buns
Oranges and Lemons
Au Clair de la Lune
Frère Jacques
Good King Wenceslas
Irish Folk Songs
Courtin’ in the Kitchen
Mairi’s Wedding
Bog Down in the Valley
Cockles and Mussels
The Dawning of the Day
Mo Ghile Mear
Spancil Hill
The Irish Rover
The Boys of Wexford
Kelly from Killane
Einini
Clare’s Dragoons
The Star of the County Down
Down by the Sally Gardens
I’ll Tell Me Ma
The Minstrel Boy
The Spanish Lady
whiskey in the Jar
Roddy McCorley
Amazing Grace
Mursheen Durkin
Follow Me up to Carlow
Part 2
Tunes used as examples
The following tunes are used throughout the tutor to illustrate technical aspects of style, articulation, phrasing and ornamentation
Jigs
Mulhare’s Jig
Coleman’s Jig
The Maid on the Green
The Trip to Athlone
Jerry’s Beaver Hat
The Eavesdropper
The Carraroe Jig
I Buried My Wife and Danced on top of Her
The Blarney Pilgrim
The Cook in the Kitchen
Hornpipes
Dunphy’s Hornpipe
The Harvest Home
Poll Ha’Penny
Reels
The Shannon Breeze (Rolling in the Ryegrass)
Drowsy Maggie
The Boyne Hunt
Maud Millar
The London Lasses
Maud Millar
Roaring Mary
The Fermoy Lasses
The Silver Spear
Toss the Feathers
anderson’s Reel
The Redhaired Lass
The Green Fields of Rossbeigh
The Drunken Landlady
The Sally Gardens
Cregg’s Pipes
The Bag of Spuds
The Floating Crowbar
The Repeal of the Union
Boil the Breakfast Early
The Broken Pledge
Other Tunes
O’Keefe’s Slide
A Fig for a Kiss
The Blackbird
The Curlew Hills
Tune Collection
The following tunes feature in the tune collection at the end of the book, are presented with ornamentation, and played at a moderate pace on the recordings.
Jigs
The Rose in the Heather
The Killavil Jig
The Ship in Full Sail
Saddle the Pony
The Humours of Glendart
Out on the Ocean
The Leitrim Jig
The Frost is all Over
The Rambling Pitchfork
Pay the Reckoning
Club Ceili
The Battering Ram
The Blackthorn Stick
The Mist on the Meadow
The Monaghan Jig
Reels
The Skylark
The Ashplant
Jackie Coleman’s Reel
Ships are Sailing
Sheehan’s Reel
Over the Moor to Maggie
The Heather Breeze
Lady Ann Montgomery
The Teetotaller
St Anne’s Reel
The Cup of Tea
The Silver Spear
The Humours of Tulla
The Green Mountain
Miss Monaghan
Sean Reid’s
The Wind that Shakes the Barley
Micho Russel’s
The Earl’s Chair
The Galway Rambler
Hornpipes
The Home Ruler
Kitty’s Wedding
The Boys of Bluehill
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Tin Whistle Tutor Book
A Complete Guide to Playing Irish Traditional Music on the Whistle - 8.5"x11" format, 296-page physical book with free audio download. €3 shipping worldwide
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