Jimmy...can you help? tin whistle...

[cloves]

first of all...where's Jimmy been lately?

Second question..concerns tin whistles. I heard a celtic/folk nad play the other day and to me it sounded like the girl playing the penny whistle was "bending" notes. How do you do that? Is it anything like a harmonica where you make your mouth cavity bigger or smaller? Anyways...she sounded great but I was wondering more about it.

[RockyR]

try fluttering your finger (VERY quickly) on the hole above or below the note. I learned that trick from Mark Malone of the Hooligans.

[Iolaus]

Wouldn't that just give her a trill?

With a flute, it would be easy; just slowly turn the flute head in, to direct the airstream onto the back wall of the hole instead of across the hole, but I'm not sure how to transfer that technique to a whistle. :confused:

[Iolaus]

A quick look through L.E. McCullough's "The Complete Irish Whistle Tutor" didn't give me anything, so I picked up my whistle and started playing with it (don't go there ).

If you slowly rock your fingers off to the side, you'll get a strong bend all the way to the top of the scale - pretty much like a slide whistle!

Bending a note down is a little trickier, but uses the same principle; roll your finger onto the note below the note you are bending.

This all works better in the upper range, but I'm sure some practice could develop the lower range to some extent. Smoothly bending down more than a step will be hard.

[UmAnOnion]

Moderately off topic here but i have to say that i am amazed by the wealth of knowledge & experience to be found on X-marks. No matter what the subject there are others who know somethimng about it and more than willing to share.

Very very impressive!

[Jimmy Carbomb]

was "bending" notes. How do you do that?

As you have your finger-tips over the holes, take the lowest finger and gently lift the tip of the finger up so that the air coming through the hole is only open about 1/2 way.

As you progress up the whistle, you will take the finger and slowly tip-up the note to allow a little air out. You'll get the touch pretty quick. It's really the only way to translate from flute to whistle with any speed.

When you're playing in the third octave, it's the only way to augment notes since the air flow is too strong to decipher between 1/2 open and fully open.

Have fun, and try to play "Bouree" from Jethro Tull. It's a GREAT, slow tune for learning the augmented notes.

[cloves]

nice. Thanks for all your help guys!