Michael P. O'Connor

OK as I have posted in the past I am trying to learn the Irish Tin Whistle. Well today, I tried recording one tune. It is not very good, in fact it is just down right wrong the way I killed the tune on the Whistle but here goes. Click here if you want your ears to bleed it is the tune I tried to play. If you want you can leave some criticisms about it, but posts of “you suck” and the like will be deleted, since 1) I know that already, 2) they don’t help me get better.
But do remember I am a beginner and an adult (They say it is easier for a child to learn an instrument then an adult) trying to learn an instrument, not the easiest thing to do, but some day I might be half good.

Well I finished looking though the hymnals that I own to find hymns that I in theory could play on my Tin Whistle. I really like this one that I found “Lord Jesus Think on Me” (the lyrics linked to here are from The Lutheran Hymnal Web site, to hear a mid of it just click here)
I would like to get some paper to write them out on so I don’t have to keep looking in the hymnal, since they are so bulky.

Well I think I passed the point with the Tin Whistle where I can see myself some day being OK on it. Right now I am going though my 2 hymnals. Yes I own 2 hymnals, I got them a few years back so I can use the liturgy sections, Matins and Vespers. I am now starting to go looking though the hymn sections for hymns I can in theory play on the Tin Whistle, I have to find ones that are in either the Key of G or D. I do not know as of yet how to transpose music from one key to another, so I can only look for music that is written in the key that the Tin Whistle can do. Also I am now able to look at the notes and know what holes on the Whistle to cover, I don’t need the crutches that the other books I have give. I am very happy with this, there are still some of the higher notes that I still have some trouble with, they would be the high E, high F, and high G. So right now I am going though the hymns looking for hymns in those keys (G and D) and marking them down in a separate note book for future reference. I still need allot of practice on the 1/8 notes and timing, but I believe that will come with time.
I also ordered on line a new Whistle, it was $30, I got a chance to try one like it before I went to get it, so I know it is better, the one I have now is ok to start out with, it is cheap ($8) and gives you an idea, and you can start to learn on it, but I think it is time for me to take a step up to a little bit better one.

Well my progress on the Tin Whistle is not that great, but I am making some progress. For a while I had been using the crutches that the books had put in the music telling what holes to cover on the whistle. But for the last couple of weeks I have been working on being able to work without needing them, I have found in my churches music there are a few tunes that are in the right key so I can play it, I need the music to have the F # instead of having just plain F. I can also do a C # or a C natural, but all the other notes have to be natural. I have to really work on the song to get to a point where I can really “play” it. I still have to think about what the fingering needs to be when I play the note. I also really need to practice the 1/8th notes, I am ok with 1/4 notes and larger, but I have trouble with things that are less then a 1/4 note.
I am hoping that by this time next year I will be 1/2 good.