Tune Req: Whistle tunes for two whistles

Subject: Tune Req: Whistle tunes for two whistles
From: fi_in_nz
Date: 15 Jun 11 - 11:13 AM

Hi there - A couple came and played in our folk club a while ago and they played some beautiful arrangments for two whistles. Anyone know of a book of duets or where I can find tunes arranged for two whistles on the web.... I've googled it but to no avail. Cheers Fiona

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Whistle tunes for two whistles
From: Jack Campin
Date: 15 Jun 11 - 03:04 PM

There are tunes for two flutes on my website in the collection of Scottish flute music:

Old Scottish Flute Music

It's not hard to do your own arrangements in the same style.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Whistle tunes for two whistles
From: Tootler
Date: 15 Jun 11 - 08:09 PM

I have a book called "Airs for Pairs" which has popular folk dance tunes arranged for two parts by Matt Seattle. Published by Dragonfly music which I think is Matt Seattle's music publishing co. Google Dragonfly music to see if it is still in print.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Whistle tunes for two whistles
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 15 Jun 11 - 10:45 PM

Since you ask for a book, I suppose you can read music. Why don't you search at your library or a music store for duets for flutes or recorders? Recorder music is often in F, but you could write it out in a new key.

The people you speak of, did they play two D whistles, the high-pitched ones? Because they can get shrill, and two of them at once could be very tricky to play in tune. Especially the high notes. Of course, some professionals have very expensive 'penny' whistles.

Do you have a low whistle? A duet between and high and a low would probably be quite lovely.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Whistle tunes for two whistles
From: SteveMansfield
Date: 16 Jun 11 - 08:15 AM

The Northumbrian Pipers Society published a Duet Book in 1986, which is still listed on their website here: the tunes work very well as duets for two high, two low, or one high one low, because I've probably played them all in all those combinations in my time :) One or two tunes go below bottom D, but minor tweaking renders those playable.

+1 for Airs For Pairs if you can still get hold of it. Also from Dragonfly Music was Ben Paley's book 'Swedish Fiddle Music', which includes some tunes that can be played on two D whistles (although due to the inherent nature of Swedish music the majority of the fantastic tunes in that book would require some accidentals, some transposition, or some other form of amendment and editing to work on D whistles).

At the risk of thread creep, the only thing I'd add to GUEST,leeneia's comments about high whistles going out of tune with each other is that there's no whistle on the market that will get a poor player in tune, and there are few cheap whistles that a decent player can't coax into a reasonably acceptable level of in-tune-itude (particularly with another whistle of the same make) through breath pressure and technique ...

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Whistle tunes for two whistles
From: Max Johnson
Date: 16 Jun 11 - 12:53 PM

Packie Byrne used to play two whistles by plugging them into the tap ends of a rubber bath/shower attachment and blowing through the nozzle end. Do I remember correctly that one of his solo duets was 'The South Wind'? A poet and a gentleman.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Whistle tunes for two whistles
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 16 Jun 11 - 02:32 PM

I must admit when I first read the thread title I thought you were asking about ONE person playing TWO whistles at the same time, and harmonising with him/herself: have seem other players doing this, including Cathal McConnell of "Boys of the Lough" (2 high D whistles)

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Whistle tunes for two whistles
From: Mo the caller
Date: 17 Jun 11 - 04:58 AM

Jack seems to be in the habit of making statements beginning with
"It's not hard...."
in this case
".... to do your own arrangements in the same style."

If we all found it easy to play awkward tunes without needing an alternative fingering, in the key of A, with our own harmonies, we wouldn't ask.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Whistle tunes for two whistles
From: Jack Campin
Date: 17 Jun 11 - 06:51 AM

What I had in mind: most of those arrangements are in parallel sixths. (Look at them!)

Take a tune in ABC.

Transpose it down a third.

Stick the two together using the key of the top one.

Adjust a few notes here and there to make it more playable or to do something more interesting.

It really isn't far short of a mechanical process.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Whistle tunes for two whistles
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 17 Jun 11 - 10:04 AM

fi? Where art thou?

Are you near the earthquake zone?

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Whistle tunes for two whistles
From: Jack Campin
Date: 17 Jun 11 - 05:40 PM

Here is an example of the almost-mechanical arrangement process I had in mind. Starting with a tune picked more or less at random (one I posted here in another thread) add voice labels to it:

X:1
T:Gleanntain Ghlas Ghaoth Dobhair
B:Eamonn Jordan, Whistle and Sing
M:3/4
L:1/4
Q:1/4=100
K:DMix
[V:1] D   |A> B c|A2  D   |A2  A|A F D   |C B, C|D2  D|D3-|D2
[V:1] A/B/|c A  G|A2  B/c/|d2  c|A2  d/d/|c B  A|G D E|C3-|C2
[V:1] c/c/|c A  G|A B c   |d2  c|A2  d   |c B  A|G D E|C3-|C2
[V:1] D/D/|A B  c|A2  D   |A F A|G F D   |C B, C|D2  D|D3-|D2|]

Transpose it up so it's in a good range for D whistle (highest note A) and also transpose it down to get another part a sixth lower. Stick the two parts together to get a brainless instant chorale:

X:2
T:Gleanntain Ghlas Ghaoth Dobhair
B:Eamonn Jordan, Whistle and Sing
M:3/4
L:1/4
Q:1/4=100
K:Amix
[V:1] A   |e> f g|e2  A   |e2  e|e c A   |G F G|A2  A|A3-|A2
[V:2] C   |G> A B|G2  C   |G2  G|G E C   |B, A, B,|C2  C|C3-|C2
%
[V:1] e/f/|g e  d|e2  f/g/|a2  g|e2  a/a/|g f  e|d A B|G3-|G2
[V:2] G/A/|B G  F|G2  A/B/|c2  B|G2  c/c/|B A  G|F C D|B,3-|B,2
%
[V:1] g/g/|g e  d|e f g   |a2  g|e2  a   |g f  e|d A B|G3-|G2
[V:2] B/B/|B G  F|G A B   |c2  B|G2  c   |B A  G|F C D|B,3-|B,2
%
[V:1] A/A/|e f  g|e2  A   |e c e|d c A   |G F G|A2  A|A3-|A2|]
[V:2] C/C/|G A  B|G2  C   |G E G|F E C   |B, A, B,|C2  C|C3-|C2|

Sounds basically okay, but the lower part's out of range on the whistle. So lift a few notes up, taking the alternatives from within the same chord we have at each moment (the process has produced a four-chord number, the chords are A, D, G and E minor):

X:3
T:Gleanntain Ghlas Ghaoth Dobhair
B:Eamonn Jordan, Whistle and Sing
M:3/4
L:1/4
Q:1/4=100
K:Amix
[V:1] A   |e> f g|e2  A   |e2  e|e c A   |G F G|A2  A|A3-|A2
[V:2] A   |G> A B|G2  E   |G2  G|G E E   |D D D|E2  E|E3-|E2
%
[V:1] e/f/|g e  d|e2  f/g/|a2  g|e2  a/a/|g f e|d A B|G3-|G2
[V:2] G/A/|B G  F|G2  A/B/|c2  B|G2  c/c/|B A G|F E D|D3-|D2
%
[V:1] g/g/|g e  d|e f g   |a2  g|e2  a   |g f e|d A B|G3-|G2
[V:2] B/B/|B G  F|G A B   |c2  B|G2  c   |B A G|F E D|D3-|D2
%
[V:1] A/A/|e f  g|e2  A   |e c e|d c A   |G F G|A2  A|A3-|A2|
[V:2] E   |G A  B|G2  E   |G E G|F E D   |D D D|E2  E|E3-|E2|]

Done. You could make the rhythm more varied between the parts if you want.