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penny whistle fingering

20 Jul 04 - 01:00 AM (#1229591)
Subject: penny whistle fingering
From: GUEST,Tyler

Recently I decided to learn a new Celtic instrument ( I also play both the Highland pipes and their Irish counter part). I bought a cheep Waltons Irish penny whistle for about $9.00 from an online store (simplesounds.com)I also bought some sheet music and the music goes to a high D (above the stave) and the fingering chart that came with the whistle only covers from D-High B and im pretty sure that penny whistles are 2 octaves, Can anyone help me with the last few fingerings ?
    thanks
                     Tyler


20 Jul 04 - 02:28 AM (#1229614)
Subject: RE: penny whistle fingering
From: The Fooles Troupe

You might want to look at this thread which is also a new thread on this very subject.

Robin


20 Jul 04 - 03:31 AM (#1229633)
Subject: RE: penny whistle fingering
From: GUEST,nutty

This site offers all its tunes in Penny Whistle notation (shows fingering) and will transpose a tune to accomodate a whistle of any key.

Click on the tune first, then on penny whistle notation, then on the key for your particular whistle

CLICK


20 Jul 04 - 03:42 AM (#1229636)
Subject: RE: penny whistle fingering
From: MudGuard

Tyler, the higher octave is reached by the same fingering but overblowing - i.e. blowing harder.


20 Jul 04 - 03:45 AM (#1229638)
Subject: RE: penny whistle fingering
From: The Fooles Troupe

The fingering charts (the little succession of vertical lines of open and closed holes) usually also show the higher octave notes with a little symbol that denotes the fact that the 'overblow' - a slightly stronger breath pressure is needed.


20 Jul 04 - 11:11 AM (#1229855)
Subject: RE: penny whistle fingering
From: IanC

er ... what's "celtic" about the tin whistle?

:-(


20 Jul 04 - 11:35 AM (#1229878)
Subject: RE: penny whistle fingering
From: Leadfingers

EVERYBODY thinks the tin whistle is a simple instrument for playing simple Irish music on . This despite the fact that that us flash whistle oiks regularly play Classical pieces and Jazz on OUR whistles !!


20 Jul 04 - 12:28 PM (#1229923)
Subject: RE: penny whistle fingering
From: GUEST,Clean Supper

For someone's sake!! Let's answer the question FIRST, and then ramble on with crap. (How much blue language can we use here, by the way?)

The whistle notes go up in harmonics. That means that when you play a D fingering and blow harder, the next note is the octave, the next the fifth above (A) and the next - very hard - a third D. It is easier to play that D by fingering G and blowing the note above the octave. (This gives the fifth above G, namely D.)


20 Jul 04 - 01:37 PM (#1229986)
Subject: RE: penny whistle fingering
From: Blackcatter

It is a "celtic" instrument, just not completely so.


Geez - ya need to stop wearing knickers if they're going to get them that much in a twist.


20 Jul 04 - 11:58 PM (#1230424)
Subject: RE: penny whistle fingering
From: GUEST,Ingrid the Crafty

It is a celtic instrument, but you can play anything on it that you want to. I've played jazz, blues, rock & roll, folk and even new age spacy stuff. Nobody told me it was impossible, so I did it.

Ingrid


05 Nov 04 - 10:19 AM (#1317701)
Subject: RE: penny whistle fingering
From: GUEST,isaac

irish flute


05 Nov 04 - 10:38 AM (#1317733)
Subject: RE: penny whistle fingering
From: Vixen

Actually, in my (very) limited experience, sometimes the Highest notes of the second octave require a bit of experimental fingering and breath control to get right on pitch....There's a website out there with some of the possible fingerings, but I can't recall which one it is at the moment. I'm sure somebody here will turn up a link to it shortly!

Just my $0.02, fwiw...


05 Nov 04 - 10:59 AM (#1317766)
Subject: RE: penny whistle fingering
From: GUEST,leeneia

Well, Tyler, if you come back and see this message, try

http://www.fullbodyburn.com/html/flutes/whistle_main.html

This is a fingering chart site.


12 Dec 04 - 04:41 PM (#1354935)
Subject: RE: penny whistle fingering
From: GUEST


12 Dec 04 - 05:17 PM (#1354965)
Subject: RE: penny whistle fingering
From: alison

Its not quite the same in the top octave, some whistles are more temperamental than others

on a D whistle

top C# (ie no fingers on in the lower octave) should work when overblown (ie blow harder)

top D (which at the lowest note is all fingers on)
D usually works in the middle octave with all fingers on - although some charts show lifting the top (finger closest to your mouth)finger off
but the very top D quite often won't play unless you take the top finger off and leave the other 5 on.

you can get a few more notes beyond that but the fingering goes a bit weird....

slainte

alison


12 Dec 04 - 06:12 PM (#1355020)
Subject: RE: penny whistle fingering
From: Brían

I have found the best way to get the middle "d" is to lift the top finger off and bloww a little harder. The best way I have found to get the high "d" is to lift off the top finger only and cover only the next two holes and blow harder. It's the same fingering for "c" natural.

Brían


12 Dec 04 - 08:43 PM (#1355165)
Subject: RE: penny whistle fingering
From: Mr Happy

Try here:

http://www.chiffandfipple.com/table2.html


12 Dec 04 - 09:53 PM (#1355203)
Subject: RE: penny whistle fingering
From: The Fooles Troupe

These 'variant fingerings' depend very much on the instrument. I have many whistles by different makers, and trying to get any 'cross fingered' notes is often very different between them all - the most difference is in the 3rd octave,