This is probably one of the most complete tutorials
made for the Whistle. The one thing that it doesn't cover in detail is how to read sheet
music. If you're new to reading sheet music, it is recommended that you pick up a tutorial
that explains the basics in more detail also ("Fun
With the Tinwhistle" or "You Can
Teach Yourself Tinwhistle" would be excellent choices). This book is good for a
beginner that can read music, but is also very good for intermediate and even advanced
whistle players.
It's a whopping 144 pages thick! The book
starts with a very complete description - including pictures - of most whistles currently
available, then goes on to teach the fundamentals of whistle playing. Its packed full of
great tunes.
(CD is now included in a sleeve inside
the book, instead of as shown above)
It also goes into detail explaining the differences between Jigs, Reels,
Hornpipes, Set Dance, etc. The best feature of this book, however, is the amount of
instruction that's dedicated to ornamentation. It is full of detailed instruction for
Slides, Cuts, Double Grace Notes, Triple Grace Notes, Triplets, Rolls, Bends, etc.
This truly is a complete whistle tutorial!
The CD is full of tunes from the book, and also includes back up instruments and some
vocals. It includes 31 tunes from the book, and is a great CD to just put in and listen to
also. One of the nicest features of the CD is that it tells the artists names that are
performing each tune, plus the type of whistle that they're using!
You will need to have a Whistle in the key of D to make proper use of this book.
All the tunes are written in keys that are meant to be played on a D whistle. Take a look
at the Whistle Section of our online catalog
if you need a D Whistle.
