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It is almost traditional for whistlers to start
off their playing career with a High D Whistle.
They cost as little as £3.00 and can provide
endless challenges and stimulation to both the
novice and experienced musicians alike. Tutor
material is reasonable to purchase, all of which
(needless to say) is written in D too. There are
some good publications available. Look at our
starter packs in the shop to find out more, we
also generally have at least one starter pack
in our special offer section. If you are confused
about what to purchase to get started email us.
Below you will see some simple fingering charts
for the D Whistle. The Scale of D Major is quite
easy to achieve by following the tablature. It
is worth noting that absolute beginners find the
notes at the bottom of the whistle register difficult
to play. Often the best way to get results initially
is to start on the middle D working down or up
the scale thereafter, this will help you to gain
the confidence to tackle the scale eventually
from the bottom up. It is good practice to be
able to navigate yourself freely from the bottom
up and then top down of any scale anyway. Before
you think of attending a Whistle Workshop for
beginners it may be best to just tackle this task
first.
Correct breath control is essential to manage
your production of notes up and down the scale,
less output being required for lower notes with
output gradually increasing as you rise upwards.
Don’t think because your Whistle is in D
it can only play in D! You can see the G Major
Scale below which you can also play on your D
whistle. This is also worth practicing too, as
the ‘half holing’ or ‘shading’
required to naturalise the C# offers an insight
on how to play half notes, semitones or accidentals
on the tin whistle. There are a number of alternative
fingerings for gaining C natural. This one is
straightforward. If you wish to know more email
Mr. Wetyer!
This is an outline of basics. There is much more
to learn but we hope this possibly demystifies
the starting points.
Good Luck
Mr Wetyer
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