I've been playing the tinwhistle for a bit over a decade now, and I'll give you
the best advice anyone ever gave me for learning Celtic music:
Listen listen listen! Sheet music and MIDI files will only give
you the bare bones of a tune. If you really want to get that folk sound, you
have to hear masters playing the music.
That's why I list recording recommendations below, before I
list tutorials. Trust me on this. Listening is much more important than
reading directions. If you don't know what this music is supopsed to sound
like, there's no way you're ever going to do it any justice at all.
Below, I've listed the musicians and CDs that have inspired me over the years. I
have every CD and book I list below in my own personal collection, and they are
a large part responsible for making me the musician I am today. Click on the
links to buy them from Amazon.com.
Joannie Madden
Joannie was really my first love when I was learning tinwhistle. Her playing
style is expressive, moving, and full of passion. Some people feel her CDs are
not purely traditional ("the pure drop"), with background instruments,
harmonies and the like. But she's no Enya..her whistle playing exhibits a
virtuosity in the traditional style that is stunning. Her simple but modern
arrangements of background instruments make the music very accessible to even
the casual listener. With lightning-fast dance tunes and passionate airs
throughout, there's something on these CDs for everyone!
Song
of the Irish Whistle, Volume 1
Song of the Irish Whistle, Volume 2
A Whistle on the Wind
Cherish the Ladies
This is the all-woman band is led by Joanie Madden on the whistle and flutes.
In addition to Joanie, this band has top notch musicians Heidi Talbot (lead
vocals, bodhran), Mary Coogan (guitar, banjo, mandolin), Mirella Murray
(accordion), Roisin Dillon (fiddle). The music is a little more well-rounded
than Joanie's solo CDs, though there's still plenty of whistle and flute
goodness to be had!
Threads
of Time
New Day Dawning
Woman of the House
Mary Bergin
Mary Bergin is the ultimate tinwhistle virtuoso. Her album, Feadoga Stain
(literally: Whistle Music), served as the inspiration for Joannie
Madden when she was learning the whistle in the 1970's. Both of Mary's CDs are
full of traditional Irish music in the pure-drop style.
Feadoga
Stain
Feadoga Stain 2
Lunasa
Lunasa debuted in 1997, which was just a couple years after I started playing
the whistle. They have since taken the Celtic music scene by storm. With Kevin
Crawford on flute/whistle and Sean Smyth on fiddle, this band is traditional
Irish music at it's finest. After listening to these guys, I get more and more
amazed at Kevin Crawford's playing. His whistle on Island Paddy (on The
Kinnitty Sessions CD) has me convinced that he's one of the best living
tinwhistlers on the planet.
The
Kinnitty Sessions
Redwood
Otherworld
The Merry Sisters of Fate
Turlach Boylan
Turlach Boylan grew up in County Derry in Ireland, but now makes his home in
Houston, Texas. I've had the immense privilege of being able to play alongside
him at the local sessions there at the Mucky Duck in the past. He is a
top-notch musician from a family of musicians who accepts no compromises when
it comes to making good music. You won't be disappointed.
The
Tidy Cottage
Shame the Devil
Capercaillie
Traditional pure-drop irish music is good for some people. But there are a lot
of good modern bands out there that play traditional tunes, modern tunes, and
traditional tunes in a modern style. Capercaillie is one of those bands. Listen
to The Whinney Hills Jigs sample on Amazon to get a feeling for their
traditional sound, and The Tree to hear a rockin tune. I really love
this band's sound!
Dusk
Til Dawn: The Best of Capercaillie
The
Clarke Tin Whistle: Deluxe Edition People are always asking me how I
got started playing the tinwhistle. This is it! I struggled for months trying
to figure out how to learn the whistle. This book was my salvation! It assumes
you know nothing about the whistle, and takes you on a graduated lesson plan.
From the most simple of three-note tunes to highly complex dance tunes and
airs, this book really has it all. My only wish is that it spent more time
teaching ornamentation in the traditional style. My advice: Use this book for
your first year or two, and then move on and listen to CDs and musicians and
really work hard on a more traditional style. But definitely keep this book for
the 80-something tunes it has in the back!
121
Favorite Irish Session Tunes performed on tinwhistle by L. E.
McCullough. Another great session book with 4 CDs! Containing reels, jigs,
hornpipes and set dances, many sessions use this as their unofficial tune book.
The CDs are organized so that each tune has two recordings: one slow and
sparsely ornamented, and one recording at session-speed with full
ornamentation. This tutor was my second biggest help after the Clarke
tinwhistle book.
The
Fiddler's Fakebook This book is really one of the only session book
you'll ever need if you don't need a CD to go with the dots. It's got over 500
jigs, reels, rags, etc. Even though it's aimed at fiddlers (with bowing
recommendations etc) the melody lines are laid out in the same simple fashion
you're used to, and it can be used by any instrument. It's not all Irish, but
there's plenty in there to keep you going. It's even got a comb binding, so you
can lay it flat while learning tunes. It thought I'd gotten all of the tune
books I would ever need years ago, but this one excited me so much, I had to
get it for Christmas last year!
Traditional
Slow Airs of Ireland If you like the flowing, haunting melodies of
Irish music, such as the kind of music heard on the movies Titanic or
Braveheart, this is the book for you. Containing 118 airs, sean-nós airs,
O'Carolan tunes and others, it's been a staple in my collection.
