Learning the Tin Whistle

So after going to my first Celtic Thunder concert last year, I became obsessed with all things Irish. During the concert, Ryan Kelly plays the tin whistle, so I thought "I can do that!" I've played both piano and clarinet, I have musical knowledge, so I ordered mine from the Celtic Thunder website.

It arrived and appeared fairly simple to learn. There are only 6 holes to cover and it's in the key of D, meaning there are 2 sharps. Basically, to get the lower notes you breathe lightly and the higher notes you breathe harder. It came with a song book with some Celtic Thunder songs to practice. Initially, I started learning the notes by the fingering, but then I got the hang of it and learned the scale and the notes without looking at the fingering chart. One tip that I can share is it is much easier to cover the notes with the pads of your fingers, instead of the tips.

It's been a work in progress, but I run through the songs everyday and am sounding better each time. I can even play the Titanic theme song. One of these days I'll post a video of my skills. I'm aiming for St. Patrick's Day for the video! :)

Light reading today folks! Enjoy your day!

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