Customer Reviews

The Complete Irish Tinwhistle Tunebook (Oak Classic Pennywhistles)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book has 4 cds with all the tunes recorded in a slower, practice version, and then up to speed. Also included are the guitar chords for the acoustic guitar accompanyment with each tune. The tunes are great- both for playing if you are more than a beginning player but also for learning your way around the tin whistle if you are a beginner. Altogether this is the best collection of tin whistle tunes I've come across yet. The author's Tin Whistle Tutor has some great examples of ornamentation, trills, etc. and also loads of tunes but I think if I were to get one book first it would be this, the Tin Whistle Tunebook.

This book is a collection of mainly jigs and reels with a few hornpipes, polkas, airs and other tunes included. The source of the tune is included under the title, which transmits the feeling of this music still being a living tradition. These little notes also go a long way to helping you feel like less of an isolated oddball for pursuing the curious hobby of traditional music and tinwhistling in particular. All of the tunes are on the accompanying cd's, with the whistle being accompanied alternately by a guitar or piano.

No just a tune collection, but nice material to work for every whistler - from beginner to highly advanced one. Performer recorded on cd sounds very 'Irish' (for me :)), and is very useful source when we want to understand Irish feeling and way to proper playing this music, where only sheetmusic is not enough.

The Clarke Tin Whistle Handbook, by Bill Ochs, is a better book for beginners, and is really the definitive tin whistle tutorial. Advanced beginners or intermediate players who have worked through the Ochs book might enjoy Cathal McConnell's book. I'd also look into the Grey Larson Irish Flute & Tin Whistle book before buying Mr. McCullough's book.

Years ago when I visited Australia, I pick up a Tin whistle and started learning from there, then I ordered this book from amazon wanting to improve, but found out that this book is all about scores and scores for tinwhistle, but nothing to help improve our techniques.

Well, to me, it is an ok book.

Much of the music that I was raised with is not in this book, but it does have many songs to allow someone to get a very good base to play a little bit of everything.

I haven't tried any of the Cds yet, but overall this book is nice although the songs just don't seem as lively as some. It's a nice book to have though.