Mel Bay The Essential Tin Whistle Toolbox [Paperback]

Grey Larsen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2004

All the tools the beginner, novice, and intermediate tin whistle player needs in order to progress to a high level of competence in Irish music. Includes an "Orientation to Traditional Irish Music", which puts the music in context, with information on scales and modes, dance tune types, the historical roots of whistle playing, and advice for learning by ear. The book is full of thorough instruction, exercises, and musical examples: from holding, fingering, breathing, and blowing, on up to advanced ornamentation, phrasing, and variations. Features a simple and penetrating new approach to understanding and notating ornamentation that goes beyond any previous method. Also includes history and theory of traditional Irish tin whistle music. For those who don't read music, almost all the exercises and examples appear on the companion CD.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Grey Larsen was born in 1955 in New York City. His family moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, the following year. He began piano lessons at the age of four and enjoyed a childhood and youth full of music exploration, his inner world filled with the keyboard music of Bach and Mozart, the rock, R & B, and Motown sounds on the radio, the songs of contemporary folk music interpreters, and traditional Appalachian and Irish music. From 1970 to 1972, he studied composition and early music at the Cincinnati College - Conservatory of Music before moving on, in 1973, to continue at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Oberlin, Ohio. While pursuing early and modern classical music on the one hand, he came ever more deeply under the spell of traditional music on the other, and for several years he followed both streams with equal energy and dedication. In these and later years, he spend a great deal of time learning traditional Irish music from elder musicians, especially immigrant Irishmen Michael J. Kennedy (1900-1978), Tom Byrne (1920-2001), and Tom McCafferty (born 1916), in Cincinnati and Cleveland, Ohio. Upon completing his Bachelor of Music degree at Oberlin in 1976, the streams forked. He bid a fond farewell to the academic side of music and set a course following his love of traditional music, exploring other waterways that would branch, cross, and rejoin over the decades. He leads a varied and rich musical life as a performer, teacher, author, recording artist, record producer, mastering engineer, and as the Music Editor of Sing Out! magazine. Since the early 1970s, he has also devoted himself to the traditional fiddle music of his native Midwest and Appalachia. But that's another story. He has three children and lives in Bloomington, Indiana, USA.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Mel Bay Publications, Inc. (April 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786668911
• ISBN-13: 978-0786668915
• Product Dimensions: 11.8 x 8.7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #863,032 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The BEST musical Toolbox you can have!, March 28, 2007

By 

M. E. Ward (The Great Northwest) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mel Bay The Essential Tin Whistle Toolbox (Paperback)

To the previous reviewer: It's called a "Toolbox" for a reason.

Clearly this book was not intended to be a songbook. There are _plenty_ of songbooks, and they all have one shortcoming; they rarely give the player an adequate indication of "how" to execute the ornaments or address other often asked questions such as whether or not dynamics are possible. Even the better song/method books out there that come with recordings usually aren't organized well enough to follow the curriculum outlined in the book (i.e. they give you an example and then follow it with a song that poorly illustrates the concept put forth, OR the recorded song comes in one speed: blindly fast for you to appreciate by ear but frustrate the heck out of the beginning student).

As one who has been teaching music (and penny whistle specifically) for a while now, I can't tell you how many students I've had that express dismay and confusion over the "how to's" of the expressive part of whistle playing. Yes you can show them in a lesson but between lessons it's helpful to have a good, thorough book to guide you, help you advance quickly, and keep you motivated.

Music (on any instrument, including the voice) is a language. Despite the other reviewers negative attitude toward music theory, many people find it helpful because it explains the concepts and "rules" for that language, which gives you the ability to "intentionally" communicate your ideas AND understand them when you hear them played by someone else so that you can reproduce them yourself . As one who makes their living professionally playing and teaching music, I have found that people that say they don't "like/need" to know music theory have had the misfortune of having it taught in a non-relevant, dry way.

As to the author not providing audio recordings of the tunes cited, there are plenty of sources for one to find them. It is very expensive to gain the rights to use those songs in publications. If you think this book is expensive already, how'd like to pay the added cost that would be passed on to you were they (the songs cited) to be included.

I am thrilled to finally have found a book like this to supplement a grossly neglected area of whistle playing. I would highly recommend this book for teachers and especially self-taught players. Use it as a supplement to the method and songbooks you have that don't (or poorly) cover the aspects of whistle playing that make the difference between you sounding like an perpetual beginner and a more seasoned player.

Hats off to Mr Larsen for such a fine bit of work. If you really want to play with ease and SOUND great, this book is a must have in your collection!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!, August 21, 2007

By 

S. Krizan "SK" (ON, Canada) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mel Bay The Essential Tin Whistle Toolbox (Paperback)

I have to admit im extremely impressed. I feel that this book is excellent for both the beginner and more experienced player, though I wouldn't rank myself amoung the proffesional players I still feel that this book will benefit almost all whistle players. He goes through really in-depth lessons slowly so that their easy to follow, and as you progress you meet new challenges within the book. He also gives you tips on breathing and posture.
In conclusion, if you've been looking for a learning book to play the pennywhistle than buy this!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best of the whistle guidebooks, June 3, 2007

By 

D. Dotson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mel Bay The Essential Tin Whistle Toolbox (Paperback)

OK, so I have only tried three. But this one fits my style. If you don't have a live instructor available, the best option, then this book can help you understand the real basics: how to hold the whistle, basic fingering options, breathing. Stuff other tutorials tend to assume you already know.

Of course, there is plenty here for more advanced students too. I do suggest you look elsewhere for a supplemental tune book and consider purchasing other tutorials, but this is an excellent place to start.