The Essential Tin Whistle Toolbox

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.

This is book/CD is a supplement to the book/CD set The Essential Tin Whistle Toolbox. It is comprised of written transcriptions and audio recordings of the 18 traditional Irish tunes referred to and excerpted in that book. It also includes introductory and explanatory text. The transcriptions include Grey's suggested ornamentation and breathing places. The recordings are of Grey playing the tunes, as notated in the transcriptions, on tin whistle.

For the beginner to the highly advanced player of Irish flute, tin whistle, or Boehm-system flute. Features a simple and penetrating new approach to understanding and notating ornamentation that goes beyond any previous method, exploring ornamentation techniques never described in print before. Also includes adaptations for Boehm-system flute players, guidance on breathing and phrasing, 49 ornamentation exercises, history and theory of traditional Irish flute and whistle music, and 27 meticulous transcriptions of recordings by these important Irish flute and tin whistle players: John McKenna,Tom Morrison, William Cummins, Séamus Ennis, Willie Clancy, Paddy Taylor, Paddy Carty, Grey Larsen, Josie McDermott, Matt Molloy, Cathal McConnell, Mary Bergin, Donncha Ó Briain (Denis O'Brien), Desi Wilkinson, Breda Smyth, Seán Ryan, Conal Ó Gráda, Micho Russel, Joanie Madden, Kevin Crawford, Catherine McEvoy, and Seamus Egan. for those who don't read music, almost all the exercises, examples and tunes appear on the two companion CDs. Grey has, through his research, patience, and diligence, completed a work on Irish flute and tin whistle that I feel is essential reading for anybody interested in getting it right. - Matt Molloy, Irish Flute player with the Chieftains.

The Toolbox Exercises for Finger Coordination, a book/CD set, is supplement to the book/CD set The Essential Tin Whistle Toolbox and is comprised of written transcriptions and audio recordings of 38 exercises for tin whistle, composed and performed by Grey Larsen. It also includes introductory and explanatory text.The recordings feature a metronome click in the left channel and Grey playing tin whistle in the right channel. Using your left-right balance control, you may control the relative loudness of these two elements, or eliminate either element altogether.The ability to move various combinations of fingers in precise coordination and synchronization is essential for good tin whistle playing. This ability involves not only combinations of fingers of one hand or the other, but often fingers of both hands.If you are a beginner, gaining these skills may seem daunting to you, but I assure you, in time and with practice, such coordination and dexterity will become second nature. If you are an intermediate player, you may wish to use these exercises to improve your finger coordination skills.These 38 exercises are designed for the development of such finger coordination. Due to space limitations, it was not possible to include them in the book/CD set The Essential Tin Whistle Toolbox.The text and transcriptions take up thirty-three 8.5 x 11 inch pages.

Here are 30 easy-to-play Christmas favorites arranged for tin whistle (also known as pennywhistle) and Irish flute. Chords are included for guitar, keyboard, or other accompaniment instrument. Also included with this book: Access to audio downloads for all 30 songs, with tin whistle, Irish flute and guitar Three duet arrangements If you don’t read music, you can still use this book! In addition to music notation, there is a specially-designed tablature for tin whistle and Irish flute. What makes these tune arrangements easy? They are played in the lower two octaves of the whistle and flute’s range, ascending no higher than B in the second octave. They are in easy tin whistle and Irish flute keys: D major, G major, E minor and B minor. No metal keys are needed on the Irish flute. They use only eight notes: D, E, F♯, G, A, B, C and C♯. They are also easy to play on soprano and tenor recorder, modern flute and piccolo. The author recommends using a tin whistle in D or a standard Irish flute (with or without keys) with this book. You can also use soprano and tenor recorders, modern flute and piccolo. However, the tablature in this book uses only tin whistle and Irish flute fingerings.

Grey Larsen, in the 150 Gems collection, has given us a most welcome follow-up to his encyclopedic volume, The Essential Guide to Irish Flute and Tin Whistle (Mel Bay Publications, 2003) and The Essential Tin Whistle Toolbox (Mel BayPublications, 2004). The Gems feature not only meticulously-selected tunes, but represent the first mjor offerings that use Larsen's innovative system of notating Irish ornamentation. This book and online audio will help players gain a deeper understanding of the Irish musical tradition as well as provide new material to enhance the experience of the solo player and Irish session participant alike.

From the author of The Essential Guide to Irish Flute and Tin Whistle, comes 300Gems of Irish Music for All Instruments. These 300 tunes, selected from among the author's favorites, are notated in a style that makes them accessible to players of fiddle, flute, whistle, accordion, concertina, harp, keyboard, guitar, mandolin, banjo, uilleann pipes - to all melody players. Here you will find some of the most beautiful tunes in the storehouse of Irish music - session standards and rare treasures alike - tunes that will help both the performer and the Irish session participant build a vibrant and varied repertoire. Many of the transcriptions pay homage to recordings by famous Irish musicians and groups such as Matt Molloy (of the Chieftains), Martin Hayes, Sharon Shannon, Mary Bergin, Kevin Burke, James Kelly, Willie Clancy, Altan, the Bothy Band and the Mulcahy Family, as well as to early 20th century recordings from revered Irish masters Michael Coleman, Paddy Killoran, Dennis Murphy, BobbyCasey, Paddy Canny and others.

Grey Larsen, in the 150 Gems collections, has given us a most welcome follow-up to his encyclopedic volume, The Essential Guide to Irish Flute and Tin Whistle (Mel Bay Publications, 2003) and The Essential Tin Whistle Toolbox (Mel Bay Publications, 2004). The Gems feature not only meticulously-selected tunes, but represent the first major offerings that use Larsen's innovative system of notating Irish ornamentation. These books and online audio will help players gain a deeper understanding of the Irish musical tradition as well as provide new material to enhance the experience of the solo player and Irish session participant alike.