h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I realise I've talked a lot about my little uke in my journals this month. So it seems only fair to give some journal time to other memebers of my instrument menagerie.

I bought my first pennywhistle decades ago and it sat around unplayed and unloved until a couple of years ago I bought a good tune book, graded by difficulty and spent a lot of time annoying the neighbours while learning to play the high notes. That proved fun so I followed up with getting my hands on a lovely low whistle, sounding an octave lower and with a nice mellow tone. I'm slowly improving my skills with both versions and have even escaped from confinement in the back bedroom practice room to play some tunes with a fiddler friend.

The next big step for me was to get away from the tyranny of the printed dots and learn some tunes by ear. My chance came early this year at a Whistle Weekend in Bury, full of whistle playing experts, inspiring concerts and workshops for all levels. One of the workshops I attended was run by two members of 'The Shee', teaching us a Scottish folk tune by the time honoured method of play and repeat. To my surprise, I managed to keep up with the class and left with a new tune in my head and added confidence that I can make music without dots. Now I can annoy the neighbours in a whole new way by playing snatches of tunes over and over while I try to learn them from the CD.

[Amy P]