"The Complete Irish Tin Whistle Tutor" by L.E. McCullough
|
List Price: Our Price: $11.06 You Save: $6.93 (39%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $8.93 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of "The Complete Irish Tin Whistle Tutor"
Book Review: Good place to restart your music
Summary: 5 Stars
This was a great re-introduction to music for me. I was able to pick up a whisle and play quickly, the guide was informative. I will be moving from here to Ullian Pipes since they are also in D and use much of the same fingering.Book Review: Good vs. Bad
Summary: 4 Stars
_Bad Points_
CD Quality
The sound quality of the accompanying CDs are poor. I have a very good audio card and an extremely good surround sound system, but the grainy, gritty and sometimes faded sound makes it clear that these CDs were copied directly from a non-digital source. Most likely a previous recording on tape, or loop. Still, you can understand what is being said and the musical tunes are clear enough to catch. It is just very annoying to listen to, which diminishes overall enjoyment.
Type Font
The type font used in this book is standard typewriter. Some people may enjoy the vintage look it provides, but I find it bothersome to read.
Sheet Music Font
The sheet music font is hand-drawn. While this may seem classical and campy to look at, it adds another challenge for novice players. Some of the notes are too large to accommodate the bars and are thus indistinguishable from where they are supposed to be.
_Good Points_
Mr. McCullough presents a very well thought out guide to learning the Tin Whistle. His research into the history of the instrument may be a little overstated in some areas and a little on the dry side, but his teaching method is nonetheless comprehensible.
Mr. McCullough is rather verbose. He makes his points, and then remakes them, and remakes them yet again. Although some people may find the repetition beneficial, I find it confusing. To his credit he does not contradict himself.
The overall value of the book makes it well worth its price. The CDs and the information are an excellent package, compared to many other teaching books and courses about this instrument.
_Other Recommendations_
I personally prefer Labhras O Murchu's "Traditional Irish Tin Whistle tutor." The book is perfect for a true beginner, and has an excellent study in the art of reading music. The songs and styles contained are very well explained in a friendly, but direct way. Although it is not necessary to have the accompanying CD, it is immensely helpful. Sadly the book and CD are sold separately. For a true beginner I would sincerely recommend buying the CD as well. It has excellent sound quality, it follows the books lesson plan precisely, and it is wonderfully narrated.
The book is sold here at Amazon, but the CD is not. [...]
Book Review: Tin Whistle tutor
Summary: 4 Stars
This book is an excellent reference book for learning to play the tin whistle. It covers all the techniques used in playing the tin whistle and provides a wealth of tunes to learn. The CD that accompanies provides a chance to hear what you see on the written page, which is helpful. The tunes, even from the first one, are challenging. Even the un-ornamented versions are played up to tempo and are quite fast. This is probably not the best book for the rank beginner to use, but if you have been playing for awhile and want to take your playing to the next level, this is a good book to have.
Also, there is no tin whistle sent with the book. It's just the book and the CD.
Book Review: Good buy
Summary: 4 Stars
The book itself is very helpful and has many different type of songs to learn from. However if you don't know how to read music it can by difficult to follow because it doesn't go over in detail how to read music. The Cd is also very helpful, it lets you hear what you need to play.Book Review: Not the best teacher...
Summary: 3 Stars
Irish tinwhistle music, as it is played, is very different from how it is written on the page. It has a beautiful, lilting sound that you can't get by simply reading the notes and playing them. I've played tinwhistle for almost thirty years, but I've always been a slave to written music, and bought this book because it seemed to show how a good Irish whistle player takes a basic tune and gives it that sound.
McCullough's first full example of an Irish tune, in the chapter "Putting It All Together," is a great example of why this book doesn't do that. The goal of the chapter is to start with a simple, unornamented tune and embellish it, step by step, with grace notes and other ornaments. However, his version of the unornamented tune on the CD is nothing like its written version. It already has that great, lilting Irish sound. I can't even come close to copying what he is doing in an example that he presents as dead simple. He does things involving phrasing and rhythm that he hasn't tried to teach. This is really the essence of the music, and anyone who hasn't grown up listening to Irish music everyday will have a hard time picking it up without some instruction.