RingFinger or pinky or... on the whistle by c#

[Mr Ed]

Pinky length should not be an issue for most people if you use the proper "flat fingering" with the flat pads of the fingers, not the tips. Nine times out of ten, when someone complains that the pinky doesn't reach the whistle (on a high whistle), the problem is not pinky length but bad finger position and hand position in general. The pinky is only a symptom of this larger problem that must be corrected. As a teacher, I expect proper use of the pinky to be one of the first techniques a student should master, unless the anatomy of his/her hand is very unusual. My POV is that it is always better to learn the standard technique first.

Thanks for posting this. I had unknowingly started the bad habit of playing near the tips of the fingers instead of with the pads. Now that the error has been noticed and corrected, I can even use my very crooked pinky to stabilize the Gen nickel Bb.

[MTGuru]

In response to a PM question, here are a few photos that illustrate the proper pinky position. It's actually surprisingly hard to find good web shots of FFW (Full Frontal Whistle) with the pinky down in flagrante delicto.

Julie Fowlis (playing G):



Ryan Duns (playing B):



Brian Finnegan (playing B):



Note that there is, of course, some natural variation of position from player player - on top, to the side, further down - according to the size of their hands and fingers.

[German Whistler]

looks like some bend their fingers to reach the whistle with the pinky?
its something i tried to avoid cause it causes bad sounds, at least when i do it

anyway see this (ok for a proffessional photographer i should have done this better but i did it quickly)

my fingers an my shortest whistle the Clarke MEG D
pinky reach the whistle comfortable on the top:



my fingers on my largest D whistle the Parks Walkabout in D
my pinky just reach the whistle on the top:



my fingers on my largest whistle the Parks Walkabout in C
pinky just reach the side of the whistle if i dont ben d the other fingers:



and this is the result:
- nearly knots in the fingers
- pinkies completely disorientated
- i am doing the whistle pray


anyway, i guess i am using the flat parts enough? see the middlefinger, its "nearly" using the joint already (on the first pictures of course ) ... dont look at the top hand i had to position it fast after dealiing whith the cam

[WhistlingDixie]

There are two good videos on the OZ Whistle site: http://www.ozwhistles.com/shop/Sozwhistles.php

These show Tony Hennigan and Phil Hardy playing. Note that Tony always keeps his pinky on the whistle. Phil rarely puts his pinkey on the whistle.

Elizabeth Valez Urie seems to put her pinky on and off in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaYoLMTtgik

She seems to play with it off all the time in this video:
http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=You ... FORM=VIRE1

I feel constrained by keeping my pinky on all the time - maybe it is something I need to get used to. I have found that my right elbow position can make a difference in moving my pinky to a better position to keep it on the whistle.

[ecohawk]

FWIW, I forced myself to learn to keep my pinky constantly on the whistle. I have really large hands, but short curved pinkies, so it took some work to learn this technique properly. I learned to rotate my wrists slightly toward the bell end of the whistle in order to insure proper finger pad alignment. I use this technique from high Eb down to alto/low G. For low F and below I use Super EZ grip, but can't (yet) keep my pinky on the whistle comfortably so I accommodate my physical limitation by sort of half-holing the bottom hole with R3. This doesn't affect the pitch on any note, according to my tuner and ears and provides a secure grip for me. YMMV.

The reason I went with the pinky constantly down was because it did indeed change the pitch on high whistles when I kept only R3 down. That bottom hole is too small for me to reliably half-hole it and it would occasionally squeak too from the inconsistency. I also couldn't maintain a secure grip which made me squeeze the whistle with other fingers, tending to cause fingering problems of all sorts.

I'm happy with my choice.

Good luck with yours,
ecohawk

[Mr Ed]

After using the pinky as a balance finger for a few days, I'm going back to the ring finger. While it was possible for the pinky to reach the whistle, it caused discomfort and a tendinitis flareup. The way my crooked fingers are, the mobility of them greatly increases and the tension decreases when the pinkies are up and out of the way.

As far as the pinky-on being the proper way, maybe it is. But according to The Clarke Tin Whistle by Bill Ochs when referring to the little finger method, it works best if that finger is relatively long compared to the ring finger. (Page 15) On the same page he says to use the method that is most comfortable for you.

At least this thread got me to check and correct a few things.

[Angel Shadowsong]

I tried the Pinky hold and it was really hard after reading MT's post.

I tried tying my ring finger and my pinky with a rubber band so the pinky goes flat to the whistle, and it still rise like that when you drink a tea cup.

I find the ring very comfortable.

[German Whistler]

since i posted those photos, i forced myself allways to use the pinky, on the whole scale (all notes?, sorry my english) even on the larger parks whistle in C, and even if i just can reach the side on that whistle with my pinky ...

it is still uncomfortable, but easier with the time ...
cramps become less ...
sound is ok mostly now ...
i can do it ...
but if i "dont think and just play" i use the ringfinger or more and more no finger at all at C#, but ringfinger feels natural

i`ll give it some more time and than i`ll may say: "i tried and did it the standard way first, now ill let it just happen its natural way"?

when i`m over all this ill get my first low whistle

by the way; @ echohawk:
what means FWIW and YMMV?

[WhistlingDixie]

Blayne Chastain has a great complementary beginning lesson in which he explains the use of the pinky:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wWDZ63GzQ0

He seems to be a good teacher - His course might be a good one to take (not too expensive).

[ecohawk]

For What It's Worth and Your Mileage May Vary. I forgot that not everyone who posts here understands ISFAM (Internet Short Form Acronym Gibberish).

I'm also not trying to convince anyone that keeping their pinky down constantly is right for them. That is my opinion and I see a lot of great players that have their own methods. I find that it enhances both my agility and accuracy. As previously stated YMMV.

ecohawk

[German Whistler]

Update:
as i wrote before, i did force myself, for a while, to use always the pinkyfinger (standardtechnique)

in the weeks before:
Because it was still uncomfortable to use the pinky, on the larger whistles, i tryed even to moove my right hands thumb more to the leftside, so that the pinky, even if not on top of the whistle, but at the side, would be in the opposite position of the thumb.
So i was able to hold the whistle between thumb and pinky real good, but the other fingers didnt "meet their wholes" correctly anymore.
So i tried to "adjust" the finger position again... and tried and tried ... it was a long journy which me and my fingers did ...

later i did loosen my "rules" a bit and sometimes used the pinky and sometimes not, but always the pinky, not the ringfinger (standardtechnique) (ok sometimes i did use the ringfinger, but dont tell anyone )

in the last week:
In the last days i just concentraterd in learnung a new tune (a real difficult one for me, johnny mickeys polka)
and i didnt forced myself anymore to use always the pinkyfinger, not when practised tunes i already know and not while lerarning the new one
so i just did let go and find my fingers their natural way ....
and it looks like, somteomes i use the pinky, somtimes the ringfinger and somtimes i "become brave" and use no finger

today:
i think that must be enough now, it was probably good to force myself for a while to use the standardtechnique
but from here on i will let my fingers decide and i think that is the natural way so many of you did recoment

maybe i sould come back to this thread in some month or so to update again, we will see

anyway
thank you all for helping me in this case - i learned a lot