what about the whistle playing in Lord of the Rings?

ninjaaron · Post by **ninjaaron** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 11:02 pm

Who plays it. I saw that Sir James Galway plays on a few tracks that sound like whistle, but I imagine a flute god like Galway can make a flute sound like a whistle if he feels like it. I've also heard that Galways plays the whistle, so who knows.

But he's not in the first one, and that's definently a whistle. Does anyone know about it?

Whistling Willie · Post by **Whistling Willie** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 11:04 pm

James Galway plays an Abell,but I'm not sure who plays in the films.

ninjaaron · Post by **ninjaaron** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 11:08 pm

Whistling Willie wrote:James Galway plays an Abell,but I'm not sure who plays in the films.

He's featured in the third film for cerrtian.

I Don't think he was in the first two.

ninjaaron · Post by **ninjaaron** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 12:23 am

Well, the Galway mystery is solved. After some slick detective work, I discoverd that Galways does indeed play the whistle (as well as the flute) on the score for the third film.

It still remains a mystery who is to be blamed for the awesome whistle playing on the first film (I don't believe the second one has any). It's got more of a trad type sound than on the third. Galway's playing is a bit more neat and clean... in a good way. The man can play any kind of music like a master, but it still always sounds like Galway.

kkrell · Post by **kkrell** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 12:29 am

ninjaaron wrote:Well, the Galway mystery is solved. After some slick detective work, I discoverd that Galways does indeed play the whistle (as well as the flute) on the score for the third film.

It still remains a mystery who is to be blamed for the awesome whistle playing on the first film (I don't believe the second one has any). It's got more of a trad type sound than on the third. Galway's playing is a bit more neat and clean... in a good way. The man can play any kind of music like a master, but it still always sounds like Galway.

Flute solo on LOTR, Alan Doherty of Grada (Dublin).

Kevn Krell

Phil Hardy · Post by **Phil Hardy** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 12:48 am

I have it on good authority that the whistle player on "The Return of the King" was Mike Taylor ex Incantation.
He and Tony Hinnigan play most whistle pieces on the blockbuster movies as it is a very closed shop.
He most likely would have used Abell whistles for that.
Phil.

ninjaaron · Post by **ninjaaron** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 4:01 am

Phil Hardy wrote:I have it on good authority that the whistle player on "The Return of the King" was Mike Taylor ex Incantation.
He and Tony Hinnigan play most whistle pieces on the blockbuster movies as it is a very closed shop.
He most likely would have used Abell whistles for that.
Phil.

I don't really think this is the case, being that the credits given on the soundtrack collector website (my tricky dectective work) say "Featuring James Galway on the Flute and Tin Whistle".

15. The Black Gate opens (04:02)
featuring Sir James Galway (flute & tin whistle)
16. The End of all Things (05:13)
featuring Renée Fleming
17. The Return of the King (10:14)
featuring Sir James Galway (flute & tin whistle) & Renée Fleming - contains "Aragorn's Coronation": melody by Viggo Mortensen - words by J.R.R. Tolkien
18. The Grey Havens (05:59)
featuring Sir James Galway (flute & tin whistle)

I'm not saying that it's gosple because I found it on the internet, but it seems fairly legit. Don't know why anyone would lie about that... And I doubt is difficult for Sir James Galway to find the keys to this "closed shop". You might say he has one foot in the door. Heck, I'd let the guy play the banjo for my movie just to get the name!

<edit>
Upon another listening, the vibrato on the whistle sounds exactly like Galway's vibrato on the flute. I knida really think it was him.

anniemcu · Post by **anniemcu** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 9:23 am

Whoever, it's great stuff!

Also, See this discussion in this thread from May of 03: http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php ... lord+rings

TomB · Post by **TomB** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 9:57 am

Kevin Krell gave the answer, I think. Here is a post to the Grada website, and an answer to your question.

http://www.gradamusic.com/img/photos/alan.htm

Tom

susnfx · Post by **susnfx** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 10:52 am

There's also this on the Cherish the Ladies website under Joanie Madden's bio:

"In the past year she has toured with the Eagles’ Don Henley and was also a featured soloist on the final Lord of the Rings soundtrack."

Take your pick. Sounds like they used a lot of folks.

Susan

Adrian · Post by **Adrian** » Fri Sep 09, 2005 3:32 pm

Galway's autobiography certainly mentions him playing whistle when he was young and then violin before moving onto the flute. He plays the Belfast Hornpipe on whistle on several of his CDs. His ornamentation never sounds ITM to me. Great flutist though.

alespa · Post by **alespa** » Mon Jan 02, 2006 8:20 pm

I would assume that Sir James Galway only played on the songs for ROTK that give him credit, so the whistle in other songs of the same soundtrack and for The Two Towers are likely where Joannie Madden and Mike Taylor performed. According to the Grada website and another post here on C&F, Alan Doherty played the whistle on the first album. What I like is that no matter who is playing the whistle, the sound and style is consistant enough that unless you have a highly accurate ear, it feels like the same person played on all three soundtracks.

I have an Abell soprano d blackwood and a Greenwood soprano d blackwood and a Burke that I have played along with the soundtracks, and of the three, the Abell sounds the closest [with exception that I can't get the style perfect and the vibrato will take some work]

Since we know that Sir James Galway only performs whistle with his Abell blackwood d, and the other whistle parts sound very close, you can't lose with the Abell. But you already knew that, right? For anyone who cares, Sir James plays a gold Muramatsu flute.

Chief Wanganui · Post by **Chief Wanganui** » Tue Jan 03, 2006 3:52 am

A. Whistle or any other playing on movies or anything else is not a "closed shop".
B. Mike Taylor played whistle on the first two "LOTR" scores and Jimmy Galway did the third.
C. End of story.

Tony Hinnigan

AKA Chief Wanganui.

Tom O'Farrell · Post by **Tom O'Farrell** » Tue Jan 03, 2006 5:14 am

I think Sir James Galway is a virtuoso on both whistle and flute. He has played whistles since a very young age. I've heard some of his serious whistle playing in live concert, powerful stuff. But he only plays on a HiD (an Abell) that I know of and really concentrates on flute.
About when he was just becoming famous he used a party trick (I saw it on TV) of playing two whistles at once, one in each hand, I suspect he had taped off the unused note holes so it would then be similar to playing a single whistle. He was even virtuoistic at doing that. He's gifted.

Jim McGuire · Post by **Jim McGuire** » Tue Jan 03, 2006 7:49 am

Galway used to just pull out a Generation. If everyone on this board can afford a few whistles...

Chiff and Fipple Forums

what about the whistle playing in Lord of the Rings?

what about the whistle playing in Lord of the Rings?

Mike Taylor.

Re: Mike Taylor.

Enough already.