Beginning Tin Whistle (Whistles Provided!)
Autumn Rhodes

Learn to play the Irish tin whistle (or pennywhistle) from the ground up, brush up on your whistle-playing skills, learn some new tunes and techniques, or just stop by to learn more about one of Ireland's most fascinating and fun instruments. Complete beginners are welcome, and tin whistles will be available to borrow or to purchase at the end of the workshop. Experienced players should bring a tin whistle in the key of D.

The workshop will introduce the history of the instrument and examples of how it is played in Irish music, and will then delve into how to play the tin whistle itself. Students will learn techniques for fingering, posture, breathing, tonguing, and playing scales, before progressing on to playing simple melodies (by music, whistle tablature, or by ear). After this, students will get a chance to learn a few real Irish session tunes on the whistle so that they can take part in the Irish slow session following the workshop. Also discussed will be Irish tune types, tin whistle terminology, and ornamentation. Handouts will be provided with information on recommended listening, Irish music basics, tin whistle types, and places to hear and play Irish music in the Bay Area.

Autumn Rhodes grew up with Irish traditional music and plays tin whistle, Irish flute, concertina, and uilleann pipes. She has played and taught professionally for over 10 years, touring the Midwest, East Coast, and Ireland. She has performed and recorded with such groups as Soltré, The Colleens, Kennedy's Kitchen, Míra, Meitheal, and Éireforce and with musicians Julie Henigan and Brian O'hEadhra. Autumn also studied under such Irish music legends as Mary Bergin, Laurence Nugent, John Williams, and John Skelton and has been awarded 8 Midwest Fleadh Cheoil titles. She has recently relocated to San Francisco, where she teaches music lessons when she is not on tour with her band, Soltré.