The G scale, as you might expect, starts and ends on G. The only difference between this scale and that of D is that instead of playing a C sharp in the scale, you play a C natural (or just plain C). C natural can be fingered several ways:
There is one version of C natural which may be confusing. The half-holed version may be produced in several ways: first of all, by sliding your first finger back toward your hand so that it is somewhat arched and covering one side of the hole. Second, you can rotate or roll the finger toward the mouthpiece so that the bottom half of the hole is uncovered (I don't recommend this one because it tends to move the rest of the fingers on that hand too far out of position). Or, you can slide your finger forward, away from your hand, and arch it so that the tip of your finger is pulled upwards. With practice, you can uncover half the hole and retain good control. I tend to use this method the most, but which one you use will depend on what tune you are playing and which method you are most comfortable with. You should be familiar with all of them.
The G scale, then, goes as follows:
| EXERCISE 3 Practice playing these notes in order: B, C, A, C, B, and so on, using the C natural shown above. Practice these until you can go for a minute or two of continuous playing without making a mistake. Make sure that the fingers going up and coming down do so at the same time; this will prevent extra notes from coming out. You should hear a smooth, clean transition. This will be difficult at first, so go slowly. |
| EXERCISE 4 Repeat exercise two, but in the scale of G. Start on the low G, and proceed all the way up to the high B, and back down. Be especially careful to breath continuously through the transitions between B and C, and between C and D, because if you stop breathing, or if you tongue the notes, you may not hear the crossing notes (extra, unwanted notes produced because of sloppy fingering). |
Additional Comments:
Posted by Brandon Nickerson on 2/2/2004:
hey im a newbie to playing the tin whistle and I have a question instead of a comment. I have the Clarke traditional tin whistle and when i play a C natural it is not as clear sounding as the other notes. Does any one have any advise for me? write me at undergroundskater2003@yahoo.com