Irish Low Whistle

The Irish Low Whistle, or “Low D,” produces an evocative, dark and haunting sound that is difficult to rival. Like the Tin Whistle, but keyed lower, it has a six hole fingering structure, and skills learned on this instrument are transferable to several other whistles, flutes and pipes to some degree. It’s hard to beat the sound of the Low Whistle for songs and ballads with a slower tempo and more emotional rendering. You’ve no doubt heard this lovely instrument played by Paddy Maloney of the iconic Irish band, The Chieftains. The Academy is very pleased to be able to offer lessons on this instrument this term!
-Course materials/repertoire varies on a student to student basis. 

Beginning
Students will learn the basics of the instrument, and reading basic music notation.
studying mostly slow airs and pub songs/ballads. 

Intermediate
students will begin to study further into jigs, reels and other genres. Focuses on
ornamentation and tone quality.

Advanced
All session music genres will be covered, all forms of ornamentation, octave
displacement, and creating your own sets of tunes. We will also work on duets and other
ensemble music settings.
All students are welcome to bring in their own tunes that they would like to learn. 

Class Day/Time:

Please check out the Academy’s Term schedule for more details.

About the Instructor:

Ryan Roubison took an interest in music from an early age. As a multi-instrumentalist, he specializes in penny whistle, mandolin, bouzouki, and guitar. His interest in Celtic music sparked in his early childhood, when he was exposed to multiple albums by the critically acclaimed Dubliners and The Chieftains. Ryan has over ten years’ experience with playing the penny whistle and has performed live on the instrument on many occasions. The Arizona Celtic Women have recruited him as their session whistle player for live performances, and he has served as a recording artist for various folk bands around the valley. Ryan Roubison is currently pursuing a degree in classical guitar performance at Arizona State University.