Tin Whistle Private Lessons

The tin whistle, or penny whistle, is possibly the most popular instrument in Irish traditional music. It is also the sound most associated with Celtic music, only surpassed by the Great Highland Bagpipes. The whistle is an excellent instrument for beginners who aspire to play Irish and Celtic music. It is extremely affordable in comparison with other instruments, which is an attractive quality for anyone on a budget. It is an excellent choice for those students who would like to go on to study other Celtic instruments such as other whistles, the uillean pipes, and even the Irish wooden transverse flute, as fingering patterns are often similar for these instruments. It is also a most welcome instrument for seisiun playing. Learn to play reels, jigs and hornpipes with the unique ornamentation specific to this instrument, and broaden your knowledge of Irish and Celtic Tin Whistle repertoire.
-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.

*No Previous music training is required and you will learn different notes by playing simple and familiar tunes as well as getting a chance to learn some basic music skills.

* At the beginning of term the instructor will inform you about the purchase of a tin whistle book. Class requires purchase of your own tin whistle approx $10.