The fife is among the oldest flutes that still get some use, and the fingerings are identical to the tin whistle (a.k.a. pennywhistle, Irish whistle). It has six holes operated by three fingers of each hand. All closed plays a low D, and picking one up at a time from the bottom results in a D major scale.
What is a fife similar to?
A fife /ˈfaɪf/ is a small, high-pitched, transverse aerophone, that is similar to the piccolo.
What is the other name commonly used for the tin whistle?
Related subjects: Musical Instruments. The tin whistle, also called the whistle, pennywhistle, flageolet, or Irish whistle, is a simple six-holed woodwind instrument.
Is a fife and a flute the same thing?
The fife, most accurately described, is any cylindrically bored transverse flute, usually in one piece (but sometimes two), usually somewhat longer than the piccolo and having only six fingerholes with no keys.
Is the tin whistle and flute the same?
The tin whistle, also called the penny whistle, is a simple six-holed woodwind instrument. It is a type of fipple flute, putting it in the same class as the recorder, Native American flute, and other woodwind instruments that meet such criteria.
Is a fife easy to learn?
Fife is much more difficult to play than the regular wooden flute – it takes a very strong embouchure. Your lips need to be tight – try putting a piece of dry rice between your lips and blow until it pops out (I’m serious)… this will give you an idea how small the hole in your lips needs to be.
What is special about fife?
The Kingdom of Fife is also known throughout the world as the Home of Golf and boasts more than forty courses, from the famed fairways of St Andrews and several traditional seaside links to beautifully landscaped parkland and heathland courses suitable for golfers of all levels.
Are there different tin whistles?
Tin whistles are available in a wide variety of keys, generally from Low D to High G. A tin whistle in the key of D is considered to be the standard concert pitch tin whistle and is recommended for beginners and intermediate players alike.
What is the easiest tin whistle to play?
The Best Beginner Tin Whistles
- Clarke. From its origins in Suffolk, to their first factory on the outskirts of Manchester, the Clarke whistle carries a lot of history with it.
- Feadog. Made in Ireland, Feadóg whistles trace their history back to 1978.
- Generation.
- Waltons.
- Dixon.
- Shush.
- Shaw.
- O’Briain.
What is the difference between a penny whistle and a tin whistle?
The Tin whistle is also called a penny whistle or feadóg stain. It is a well known and regularly used instrument in traditional Irish music. It is a simple six-holed, wood-wind instrument, and remains in the same category as the flageolet, recorder, Native American flute, and other woodwind instruments.
What does fife mean in Scottish?
FIFE, n. 1. The name of the eastern county of Scotland, lying between the Firths of Forth and Tay. See Kingdom. Hence (1) Fifan, adj., belonging to Fife: only in poetical use; (2) Fifer, a native of Fife, sometimes used opprobriously to denote a greedy, rather unscrupulous person.
What do the Irish call a flute?
feadóg mór
I also play the Irish (wooden) flute. My dictionary says the word for this is feadóg mór, which just means big whistle.
What is an Irish fife?
The fife is a simple flute-like instrument -a single hollow tube corked at one end with an embouchure (mouth-hole), six finger holes and is usually made of hardwood.
Is learning tin whistle hard?
Thankfully, the tin whistle is perhaps one of the easiest wind instruments out there for making a sound. The tin whistle is actually pretty forgiving of the shape of your mouth and lips (called the embouchure) and how you blow air through the instrument. The tin whistle is easy to produce a sound only by comparison.
Can you play the flute if you can’t whistle?
No, it won’t help and may hinder in terms of actual flute embouchure technique if one is trying to draw on similarities between the two activities. Generally, whistling can help to accentuate perception of pitch accuracy, but even on this level, learning to sight-sing is better in this regard.
Is tin whistle easier than flute?
The tin whistle is an end-blown flute and is much simpler to play since you just breathe into one side of the instrument and then sound is made with the help of the mouthpiece. What is this? Another type of flute that is very similarly played to the tin whistle except is played transversely is called the Irish Flute.
How much does a good fife cost?
Really popular design for some Civil War impressions and amongst fife & drums corps from the late 19th century through the 1950s. Prices range from $190 – $220 depending on the wood.
How many octaves does a fife have?
An experienced fyfer can play three full octaves, although this takes some practice to achieve. The second and third octaves are the loudest and most penetrating and as such are preferred for marching music.
What is the hardest basic instrument to learn?
The 7 hardest instruments to learn, play, and master
- Oboe.
- Violin.
- French horn.
- Piano.
- Hammond organ.
- Drums.
- Accordion.
Did the Vikings come to Fife?
The Vikings are known to have ransacked Fife in the Middle Ages (where they massacred 600 monks at May Island) but prior to this find there was little evidence of their settlement in the area. Douglas Spiers, senior archaeologist at Fife Council, said: ”Runic inscriptions are very rare in mainland Scotland.
Why is it called Fife?
Fife’s existence as a distinct entity can be traced back to the Pictish Kingdom of Fib in the centuries after the departure of the Romans. It is for this reason that Fife is commonly referred to as “The Kingdom of Fife”, or simply “The Kingdom”.