What Whistle Would You Play at Your Mother's Funeral? - L.E. McCullough Vol 2

Volume II, subtitled "Everything Else", covers a wide range of Irish music

performers, instrument-makers and music events - 122 essays and reviews,

journal articles and concert reports, blog reflections, album notes,

newspaper features, seminar presentations, whistle-playing tips . and a

screenplay.

and from Lesl Harker: '

What Whistle Would You Play at Your Mother’s Funeral?
L.E. McCullough’s Writings on Irish Traditional Music, 1974-2016

Silver Spear Publications, P.O. Box 352, Woodbridge NJ 07095 USA

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In the preface of the first volume is the answer to "why buy these books?"

"To share in the adventure".

And that's just what it feels like. In the middle of the first university paper in Book One, I jumped ahead and started reading the second volume - then back to the first again - it's that fascinating. Larry's a captivating writer and the academics are not hard to read.

I wish I'd had these books when I was new to the music. Before 1900, there's Chief O'Neill's writings, but there was nothing from then forward. The first book covers the basics, but also the fully documented research into the great Irish music and musicians in America since Chief O'Neill left off. A gold mine.

Then there's Book 2 - full of humour, insights and tips for players. Some of that material is online, but never at your fingertips when you'd want to refer to it again - and you will. The essay about choosing a whistle for the funeral is in the middle of book 2. An article I've wanted to re-read for years is there too: "Six ways to break out of being a beginner".

This is a grand testimony to Irish Traditional Music. Not only are the books for everyone, but hopefully they will become required reading in the Irish Music departments of universities across the world. They're that interesting, and that valuable."

- Lesl Harker, March 2017

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