Fun with the Fife

I can read music and I can play brass and reeded instruments. Wanting to get into a bit of 'simple' instrument playing, I picked this and a fife out of Amazon's vast catalog of stuff. The book was easy to understand, though I suspect the song list won't generate much enthusiasm in the younger generation. I'd like to comment on the enjoyment actually playing the songs brought me, but alas, I'm apparently inept when it comes to this kind of instrument.Rather than approach the songs in a tabulature type format consisting of diagrams of open and closed holes, it introduces the scale, provides fingerings and gives you a breakdown of musical notation. With a bit of effort you can learn to read music in general from this, rather than learning only how to play the fife.

I like that it comes with audio so I can play along with the music. I'm not good at sight-reading music or counting beats, so having the audio available helps a lot.

I thought this was a beginners book with some revolutionary war tunes. It does show fingerings for notes and explains scales some but it really jumps into it and most songs are beyond beginner. I bought two books by mistake so will purchase a fife and give one away but I will have to get a true beginners book to go with these gifts.

This is a good book for the beginner through intermediate. It teaches fingerings and blowing technique as well as the music aspect of reading notes and rythms. It is written for a Bb fife; my son has a G fife, but since he is playing alone, it doesn't matter. Some of the early tunes in the book include playing sharps, which might be a little difficult for the beginner, but it also might produce a better player learning that so early. The tunes carry you through whole notes to sixteenth note; 4/4 time through 9/8. Looks to be an overall very good book to learn with.

I purchased this book along with a fife (just like the one on pictured on covered). It is very easy to read/use just as other Mel Bay books I have used in the past. However, the notes to the fingering charts in the book do not correspond with the notes/fingering chart that were included with the fife. For example, the lowest note-in the book is taught is a D, in the instructions that accompanied the fife is a C. Same fingering, and the note is actually a C, in accordance with the instructions that came with the fife. So, maybe this book is for a fife in another key, and not mentioned in the description? Just a warning for beginners-this may confuse!

I just returned to playing fife after a 35 year break, and this book really helped me pick it up again. Plenty of fun and easy tunes to play, plus some more challenging ones when I'm ready. The fingering charts differ from what I'm familiar with (from charts I've found online), and I find them harder to play, so I don't always follow them. But I highly recommend this book to anyone starting to play the fife.

I didn't see anywhere in the description where the book's key was listed... This book was written for fifes in the key of D. If you get a fife in C, you'll need to learn from another book. This book is great for fifes in D, though. Note that Amazon's recommendations might lump a book in one key with an instrument in another key. Other than that, this book is great for a beginning player.

Very good beginners book for early teen to adult. Gives basics on musical notation/reading. Basic scale work. Rapidly progresses from fingering to intermediate songs. discipline needed to hammer at the exercises, because there aren't as many as I would have liked. A little boring, but gets the job done. I am having fun with my fife and its only been two days. Definitely recommend, for thorough beginnings, and price.

フルートの低音の練習やウォーミングアップで吹いています。

Great

普通の6穴の横笛用の初歩的な教本。あまり説明はない。=>トラヴェルソ、アイリッシュフルート、クリスタルフルート、篠笛、・・・楽器の構えやアンブッシュア以外は縦の６穴楽器でも使える。=>ホイッスル、ケーナ（親指を使わない)疲れない程度に練習曲も入っている。主にファイフっぽい曲。譜面はすべて、D長調／h短調(＃2個)をベースに書かれている。出てくる調合は＃1個と＃2個のみ。異なる調の楽器で使うには、読み替える必要がある。<=移動ドで書いてほしかった。

This is a nice little beginners book which gives you info on how to hold the fife and how to form your embouchure. There are some nice little tunes in it and the style of presentation is simple and clear.If you're looking for a good beginners guide which isn't going to cost the earth then this is the one for you. It is a little limited in scope, all in black and white and could benefit from some more recognisable tunes to play. However, it's difficult to find tutor books for the fife and this one is good enough value for money.