Method 1 of 3: Holding and Blowing into the Fife Download Article
- Hold the instrument out to your right. Position the fife so that it is horizontal and extending out to the right of your face.
- Place your hands correctly. Cover the three holes nearest to your mouth with the first three fingers of your left hand.
- Position your mouth for blowing. ...
- Practice blowing until you get a sound. ...
How do you play a Fife?
Hold the instrument out to your right. Position the fife so that it is horizontal and extending out to the right of your face. The six holes for fingers should be out to the right, while the one hole on its own goes near your mouth for blowing.
What are fifes and where are they used?
Fifes are most commonly used in Fife & Drum Corps, but can also be found in folk music, particularly Celtic music. Some Caribbean music makes use of fifes, which are usually made from bamboo.
What is a Fife in music?
A fife /ˈfaɪf/ is a small, high-pitched, transverse aerophone, that is similar to the piccolo. The fife originated in medieval Europe and is often used in Fife & Drum Corps, military units and marching bands. Someone who plays the fife is called a fifer.
Who played the Fife and drum?
One of the most famous artists in the tradition was Othar Turner, a musician from Mississippi, who played blues on homemade cane fifes. There remains an active and enthusiastic group, primarily in the northeastern United States, that continues to play fife and drum music in a folk tradition that has gone on since the American Civil War.
Is a fife the same as a flute?
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 a fife different than a piccolo?
Like the piccolo and flute, the fife is a transverse instrument. It's loud and piercing, but not in the same way that a piccolo is. Because the fife has a much smaller bore than the piccolo, it has a very different tone quality.
What does fife sound like?
fife, small transverse (side-blown) flute with six finger holes and a narrow cylindrical bore that produces a high pitch and shrill tone. The modern fife, pitched to the A♭ above middle C, is about 15.5 inches (39 cm) long and often has an added E♭ hole covered by a key. Its compass is about two octaves.
Is fife difficult 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 key does a fife play in?
Fifes pitched (i.e., constructed so as to sound) in the keys of D and of C are also common. Fifes in various other keys are sometimes played in musical ensembles.
Were fifes used in the Civil War?
Fife and drums played the same role in the Civil War as they had in previous wars. They served both in the camp and the field as signaling instruments. While the wind band, if any, might be on the battlefield playing music to cheer the troops, the shrill fifes served to relay orders.
What is the difference between a fife and a penny whistle?
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.
Does the Fife have the same fingerings as a flute?
The Fife Book has a lot of tunes which are all on the notes which have exactly the same fingerings as the flute. All the C fingerings are directly transferable to C flute with the exception that the little finger has only one hole to worry about instead of C/C#/D# keys.
Is a fife a woodwind?
The fife is a small woodwind instrument known especially for its high pitch and loud, piercing volume. It closely resembles a recorder in that it is typically made of wood and utilizes open finger holes instead of levers like the piccolo or flute.
How do you get sound from fife?
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How much does a fife cost?
The distance between the centers of the blow hole and the last finger hole should be about 10-7/8 inches. Otherwise, you will have a fife for displaying rather than playing. New wood fifes of any quality will cost at least $100, and can run much higher than that.
What is a fife?
Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. A fife / ˈfaɪf / is a small, high-pitched, transverse aerophone, that is similar to the piccolo. The fife originated in medieval Europe and is often used in Fife and Drum Corps, military units, and marching bands. Someone who plays the fife is called a fifer.
What are fifes made of?
Some fifes are entirely made of metal or plastic. Military and marching fifes have metal reinforcing bands, called ferrules, around the ends to protect them from damage. A fife used in less strenuous conditions may have a lathe-turned, knob-like decoration at the ends for protection.
When was Cooperman Fife and Drum founded?
Cooperman. The Cooperman Fife and Drum was founded in 1961. Cooperman fifes were based on the Cloos tradition, with variations intended to improve intonation. In 1975, Patrick Cooperman opened his full-time workshop in Centerbrook, Connecticut, making traditional fifes, drums and drumsticks.
What wars did the British Fife and Drum Bands play in?
Amateur historical reenactment groups and dedicated civil bands sometimes feature fife and drum corps sporting period military costumes from the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Mexican War or the American Civil War.
What instrument was used in medieval Europe?
In folk music. In medieval Europe, the fife was used in some folk music traditions to accompany dancing by all social classes. The fife was one of the most important musical instruments in the United States' Colonial period, even more widespread than the violin or piano.
What finger is used for fife?
On a 10-hole fife, the index, middle and ring fingers of both hands remain in the same positions as on the 6-hole fife, while both thumbs and both pinkies are used to play accidentals. An 11-hole fife has holes positioned similarly but adds a second hole under the right middle finger.
How many holes does a fife have?
Modern versions of the fife are chromatic, having 10 or 11 finger holes that allow any note to be played.
What is traditional fife?
What I mean by “traditional” is the model of fifes commonly played during the 20th century before the move into more melodic, “flute fifes” that began to appear in the 1950s. Traditional fifes – usually one piece but sometimes in two pieces – had the tight cylindrical bores of historical fifes but minor innovations to improve playability. For the sake of compartmentalizing these, I consider fifes made in the “traditional” style during the 20th century to be in this category; the ones played by my father’s and grandfather’s generations in the fife & drums corps that grew during this time. These models have become collectibles and iconic for both the “jaybirds” and younger hobbyists. I am privileged to have studied under three of these master-craftsmen and with that, I have come to understand the methods of many more.
What is a Nach Ferrary?
Ferrary Model AKA: Nach-Ferrary (“Nach” is a German term meaning “made in the style of”) Nach-Ferrary in Cocobolo wood. “Short ferrule” version in Rosewood. Henry “Ed” Ferrary was a machinist for 28 yrs from Kearny, New Jersey who removed to Essex, CT in 1967, setting up his “secret shop” behind a bulkhead in his garage.
Did Ed Ferrary steal Kip's design?
Years later, Ed Olsen told me that Henry “Ed” Ferrary had, in fact, stolen Kip’s design – the tone hole layout and bore diameter but used his own boring method (see the Nach-Ferrary). When I compare the several standard design Kip fifes I’ve handled to Ferrary’s standard Bb layout, I can see Ed’s point.
What is a fife?
A fife is a woodwind instrument in the transverse flute family, which sounds an octave above the written music and has 6 tone holes (some have 10 or 11 tone holes for added chromatics ). Most fifes are wood - blackwood, grenadilla, rosewood, mopane, pink-ivory and other dense woods are superior; maple and persimmon are inferior, but often used, particularly as entry-level instruments. Some corps have used metal fifes. In Civil War corps, bugles are sometimes part of the instrumentation.
Where did the Fife originate?
The fife originated in Europe and has spread widely beyond. It is a similar instrument to the German Schweizerpfeife, which translates to "Swiss fife", the Irish flute, baroque flute and the piccolo. and. Fifes have been in use by military organizations since the 16th century.
What is a fife and drum corps?
A Fife and Drum Corps is a musical ensemble consisting of fifes and drums. In the United States of America, fife and drum corps specializing in colonial period impressions using fifes, rope tension snare drums, and (sometimes) rope tension bass drums are known as Ancient Fife and Drum Corps. Many of these ensembles originated from a type ...
What is the only remaining Fife and Drum Corps?
The only remaining Fife and Drum Corps in the American Military is the Fife and Drum Corps of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment ( The Old Guard), a ceremonial Army unit based out of Ft. Myer, Virginia, raised in 1960. Modern non-military Fife and Drum Corps are organizations with volunteer or paid performers.
What is the drum major's preparatory command to move a British Army band?
To this day, the drum major's preparatory command to move a British Army band is, "Band and Drums..." . This is referring back to the segregation of the fifes and drums as a separate entity from a military band. The Fort Henry Guard Fife and Drum Corps. Fifes have always been an infantry musical instrument.
How do drums create visual effects?
Visual effects may be created by flourishes of the drum sticks; for example, bass drummers may swing the beaters in a flourish while the snare drummers roll (or when the beating leaves sufficient time to flourish).
What instrument is used to tighten a snare?
In Civil War corps, bugles are sometimes part of the instrumentation. Rope-tension snare and bass drums are tightened using tugs or ears that apply pressure to the rope, which is transferred to the heads when the rope compresses the counter hoops, causing them to move slightly closer together.
Overview
A fife /ˈfaɪf/ is a small, high-pitched, transverse aerophone of Portuguese origin, that is similar to the piccolo. The fife originated in medieval Europe and is often used in Fife and Drum Corps, military units, and marching bands. Someone who plays the fife is called a fifer. The word fife comes from the German Pfeife, meaning pipe, which comes from the Latin word pipare.
Key and range
The names of different varieties of fife follow the conventions of transposing instruments:
• defining the key in which a transposing instrument sounds as the major key whose tonic is the either the lowest pitch producible by that instrument without fingering or other manipulation, or the pitch produced when the player fingers …
In folk music
In medieval Europe, the fife was used in some folk music traditions to accompany dancing by all social classes.
The fife was one of the most important musical instruments in the United States' Colonial period, even more widespread than the violin or piano. The fife can still be heard in some Appalachian folk music, playing lively dance tunes. American slaves adopted fifes in their musical traditions, whic…
In military music
When played in its upper register, the fife is loud and piercing, yet also extremely small and portable. According to some reports, a band of fifes and drums can be heard up to 3 miles (4.8 km) away over artillery fire. Because of these qualities, European armies from the Renaissance on found it useful for signaling on the battlefield. Armies from Switzerland and southern Germany are known to …
Modern American manufacturers
The modern era of fifing in the United States began in about 1880, with the popularizing of civilian fife and drum corps in a musical tradition that has come to be known as Ancient fife and drum (or simply Ancient). The rise of these corps led to a demand for fifes that were superior in intonation and better suited for group playing than those used during the Civil War. This call was answered by the Cloos Company of Brooklyn, New York, and their Crosby Model fife. These fifes were one …
Historical re-enactor preferences
Historical re-enactors find that the traditional fifes – Ferrary, Model F, Peeler, Cooperman, and Sweet fifes – are much better suited to their historical requirements while simultaneously allowing their fifers to play together without the discordance that can result when using instruments from multiple manufacturers. Those who play competitively usually choose McDonagh or Healy fifes, corresponding with a vaguely geographical delineation (New York, Ne…
See also
• Military band – Class of musical ensembles
• Corps of drums
• Fife and drum corps
• Tin whistle – Six-holed woodwind instrument
External links
• The Fife Museum
• Digitised copy of Compleat tutor for the fife: Containing the best & easiest instructions to learn that instrument, with a collection of celebrated march's & airs perform'd in the Guards & other regiments & c published by Charles & Samuel Thompson, 1765, from National Library of Scotland. JPEG, PDF, XML versions.