a reason people often prefer whistles to other fipple flutes

Whistle
1

Because they aren’t usually played in large choirs of just whistle.

I strongly admire and enjoy a good recorder consort or ocarina orchestra, if played on well tempered instruments (as anyone I’ve ever sent links to can affirm) but I think one reason a lot of people dislike recorders is that they are so often played together in cases where they’d sound better solo or with other instruments.

2

I just have bad memories from elementary school.

Make the sqwaking STOP!

3

You’ve hit it-- a GOOD consort sounds excellent, even it it’s only recorders. The recorder is a relatively simple instrument but it’s simplicity makes details like playing IN TUNE and IN TIME with each other a pretty elusive thing. I used to go to a lot of professionally led workshops, and the leader would usually spend a considerable amount of time getting the group playing really TOGETHER. If you don’t do this, it can sound truly awful. However, when the group has it all together eg the Amsterdam Loeki Stardust Quartet, the results are gorgeous.

4

Also, too many sopranos spoil the batch. I was playing in a large group last month (maybe 12-14) recorders. For most pieces the director wanted no more than three sopranos. preferably two.

5

I play both the recorder and the tin whistle. But later I´ve tend to prefer to play the whistle. I think there are many reasons a lot of pepople including myselfe prefere the whistle.

  1. It´s more logical fingering system, and it´s the same in both octaves. No complex cross fingering on the whistle! Complex passages on the recorder can in many cases be played with lightning speed on the whistle, en many cases even faster then on the ordinary flute.

  2. The whistle works in many different musical genres. As good for folkmusik as for jazz and popular tunes and even classical and renessance music. More versatile in other words!

  3. People have more positive connotations to the whistle. The recorder brings back ambivalent memories from public school days, while the whistle gives connotation to irish folk music, the the Chieftains, and even James Galway. Cool people play the whistle and nerds the recorder (not true strictly speaking, but I think that´s what people thinks)

The whistle vs. the recorder, 3-0

6
  1. If you play the recorder, to play a tune that modulates (changes keys in the middle), you have to learn how to play it in both keys. If you’re playing the whistle, you just need to know how to play it one way, and grab a different whistle when the key changes.
7

Yes. Because of my recorder experience in grade school, I have declaired jihad against recorders and even plastic whistles. It also caused my drinking problem and my recurrent flashbacks of the “Macho Grande” incident :smiley:

8

Whoa now fella! This is the second Jihad you declared today if my count is correct.

Aren’t you a bit concerned that you may end up with some supercomputer in the DOD tracking every step you take on the internet? :boggle:

Or Chiff and Fipple may become the target of a secret FBI or NSA investigation. :astonished:

9

Dear concerned FBI/CIA agent,

In your constant, never-ending search for those who may be subverting our great nation, you may have noticed recently that certain person(s) have been using the forbidden 5-letter “j” word recently in correspondence on a certain famous and popular tin whistle website. Please feel free to substitute the more acceptable, benign and patriotic terms “massacre”, “revolution” or “Exploding Penguins II - Total Annihilation” in its place where appropriate.

Sincerely,

Shadeclan :smiling_imp: