The first two whistles I got were a Walton nickel High-C and a brass High-D because they were the cheapest I could find and I wasn’t really sure I could (or wanted) to do this.
The C seemed ok - pretty easy to play and I could get to about G2 without too much squeaking and squawking and the tone wasn’t too bad - a little breathy perhaps, but a good start. But then I picked up the D - oh, dear. What a disaster! I couldn’t get a low note to save my life, the high notes squeaked, and it was totally impossible to tongue. I made arrangements to send it back to the dealer.
I packed it up for shipment, and just before I took it to UPS I thought, well, I’d try it just once more. Hmmmmmmmm…the low notes were there and notes above Octave D were hard to get but sounded nice when I did. The tonguing was still lousy. Then I noticed it was TUNEABLE!! Maybe it was a keeper after all. So I didn’t send it back - one of the better decisions I’ve ever made.
I’ve had to learn a new tonguing technique to play it, and it’s really touchy - but boy is it worth it! Somehow, I really lucked out on this one, and it’s probably a fluke. Not only is it tuneable (not advertised as such), but I can get dynamics out of it - from considerable volume to about 1/4 volume without losing the note. Since I like the slower tunes - airs and such - dynamics are a real plus.
The tonguing technique I had to learn: tonguing made the whistle sound sharp, so I had to soften it considerably. I have to hold the sides of my tongue lightly in my teeth to flatten it, and then use a very soft tongue - almost flat for the note. On my other Walton and Generations this doesn’t work too well, but it is perfect for the brass D.
Has anybody else lucked out like this? Except for it’s being higher than I like, it’s turned out to be a perfect instrument, and I am protecting it with my life. Best $8 I ever spent. It’s certainly not a beginner’s instrument but will, for sure, make a better whistler out of me.
