I’ve just joined C&F + this forum after several weeks of ‘peering & peeking’. What an inspiring, funny and crazy place, nice people !!!
I’ve been playing the whistle for a few years now, though not practicing seriously or constantly, so I’m still a beginner - but the practicing part has changed considerably now, also thanks to C&F . When I decided to get myself a whistle - my first and only instrument so far - I thought I might be able to just about manage to teach myself a tune or two. And now, the more I play, I find this wee lovely thing full of good surprises - and somehow myself too .
Anyway. I’m from Germany. And at the verge of WhOA, I guess .
Welcome! I bet you’ll find your stay quite…amusing, to say the least! If you’re like me, you’ll try to take a peak even in those 2 minutes you are waiting for the boss to call you in the office!
Welcome. You also didn’t say what you planned on doing with the whistle and how your friends/family/pets were taking to it as well.
I visited your country the year after the Munich Olympics. What a nice place you all got there. I would like to have one more restaurant meal in Germany.
Chuck, Tommy, Dr. Phill, Wistler Bard, rhulsey, and mutepointe
thank you for your welcoming words, it’s nice to hear you and all the others whistling
from the other ends of the world .
Dr Phill,
right, my humble whistle collection so far, how could i forget
some ‘low end’ whistles (my first ones): a brass high D who’s sticker states ‘Irish made’ ,
some Clarke’s high C and D, Generation high C and Bb - of all of them actually only the Bb
sounds really nice
3 Susatos: high C, D and Bb (D is a bit on the screechy side, but the others are good)
a wooden high D Adler Heinrich (= a German recorder company, existed until 2006 in
Markneukirchen, an old and traditional instrument makers town in Saxony). Only the lower
octave plays well for me, C nat. seems to be something between oxxxoo and oxxxxo, and
the higher octave keeps breaking and screeching. Well, perhaps it’s only my limited ability to
make it sound better … I’ll try again in half a year
my newest acquisition is a Tony Dixon brass high D weighing 140 g ! - the best sounding of
my whistles so far, well in tune and easy to play, lovely !
a Howard low E: so easy to play in both octaves, sweet sound to me! I can’t manage the
piper’s grip jet though and will leave this one for times to come.
I’m anxiously awaiting Blackbird and Mellow Dog next week, having read so many enraptured
comments here on C&F about them and Jerry.
Thinking of getting a sweetheart plastic high D. And some time in the far future, when I feel
worthy , a really good wooden whistle.
(so you like eating out in Germany, or even die deutsche Küche und das Bier? I haven’t
been in Amerika yet, are the restaurants so much different there? I’ll come soon to visit your
vast and beautiful country, a dream of mine.)
Well, what do I plan to do on the whistle …
I’ve been playing all for myself until now, but slowly and cautiously the idea grows to play
along with others (not only from CD). So at the moment I just keep practicing in order to get
more ‘fluent’. (Jigs like Morrison’s, Blarney Pilgrim, Kid on the Mountain and Ballydesmond Polka,
The Man of the House (reel), airs: Southwind). Have the feeling I should stick to only
a few tunes at a time, so perhaps them are already too many.
And the effects on family, pets and closer vicinity ?
The moment I pick up a whistle our dog slowly leaves the room and gives me a look of utter
resignation that makes me shrink !! (He doesn’t do that with my partner though
… hm). I’ve avoided playing when others are around, so they have been safe from me so far.
Is that the ‘solid brass’ one or the Dixon Trad Brass? I have one of the latter, and it has tempted me back a little towards high D from low D. It does like to live in the glove compartment of my car, and I was toying with another high D from Tony. The solid brass one is a possibility and your comments sound very positive.
A quick bit of weighing would indicate that yours is the solid brass - the trad weighs a little over an ounce (so approx 30g). My WhOAD rears its ugly head. And I said I had enough whistles…
Phill,
… and I was thinking of getting a ‘Dixon Brass Trad’ !!
Heavens, this Board IS highly WhOAD-contagious!
Can you by any chance compare the sound of your Trad to the ‘Dixon Aluminium Tad’?
(I have the idea the brass lends a certain warmth to it…)
In the beginning my ‘Solid Brass Dixon’ felt heavy, but now that I’ve been playing it for 5
weeks I find myself quite accustomed to the weight. Sometimes I struggle with some clogging,
but I’m not sure - is it ‘her’ or me? I suppose the latter .
(The mouthpiece on the Trad seems to be slightly bigger which might help me there?)
Whistle Collector,
Do you know Colin or his workshop? Perhaps he really lives not far away … (I’m located
somewhere in Bavaria, Southern Germany, for the time being).
No, sorry, I only have one high D whistle (at the moment ) the brass trad… Frustrating you have one and I the other and we would both like a comparison…
Anybody out there with both who would like to comment?
!!!
. When I decided to get myself a whistle - my first and only instrument so far - I thought I might be able to just about manage to teach myself a tune or two. And now, the more I play, I find this wee lovely thing full of good surprises - and somehow myself too 
.
.
))
.
, a really good wooden whistle.
(He doesn’t do that with my partner though