I was at a camping get together at the weekend, jamming under the stars with a few other folks. I’m a whistler nooby, I mainly play guitar but a fiddler there plays whistles too, and had 2 old Overton low whistles with him. I think he said they were about 15-20 years old.
As a total nooby who owns (but can barely play (hmm, that’s probably being too kind to me)) a Dixon polymer low D, playing the Overtons made me realise just how good the Dixon is as a beginner whistle. All I can say is, now I understand what backpressure is! Darned if I could get anything resembling a note out of those things…
I still haven’t figured out what backpressure is, but would agree that the Dixon is an ideal beginner’s low whistle. In terms of breathing, I play it (and a more recent Burke) just as I would a Generation D.
I was put off low whistles for years because I just “couldn’t fill” one or two Overtons or similar low whistles that I had tried. This inability to fill them is precisely what puzzles me in approaching the concept of back pressure - they seemed too leaky rather than too resistant.
Leaky??? Perhaps the player is leaky Seriously, you have to blow dude - playing an Overton is somewhat like playing a sax, or clarinet, or trumpet with regards to backpressure that is, as opposed to the standard tinwhistle which was designed for school children to be able to toot on with no effort or practice.
As a noob, I didn’t like backpressure. Then I put some time into playing an Overton, and realized the flexibility and character that backpressure adds to a well made whistle.
It’s like good bitter ale. If you stick with it through a few rounds you’ll develop a taste - and maybe even a preference - for it.
Are we talking about creating backpressure within the mouth so as to increase the velocity of the airstream, then, rather than backpressure coming from the whistle?
Well not like a trumpet in that sense, I mean it’s not like playing a trumpet or flute because you have the mouthpiece insider your mouth, so there’s no real aperture to stop down. Rather, it’s simply that the design of the whistle is such that greater greater forces are needed to force air through the instrument, and unlike a generation or other similarly designed whistle, where you simply puff lightly, an overton, like most sorts of other professional wind instruments, require you to blow using breath support from the abdomen, rather than just a light puff from the “lungs”
When I have received Overtons (alto F and Mezzo A) from Colin Goldie, I have been a little bit surprised and concerned
I was afraid, that never I can cope with it, and play normally on it…
Before I played only “easyblowed” whistles, and Burke DBSBT.
Some days that I could go normally in the high octave, and some months that I have understood all force of Overtons
When I feel badly, is tired, the head hurts, etc. that seldom I play on Overtons. Because Overtons force and work demand at playing.
But when I allright, and nearby there is nobody with a headache - I do that never I can make with Burke (nice whistle too, btw).
I agree that “easyblowed” is better for beginners…
But the moment when will want can come to express more and more strongly and then the person can come to whistle with bigpressure
I remember when I first started playing, I’d be embarrassed when trying out Chieftain or Overton whistles in a shop because I didn’t have the confidence or technique to blow enough air without getting awful or little sounds. Now, it’s just an adjustment that seems to come naturally when adapting to various whistles. That said, I guess my preference is from moderate down along the back pressure continuum.
I think it’s fair to say as well, that Colin makes Overtons with varying degrees of backpressure, I mean it’s not like we’re talking about blowing into highland pipes or anything.
What do you guys think of the backpressure requirements of low Chieftains? I’ve played those with no problems and without noticing any difficulty, but I’ve yet to play an Overton. I’m still trying to get a grasp on what backpressure actually is but I’ve always been too embarassed to go out and ask.
I am just a beginner, but I think that the preference for whistles with or without strong backpressure is really a matter of personal choice.
I do not study music: I just play whistle to relax myself!
So I like when music come out softly and effortlessly from a whistle, and it simply follow the stream of my wandering thoughts.
For this reason I love my Burkes (DAN and DLAPV) and I do not like to play whistles with strong backpressure:-)
Honestly, I feel “backpressure” is a bit of a non-issue: You decide on the sound and playing characteristics you want, then you choose an instrument to best achieve the goal. Each instrument has it’s own requirements, and you accept that. If a guitar player wants the sound of 12 string guitar, he has to put up with having a wide fingerboard and fretting double courses. It’s only as big a deal as you make it. Same with whistles, I mean none of them are even remotely as difficult to play as other wind instruments being mentioned.
The secret to backpressure is complex but is directly controled by the components of the voiceing.
If the combination of the windway,voiceing window and the shape/angle of the labium ramp are correct, then the voiceing will generate sound with minimal energy(breath).
Here is what the wind looks like above and below the labium ramp if a whistle is designed correctly. Please also note the round leading edge (left) at the start of the pattern.
All the components must be in proper alignment, but can be manipulated to create different vocal sounds. If a voicing, which is a sound generator, was incorrectly designed, it will take a great deal of breath to oscillate and will tire the player.
Backpressure is not just a narrow windway prone to vaper clog. If designed with all voiceing components involved, it will be efficient and easy to play at low breath pressure.
I don’t think there is Serious backpressure on low Chieftains or
low Overtons. Though they do need good
breath support.
But once I had a G Overton and I couldn’t get anything
out of it. Was blowing hard and couldn’t get a sound–or awful
sounds. So I took it out to the desert and wailed on it
for an hour a day (we were in New Mexico visiting a friend
out on the Taos Mesa). That did it, I could play after
that. Also there was an exodus of coyotes.
My problem with it, finally, wasn’t backpressure.
Sometimes you have to get stronger, is all.
The drainpipe sound isn’t for me, it seems.
Ok, here’s my shot at backpressure. First off, Thomas I feel is correct with his description but it may be difficult to understand for some. From my view the fipple (tone generator) is a metering jet just like on your gas stove. The jet is just the correct size to give a good strong flame that burns hot with the pressure that the gas company provides. So the airway needs to be a certain size to create enough pressure to create a clear tone with the desired volume of air to play the instrument. The size of the window and the leading edge of the ramp and the angle of the ramp are all responsible for the tone (voice) of the fipple. These factors have to do with resistance as a result of drag (the air moving against these surfaces). This resistance is experienced by the player as backpressure.
The vertical distance of the airway is what gives the tone a focused sound in conjunction with the size of the edge of the ramp and the size of the window, but its important to keep in mind that its the total pressure that affects this. So the airway (jet) is a combination of both the vertical distance and the width which of course controls the volume of air required to play the instrument . The length of the airway is also a factor in the backpressure of the fipple for the longer it is the more drag (resistance) is experienced at that part of the fipple.
So these factors are all intimately connected and need to be perfectly matched for the instrument to play well and have a tone that the maker prefers (ie just the right amount of overtones, etc…)
I hope this explanation has cleared up some of the mystery about backpressure. If not ,perhaps you can now adjust the jets on your stove.
Seriously, you have to blow dude - playing an Overton is somewhat like playing a sax, or clarinet, or trumpet with regards to backpressure that is, as opposed to the standard tinwhistle which was designed for school children to be able to toot on with no effort or practice.
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