Hi, I’m Rob, new to this community. I got here just as Porridge was leaving. Alas, he was a creative chap. I wonder if he’s ever thought about becoming a whistler?
At any rate, in DW’s review of Chris Abell’s whistles he states that, “some whistles are mellow-sounding in the low notes and then sort of scream at you at the high end. The high end of these whistles is often piercing, louder, and harder to blow.”
I guess he would say that the whistles to which he was referring were “unbalanced”. This has been my experience with just about all of my whistles. Some are so loud and piercing that I often wonder whether my hearing is being damaged. I’m not joking. My Tony Dixon D - while remaining very smooth in the high end - is very, VERY loud. It almost hurts. And mind you, I am only blowing as hard as what seems necessary to achieve a pure, 2nd octave tone.
My Oaks, my Walton LBD, and Clarke also exhibit this high end increase in volume.
My question is, do not all whistles require more breath as you go up the scale, especially as you get near the top? Is it not just the nature of the instrument that it requires more pressure (twice as much?) to get a 1st octave G than it does to get a 2nd octave G, and that you get twice the volume (or amplitude)?
Is the Abell truly capable of being balanced across the octaves, requiring the same amount of breath pressure?
And finally, are there any inexpensive whistles that are “balanced”?
Would someone who knows about these things speak up.
Thanks,
Rob
"
Hi Rob,
The most balanced whistles I have are a Hoover narrow bore and a Cillian O’Briain Improved Generation/Feadog. I have a Susato thats so loud in the second octave, that I’m just going to give it away.
The other cheapies fall somewhere in the middle.
Cheers,
jb
I think the Abell d is one of the most balanced whistles there is. In my experience, the top octave does not scream at all. Other very well-balanced high end d whistles are Rose and Sindt. As for inexpensive whistles, I think the Sweetone is probably the most balanced.
Jessie
I’ve been playing an Abell D for a year or so. I love it. It is fairly well balanced between octaves. It is however, a bit louder in the upper. You have to blow harder and the notes are higher pitched. (obviously) Higher notes are going to be louder than lower ones, by a bit or a lot. Probably the most balanced whistle I have is a Copeland low d. There doesn’t seem to be very much difference between high and low, but there is some.
Tony
I will side with Jessie K on this one(I hope she will not be offended 
)
The Sweetone has a decreasing conical bore that balances the octaves. A cylindrical bore whistle has a “flattening effect” in the upper octave and a player must unconsciously blow harder to “pitch correct” these upper notes.
This harder blowing/pitch correcting also increases the loudness in direct proportion to how much the pitch needs correcting e.g. Harder blowing = louder(and sometimes piercing)tone.
Conclusion: Conical whistles have more balanced octaves but play softer. Cylindrical whistles play flatter in the upper octave but play louder to compete with loud session instruments.
note: These are not my conclusions but those of Arthur H. Benade(acoustician)and are confined to instruments with “block Flute” or “whistle” voicings.
T.H.