NOTE: I am a beginning whistler and have been studying the Leitrim Fancy, Boys Of Ballisodare, amongst others. I have a small collection of whistles and would like to post a few comments on them:
Un-tweaked Feadog. This is the Feadog in its natural state. It is very inexpensive. The tuning on mine is a little off, but many folk document this and indicate that Feadog’s manufacturing may not be all that precise. I like the brushed brass (I like the look of all brass whistles), but I think that it makes it a little more grippy, especially now that the hot Arizona temps are arriving and my hands are getting sweatier. BUT, it is really quite easy to squawk and squeal. I have read that the sound is really quite traditional with some chiff and mine does sound a little “breathy” in the upper octave.
Freeman tweaked Feadog brass. This is the same as the regular Feadog but with tweaks designed to improve, but not fundamentally change the sound of the original Feadog. Mine is pretty much in tune, but is a little easier to play - less squawks and squeals. The cost - in the region of $30 - $40 (if I remember correctly).
Burke DAN - a 2002 whistle made of aluminum that I purchased used at a good price for both seller and purchaser (I expect). Anyway, this whistle is quite different than the Feadogs. The sound is smooth and the octave jump is very easy - almost too easy for me. There are very few squawks and squeals, especially now that my finger placement is improving. The same can be said for the Feadogs, but they’re still noisier than the Burke. It is in tune with itself and the tuning can be adjusted. These whistles look really desireable (IMO), especially the brass session D, which I still lust after (sometimes, I sneak over to the Burke website and oggle at the DBST). I must not tell my DAN that I have been eyeing other whistles behind its back!
Thornton D. I just got this after reading Tony Hinningan’s and Phil Hardy’s reviews. Both raved over this whistle. The price is also very good. It is brass and tuneable and has a very distinctive white plastic/resin part at the whistle end. It is handcrafted (although I expect the holes are machine drilled, but you know what I mean compared to mass-produced Feadogs) as is the Burke. Both reviewers noted the very traditional sound. Yes, it certainly sound more like the Feadogs than my Burke. BUT it is in tune with itself, is tuneable and suffers far fewer of the errant noises of the unmoddified Feadog. However, I must note that Phil Hardy points out that playing this whistle made him think more about his playing style (this may not be the best summary of his thoughts). One thing I have noticed is that the Thornton is more demanding of the “angle of attack.” What I mean is the angle at which you hold the whistle in your mouth. I can play my Burke with the whistle almost resting on my chest as well as at 90 or more degrees from my body and it still sound clear. The Thornton seems (to my beginning technique) to be much more demanding especially in the upper octave. This aside, I am beginning to really enjoy this whistle. There is “breathiness” in the upper octave as in the Feadogs, but it seems more “cultured” - again a not very good choice of words, but imagine eating Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding at a roadside cafe (this is the Feadog), then imagine the same meal at a Real Ale Pub nestled amongst the rolling fells of the Yorkshire Dales, accompanied not with a large mug of tea, but a pint of Theakston’s Old Peculiar or Green Dragon Mild. This is the Thornton D - same traditional sound, but somehow elevated.
OK, so as a beginner with a limited experience of different whistles what would I recommend to a total “newbie?”
Well, I would suggest initially buying a $9 Feadog at you local music store, Irish store or whatever. Mess around with it. If you think you’re going to continue, buy a better whistle - the tweaked Feadog would work as it is in tune and easier to play and not too expensive. I love my Burke, but these are expensive new compared with the Feadogs. What about the Thornton? Well it sounds great and has excellent reviews, but I would be hesitant to recommend it to a new’ish “newbie.” Having said that I really like the sound of this whistle and will not be parting with it and as both Tony Hinnigan and Phil Hardy loved it, I think it certainly makes a great addition to my small, but growing collection of whistles.
Of course there are many other whistles out there than the four that I have reviewed very briefly.
the tweaked Feadog would work as it is in tune and easier to play and not too expensive
This bit about the tuning has been brought up before. Jerry however doesn’t adjust for tuning so it really is just an illusion that his are more in tune.
Actually, Feadogs are among the very most consistant of all mass produced whistles. I’ve never observed any variation at all in either their whistleheads or tubes, and by now I’ve handled I would guess a thousand or two of them.
If there actually are differences in tuning, they may simply be a matter of variations on how far the whistlehead is placed on the tube, and perhaps there’s some variation in that regard in the factory run Feadogs. That’s the only thing I can think of that would account for any difference in tuning from one to another.
I think that folk will be very reassured by your observations on the consistency of manufacture.
My un-tweaked Feadog now belongs to my 16 month old son. He managed to blow it once (by accident as he has no concept of intentional blowing). BUT, when I practice, he holds the fipple end in his mouth. I would be a very proud parent if he became an expert whistle player as well as a NHL player. However, I have to allow him (with a little guidance) to find his own path in life.
I like your Thornton analogy. I agree that it’s an awesome whistle. I think it looks great and sounds beautiful. It surprises me that there’s not more written about them.
My problem with a beginner’s review of whistles would be that whistles can become much more powerful and responsive as you learn to control them and work with them. As you get more time in on whistles, you unconsciously learn to control your embrouchre, breath, and fingering to match the whistle. No offense, it’s just that if you’re still a beginner, you won’t be able to bring out the true potential of a whistle, so you can’t really give an accurate review.
Granted, a beginner can take away a better impression of what the whistle will be like for them from another beginner’s reviews, but do they take away knowledge of whether the whistle will sound as well to their ears when they reach the intermediate or advanced stages? Will the whistle grow with them, or sound the same as it does as when they’re first starting (the obvious answer is that it will grow with them, but some more than others)?
When I was first starting, Shaws sounded amazing while a Clarke sounded like a cheap toy, but now, I can get as much as, and in some ways more than, a Shaw out of a Clarke. How experienced you are with a whistle makes a big difference, and I don’t know that it’s fair to judge whistles on the observations of beginners.
I both agree and disagree with you! You’re right in that inexperience means that any whistles that I play may (very likely) sound different as I improve. That is a fact that I, and most others would not deny.
However, there are beginners who may welcome the viewpoint of another beginner’s experience. And, I never said that my reviews were accurate - and anyway, what is an accurate review depends upon the viewpoint taken, and furthermore ALL REVIEWS ARE SUBJECTIVE !
As a beginner, I would love to hear what whistles both cheap and expensive sound like when played by someone as inept at whistle playing as I am, as it would give me a very good idea of what may or may not work for me. Would a Guarnieri violin sound as good in beginner’s hands as a Stradivarius, or a cheaply made, mass produced violin? In fact, my mother-in-law is a retired music teacher. Her view is that if you give a kid the cheapest instrument, they’re more likely to give-up, whereas invest a little more money in a better instrument, and they seem more likely to stick at it.
I expect that the cheapest whistle will always sound great in the hands of a skilled player, but maybe potential “best” players have been lost because they began with an instrument that was not to their liking.
As a beginner, I would love to hear what whistles both cheap and expensive sound like when played by someone as inept at whistle playing as I am, as it would give me a very good idea of what may or may not work for me. Would a Guarnieri violin sound as good in beginner’s hands as a Stradivarius, or a cheaply made, mass produced violin? In fact, my mother-in-law is a retired music teacher. Her view is that if you give a kid the cheapest instrument, they’re more likely to give-up, whereas invest a little more money in a better instrument, and they seem more likely to stick at it.
And there we have the old problem: we are not talking about violins. We’re talking about whistles where more expensive not necessarily equals better, far from it actually.
I mean, I don’t see violinists play cheap Chinese (or older Mittenwalder) mass produced violins in concerts. If you gather up the top traditional whistle players for a concert though, you will still see the cheap mass produced whistles dominate, and that’s not because of ignorance of the available alternatives.
And don’t fool yourself, whatever whistle a beginner will get, he will sound like a beginner. The only way out of that is to patiently listen, practice and play, not to throw money at hardware.
How correct you are! But believe me, my $9 Feadog is out of tune compared with the others, and it is more makes more erratic noises than the others. Added to that, the fact that people have written about rejecting a whole bunch of cheap whistles in order to find one that is in tune, is important. I wonder what the “build quality” was of Mary Bergin’s first whistle as far as in-tuneness was concerned.
Maybe, I am a more “fickle” player than others. Indeed, I may have given up the whistle had I only played MY (not any other) $9 whistle. In that respect, I would still offer the same advise to a “newbie” simply because of my experience thus far: begin with a cheap whistle, then move up to something if you think you’re going to stick at it.
These comments not directed at Peter, but follow on from an earlier post…
My reviews were written based on my experience and no one else’s. In fact, I have never read a review based on any other opinions than the reviewer’s. I read reviews of lots of things ranging from laboratory equipment to audiophile gear to camp-sites, hotels, CD’s, movies, and whistles. Some reviews I would agree with, others I think are totally ludicrous BUT (read the word “think”) while the reviews themselves are subjective, so is MY take on those reviews.
OK, so what does it take to be able to post a review of a whistle? Do I have to pass an O’level in Irish music, maybe get an A’level in Gaelic? Do I have to have an immediate Irish ancestor? Do I have to have played at least 10 jigs that were written before 1920? Do I have to have recorded and sold grammy winning CD’s of whistle music oh yes, on a whistle that was run over by a Morris Minor, bent back into shape and repaired with duct-tape javascript:emoticon(‘:lol:’)
I posted my reviews because they summarize my opinion at the time of writing. Other folk may like them, other may be me full of cr*p. That is perfectly fine by me. If they help someone then great!
Look, I have no issue at all with people writing their opinions about whistles. If they go on parroting the old myths and factual misinformation however, then comment is appropriate in my opinion. As it was in the case of your suggestion Jerry’s tweaked Feadogs are more in tune.
Some of these things have been up for hundreds of times and repeating them endlessly as if no past discussion that reached a degree of consensus ever existed, is a bit tiresome. By all means, give your opinions but if there are (quasi-)factual statements included to back up the opinions, get them straight. That’s not asking too much is it?
I appreciate your quick response. Please could you point-out the myths and quasi-factual details in my first posting. This concerns me as I was trying to write about my thoughts on my experience with my whistles.
As for violins, I still retain my opinion - a great violinist can make almost any violin sound great. I expect that whistles are the same. I think what we’re talking about is the level of skill and technique in an experienced player that allows them to adapt to a wider range of instrument quality than a beginner. In a previous posting, someone replied that my $9 Feadog will “learn by listening to my other whistles and improve.” This is not a direct quote, but the sentiment is accurate. My guess is that the original writer did not intend that Feadogs actually DO listen, but maybe the player improves and is able to adapt to less than-ideal-conditions. Does this make sense?
Peter, I think I am a little like you in opinion. I expect that you’re very pragmatic and have some firm opinions. My guess is that you can play your Generation, Feadog or whatever, really well (that is where we differ). I guess that you’re the kind of whistler who sounds amazing on the cheapest of whistles and for this reason, I guess that you find it interesting how someone can go out and buy a $200 whistle. I would love to play amazingly on any kind of whistle whether it be $9 or $900, although I doubt I’ll ever be allowed to buy a $900 whistle.
This reminds me of my own aspects of being a Luddite! Back in the eighties I used to do a lot of rock-climbing in Snowdonia Lake District, Alps, etc. I remember folk with racks of expensive and shiny gear, shimmying up difficult climbs, placing mechanic, flexible, expanding rock-climbing gear into the rock to make things safer. My gear was a lot cheaper and older and consisted of non-mechanic blocks of metal that took a lot more fiddling with to secure into the small crevices and niches, but I managed it. Sure, it may have taken me a little longer to get up some nasty climb, but I always felt that I had achieved more because my gear wasn’t spanking new, ultra modern and expensive. Maybe this explains failed attempts on the Matterhorn and Ranier, mind you I did manage to pull my tired body to the summit of McKinley in 2000.
Anyway, I appreciate your comments (I mean that sincerely). Maybe this is what is good about a forum like this.
Charlie, I responded to the things I thought in-correct, Jerry confirmed my first comment (as he has a number of times in the past).
The fiddle analogy : ‘buy a more expensive one and you’ll get a better one’ has been used over and over here, it works for the fiddle but I think, or maybe just hope (?), that over the years there’s some consensus that this is not the case with whistles.
I always refer to the literally hundreds of beginners I see playing beautifully and effortlessly on your run of the mill whistle bought in the local news-agent, I don’t pluck that idea out of mid air. There’s a school to stage concert in Glor in Ennis tomorrow that would be an eye opener to many here and would bring my point home nicely. The same learners are working on a CD that I expect will be out shortly, I’d really think a lot of people should listen to that and consider the perspective it offers.
Other than that, I have no bones to pick with any of you opinions.
You make me envious of 1, being able to attend a “school to stage concert”; 2. having seen beginners play effortlessly and flawlessly (I wish I could play effortlessly and flawlessly); and 3. being somewhere green and cool!
When I get round to it, I’ll record my off-the-rack and tweaked Feadogs with their scales being played and I compare them side-by-side for tuning, maybe even try them out on my wife (a university trained musician) to see if she can hear a difference though I will not tell her which clip is from which whistle. You know, I may even surprise myself and find that I cannot tell the difference. I’ll let you know. It could be that I managed to find the one-in-a-thousand Feadogs that is a little out of tune and that would be typical of my luck.
One of my future ambitions is to attend the Willie Clancy Summer School. I have family in County Cork, but would also like to take my wife (US born and native Arizona born son) to Ireland on our next trip back to the UK. Part of that trip would also be to visit Ballyhaunis in Co. Mayo where my Waldron side of the family (three generations ago) came from.
I’ll let you know what happens when I record my Feadogs!
I returned to my Feadogs and played them side-by-side and listened more critically to their tuning. Indeed, the un-tweaked Feadog is in tune with itself. The difference is in the quality of the C#, which on my untweaked is really quite raspy, rather like a rat with a cough. To my ears, this raspiness made the C# sound quite out of tune compared to the Freeman tweaked Feadog.
So, Jerry Freeman’s observation on the manufacturing tolerance of the Feadogs is certainly upheld. BUT it says much more about the high quality of Jerry’s tweaks.
I have only seen a prototype so I can’t comment on that. The prototype though had only the cavity filled as Jerry thought they were pretty OK to begin with
Blowing a bit more gently will probably solve the problem altogether. And that is probably the crux of the matter, some whistles just need to be played gently and they will serve you well. They will also teach you the breathcontrol and nuance that fool-proof whistles won’t.
Senior whistle group at a christmas concert two years or so ago. Some of them will be on the school to stage concert
