Burke low E?

Whistle
1

Hello everyone

I’m thinking of buying a Burke low whistle in E. I’m very selective when it comes to whistles and I had and sold dozens of them. Here is what I’m looking for in a low E:

  • very good intonation
  • 7th flat note on OXXOOO fingering
  • good volume and volume balance between the octaves
  • not too breathy tone
  • good responsiveness
  • offhand availability or short waiting time

Do you think that a Burke low E would be a good choice? I know that Burkes have very good intonation but I’m afraid that the 7th flat note could be too sharp. I’ve already had a Burke session high D which I didn’t like at all (too quiet, too bland, shrilly and Cnat oxxooo out of tune) but I thought that a low E could be a different story. I wouldn’t like to have a thumb hole so this option doesn’t interest me. Next thing which worries me is breath requirement. I like easy blowers but I also avoid air hogs and sometimes Burkes are called so. The last thing is the tone - I like clear tone but on the other hand I wouldn’t like my whistle to sound artificial or shallow (Susatos). The best whistle which I have had so far is the MK Kelpie low F, unfortunately Misha doesn’t make them in E. If you think that there may be some other whistles which could suit me I would be grateful for any recommendation.

I tried to contact Mr. Lofgren with no effect. I have contacted Mr. Bracker but the waiting time is quite long now.

2

I cannot speak to Mike’s low E, per se. However, I can speak to his low D. I own 3 low Ds, because they are so different. I have an MK - gift from a dear friend. I have an Overton. Fine instrument. I had a Burke Viper and sold it to a friend in South Africa. Wonderful friend, but it was a mistake in selling the whistle. I purchased a second brass Viper, and this one stays.

Mike’s low Ds have a sound like no other whistle. Better? Of course not… That is completely subjective. Although the overtone series produces a sound that some would say is not as complex as some other low Ds, there is a quality to the sound that matches the human voice incredibly well, and I often us my Viper in ‘backing vocal’ mode.

I know that Mike’s low whistles are in tune, play (I feel) exceptionally well, have a flatted 7th scale step that is in tune, and are totally reliable. I always know what Mike’s low D will ‘do’ in any situation. I can depend on it… To me, that is invaluable.

How much air do Mike’s low whistles need? The wishy-washy answer is: less than some… more than others. I do not feel the air need is excessive, in any way… I have played air hogs. Mike’s low D is not an air hog.

I would hope that his low E would have similar characteristics. I feel it would be good to put the Burke low E on your short list.

Best.
Byll

3

I have an aluminum Burke low E. I also have about two dozen other Burkes. I like what Mike Burke makes.

Byll offers a good assesment. The low E is similar to the low D Viper in playing characteristics and tone. The low E is very much like the low F Burke. In fact all of Burke’s whistles have the same characteristics. That’s why I play them. You know what you are dealing with regardless of the key. Some other makes require more or less push at the top end or more or less easing-off at the bottom end. The Burkes are all consistent and rather even in their breath curve. Very predictable and comfortable. I find Burkes to be among the most consistent whistles made by any maker across the range of pitches they offer. Very responsive, Well tuned. They play well and blend well with other instruments, IMO.

Yes, I do think it is a good choice - at least for me it is.

Then you won’t like the low E. So skip it. Keep looking. As I said, Burke’s whistles are nothing if not very consistent across the range.

I like the Burke standard bore high D. It is one of my “go to” whistles - I have one in all three materials they are offered in. I don’t find any of the characteristics you mentioned when I play the Burke high D. In fact I find them moderately loud, very sweet, well behaved and predictable at the top-end. The tuning of the OXX OOO fingering for C nat is fine for most tunes, IMO. But I also use a variety of other C nat fingerings depending on the context of the tune as I would on any other whistle - no “one fingering to rule them all”, I am afraid. That’s just part of the playing the instrument. And yes, I have some Burkes made with the C natural hole on the underside, which is “spot on” without a doubt. But I tend to tape over those since I don’t find I need them. Half-holing C nat always works anyway.

I also like and play the narrow bore models.

You can buy a different whistle but you can’t buy a better whistle, IMO. We all have different preferences, experiences and criteria. It’s all relative.

What year was your Burke Session model high D? You can’t judge Burke’s 2015 whistles by a used Burke from, let’s say, 2000. He is in the habit of continuously improving his design. And I suggest always buying new whistles from a maker. That keeps them in business and you will always get their best work and latest design.

Feadoggie

4

In agreement with what has been said above.

I have alloy Burkes in Low D, Eb, E, F, G, A, and high D (session bore) and they all play remarkably alike.

I’ve also had a vintage Overton Low E, which played very much like Overon Low Ds I’ve had.

So it seems to me that the playing characteristics of Low Ds and Low Es from a particular maker are going to be very similar.

This all being the case, and having owned/borrowed/tried Low Ds from twenty or so different makers, I would say that Burke’s distinguishing characteristics are

-Good scale.

-Octaves spot-on, at least to my natural way of blowing octaves, and right in the middle of Low Ds in general. There is one quirk most Burkes have, and that is that B in the low octave is a bit flat, whereas B in the second octave is not; were you to carve out the B hole to get a perfect Equal Temperament B in the low octave you end up with a slightly sharp B in the second octave. I can’t recall encountering this with any other make of whistle. It was especially noticeable both on my Burke Low D and session bore High D.

-Good volume, and an especially full low octave.

-Exceptionally strong Bottom D/bellnote.

-Exceptionally smooth voicing over the gamut.

-High A and especially High B are on the verge of being strident or “shouty”.

-Low E that’s noticeably weaker than its neighboring notes (Bottom D and F#). Many Low Whistles share this issue. I prefer whistles which have Low E as strong as the other low notes, such as the MK.

-Unusually narrow window of pressure that works with second octave notes. These notes sort of pop out right on pitch, but you don’t have a wide range of pressures that work to allow you to play much flatter and sharper like you do on an Overton. This aspect is very noticeable if you play Burkes and Overtons of the same key back-to-back.

-Pure clear tone, but still with some character. Burkes get a bad rap for being “bland” but when I’ve played several Low Ds back-to-back the Burke isn’t the most bland, but has a timbre more or less in the middle of the pack.

-Unusually large air consumption. For any pitch, my Burkes have taken a noticeably greater volume of air (not force of air) that other makes, with few exceptions. Despite their many great qualities it’s this aspect which led me to switch from Burke to MK for my go-to Low D. With higher-pitched Burkes it’s not such a big deal; my Burke high D session bore takes about as much wind as my MK Low D.

-Not the most ergonomic. The unusually fat tube and far-spaced fingerholes of Burke Low Ds make them less comfortable to hold for long periods than Low Ds with narrower tubes and hole-spacings.

-Cool space-age high-tech look. For sure when you show up in the orchestra pit and open up a roll of gleaming Burkes in various keys everyone sees that you mean business. Orchestral/legit players are always attracted to the appearance of Burkes, and really like the way they play.

About C natural, it’s fine on all my Burkes, with my usual oxx ooo or oxx oox fingerings. Yes you have to be careful to not overblow crossfingered C natural.

5

Thank you guys for such full and exhaustive answers! I’ll definitely consider buying this instrument and share my thoughts with you when I’ll bite into it. Best wishes!