I’ve been playing on my Burke Aluminum Pro Session whistles for a while now and am wondering about differences between his other models. I see on his website there are
Aluminum Pro Narrow Bore
Aluminum Pro Session
Brass Intermediate Bore
Brass Pro Narrow Bore
Brass Pro Session
Brass Wide Bore
Composite Session
Composite-Narrow Bore
I mostly play sessions and the aluminum pro’s do a good job for me. Now I’m in the market for a low D and was wondering if others could offer some insights into the other whistle types.
One thing I did notice on the aluminum sessions is that I have a tendency to “chirp” on the second octave E, but I believe I may be overblowing the whistle trying to be heard. Or is it possibly something in the whistle itself that can be fixed by underblowing those notes or adjusting the whistle?
Got four Burkes and love them: Brass session D, brass wide C, Al Pro low G and D.
The onyl quirk, which Michael has promised to adjust, is a slightly unstable high B. It wants to flip down to the lower octave unless you blast air through it. But he assures me it will be fixed.
The low D is sweet and mellow sounding. It plays very easily (with piper grip) and I like the moveable sixth hole. The bell tone is strong and interestingly complex with overtones. It can change its character quite a bit (via air pressure) before hopping to the second octave.
The brass high whistles are, to me, perfection incarnate (enmetalled?). Nuff said.
I get to play high and low Ds in church tomorrow and am looking forward to getting up early to do it.
I think he’s charging about half what these instruments are worth.
The only Burke I have is a brass narrow bore D. Every now and then I toy with the idea of getting another Burke, and I do wonder about the difference between the three materials: brass, aluminum and composite. I do know that I won’t go narrow bore if I go for another Burke–I like a bigger sound. Anyone able to compare the materials, sound and playing wise?
-i believe the aluminium range is very pure and a little sweet.
-brass whistles are more quiet and mellow sounding and are
also pure but sweeter then the aluminium.
-composites are rich and complex in tone, and therefore not so pure sounding as the aluminium,
but to my taste, even better then wood. they are aslo sweet and i like them best.
narrow bore whistles are more responsive then wide bores, wich are more mellow and louder.
i like the size in between, there’s very little difference, but they feels best for my hands.
There are bound to be variations between different whistles of the same model, but here are a few comments about the ones I own. They are all soprano D.
Brass Pro Narrow Bore. This is about as perfect as a whistle can get. It is fairly quiet with low breath requirement. Response is phenomenal. Tone is mellow and sweet, not loud enough for a session.
Aluminum Pro Narrow Bore. Stiffer response than the Brass NB. It is very stable and likes to be played agressively. The tone is dry but sweet, not particularly mellow. It is loud enough for a small session. I probably play it more than any other whistle.
Brass Pro Session. Similar to the Brass Pro NB in response. The lower octave has a rich, mellow tone, second octave is purer, more like the NB. It is loud enough for a moderately sized session. In my opinion, this has the most beautiful tone of all the Burkes. If I had to restrict myself to a single whistle, this would be it.
Brass Wide Bore. This is a good whistle, but in my opinion is slightly inferior to my other Burkes in tone and playability.
I would add to Rideshard’s post that the old wide-bore brass style is closer to the traditional whistle sound than other Burkes. It’s slipped from being one of my two go-to whistles since I’ve got several wooden D’s now, but my wife still marvels at the sound every time she hears me play it. It’s not as clear sounding as the Al or brass pros, it won’t cut through a session as well, and it’s also a little heavy in the head. But it gives a more traditional whistle sound with moderate volume, still with the famous Burke playability – easy octave transitions, moderate breath requirements, and good balance between the octaves.
I agree; I think Michael’s whistles are worth more than he charges. (But let’s not tell him!)
I adore my VSB Al D for all the reasons mentioned above. I use it for everything now – gigs, sessions, even a recent series of classical concerts – and for pretty stuff I think it can’t be beat. My only quibble with it is that it’s almost too small and light; my fingers get tangled up and it flies out of my mouth on the fast tunes if I’m not careful (oddly, this is when it sounds its absolute best
Anyway, a Brass or Composite Session Pro is next for me. Now, what key??? Hmmmm…
