Hi:
I’m new to the Forum, and would appreciate some advice. I prefer a sweet, pure, non-breathy tone I find in narrow bore whistles (I normally play a Burke DAN). I have an Abell D on order.
Could anyone describe the Abell tone? I normally play at home to entertain myself, family and friends, and wonder if the tone and volume of the Abell whistles would suit me. Thanks for any advice you may offer.
Cheers, Todd
If you search YouTube there’s a clip with James Galway playing an Abell D. He performs the theme to LOTR.
Here’s a review: http://www.tinwhistler.com/index.aspx
This guy is playing an Abell D, too:
I’ve had a blackwood d for about 5yrs or so. It as a breathy tone and some people have described it as “sort of flutey.” It’s fairly loud, too. I’ve been told his older whistles were more pure in tone. I’ve got a ton of tunes posted with it on the Clips and Snips site. What newer ones sound like now, I have no idea.
The purity/breathiness issue only matters in a quiet environment, like playing by yourself at home. Get in a noisy pub session and there is no way you or anyone else can hear any breathiness at all. Actually, playing duet with another instrument will likely block out that sound.
Getting beyond tone, the whistle is really easy to play. No unexpected squawks or unintended octave jumps.
Fred Rose in England makes wood whistles that are as pure as you’re going to get, right up there with the O’Riordan’s. I sold one years ago because it was too pure for my ears.
I listened to the 2 you tube selections: “Lamb of God” and the J Galway one of Lord of the Rings. The same whistle sounded vastly different in tone because of the recordings. The Galway one sounded more like what I expected (this has nothing at all to do with playing skills).
Beside the point, but, in my opinion, having some breathiness in the tone is a nice thing. If you learn to work your breath control with ornamentation, you can get some nice effects. I hope you enjoy your Abell.
Tony
I’m not sure if this is what Tony just said or not, however my take is this:
Abell whistles sound nothing like most narrow bore metal whistles. I say this having owned several of both.
“Pure” Sounding? Nah, mine isn’t, but then mine is even older than Tony’s, if I’m not mistaken. Some of the newer Abells I’ve tried have been more pure sounding, but they still didn’t sound at all, to my ear, like a Burke (or any other) narrow bore whistle.
YMMV.
Loren
Toney,s recordings played with his Abell all sound really good. I might be tempted to buy one. But then I have heard that they vary from pure to chiffy! I think I am over the whistle aquisition thing for right now so I may never get to play one.
One the other hand there is a lady at the session who plays one. I don’t like the way it sounds but it may be her style of playing. I have always wanted to play her Abell to see how it sounded from my end but I just couldn’t get up enough nerve to ask her if I could spit on her whistle.
After owning or trying wood whistles like a Rose, Weasel, or Busman. I am most impressed with the Busman for overall tone and playablility, but I am sure they vary too.
Mostly I gravitate more for the narrow bore metal whistles like a Sindt, Hoover white cap, or a Humphry.
The Irish Flute Store has a good return policy and would be a good place to find your soulmate whistle as Doc would call it…the man with only one mouth.
Nate
I wouldn’t call it “pure” as well. At least the one I had was quite chiffy, but not the kind of chiff you get from a metallic whistle like a Burke. Of course many people like a chiffy tone and may say the appeal of its simplicity is one of the characteristcs of ITM.
I like that kind of “simple” chiff but I sold my Abell because I didn’t like its kind of timbre that to me sounded more like an “air leak”. It’s like you had a pure tone with an added constant “interference” in the background as a separate entity. All these kinds of tone perceptions are all subjective and difficult to define, anyway I didn’t like it but as others said, it may be different from the audience perspective. From the player POV, I didn’t feel comfortable playing it and that constant “noise” in the background was quite irritating to me (and I do like chiff!)
I really appreciate all the informative replies. I wanted to get a feel for how you seasoned whistle players felt about the instrument. I’m a former sax, clar, flute player, new to (and quite taken with) the whistle, and you’ve all been most helpful.
I think I’ll go ahead with the purchase…looks like even if it’s not for me, I wouldn’t loose too much dough if I test drove it for a couple of weeks and had to resell it in new condition, so why not give it a try.
I took your advice and listened to the fellow playing Lamb of God on YouTube, and was sincerely touched and impressed by the performance. Thanks again to all for the valued advice.
And thanks also for recommending Doc Jones…I’ve purchased instruments from him previously and will again…a real gentleman, indeed.
Cheers,
Todd
The descriptions of the Abells tone are right, not pure, but
chiffy, and I think you will like it anyway.
Really a lovely whistle.
It takes a while to know what it will do–it seems to open up.
At first the sound can seem alright but not great, and then
it becomes better.
Good you’re giving it a try.
The tone of which Abell D? Word is that they may vary a bit; Chris generally will ask you what characteristics you prize before making the whistle. I’ve had two delrin D’s - one I traded for a magnificent old Copeland nickel; but I liked the Abell delrin so much, I eventually replaced it - didn’t note any difference between the two delrins. I also have a blackwood Bflat/A set which, key notwithstanding, is less bright and has more air. I like the Abells.
Philo
I had a Thin Weasel that had a somewhat reedy tone to it. Does an Abell have that characteristic?
Several have described a chiffy tone. How do you define chiff in this case? Thanks, Cyril.
Oy, this stuff can’t really be described, it simply has to be experienced.
Loren
Hi Loren,
We speak a language so that we may describe.
Chiff should not be inscrutable.
It’s hardly 26 blind men trying to describe an elephant by touch.
Cheers
Cyril
Geez, you guys sure like to debate…so here’s a good one for you…
Could somebody please explain the term “chiffy”…I’ve been a classical and jazz musician for 30+ years, and I really, honestly want to understand this.
Is it breathy, is it dirty, is it raunchy, is it cheap sounding, is it growly, is it rough, is it the antithesis of pure and sweet, is it pure but edgy, is it nice but air-leaky sounding, or is it merely the sound an old, off the rack Generation whistle?
Thanks, friends. Go for it! I’m ready for anything you can throw at me! Take off those gloves!!
Todd
Yes.
Crookedtune Rocks!
Sure … Chiff is the little non-harmonic transient noise or “chirp” that you sometimes hear at the onset of a note or the transition between two notes on a duct flute, such as a whistle or an organ pipe.
Try this test on your whistle. Play a 2nd octave d with all fingers down, then very quickly slur into a 1st octave B by lifting the 2nd and 3rd fingers of your top hand, keeping the right hand down, and pushing the breath a bit. On a chiffy whistle, you’ll hear a distinct chirp or blip. Trill between those two notes, and you may hear a chirp in both directions.
Or try this. Play a 1st octave D, then slur into a 2nd octave d with the breath alone, no tongue articulation. At the point where the note breaks into the 2nd octave, you may hear a chiffy chirp. Continue doing octave slurs up the scale. The distinctiveness of the chirps is a measure of the chiffiness of the whistle.
Some people refer to any non-harmonic noise in the whistle’s tone as chiff, including breath noise, pink noise, little buzzes and continuous transients. But that’s a generalization of the more exact usage described above.
Hi there MT! Now, that’s clear and concise description and would serve as the start of a stickie.
I was not belaboring anything or debating. I don’t belong to any “chiff school of thought”. I was simply asking for a straight answer.
If one is considering the purchase of a $350 whistle, it’s not an especially arcane question.
If an Abell chirps on some note transitions, that might not be desirable to some.
If Abell chiff is background, non musiical sound other than chirps then it’s significant.
And I suppose a whistle could have both kinds of chiff.
Yes.
That’s what I meant. The Abell I had (blackwood, not Delrin and a recent model) had a constant “raspy” sound in the background that was unpleasant to me.