Does anyone know anything about the clare two piece? I am looking for something that has a good sound but is very portable. Any help would be appreciated.
Portability is excellent. I didn’t really like how it played. Tone was iffy and breath control was difficult for a simple D whistle. I ended up putting a Whitecap on mine.
Portability is great - mine is still in my backpack. I like the tone, but the tuning on mine is iffy. So, mine is fine solo but I don’t play it in sessions.
It seems like a few of us have these out of tune ones, but more folks reports theirs being very in tune for a cheapie.
Eric
It wouldn’t be my choice for everyday playing, but it IS very portable and pretty durable. Plays like a typical plastic top, brass bodies whistle. I keep mine in the little under-seat pouch on my mountain bike so I always have a whistle with me to rattle off a quick tune if I come across an especially nice playing spot.
Not to toot my own horn (or whistle), but some of the high end two piece whistles are quite portable too. This would include Thin Weasel, Abell, Burke etc. However, if durability is a factor you might not want to take some of these hiking, etc.
Don’t forget Greenwood Pipes!!!
My Thin Weasel has a wooden case. I would not hesitate to take it places as long as I could keep it from getting exposed to serious temp changes.
One could also fashion a PVC tube and cap to protect the whistle, one for each part if length was the issue.
Or the Doolin two-piece.
Or Noah Herbison’s telescoping Laughing Whistle (I’ve got one of them on order, but it’s had good reviews).
Does anyone know how much the telescoping laughing whistle is? Does anyone have one they are trying to get rid of?
I liked the Clare - it was a bit iffy on the Cnat but doable with unusual fingering.
Doolin is the only whistle I have ever had that I would call unplayable.
The Laughing whistle is gorgeous, sweet & quiet, the Rolls-Royce of travelling whistles.
I have the Clare D two-piece. It has a decent sound (I find it a bit shrill in the upper register). It’s obviously very portable, and with all the abuse mine’s been through it hasn’t been broken yet. The head section slides into a socket in the body section and friction holds it in place; even after prolonged use the joint seems to hold up fine.
I think they’re about $70 or so at the moment. I’m always trawling for laughings for sale, and haven’t seen any in months.
Just in case people aren’t aware, the laughing does need an alternate cnat fingering. I have found OXXXOX works the best on all the laughings I have tried. OXXOOO tends to only be acceptable for very short, quick notes.
I have a doolin two piece which is pretty good for a cheap whistle. Cnat is a bit sharp but a gentler blow will hit ti.
brian
I have several Clares - a couple of the 2-piece kind and one of the one-piece, and contrary to some 'pinions round heres, I find them to be better whistles than most of the other inexpensive whistles out there (or at the very least, just as good), yes, including most Generations I’ve seen (except for those elusive “good Gens,” I suppose, which I’ve never played myself, though I’ve heard them played). One of the Clares I have has a really mellow and chiffy tone that I like in any whistle, regardless of the price, though a bit shrill in the second octave. All the same, it’s probably not that easy to find a “spot-on” in-tune Clare, but then, probably no easier to find a spot-on-in-tune whistle of other makes in this price range anyhow. Seems to me that’s one of the reasons to spend more $ on a “high-ender.” just my $.02.
I carry around a 2-piece Clare most of the time for those moments when I may want to get in a tune or two.