Last evening I rooted around the ceramic wine bottle chiller where my whistles live and came up with my brass, one-piece, red head Clare D whistle. I’d been using it as my muffled whistle lately so I pulled out the twist tie and started to play. I was delighted to rediscover that it is a fine whistle. It’s quiet and has a trace of breath in its tone, a beautiful sound. Not only that but, to my ears, it is perfectly in tune with a nice strong cross-fingered Cnat. I wonder why I haven’t played it for months. And they cost only $5 at the Whistle Shop the last time I looked. Just a really nice cheap whistle.
I just had to pass that on.
Mike
I know, I know! I’ve been saying that ever since I got a one-piece Clare in Dublin two years ago, it really is the business.
Next time I’m in Ireland I’m going to buy several of them.
I wasn’t that happy with the one I got, but it was pretty fair I guess. Till I nearly killed it.
Now, the two piece body, I’ve been real happy with that. It’s gets more use than anything else I have. I carry it around with me and about 3 different whistle heads at all times. It’s like haveing a sack full of whistle in one pocket.
The 2-piece Clare is very good too. I gave mine away when i was pruning my “collection”. But i was a fine whistle.
I have to agree!
I have a green-top nickel which is a lovely thing. I wish they came in more keys!!!
Best, Adrian
Surely …and whats more they are rare as a clear day in Kerry but when you do find one of the originals it has that lonesome sound in it!
I love my Clares. I have 2 one piece, 1 brass and 1 nickel. They play beautifully and are completely untweaked. I picked them out of a huge pile of them.
Of course I love all my whistles. Every once in a while I do the same thing. I pick up one I haven’t played for sometime and say why haven’t I been playing this one. There are only three that get played every day, my Alba Q1, my Hoover Whitecap/Oak, and my Waltons Mellow D. My brass Clare is right there too.
Ron
I never liked the sound of the 2-piece Clare I had. I tried to tweek it but ended up putting a whitecap on it and then it became one of my favorites. It now is my car whistle since it fits in the console tray nicely.
I also use it for travelling. It was in my pocket on my recent vacation in Maui. Interesting trip. I met a guy who makes shakahachis and digeredos and sells them from a shop on Front St in Lahaina.
I have two Clares which I both love. The first is a two-piece that I didn’t much like at first, but what did I know at the time. It’s one of those semi-magical cheap whistles that improves over time if played a bit (take heed you, expensive whistle buyers). Wonderful sound now, and quite soft and mellow, well balanced.
The other Clare I have is dinged up very much cherished, despite the monstrous c-natural thumb hole it sports. Despise the act, love the actor.
I have one of the two piece Clares, and it’s definately one of my favorite whistles! I recently re-discovered how good it was after not playing it for quite a while. It seems to have a much sweeter sound in the 2nd octave than most of my whistes, and like most others have said, all this without any tweaking!
Bob
Okay, now you all have me wanting to pull my two-piece Clare out to give it another chance… and I CAN’T FIND IT!!! How frustrating…
::wanders off to search the kids’ rooms::
~Ad
I have a D nickel Clare with a green fipple…it’s my first whistle, and out of the two waltons, two generations, and one Kerry…it’s really the whistle i play the most!
My Clare two-piece is my 2nd best “cheapie”, in spite of the chip in the blade. I may have to look up this “guitar-pick” tweak … or maybe ask Jerry if he’d fix it …
It is amazing how much my whistles improve as time passes … :roll:
~Judy