I just went out and bought the Clark original pennywhistle and am out of breath… Has anyone else run across the problem of having to adjust where they take breaths during a tune with this pennywhistle? For instance, I was playing a tune that I could normally go 8 bars on before taking a breath and am now finding myself cutting out notes around the fifth or sixth bar. I am new to the pennywhistle and am used to playing a Soodlum’s which might explain my lack of lung capacity.
My other comment about this pennywhistle is it has the breathy (is that a word?) sound I’ve always loved about the flute. Hopefully it gets easier to play so I can enjoy the sound more.
Ya Mark they do take a little more air but with some daily playing it becomes less noticable. One good thing about the Clarke is that you will find out right away if you are using your diafram right. But I think the sound is worth the extra effort. Have fun and by the way welcome to this place. I hope you will enjoy this road as much as I have.
They are quieter than they appear, and if you are trying to play it to the volume that you expect from a Sweetone, or some other whistle, you are probably blowing too much air through the whistle. Don’t try to force it to be loud, and you will come away happier. Also, try narrowing the area of your mouth around the opening of the windway with your lips (this is a little hard to describe) to focus the air a bit more than you would with another whistle.