I adopted a Clarke this weekend. (It’s the all metal surfaced version - not the black one w/diamonds, if that matters.) It was the result of my quest for a quiet enough whistle that I can play while traveling cross-country in our RV with my Husband.
It’s nice and quiet. It’s mellow without sounding like a recorder. I like the sound, but the breath requirement is leaving me dizzy, disoriented, and . Is there a way to cut down on the breath requirement without making it too much louder?
(Wish I’d seen the thread on muting techniques first. Maybe a garbage tie or rubberband would have worked in my Howard.)
I haven’t tweaked one, but I got one of the Whistleshop tweaked ones, and it’s really nice. The sound is very similar to the untweaked, a little less “airy” but essentially the same tone, and no louder than the original. And the breath requirement is MUCH less! I love my original, but was finding that I just couldn’t fit in the breaths in faster tunes. I think the tweaked version is well worth the extra cash (it’s about $20, I believe). The wait is a little longer, about a week, because sometimes they don’t have them in stock and (I guess) have to tweak them upon receiving the order.
My first whistle was an original Clarke, and I still love it. The wind requirement didn’t bother me too much since I played flute before, but I also have a tweaked Clarked from the Whistle Shop that’s wonderful. I’d recommend it. I have original Clarkes with the diamonds, which I kinda like, the tweaked one that’s black, and a couple of natural metal ones. I guess I also like their historical look since they’re made of metal and wood with no plastic and, I believe, were among the first whistles made. Another rationale for justifying my addiction, I mean, buying more whistles . . .
I’ve successfuly done the tweak. I’ve also successfuly ruined two whistles. My successful effort worked by simply taking a nail and light hammer and tapping a series of dents in the top of the mouthpiece to form a line of dents down the middle. Don’t get too close to the window. That’s the danger zone.
The goal is to turn that domed shape on top of the windway into a sort of gullwing effect. The V down the middle should not touch the wood. This simple tweak will reduce wind requirement and won’t affect sound. At least that’s what it did for mine. Your results may vary!!
Tom.
Thanks for the links. Those strings say all I needed to know. . . plus stuff I didn’t know I needed to know.
This board is an awesome place. So great to have found such a bunch of kind fun-loving people who are willing to share so much information.
I’ll use this out-of-the-box Clarke to work on my breath. I’ll get a tweaked one later, or perhaps a Jerrytone, or a Shaw he can metamorphasize, or the Burke Aluminum Pro I’m craving or…or…or
. Is there a way to cut down on the breath requirement without making it too much louder?