Cranberry's Hohner B-flat

Whistle
1

I have on loan from Cranberry a Hohner B-flat whistle. Hohner is a German company that started making harmonicas in the early 1800s. They are known world-over for their harmonicas and also make a variety of other instruments (among them r***ders). At some point they were making whistles, which are collectors items among those zany enough to collect whistles.

Cranberry picked up a Hohner B-flat in an eBay auction and was kind enough to send it to me for inspection. I thought I’d spread the wealth around a bit (Jim McC, forget it).

First here are some pictures. Please note that the color is off: The whistle is nickle, bright shiny silver.

This is a view of the fipple from the side:

And here a close-up:

The whistle plays very sweetly. The tone is on the pure side, little chiff or edge to it. The Hohner is also very quiet and not as forgiving in its breath requirements than, say, Generations. You’ll notice some squeeks as a result in the clip that I have recorded. The whistle is mellow in its sound and well balanced between the octaves. The tuning struck me as good, but I didn’t check it with a tuner.

Anyway, here is a tune I learned on a Bb whistle that I thought might give an impression of the sound (about 2.4 megs).

Ril Gan Ainm (Hohner B-flat)

And here is the control sample, a bit of the same reel done on my trusty Generation Bb, the closest thing I have on hand (about 900k).

Generation Bb

[Pardon the playing. I lifted the tune off Altan’s Harvest Strom, where it is part of the last track, Dobbin’s Flowery Vale, and set after a slow air (Frankie Kennedy on Bb flute). A version of the same tune, played by Paddy Carty, can be found here.]

2

Ok, there was some confusion here. The Hohner is in B-flat, and marked “Bb” on the front.

I am not sure that it is in tune, though, it may be quite a bit sharp. I don’t have a tune on hand these days and can’t try it.

3

That is a real nice collectors whistle Bloom. It also has a very nice sound. Cran came up with a nice buy there. It appears to be in excellent condition. What whistle do you think it is most like?

Ron

4

Ron, I am not sure to compare the Hohner. In terms of how it plays (no back pressure, sensitive breath requirements) it reminds me of some of the wooden one’s I’v tried: Abell, Rose. But the sound is quite pure with no growl or grit to it at all. The bore is thinner than the Generation Bb. It also doesn’t play like any all-metal whistles I’ve tried. They all have thick walls and steep blades (Overtons, Chieftains, Kerry-Pros, Silkstone, Albas), but the Hohner is basically a thin tube and the blade is also very thing with no ramp to it. (Don’t think I understand if or how that would affect the sound.)

Best,
M

5

I confess I must have dozed off during my “these are the parts of a whistle” lesson, if I ever even had one: wouldn’t want to have to tell you what’s the ramp and what’s the blade and I’m not even quite sure what a fipple is. I actually have no particular reason for sharing this gap in my knowledge, but there you are.

However, I do know what my Burke sounds like, and to me this sounds grittier and more growl-y than my Burke. I love this sound–the bit of air-thickness to it–even though I love the Burke sound too. This is a lovely whistle, I think; it does seem about a half step sharp to my ears, but note-to-note it seems solid. I wonder how old it is?

Nice tune, and nice playing, too.

Carol

6

Ok, here is a little sketch. Sorry but my 3D-rendering machine broke.

Note that “fipple” originally means “fipple block”: The wooden bit inserted in Clarkes or Shaws to create the windway. Or the delrin in Sindts or Albas. You get the idea (I was too lazy to do two sketches). Further note: if you want to get fancy you call the blade “labium” (Lat., lip).


Nice tune, and nice playing, too.

Carol

You’re just plying me with compliments because you want to take advantage of me. :roll: :wink:

7

I did kinda go overboard, didn’t I? :roll:

Thanks, Bloomfield, for the great diagram, which I think should be put on the main website somewhere. Very clear!

In reply, I was gonna do a whistle parody of this poem, Naming of Parts by Henry Reed, but I was moved again, reading it after many years, and I just couldn’t. Hope you’ll pardon me, Bloo.

“Vixi duellis nuper idoneus
Et militavi non sine glori”

Today we have naming of parts. Yesterday,
We had daily cleaning. And tomorrow morning,
We shall have what to do after firing. But today,
Today we have naming of parts. Japonica
Glistens like coral in all of the neighboring gardens,
And today we have naming of parts.

This is the lower sling swivel. And this
Is the upper sling swivel, whose use you will see
When you are given your slings. And this is the piling swivel,
Which in your case you have not got. The branches
Hold in the gardens their silent, eloquent gestures,
Which in our case we have not got.

This is the safety-catch, which is always released
With an easy flick of the thumb. And please do not let me
See anyone using his finger. You can do it quite easily
If you have any strength in your thumb. The blossoms
Are fragile and motionless, never letting anyone see
Any of them using their finger.

And this you can see is the bolt. The purpose of this
Is to open the breech, as you see. We can slide it
Rapidly backwards and forwards: we call this
Easing the spring. And rapidly backwards and forwards
The early bees are assaulting and fumbling the flowers:
They call it easing the Spring.

They call it easing the Spring: it is perfectly easy
If you have any strength in your thumb: like the bolt,
And the breech, and the cocking-piece, and the point of balance,
Which in our case we have not got; and the almond-blossom
Silent in all of the gardens and the bees going backwards and forwards,
For today we have naming of parts.


Carol

8

Quick update: Dale isn’t willing to meet my licensing fee demands. Downright screamed at me, I swear. He probably has high blood pressure, too. And here I thought I was being reasonable. I mean, come on, he has three daughters. He wouldn’t even notice one less…