I really had a good time going through my cheapies searching for duplicates and whistles suitable for contest award (I actually awarded a half step up from cheapie as I had a duplicate). Most of these whistles play really well and are fairly old having been purchased when I first started all this insanity. They include:
Generations
2 Bflats, 1 brass, 1 nickel - wow, are they really fine players.
2 brass C - also good
5 D, 3 brass, 2 nickel, all good
1 high F, what a great little player, nickel
Walton
2 Golden Tone C, brass, 1 green and 1 yellow head - superb
1 C, nickel - also very good
4 “Irish Made” C, 3 green and 1 yellow head, really good as well
1 Guiness Little Black - ok, this ties for worst - a bit weak and to my tin ear a bit flat all the way through, but not terrible.
Doolin
1 D - this is the other worst of the lot, but eminently playable
Faedog
2 D, both good, 1 better
Clare
two-piece D - plays very nicely (surprising, since I’ve heard such mixed feedback)
Perri
2 D, orange tube, yellow head - nice players and not for sale ever as they are named for my daughter!
Oak
2 D, 1 plays well and 1 has a rasp throughout the scale which I could probably fix by looking more closely at the head; the good one is real chewed up - not me, honest.
Sweetone
1 D, 1C, okay, just not my thing - must be the easiest players in the universe
Clarke
1D, 2 C originals, all lovely tone
1 D, “Celtic Whistle” - this is just a disguised Sweetone
Shaw
1 D, Jerry tweaked this a couple of years ago so I could come off the iron lung
What a gas it was to play these whistles again. People starting out should really not cheat themselves of the opportunity to go out and buy several of each type over time and have some real affordable fun and learn the music just fine. There’ll be lots of time for bickering about which high end is better or has gastro intestinal super hyper drive diaphragmic extra terrestrial backpressure and the like.
It is statistically impossible that these cheap whistles are all nice! Everybody knows that you need to go through BOXES AND BOXES of Generations before MAYBE you find a playable one…
You need to pick up a Clare or two, Phil. Nice whistles.
It is even more statistically impossible that they all sound nice because I’m playing them. And, I do have the Clare 2-piece which is quite nice (it may be called an Eagle, if I remember correctly, as it is not so marked.
Hey PhilO, I’m not sure how old “when I first started this insanity” is, but I am just curious. How has the brass finish (or the Nickel for that matter) held up over time? Have you ever taken 'em out and cleaned them now and then? I like my whistles to have that shiny “fine instrument” look so I tend to wash them with soap and water frequently. I just wonder if I’m fighting the inevitable and they are going to get that worn around the holes look anyway just from playing them… Thanks
I started with the Bill Ochs book/tape/Clarke Whistle about 12 or so years ago. The nickel whistles show no wear other than some sort of fingerprint residue around the toneholes and most of the brass are in fine shape as well with varying degrees of patina all along the tubes. A couple of the brass ones are really raggedy looking (green undercolor, chipping), but the playing is unaffected. A word on the “cleaning” of these whistles, as I was discussing this very thing the other day with my teacher. I was afraid that I had ruined or impaired my Burke because I had washed it out finally and it seemed a bit off; now it seems fine. It had been my usual practice (and my teacher’s ) not to clean anything, and many whistles played daily have been just fine after years, including the Burke. I think, perhaps, all this cleaning of metal whistles, other than using a piece of index card or something to clear the windway of gunk or debris, is a bit over done.
Peter, I love your emoticons almost as much as your playing.
Oh, BTW, I’ve received several messages regarding the sale of these whistles, and I didn’t mean to mislead; they are not for sale as I feel a particular affinity for all of these cheapies and have already gifted a number of similar ones (that played just as well). I was just trying to share the feelings attached to them and, yes, my experience does seem to make one of Peter’s points. What’s also interesting is that probably none of these whistles were hand selected out of groups of whistles prior to purchase - they were luck of the draw at the time.
I almost forgot to thank the little people. Sorry.
Thank you to my agent, Max, and my barber, Gina. And thanks to the guy who ghost writes all my stuff, and to the the cat who sleeps on the seat next to me when I’m sipping tea while deciding which threads to post in.
And thanks to Bloomfieldberg for having such a malleable name with which to work. And for helping pick me, even after telling me in no uncertain terms that my bribe two dollars and one pair of lightly worn hunting socks was insufficient.
John - Enjoy. But please note the judges have reviewed your latest writing and are convening a special session to consider rescinding your prize and commandeering your computer.
Bloomfield (note correct usage) - you are an inspiration.
