I’m a long time lurker, first time contributor. (If this were radio, a cow bell or something would jangle about now, welcoming me to the forum. This internet technology just seems to lose some of that down-home whimsy.)
I received my first whistle at Christmas (a Feadog D) from my 11 year old son who loves all types of Irish music. For our wedding anniversary earlier this month, my wife bought me a Burke VSB Composite D, Silkstone PVC D and a Dixon Low A from the Whistle Shop. The Burke by far is the easiest for me to play and I love the tone of the Dixon when playing airs. The Silkstone, on the other hand, is going to take a little more work, as it tends to make some pretty nasty noise when looking for the second octave A & B (I know they’re hiding in there somewhere). To give you some idea of what I’m talking about, I listened to a recording of myself trying to play the Silkstone and it sounded like a sack of wet cats competing in a cussing contest. Well, actually, that’s not true. I’m not being fair to the cats. I apologize to all cats and cat lovers out there for that insensitive remark.
Anyway, having no musical background at this old age, I admit that I have a lot to learn and I’m grateful for sites like this that allow experienced whistlers to share their knowledge and their talents with beginners such as myself. I have a lot of questions about ITM that I will be posting in the weeks ahead, and I only hope that they won’t seem too simplistic for y’all.
Welcome Will!
Fire away with your questions, as there will be all sorts of help for you here, even some you may not ask for!
Sounds like your son is very intelligent and has the right idea about music!
Your wife obviously doesn’t know what she has begun. Search on WhOA!
Don’t worry the “cats” will quickly sound much better!
Ailin
Welcome Will. I’ve been playing for over ten years and I still occasionally squawk on the high notes, especially the A and B, so don’t be discouraged. Learning to “lean in” (blow harder and more consistently), takes practice and it will come. One practice technique is to climb the ladder on the second octave from high E up to high B.
I also came to playing whistles late in life. I can not explain in words how much it has meant to me, and how much it has enriched my life. This message board is a great resource. Enjoy.
Great avatar! Looks just like my Shaggy dog, who decided to live with us a few years ago. Free dogs are one of the benefits (?) of country living.
I have a Silkstone PVC D whistle that I also have had a problem with the high B note – but I think if I practiced more with it, instead of my Dixon, Water Weasel, Hoover, etc. the note played would improve. Thom Larson (The Whistle Shop) did offer to send it back to Paul Hayward of Silkstone whistles for adjustment. I just received a Silkstone Alloy Low D, from The Whistle Shop, that is fantastic! Tone is beautiful, and I can easily play the 3rd D. Tell your wife you need one of these next anniversary.
You’re brave to tackle “D” whistles & and an “A” whistle together. Once my fingers learned 6 fingers = D, my brain refuses to comtemplate 6 fingers = A.
I don’t know whether the people who responded to my original post will read this or not, but I just wanted to thank everyone for their kind words of encouragement and humor. I realize that I am a very lucky guy to have such a loving family (and yes, that even includes my sidekick, Kaylee the dog). I don’t know how I could exist without them.
I devoted yesterday to searching for some of those high notes hiding in my Silkstone. I took it out on the deck and began playing around with the whistle to get a better feel for it. After a while, I was able to get a fairly crisp high A & B out of it (thanks for the advice, Bill). To my amazement, I noticed that robins were starting to fly into the yard and walk around less than ten feet away from where I was playing. I counted eight of them all together, and it didn’t appear that they were scavenging for worms. Now, I’m not about to say that my playing sounded like bird calls, but it was really odd considering that I typically only see a single bird perched on our fence or in the tree. (And if it sounded like a sack of wet cats I don’t think they would have showed up at all - - )
Finally, Judy stated: “You’re brave to tackle “D” whistles and an “A” whistle together. Once my fingers learned 6 fingers = D, my brain refuses to contemplate 6 fingers = A.”
I was told that my Dixon Low A could be played just like a D whistle with the same fingering (6 fingers still = D, only it obviously sounds different). This is how I have been playing the slow airs on it and they all seem to sound fine (considering my limited ability), only lower pitched than on a high D whistle. I can understand that this approach is ok if playing alone and will not work if playing with others who have instruments in other keys. If I misunderstood this concept and my tin ear is actually fooling me, someone please tell me. Seriously.
You’re exactly right, it’s as easy as that. By changing whistles, you’ve “automatically” transposed the tune from D to A. You can play in any key you like that way, which is very useful when playing with others who have chromatic instruments. Many people write (or learn) all their tunes in D, then transpose just by changing instruments, instead of trying to read in different keys.
If you are playing with guitarists, just tell them what key your whistle is in, watch them frown and fiddle around a bit and let them work it out. They are used to that. For playing with other instruments, it might be useful to have whistles in several keys with you to find a common denominator (it’s not an addiction, you really need more whistles!)
Oh my! All my whistles are D – I see a whole new world of possibilties here now. I was trying to learn the “hard” way. Just when I thought my WhOA was in remission. This is all your fault, Will – and BoneQuint’s … Thanks!
Welcome, Will. I too had trouble with my Silkstone PVC when I first got it. In my case, the “sack of wet cats” sound was caused by the bottom hole being partially covered by a finger. It seems strange that this would cause a problem when there are four holes open above this one, but it does.
Thanks, BoneQuint and Sonja. I don’t always get things correct, and I wanted to make sure I wasn’t giving Judy a bum steer.
Judy wrote:
Oh my! All my whistles are D – I see a whole new world of possibilties here now. I was trying to learn the “hard” way. Just when I thought my WhOA was in remission. This is all your fault, Will – and BoneQuint’s … Thanks!
Sorry about that, Judy . FYI, there is no way that I could now teach myself that 6 fingers = A (lucky for me that it works out the way it does). If you ever find yourself in the market for a lower sounding whistle, may I recommend the Dixon Low A? I really love the tone, and my brother-in-law commented that it sounds similar to the instrument used in the movie Titanic. My wife’s small hands have no trouble gripping it like a high D whistle (unlike the grip problems associated with low D whistles, for instance). The Whistle Shop carries them at what I consider to be a very reasonable price.
Eric wrote:
In my case, the “sack of wet cats” sound was caused by the bottom hole being partially covered by a finger.
Sometimes that’s my problem also, Eric (as well as not having the correct holes totally covered). Usually, though, I hit some note located in the twilight zone between the two octaves because I’m not using the correct amount of air.
Will, I will definitely be looking at the Dixon Low A, and other possibilities. Thom Larson should send you a ‘thank you’ note. He (and I) thought the Silkstone Alloy Low D would put my WhOA on hold for awhile. I have a Dixon Low D … love the sound, but my fingers need more practice on totally covering the holes. Like your wife, I have a fairly small hand. The Silkstone has what Thom called ‘chamfered’ finger holes that seem easier to handle – for me.
Oh, WhOA, is me …
Thanks for the suggestion, Will – The Whistle Shop will be hearing from me … soon!
I haven’t read ALL the posts here (so many posts, so little time!) but I get the feeling The Whistle Shop is a mainstay of a LOT of people here at C&F. I just know for sure that Thom has always been a great help when I have questions. I wish I lived closer to his store so I could check out the ‘slow session’ he holds. Maybe THAT would improve my playing … (sigh) maybe not …
