My other half has recently become interested in learning how to play the whistle, and I, being the supportive girlfriend that I am, have been helping to bulk out his collection of whistles.
The only problem is, he’s now complaining that I suffer from WHoA, even though he’s the one using the whistles.
I haven’t been buying whistles randomly, I’ve been reading threads and discussions and researching and searching, and I came up with a game plan. I decided to start with the D whistles, and have been slowly trying to get one of every decent make for him, hopefully with a Shaw next, before moving onto C and then Eb then Bb and so forth until his collection is complete.
This is what I’ve got so far:
Key of D - Clarke Original
Key of D - Clarke Celtic
Key of D - Feadog x 2 (1 came free with CD and book)
Key of D - Generation - waiting for it to be delivered
Key of D - Tony Dixon DX001 - waiting to be delivered
Key of D - Black and white Guinness thing
(and an Alto G Wind Music Instrument Dizi Chinese Bamboo Flute just because I’m hoping to branch him out in his interests, although he won’t touch my ocarinas for some odd reason.)
I’ve also bid on two eBay auctions for:
A Feadog set of C and D
And a Walton in mellow D
You’d think he’d be pleased, right? Ha! He’s complaining that he’d never use them all, and that one D whistle is as good as another and so forth.
So! Can anyone give me arguments to throw at him, maybe explain why it’s good to have different makes of whistles in the same tone? Even though he complains, he still practices with the whole lot of whistles, especially if I’m busy or upstairs and he thinks I can’t hear him swapping and changing.
Help? Please? (And confirm that I’m not suffering from WHoA for me?) =^____^=
I’ve been playing for four weeks I currently have more whistles than I do
Weeks playing them.
I never said that one whistle was the same as another what I said was at the level I can play at presently one whistle is as good as another. I can currently only play six songs plus an additional two that I’m butchering as I learn them these being:
London Bridge
Oranges and Lemons
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
Londerry Air
Scarborough Fair
Frere Jacques
The Wild Rover (I play this one Really really Badly)
Silent Night (barely)
So yes, I love the fact that you’re supportive but I’m starting to wonder where to hide when the postman knocks with yet more delivery’s of whistles.
Yes, you’ve got a fairly serious aquisition problem, though it would seem to be in quite good taste
That “Black and white Guinness thing” is actually quite wierd to play. They’re so light mine tends to feel “insecure” for want of a better term. I sometimes feel like I’ve dropped it 'cos I can’t feel it in my fingers properly … lovely sound though
Maybe if you get a Mountain ocarina he’ll see the similarity with whistle fingering and give it a go
–pouts-- And here I thought I’d be told that I don’t have WHoA. --laughs–
–nods-- I’ve been looking at the Mountain Ocarinas, but the shipping costs to the UK are so high! I’ve already got a few ocarinas and recorders, and I’m after a clarinet, so the MOs are unfortunately on a back-burner. I also have difficulty with the usual 12 hole ocarinas. My hands are so small that it’s hard to cover all the holes.
Ah yes, that black and white Guinness thing feels so flimsy! ATM I prefer the feel and handle of the Clarke, and luckily it’s the other half’s favourite as well. --grin–
Speaking of which, do you have any opinion on the best kind of ‘solid’ feel whistles in D or C key? The other half tends to blow pretty hard, and the Feadogs tend to sound a bit squeaky because of it. He doesn’t have that problem with the Clarkes though…
do you have any opinion on the best kind of ‘solid’ feel whistles in D or C key?
Coincidently I’ve bought both Clarke (Sweetone) and Feadog (nickel) in C in the last two days. The Feadog “feels” solid, almost like you could hit someone over the head with it and not damage the whistle but it’s certainly more “breath-pressure-sensitive” than the Sweetone … no bad thing in some circumstances, though it’ll be an aquired taste (or skill) before I fully appreciate it. The Clarke fits right in with my current capabilities (a little agricultural) but getting into the second octave is harder work … at least it doesn’t squeak … and I do like the tone of the Clarke.
My tuneset is less than a dozen, and most of those only in one octave, so I’m only a couple of weeks ahead of your partner, we’ve both got a lot to learn … he’s lucky to have your support !
I don’t think you could ever have too many whistles at this point. --laughs-- Oh, and btw, the postman’s been knocking with my pens and books more often than he has with your whistles. So nyah! --blows raspberry–
I guess I should have been a bit more specific about the whole ‘solid’ thing, huh? --snicker-- I certainly meant more along the lines of “breath-pressure-sensitive” than in the actual ‘feel’ of the whistle, but that is also applicable. =^____^=
–curtsy-- Thank you. --beaming grin-- The only stipulations I have about him playing the whistle are a) no playing before 7am and b) no playing after 11pm, because we’re semi-detached, so the neighbours are likely to complain if he plays at all hours of the night.
He’s actually done far better than I was expecting. He decided on learning the whistle because he had stiff fingers, and his joints were always sore and swelling, so I honestly expected him to take longer to get to the point he has. It seems like whistles are actually a health aid! He hasn’t cracked his fingers, or needed his hands massaging in over a fortnight to three weeks! The constant excercise has worked wonders on his finger joints and kept him occupied and happy to boot! --giggle–
I have to admit that I really do like the Clarke Original. It’s the smoothest-sounding of the bunch.
Uilleann Pipes? Aren’t they a kind of bagpipe? --snerk-- You never know, I mean, I’ve already mentioned the possibility of getting a Duduk, and he seemed to consider it, and if he likes the flute when it turns up, I may be able to lure him towards some other instruments. --evil cackle-- I might even get him to try out my Ocarinas eventually! --is pensive-- Mind you, I’m not holding out much hope for that.
As for the low keys, --sigh-- I’ve already had to promise not to buy him any low-key instruments. He wants to choose his own. So, I’m stuck with the high keys, and since he’s already compiled a bunch of C key songs he wants to learn, they’re the next on my list.
Thanks for the advice about Jemtheflute. I’ll point him (aka the other half) to this thread and not subtly nudge him into corresponding. --wicked laugh–
What you have is a case of “sympathy WHOA.” This can actually be more dangerous and costly than regular WHOA, because this strain involves contagion… without the reward.
Start learning the whistle. It will strengthen your relationship, enrich your life, and put you back on common ground without any competition that might otherwise leave you feeling left out.
If this is “the Guy”, then he’s worth it. And if not, you still have the whistle.
Besides, if you are willing to invest in it, you should be willing to do it.
Get yourself a nice Dixon whistle, and join in with him. Then you can both decide what whistle would be right to get.
I find the Chieftain Songbird (tuneable) very sturdy. From what I can tell without having played them before… Burke, Overtone, or Impende should be good to. If you want to sneak in a flute, I’m looking a Dixon Duo myself (one body with both a fipple and embocurre head).
Oh, and you’ll also need some Jigs and reels for him to learn. That way you can stand by your statement that its for medicinal purposes. Those will really loosen the joints. Personally, I’m more of an aires man. So don’t ask me about which reels to start with.
Tell him the only whoa, your “suffering” from is seeing him improve (both pysically, and in talent), and you just want to nurture it. You could also buy a Burke “for you” and see how long it takes him to steal it .
Whoa… slow down, more harm than good… each whistle has it’s own characteristics and for a beginner to be using multiple whistles is definitely a disadvantage IMHO. If I was him (or you) I would put the whole lot in a drawer other than the Dixon Trad D and learn to play that. In a couple of years time maybe then consider a top end whistle like a Goldie or Burke, though the Dixon Trad is fine.
Good players generally don’t use lots of instruments. Most good whistle players play only one or two high d whistles. Sure, a Bb or C generation for a bit of variation is fine for a beginner but your man should learn to play the one whistle if he wants to be a player.
I don’t suffer from this problem, what do you call it, WHoA? in the least
But seriously, my aim is always to have ONE go-to whistle in each key I need for gigs, and no more.
At one time I had five or six Low Ds, no more, I sold most of them.
By the way, I met Tony Dixon yesterday at the SoCal NAMM Show and I got to play a number of his whistles. The D (ordinary high D) whistle that most impressed me had a black plastic top and a thick-walled brass body. That’s the Dixon I would get, myself. In fact I ordered one!
Anyhow yes, branch away from high Ds once you get a good one, and try other keys!
Actually buying whistles to be used by others is more likely WHOA transference or projection. BTW, at what store did he get you; me wants one…Sure, Mr. bigshot…if you leave him and then your disease progresses to high end whistles, he’ll be very sorry.
Firstly, before you start reading, sorry for the long bulk reply. =^_____^=
–laughs-- Hmmn. Sympathy WHoA, huh? Sounds even mnore dangerous than the usual WHoA. --snerk–
I’ve given the whistle a few goes, and it is fun, but I’m leary of becoming addicted to yet another instrument when music is only a side hobby to my main passion, which is writing. I fear that the whistle is so addictive that it would end up taking me over and eating away at all my free time!
Well, he is definitely “the Guy” and he is worth it. We’ve been together for over eleven years, so a minor disagreement of opinion, especially in something concerning anything music-related, isn’t likely to ever be able to break us up. --snicker–
As for the investment, well, it’s so rare for him to actually find a hobby that really captures his interest, that I really, really want to foster his enjoyment and pleasure in this one. That last bunch all sort of petered out. He gets distracted very easily, and the fact that he’s been learning the whistle for a month now is incredible when compared to his past track record.
Ah! I have one of those! I bought it for him over a year ago, in a nice neutral grey/white blend so he couldn’t complain about it being ‘girly’. He used it for a week, and now it’s languishing in the excercise box, untouched (by him) for a year. --deep sigh–
–grin-- A book I bought for him actually turned up this morning with a whole section of Jigs. Nice timing, huh?
–nods-- Good advice. If he gets annoyed at me, I can say he’s being stroppy about me simply being a loving, caring girlfriend. --snicker–
Oooh, good idea.
Pssh! Fair play is vastly overrated. --rolls eyes–
We didn’t start buying other whistles on a whim. I’m a natural researcher, and everywhere I went there were people disagreeing on the best kind of whistles for beginners, or just personal differences of opinion on the best overall whistles. By buying one of each type until he finds ‘the one’ I can be sure that when he plays, it will be with the whistle that he likes most, and that suits him best. To me, that’s worth the cost.
It wasn’t our original intention for him to constantly swap and change, but if he likes it, and it suits him to do so, then I’m happy.
I don’t want him to be a ‘good’ whistle player right now, I want him to be a ‘happy’ one, so that he doesn’t get discouraged and ends up giving up and throwing in the towel before he develops a real appreciation for this new hobby.
‘Good’ can come later. As long as he’s enjoying himself, the rest will develop over time.
–rolls eyes-- Yes, I can see that you’re absolutely WHoA-free. /sarcasm
–laughs-- Impressive collection. I think I saw my other half drool.
I have another high D I want to get him, because I know for a fact he’s been repeatedly checking the eBay listing for a high D Shaw, and then I’m moving onto C whistles, because he’s been collecting a large assortment of C tunes that he’s eager to play. I probably won’t be as pushy with the C whistles, because now I know he doesn’t like Generation, and he likes the Feadog and the Clarke Original, so I’m getting the hang of the kind of thing he prefers.
I can’t say anything for the Dixon yet, since it hasn’t turned up, but if he likes it, I know where I’ll be looking next.
–snicker-- He snapped me up as a teenager in college and never let me go. --grin-- Well, actually it was the other way around. I’m pretty aggressive when I find something I like, and he never had a chance. It’s more like I’m keeping him, than him having found me anywhere. --evil cackle–
–grin-- My other half wants me to let you know that we’re now arguing again. He wants individual sessions by-the-ear, and I want to buy a whole bunch of sessions in bulk so that I can cut a deal and save some money (to spend on more whistles). --snicker–
I have a shaw high D that I dont play - I am not much of a one for high whistles, and it is surplus. I also have a spare generation Bb (present mix up - I am keeping the Jerry Freeman tweaked one!). Make me an offer. I am not greedy, and postage should be minimal since we are both UK based.
(the Shaw is ‘used’ but very playable, the generation has seen very little use, though I did do the blue-tack tweak to it).
Getting the chance to play a Burke today, I take it off the list for taking more air. I’m putting it back on the list for absolute WOW. It not my typically preferred tone, however I fell in love with the balanced chiff (I like low chiff). I wouldn’t trade my Chieftain for a Burke, but I’d definately pay more for one. This is a forget being called WHoa blah blah, its just WOW. You should see if a store has one in stock to try. The only thing I had to get used to was the breath control. I’m just used to useing significantly more pressure to get into the second octive.
Well, it sounds as if you do have a case of WHoA BUT that is not a bad thing.My story is this…I started with a Red top gen and I loved the sound but it was not a good player but neither was I…LOL Then, I found
Jerry Freeman thanks to this website and I got a case of WHoA and now I sell them on my website not so much as I want to make money but it’s something I really care about soooo, I have the best of both worlds. The great thing about Jerry’s whistles is this;He builds them in almost every key and on the fire of WHoA that is gas on the fire. have fun is the key!
come and join the surlies 
. LOL.
