I need some advise…I purchased a Lo D Burke Whistle…the lower register is BEAUTIFUL!!! Even the famed 2nd octave E is doing well. But I am struggling with the upper register…from G to high B (especially high B) really want to pull down to the lower octave. I am trying to compensate with the embouchure and the breathe but it really wants to pull down. I am considering selling it and moving on to a Kerry…but I would really love to “work it out” with the Burke.
Any thoughts? Advise? from either Burke or Kerry owners (it’s the Burke E-Z with the movable bottom D joint
Thanks-
C
I had a Burke Low D Viper for a while with the adjustable foot joint where I initially struggled a bit with the higher second octave notes. I believe that it is really all down to breath control and some of the compromises that are required for whistles by design. On all of my whistles there is an apparent increase in volume between the first and second octaves, which I believe is related to the consistant embochure that the whistle head mandates. If you are trying to play that second octave softly on a whistle you may be out of luck (you want quieter second octave playing you might need to switch to a flute). Work on your breath support for the second octave notes and ensure that you have enough “reserve” to not lose the pressure required to keep in the second octave. If you are not used to low whistles they need a lot more air than their higher cousins, give yourself some time to get used to it before assuming there is a problem with the whistle. I haven’t played a Kerry Pro so can not comment on it’s air requirements, but doubt that it is significantly different than the Burke.
Some of my flutes and whistles respond well to the following fingering to maintain an extended high b note (second octave only, O for open, X for covered): XOO XXX
You also might want to check that the windway is clear, just in case…
I have a similar problem with my Ethnicwinds low “D”… The previous suggestion works well enough (XOO XXX), but I find it quicker to finger (XOO OOX). Keeping the finger over the “D” hole also helps with the High Octave “C#” (OOO OOX), but you have to remember to lift the finger off the D hole if you go to the “A” (XXO OOO) or it will shift the note.
As noted in another forum, the (XOO OOX or OOO OOX) fingerings help keep you from dropping the whistle.
Hmmmm … Don’t sell it! Really. Stick with it. You’ll sort it out in time. May I ask what the date is on the back of the head and what material? Is it a new Burke? Is this your first low D?
The reason I ask is that the voicing of the Burke as changed over the years. Every whistle has a breath pressure curve where the pressure increases as the player moves up the scale. The Burke is one of the smoothest Low D’s in that regard but it is a free blowing whistle so it takes some air to keep it going up high. Embouchure changes can help but extreme changes shouldn’t be necessary. The older Burkes (pre-black tip) have the easiest second register of any low D I have played but that came at the expense of the bottom D. Recent models have a stronger bottom end and require a bit more push once you get past the second octave G but it’s still not as noticeable as it is on many other low D’s.
Can you hit a clear high G, A or B on their own? I would suggest working on individual notes first. Get used to whst it takes to hit each note on their own. Then I would suggest playing slow, long notes in the second register up and down the scale until you get comfortable with what it takes to hit each note in sequence. And above all relax. Soon enough your body will take control and coordinate all the little things that are required.
The Burke is a good whistle. I own three Burke low D’s. You can’t buy a better whistle, just a different whistle. Hang in there.
Feadoggie
I would agree with the above. I play Goldies and an MK rather than Burke but with high end whistles you have to learn them all individually. Once you’ve mastered your Burke other Burkes will be easier but you should put a lot of hours in before even thinking of selling it. With whistles like that it is usually the player not the instrument at fault. I have quite a lot of Goldies and they all play differently, that’s what you get with hand made instruments and it’s part of what makes them special.
Thank you all so much for the advise..this is GREAT!
It is a newer Burke (about a year old) with the black tip. And I love the rest of it so much that I really wanna figure this out.
Will DEFINITELY try the suggestions (the fingering might do it in terms of the stability)…
So again..thanks all for the input!
Oh, and welcome to C&F!
Sometimes those notes need to be coaxed into speaking with a bit of tonguing. Instead of just starting the note with a sort of huff of breath, lightly touch the palate of your mouth behind your front teeth with your tongue and silently say the letter “T” as you blow into the whistle. This should produce a little burst of air that will get the note started. After that it should be easy to sustain. Keep at it-- Burkes are great whistles.
I own/have owned Low D’s and Low Eb’s by Burke and Bernard Overton and the two makes have a different approach to the tuning and voicing of the 2nd octave.
The Burke 2nd octave is, in comparison to the Overton, a “go/no-go” thing. It’s “there” as wind players might say; there’s a certain place where you blow it and the note is “there”, right in tune, but you don’t have much latitude with the breath. On the Burke the 2nd octave is a bit on the sharp side compared to many other Low D’s, so that to play the 1st register in tune with the 2nd, you have to blow the 1st octave rather strongly, especially Low B. I myself prefer whistles that have the octave relationship like that, because there’s not much pressure differential between the 1st and 2nd octaves.
So, your trouble could be that you’re underblowing the 1st octave so that it plays flatter than intended, meaning that to attempt to play the 2nd octave at matching pitch, the breath pressure is too low to sound the notes. Try doing the opposite: play ONLY the 2nd octave for a few days, getting used to where your pressure needs to be to play the 2nd octave properly, THEN play octaves High B/Low B, High A/Low A, High G/Low G etc etc thus getting used to how you need to blow the 1st octave to match the pitch of the 2nd octave.
My Overtons (I own/have owned several Low D’s as well as a Low Eb and a Low E) are very different. They are made with a flatter 2nd octave, meaning that to get the 2nd octave up to the pitch which matches the 1st octave, you have to blow the 2nd octave quite strongly, and somewhat underblow the 1st octave. The advantage to this is that you have a wide latitude of pressure to work with in the 2nd octave, meaning that you can vary the pressure an amazing amount and the note stays in the 2nd octave.
That’s been my experience, anyhow.
Richard