I am having great difficulty getting anything decent out of the high octave (Walton’s Irish D, if that makes any difference). Im not quite sure what the exact definition of ‘breathy’ is, so I might be getting this wrong. Sometimes I can get a half-ok note, but the other half of the noise coming out of the whistle sounds like … um… if you blow really hard through a straw an inch away from your hand. White noise-y. When I get a half-decent note I am having to work REALLY hard.
Where am I going wrong?
(I have tried searching the archives but am having difficulties trying to get the engine to find what I am ACTUALLY looking for).
Stella
On 2002-09-16 01:24, Stella wrote:
I am having great difficulty getting anything decent out of the high octave (Walton’s Irish D, if that makes any difference). Im not quite sure what the exact definition of ‘breathy’ is, so I might be getting this wrong. Sometimes I can get a half-ok note, but the other half of the noise coming out of the whistle sounds like … um… if you blow really hard through a straw an inch away from your hand. White noise-y. When I get a half-decent note I am having to work REALLY hard.
Where am I going wrong?
(I have tried searching the archives but am having difficulties trying to get the engine to find what I am ACTUALLY looking for).
Stella
Personally, I doubt that YOU are doing anything wrong.
The whistle makes all the difference in this case. You’re not the first person to have trouble with one of those in the upper octave. To some extent, you can overcome it by practicing and working on your breath control, but if you anticipate playing a lot in the upper octave, you might eventually have to consider another whistle.
FWIW, I’m not entirely in accord with expecting newcomers to look up everything on their own. The search engine is not always easy to use, especially for those not experience in computer search methods. Also, I can’t really recall anything in recent months that would have addressed your question. Don’t let yourself get frustrated. If you try a search and find nothing, ask. We’re not all curmudgeons who delight in tearing newcomers’ heads off.
"Still 'round the corner there may wait a new road or a secret gate.
And though we pass them by today, tomorrow we may come this way
And take the hidden paths that run toward the moon and to the sun.
-J.R.R. Tolkien"
[ This Message was edited by: Chuck_Clark on 2002-09-16 01:51 ]
I concur. New players can get turned off whistling when they don’t get desired results from a whistle may not be capable in the first place. I recommend a Dixon as a “cheapie” which also sounds good, or if you prefer the traditional metal type then a tweaked O’Brien or an Oak.
Stella, you might enjoy a whistle which has essentially no “breathy” sound whatsoever, such as the Susato VSB. As Nickt suggested, the O’Briain Improved is also almost “breathinessless” .
Stella, I agree with Nickt who suggested you try a Dixon whistle. I am a rank beginner my self who is just starting to make progress. I too, have been have trouble hitting the higher octave notes, especially if I have to hold them for more than one beat. I own a Feadog, an Acorn, my Dixon and a Silkstone Goldring. All are soprano D’s. Of all of them I can hit those high notes quite consistently on the Dixon. This drives me crazy after paying $85 for the Silkstoe which is a WONDERFUL whistle…love it (!)..but, I can still hit those high notes esier on my $16 Dixon!!! It is just a very nice sounding and very forgiving whistle. You should get yourself one and end the frustration! Someone on the board said to me that I would discover that certain whistles would suit different needs. I’m finding this to be true. I’m sure that at some point..with experience, I will hit those high note effortlessly with my Silkstone. But in the meantime…have decided to stop torturing myself and work on them with the Dixon for now. When it stops being fun and starts getting obcessive and making you cranky it is time to do something. If it helps…I also have a Walton whistle in high D..a Guiness style, and while it is a nice whistle…I can’t hit high notes on it with any consistency either!! Hope this helps…one beginner to another!!
Have you tried the standard tweaks? They’re on the main C&F site. In my experience, the most important thing for getting a decent upper octave in a plactic-on-metal whistle is filling in the empty space below the windway (the sticky-tack tweak).
Please consider the suggestion by Chas. My Mellow D behaved the way you describe, and after I filled the cavity with sticky tac the upper octave plays easily and very clearly with minimal effort. Soak the fipple end of the whistle in hot water until you can remove the fipple, with a twisting motion. With the eraser head of a pencil, push pieces of sticky tack into the hollow under the windway of the fipple until the hollow is filled and not past the end of the windway. Use the eraser to evenly pack the sticky tac. Then replace the fipple on the body and adjust it to be in correct tune. You may or may not want to use a single wrap of teflon tape to help secure the head on the body. Just wrap it once around the end of the body where you will replace the fipple head. When you do this, turn the fipple head in the same direction you wrapped the tape so you don’t rub the tape backwards. Good luck. My Mellow D isn’t accurately tuned or loud enough to play in groups, but I often play it just because I enjoy its tone and ease of playing.
L.
Cool, thanks so much for your suggestions! I have the house to myself today so I will be able to spend a good bit of time trying to make bad sounds better
I am wanting to get another whistle, and so far I have found one place in NZ that I can get them from (there may be others but this is all I have found so far, and the prices are great). Could you tell me which of these D whistles you would recommend to a beginner who has to buy via mail order?
GENERATION (brass/nickel)
FEADOG (brass/nickel) not sure if Mark II or III
CLARKE SWEETONE
(significantly more expensive but not entirely out of my reach is the SHAW D, but I think cheaper would be better, unless they are stunning instruments)
Thanks so much. I will let you all know how I go with the blu-tac thing
If any of them, go with the Sweetone. Generations and Feadogs are known for inconsistency and you could find yourself worse off than you are now. As for the Shaw, it’s not a bad whistle but it’s notorious for being a hard-blowing whistle. If, as i suspect, your upper octave problem is partly or all breath control, you could wind up jumping from the frying pan into the fire.
I’m wondering - have you investigated the possibility of looking overseas? We really are in a global marketplace. You’d be ever so much better off with a Dixon or Hoover, both for less than the Shaw and both very nice whistles. I’ve also heard very good things about the new (and very cheap) Clarke MEG. So good, in fact, that I’m not sure I believe them. Before you commit to settling for what some local store carries, I’d strongly suggest you see if it would cost that much more to look elsewhere.
As much as I dislike the sound of the SweeTone, I will admit that I can get clear to the high high D easily, and it is very differnt sounding from the Walton’s, which gives it another plus. The fact that its so inexpensive is nice too.
I’m hearing so many good things about the Dixon D that I’m of half a mind to get one myself just to see what the raving is about.
Well, I just did a big hunt around using the whistle-sellers links from C&F and wrote everything down and converted it all into $nz.
#*%#@! Shipping is EXPENSIVE!! And so damned hard to find on the sites. Sure it might vary according to what you are buying, but a general EXTIMATE would be so much more informative than one which says “we will calculate postage after you order”. Yeah, and then sting me for a million bucks postage… I really like the way ShannaQuay has postage included in the prices, and the free whistle is a big tempter! The Whistle Shop has really good prices, but the minimun $30 for overseas is steep.
Anyway, rant about postage (mostly) over.
I WANT to buy from the Whistle Shop, but the $30 minimum is prohibitive.
I WANT to buy from ShannaQuay to get the free whistle (damn the prices - it’s FREEEEE
But price-based it looks like buying locally works out best…at the moment…
Twas good having a lok round all the sites though.
Stella
I wish I could help you out with New Zealand suppliers but the response I’ve had so far has been utterly pathetic. From many I’ve had no reply and from the two who did get back to me one I’ve never heard from again and the other took 5 days to tell me they have a “d” whistle available - no maker.
I’d also like to buy from overseas whistle shops but don’t have a credit card which makes things difficult for me. One possibility though would be if we got together to buy and split the shipping costs. Let me know what you think.
Just pulled the fipple off my whistle to do the blu-tack thing. I have pulled it off before. Now it seems that when I put the fipple back on, the sharp edges on the end of the…um…pipe(?) are shaving thing bits of plastic off the inside each time!
Should I re-warm the fipple when I put it back on, or try and sand the edges of the ‘pipe’ smoother?
Stella
Just blu-tacked it. Of course, now I cant take the damned stuff out to be SURE that it made a difference!
It seems to have done something. I think it is LOUDER, and I think it has made the high notes slightly easier to get. I am going to practise them over and over this afternoon, see what I can achieve.
I am so thankful I have the house to myself today. I am making SUCH A RACKET!
Stella
Leto, who were the suppliers you found? All I could find was http://www.celts.co.nz I emailed them today, but they dont look like the regular-email-checker type.
I havent been able to find anywhere else.
I’ve just heard back from Everything’s Irish in Christchurch -
"We stock The Clare Whistle Packs (in Key of D) The pack consists of 1 brass whistle together with tutor which also includes a number of simple tunes for the beginner. These are priced at $28.95.
We also have individual whistles in keys C & D (D is the whistle advised for beginners) These are priced at $16.95 each."
Mcphees in Tawa emailed me to say they have ‘D’ whistles etc but not which maker - I haven’t heard back yet with the answer to my query.
I had a reply to my trademe ad from a “North Island music retailer” who sells “Shaw, Clarke and New Generation Whistles”, but haven’t heard back from him again.
Also a number of general music shops around the country stock feadogs and generation whistles - neither of which I particularly want.
Oh and Beggs here in Oamaru have Clarke’s Original D whistles for $19.95.
.