Hi all. I was wondering what makes a good whistle in your opinion? I was trying to explain this to my dad, but was lost for words. My dad is in the wood bussiness, and was asking alot of technical questions such as is it the wall thickness, or type of wood/metal used. As I have not played any high end whistles, and only a few low-end, this was kind of hard for me to answer. Any opinions and/or ideas would be great.
Caryn
Not everyone wants the same thing out of a whistle. Personal differences in pure tone or chiff, loud or quiet, metal, wood or synthetics all become secondary if the instrument isn’t in tune through it’s entire range.
I’ve tried a number of wood whistles that sounded very different from each other. What makes a really playable whistle is…clear tone in both octaves, but still sounds like a whistle, not a recorder. (Chiffy or not is personal preference.) No major sound volume between octaves. (The upper octave will always be somewhat louder.) Easy to hit the high notes without unusual effort and without extraneous squeaks or honks. Hits the second octave d cleanly without honking. All the notes come out crisply without whuffing first, so you can play ornaments cleanly. Doesn’t clog in the windway after warming up. Moderate breath pressure and air volume to play it. That’s most of it right there. Tell your dad good luck. And you’re really lucky if he pulls it off.
Tony
almost forgot, should be in tune throughout.
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[ This Message was edited by: TonyHiggins on 2002-07-06 13:21 ]
Tony H says it all for me.
I suspect that fipple design is much more crucial than tube material…
Tony has most of it for me too, I think it is also important how a whistle blends with other instruments, most wooden whistles I have heard didn’t blend very well too my taste. Susatos likewise. Sweetness of tuning and non screetchy octaves are major issues.
This being Week Willie I have done the rounds checking the street stalls and tried heaps of different whistles, Susato small bore is a lot nicer than the usual ones, Cillian improved is nice and sweet, didn’t fancy the Dixon a lot [mostly indifferent but but some issues I wasn’t too keen on]. Interesting.
Town is awash with people playing unusal whistles. Drifting off topic so there you have it.
Mmm, well…
If I could have a really good, in-tune Generation, with a bit more volume, at the same price, that’d be the one for me, as far as soprano D’s go.
In any other key, the perfect whistle is Colin Goldie’s Low F. Although his Mezzo A is awfully close…and that Soprano C I got recently got from Colin is dandy too… But yeah, the Low F is amazing. I’d try to describe the characteristics, but you just gotta play one to know what I mean.
Loren
For me, I’d have to be very responsive, a moderate amount of chiff, good tone quality (not weak or overly strong), look slim/trim- not bulky and gawky (ex. recorder…), light, tuneable (preferably, although I’ve had non-tuneables come really close), not tempermental, preferably metal, but I like plastic too, in PERFECT TUNE between the octaves and in tune to other instruments or concert pitch, volume enough that it could hold it’s own in a crowded room when performing with other instruments, yet not be too piercing or hard on the ears…
and I can’t think of any other traits at the moment…