Jerry, are you still making Bluebirds?I ask because I’ve had a renewed relationship with mine, and have come out thinking it’s hands-down the whistle I would choose for a beginner.
I’ve hardly touched my whistles in the past four years, bar a few weeks here and there, celebrating spring with a bit of outdoor whistling. So when I started again this spring, I couldn’t help but notice how my Blackbird wanted more breath control than I was was up to to giving it. So I switched to the Bluebird, and it was so easy to get a great sound from it, that I’ve been having a great time playing.
And lots of playing has helped me regain more breath control, so now I’m switching back and forth between the Bluebird and Blackbird, and eagerly awaiting the latest model of Blackbird, to experience the latest refinements (mine dates back to about 6 months after the Blackbird was released).
So anyway, I hope Bluebirds are still available for the customer who knows to ask.
I’ve got a couple Bluebirds ordered as backups for my original one. I hope they are still available just in case they become “collectors” item in the future with outrageous eThingy value saleability.
I’ve just emailed Mr Freeman (assuming I got his address right), about ordering either a Bluebird or a Mellow Dog. I’ve seen both described as good for beginners, so which do y’all think is better for a noob like me?
I’ve just emailed Mr Freeman (assuming I got his address right), about ordering either a Bluebird or a Mellow Dog. I’ve seen both described as good for beginners, so which do y’all think is better for a noob like me?
Marc, I would recommend the mellow dog for a pure starter. I bought a bluebird for my son to start, but he spent most of his time on my mellow dog so I picked up another D/C mellow dog set for him, and he loves them. I like the bluebird, but I think the mellow dog is a much more warm and enjoyable instrument to play personally, and the C body in particular is lovely. My two bits.
Thanks for that! I haven’t heard from J.F. yet… It’s only been a day, and I know he’s busy, but my whistle-aquisition-monkey is clawing at my back…
I noticed that he’s got a Mellow Dog D/C set on his ebay page, so I might try to hold off until tomorrow and If I haven’t heard from him by then I’ll go with that, I think.
BTW, and completely off-topic, the User Control Panel tells me I’m not authorized to send private messages (I’d planned on PM-ing Jerry…). The FAQ suggests getting in touch with an administrator to fix this, but if I can’t send personal messages, how am I to get in touch with an administrator?
Either whistle will be great, so no worries either way. However, here’s my take on the two (having owned both): The Bluebird has a very balanced range, solid low D, and a lovely, sweet tone. The Mellowdog, because it’s wide-bored, gets a bit more strident in the second octave and takes a bit more push. As a flute player, I switched from a Bluebird to a Mellowdog precisely so I could push a bit harder (play it more like a flute, essentially), but in terms of sound and volume (for a small to medium session), I preferred the Bluebird.
This is exactly right, and it’s why I much prefer the Bluebird. I like tunes that dance around high in the upper octave, and my Mellowdog was always too strident for me up there, and being a middle-aged female ex-smoker, I don’t have as much push to give as, say, a strapping young man might.
So it all very much depends on personal taste. And one can only develop that by trying various things and seeing what clicks.
I actually haven’t heard anything since he confirmed my my Bluebird order a couple of weeks ago. I emailed him a few days ago, but so far I’ve received no response. I know he’s got a great reputation, and he shipped the same day when I ordered my Gen D last month, so I’m not thinking he’s leaving us empty-handed while he absconds to the south of France with his customers’ whistle money. I wonder, could it be that he’s just like us, and sometimes life gets in the way? Or did he – horrors! – go on vacation?!
(On a more serious note, I hope everything’s okay with him.)
Another vote for the Bluebird. I like its consistency in both octaves, its sweetness, and smoothness in the upper range. It’s a pleasure to play. Having said that, I’ve never tried any of Jerry’s other whistles - because I never felt the need. Also I’m primarily a flute player, and take up the whistle when my hands or arms are bothering me on the flute
Hmmmm, thanks for that. The air requirements were one of the things that had me leaning towards the Bluebird, being also middle-aged and breath-deficient. I’m not going to be playing in sessions anytime in the foreseeable future, so a quieter whistle is fine.
Ok, now I’m conflicted! The whistle-aquisition-monkey keeps hissing in my ear that I need to order the Mellowdog now-Now-NOW, while the “better-angel-of-my-nature” soothingly whispers that it’d be better to wait till I hear from J.F. and order a Bluebird. I guess the only “sensible” thing to do (for WhOA values of “sensible”) is to buy the Mellowdog D/C set on ebay now, and order a Bluebird when I hear from J.F… Then explain it to my wife. Mind you, she’s a knitter and spinner, and suffers from chronic Fiber Obsessive Acquisition Disorder, so she’ll understand. She’ll point and laugh, but she will understand!
For what it’s worth … I have a whistle student who showed up with both a Mellow Dog and Bluebird. And after some diagnostics, I have him sticking with the Bluebird for now. Like many beginners, he has a problem of breath control, tending to overblow. With its narrower bore, the Bluebird enforces better breath discipline, which will pay off for him later (scaling down your breath habits is harder than scaling up). Especially for handling other classic 1/2-inch whistles - Gen, Feadóg, Oak, Clare, Waltons, Dixon Trad, etc.
So of the two, I think the Bluebird is better for a noob like you.
