Thanks to the advice I received on the board last week, I made the plunge into the world of expensive whistles by purchasing a Burke AlPro D from Song of the Sea. (Ordered on Friday, got it on Tuesday…not bad!)
Ahhhh… (how’s that for a review?) I really like it. As others have mentioned in the past, it’s really predictable to play–no guess-work, no weird squeaks… It has a pleasant volume and a pure, sweet, even warm tone. The bottom D is not exactly honking (the brass ones have a stronger D, apparently), and the second octave B requires just a bit more of a push than the other notes, but in every other respect it’s perfect (and I don’t think those really detract significantly). Other than the high B, all the notes can take quite a range of air pressure, allowing for expressive dynamics, punches, and fades.
Also, it’s dead on it tune through both octaves! (Lovely oxxooo C-nat, too.) That’s my major gripe about the inexpensive whistles–the upper notes are flat. If I could get an in-tune tube and pop my Generation head on it, I’d be really happy. Speaking of that Generation, here’s a little trick for getting a good Generation that I discovered a couple weeks ago. We all know that E-flats tend to be better than D’s, so…buy a good E-flat Gen and put the head on a D tube (mine’s on the nickle Feadog tube from my first whistle–original head was donated to science). After the standard tweak, this is the best cheap whistle I’ve ever played (having tried a number of them). In fact, I still find it a respectable instrument compared to my new Burke. But again–the darn thing goes flat in the upper octave.
So now I have a cheapie I like and a high-ender I like. The age-old debate returns…is one better than the other? Until I met this Generation, I was never very pleased with the other cheapies I played–they tended to have too many idiosyncrasies, and were frequently shrill high up. My Burke, as I mentioned, is virtually idiosyncrasy-free. Players of other instruments always aim to find the best instrument, so why shouldn’t whistle-players? (This is not to say that cheap whistles can’t be good, but it sure seems to take some searching to find a really good one.) If one looks at the prices of other instruments–violins, flutes, guitars–and then considers that one can get a top-flight whistle for a hundred bucks or so, even the high end whistles are no longer so expensive when put into this kind of perspective. And I think the quality of workmanship and product consistency makes buying a handmade whistle worthwhile. Of course, I still think it’s great that one can purchase a viable instrument for as little as $3…this has got to be the most democratic instrument around.
Thanks for letting me ramble…I should go back to playing the whistle now…
Right on, Micah. What I always want to know is, what’s the first tune you played after getting the new whistle? Such a special moment.
The downside of a quirk-free instrument is, now it’s ALL YOU. Don’t get scared
Cara
It’s exciting to know that the whistle came so quickly. I’m hoping to order one later in the summer, when vacations are all paid for and the kids are headed back to school so that I’ll have a little time to play it! 
edited for spelling
[ This Message was edited by: Blackbird on 2002-07-17 17:24 ]
Cara,
I can’t remember what the first tune was I played…either the Kesh Jig or Maurice Manley’s Polka…(can you tell I’m using L.E. McCullough’s book?) From there I began delving into tunes from the session I attend. It’s coming up this Sunday, so that’s when the whistle will make it’s official public debut.
congratulations!
On 2002-07-17 15:42, Micah wrote:
Thanks to the advice I received on the board last week, I made the plunge into the world of expensive whistles by purchasing a Burke AlPro D from Song of the Sea . . . The age-old debate returns…is one better than the other? . . . Players of other instruments always aim to find the best instrument, so why shouldn’t whistle-players?
To put it another way, keyboard players often play several different keyboards, so why shouldn’t whistle players? There are definitely some whistles I like more than others, but I don’t know if I’d call them better. They all (well, almost all) have their good points, and most are played regularly.
Charlie