I’m clicking my heels! I feel as though I’ve been on a quest for a whistle like this for ages! I wrote Steve at Shanna Quay and told him I’d succumbed to the lure of the O’Briain Improved whistle. I ordered one in D and it arrived today, ever so promptly and efficiently, in the post.
What had finally pushed me over the edge about the O’Briain was the report it had very low breath requirements and benefitted from “controlled breathing.” Since I so often feel my breathing is out of control at the top of the second register, where I sometimes get it but more often don’t, this sounded the ticket.
It is absolutely, hands down, the easiest whistle I have ever played. I put it to my lips for that first anticipated tone (such a sweet moment), gathered my usual supported breath and the sound that came out was impossibly high. I stopped immediately, then tried again. Same high sound. I thought something was wrong! I then realised I had just produced the third-register D with almost no effort.
I backed the breath off and the second-register D emerged, very clear and sweet. More backing off and I got to the first-register D. I’m not whistle-techie enough to know exactly how this gem is tweaked (although the plastic addition to the window is obvious), but suddenly I have in my possession a whistle that plays effortlessly in the second register! I’m doing ornaments up there like nobody’s business and not having to worry about getting more air into it to keep it from chirping. Yet for all the ease of getting between registers, I haven’t had any problem with octave-flipping in the paces I’ve put it through so far.
It’s got a great whistle sound (more clear than chiffy, very bright) and looks just like a classic brass tube with plastic fipple. Nothing fancy. It isn’t a loud whistle - certainly a great choice for indoor playing.
The only thing I’m going to have to work on is not pushing at all on the first register (what a unique issue for me!). The lowest octave is there and just as sweet, but too much air and it sounds muzzy (and the intonation goes sharp).
This is a dream and I don’t even have to scrimp on my grocery bill this week. Thank you Cillian! Thank you Steve!
FE
