I was hanging out with two friends who where playing around on their guitars. They asked if I would like to grab my whistles and play with them. So I did. At first It was kinda rough. I am at a very basic level of skill and am sometimes able to hit the second octave without screeching. I find the second octave fairly easy to controll on my Sweetone so out it came. The first thing that I noticed is my Sweetone is very apparently out of tune when played with other instruments. Also it is way to quiet. I tried my oak and it had more volume. But I am not able to controll my Oak “D” well enough so I quickly switched back to the Sweetone.
So here comes the questions. I have the money to buy one “high end” whistle this year and am carefully pondering my purchase. I am thinking at this point that I am going to buy a Burke Narrow Bore High “D”. But after a small taste of playing the whistle with others I am thinking a wide bore Burke might be a better choice for more volume.
How much louder is a wide bore Burke than a narrow bore? I guess that is a hard questions to answer in words. But feel free to give it a shot .
Also feel free to suggest a “high end” whistles that would be easily playable for a beginner.
Rule #1. When playing with other instruments, the whistle is always in tune (unless it is out of tune with itself); the other instruments are out of tune.
I have the Session Pro brass (the wide is discontinued I think) abd I was surprised that it wasn’t louder than it is. I expected more but I’m really happy with it. For me it’s perfect. Louder than an Oak, less cutting but fuller than my Sausato.
Sweetones can be made tuneable by pulling the plastic whistlehead off the tube. Don’t twist, pull straight off, wiggling the whistlehead to help get it loose. It can be difficult the first time. Then put the whistlehead back on, wiggling it around some to get it to loosen up a bit. You should be able to get it so you can move the whistlehead up and down the tube enough to to match the pitch to other instruments. Sweetones are usually sharp from the factory and need the whistlehead pulled out about 1/8 or 3/16 inch to bring them down to pitch.
[1] Not a whole lot, if i remember right. Burke is not a very loud whistle.
[2]Most of them would work. You can’t go wrong with the Humphrey. Or else, Weasel, Syn, Sindt, Silkstone, Overton, Busman, Alba (in reverse alphabetical order), and i’m sure many others. The best thing might be to try a few whistles before you settle on one. Unless you have other whistlers in your area, this can get expensive, though.
Hi Eric,
You might try running hot tap water over the fipple for a minute or two, if you want to remove it. Yesterday I tried this with 3 different whistles and it worked every time, and very easily. BUT: BE CAREFUL! If your tap has very hot water, you can melt the fipple. It’s probably best if you just run the hot water at the base where it meets the metal shaft. You might want to put some kind of lube on the shaft after you have it off so it will be easier to adjust.
I will defer to the regular players of high D’s to recommend whistles that will work for you.
There are a couple of posts from beginners at present that have quite a few good whistles recommended by the high d crowd.
My problem in regards to trying whistles before I buy them Is the only whistles in the stores around where I live are Generations, Oaks, and Acorns. Understandably they are packaged and can’t be tested. I don’t know anybody in person that owns of plays the whistle so testing or hearing other’s whistles are not an option. This is why I love this forum so much .
For anybody what would like to know I live in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area).
Remember the World’s Worst Whistler in Miltown Malbay last year? It doesn’t have to be a Susato to be brutal! I still wake up a cold sweat sometimes…generally at my desk at work.
you know, i don’t really care all too much about susatos, but I must say, the narrow-bore susatos have a much better sound (in my ear) than the standard susatos.
hehe. What’s always fun is to play the exact same note on 2 different whistles. It can make some really interesting experiances with poor intonation. I’m still not sure which one of my Ds is the one that’s actually in tune.
My first experience left me with no questions but a feeling of euphoria and wonder…ahhhh just a sec…oh never mind, ah you’re talking about whistles right?
There are plenty of whistlers in the Toronto area, including several people on this board, not to mention Loretto Reid, one of the world’s best whistlers.
And have you tried going to Dora Keogh (Danforth near the Don Valley Parkway) for the Irish session on a Thursday or Sunday night? Usually at least a couple of people with whistles there every time I’ve been by.
One of the best whistle player on the planet , phrasing-wise, is in Toronto. It’s Debbie Quigley, off course, but she plays the pipe, you might not ear her whistle much.
An advice, Eric, is try to learn to play well the whistle you have before you try to get louder, unless it’s only to play with your guitar friends (that’ll teach them, those guitar players!).
You couldn’t go wrong here.
I have 2 of the brass session pro D’s, and a narrowbore D ~
The session pro is a bit louder, I guess, but the clarity of the narrowbore may make it adequate in a noisier group.
They are exquisite whistles, and if you find they are not for you, there shouldn’t be a problem selling or trading them later.
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