I just received my not-long-awaited Burke Al Pro A, and it is a thing of beauty. It’s my first non-D whistle, and very responsive to breath pressure changes and such.
But there is a breathiness in the high register that I’m not sure if I really like, or really don’t care for,-- a sort of undercurrent of the lower octave. Can someone tell me if this is part and parcel of the lower whistles, or aluminum whistles?
As I said, I’m not sure what I feel about this tonal coloring. In one aspect, it certain gives a complexity to the sound, a fullness. But its a bit of a distraction for me, and I hear it most on the notes I want to hold. I can’t hear this at all on my brass D, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t there.
I have two flutes – a cheapy PVC one and modestly priced blackwood – neither of which I play much. Maybe I should check them out to see if this octave whisper is there too.
Anyone have any input on this?
BTW, I think it’s hysterical that this rather large whistle weighs less than my little brass D. If it weighed any less I think I’d have to pull it down from the ceiling to play it!
I’ve only played Burke whistles at festivals,
never at much length. But the breathiness
(chiff) is usually a matter of whistle
design–I don’t think the size of the
whistle or the material dictates chiff.
Noah Herbison makes a metal low D which
has a very pure sound, for instance.
Probably the whistle sounds as it does
because Mike wants it to sound that way,
more or less. Of course hand made whistles
by the same craftsman often sound a bit different from one another, and you
may have received a more chiffy whistle.
Whistles usually have chiff, one of the
reasons why they don’t sound like recorders.
Of course first impressions may be deceptive.
It takes a couple of weeks to get to know
a whistle (learn to play it),
at the end of which you may
find you like the chiff. If, at the end,
you still have reservations you might ask
Mike if he can voice the whistle differently.
Or return the whistle.
I’d say give it a couple weeks to really play it, and then see if it gets better. It can also simply be playing style. If you’re used to the high whistles, then adjusting the breath for a low whistle take a little bit of “re-training”.
And again, if it’s not up to snuff after that, you should probably contact Mike, and see what he can do for you!
Maybe A just isnt low enough to get that low sound.My Susato A has the 2nd octave sound you have described and I wish I’d waited for a G instead.I think a credible low sound realy begins with F.Mike
Mike, the low tone on this whistle is lovely, don’t get me wrong! I may even like the ‘chiffy’ upper register once I make a quick tape and listen to it objectively. I don’t actively dislike it either…I’m just puzzled/curious about it.
This undertone exists most noticeably on the high D, E and F# (though I still think of them as G, A and B because that’s the D fingering, if you follow my analogy). The changing between the registers is wondrous easy, and may indeed be part of this complex sound, and I would seriously hate to lose the ease of octave jumping if I eliminated this tone color.
This may be the biggest problem in buying a high end whistle via mail or email order: you don’t get to play it before you buy it. Michael Burke has a generous return policy (a thirty day trial), and has been great to order from, but my best buying experience was at Song of the Sea, where I walked in and played nearly every whistle they had, some of them two or three times, before getting my Burke Brass Pro D.
I chose the A whistle because it gives me a D range…Ashokan Farewell is a real tear jerker on this with a fiddle duet…and though I may in the future go for a G, a low D is a hard stretch for me, even using a piper’s grip (little tiny hands, and not very substantial lungs to fill it either).
But my husband, who has never played an instrument, has been cajoled into picking up the whistle. He has some problem with the D, first because he is a fairly big guy with rather big hands, and finds it difficult to cover the holes and control his breath – he does a LOT of squeaking! Yesterday he tried the A, and I found that he is a natural at the piper’s grip. I think there is a low D in the offing for him!
I would agree with Mike.R. The A whistle isn’t really a low whistle. A low A (below the low D) is a monsterous thing. I have a Goldie Overton in the A register that you have, and it has tons of chiff in the second octave. I let Colin build my whistles as he pleases because I trust his ear and technique opinions. You can really lay into this whistle without overblowing, so breath control becomes a big part of the tone and sound. It’s not a quiet whistle. I believe it’s meant to be played hard and fast. Check out the Flook CD “flatfish” the A whistle is all over the place. But then again Brian Finnagan plays Colins whistle not a Burke. I would love myself to get a hold of a Burke, but I’m trying to build my Overton keys at this time. Anyways my point being is I think the A whistle is meant to be leaned into and really jam. This isn’t to say that Micheal couldn’t take out some of the Chiff that your hearing, but it most likely would effect the way it jumps octaves. I would recomend an F. I also think this is where the “Low” sound starts off. I hope I haven’t confused you more then I have myself
Tyghress,thanks for drawing attention to the humble A whistle issue as the responses have led me to rethink the virtues of my own Susato A which at this very moment is undergoing some serious tweaking of the 6th hole…I’ll let you folks know how it turns out.Are the 5th &6th holes also gigantic on your Burke?all the best,Mike
Wow!mission accomplished…man,this thing honks!I’ve managed to reduce the size of the 6th hole+achieve better intonation and a more precise seal.I always had trouble playing this as the 6th hole just about swallowed my finger.And you are right about Oshokan farewell Tyghress on the A…from now on I’m just going to think of this as a big,bad and LOUD soprano D.Mike
The lower holes on the Burke Pro A don’t appear to be particularly large, compared to the others. I have slender fingers, but have absolutely no problems sealing them with a piper’s grip.
I wrote Mike, who wants the whistle back to hear what is going on. I guess I’ll send it back, but the fact is I’m not unhappy with the whistle tone…and I’m absolutely delighted with certain aspects of it…and I’m not a ‘pro’ or terribly confident of my skills. It could well be ME, not the whistle.
Mike