I suffer from the notorious Whistle acquisition syndrome and am looking for a high D Tin Whistle. It should have the following characteristics:
not too loud (otherwise I will be banished into the cellar)
good in tune (f.e. the XOOXXX - C)
mellow tone, especially in the 2nd octave (as my Dixon Trad tends to be very sharp)
should be available by normal ordering (f.e. a John Sindt may be excellent but hard to get one)
I liked the sound samples from the Carbony Whistles, but people say this whistle is really loud. Perhaps a Burke narrow bore? Do they have a lot clogging?
Hello, Freckle Girl. Welcome to the C&F whistle forum.
Not sure where you are form but since you specify your limit in Euros I’ll assume you are somewhere in the Euro zone.
You really haven’t given us much to go on. Everything related to whistles is relative, relative to your experience versus the experience of those suggesting whistles to buy. What is mellow to one may not be mellow to another based on their experience. Much of the timbre of the whistle comes from the player’s experience. Same for loudness, it is relative to your surroundings. Tuning is a matter of deep discussion since there are whistles with more traditional harmonic tunings versus piano tunings. We get the “availability” issue though.
Yes, wooden whistles might generally be considered mellow. Big Davy’s suggestion of the Bleazey is a good one.
You mentioned the Burke. The Burke narrow bore high D is one of my favorite whistles. It is very well behaved and I do not find it shrill at all. In fact I find them to be quite sweet sounding. I own composite, brass and aluminum versions of the Burke. The composite model is the most mellow of the three but sadly Michael does not seem to offer them anymore. I would suggest the brass version next. The aluminum narrow bore D is pretty sweet too.
You might also look into the whistles of Hans Bracker. http://music.bracker.co/Whistles/D_Whistles His standard bore (13mm) high D is a very nice whistle IMO. He also offers a 12mm high D - a narrow bore relative to Hans’ offerings. That might be a standard bore to most makers. See. It’s all relative. That might suite you. Talk to Hans. I am sure he can advise you.
I would also not overlook a Colin Goldie high D. These can be very sweet whistles as well however they need to be played aggressively IME. They can be loud, relatively speaking. It’s all relative.
I understand that there is a shameless knock-off of a Sindt whistle being made in Euro-land, if something like a Sindt is attractive to you. I like my Sindt D - very good whistle. You can look that up with a search.
Any whistle can be made to play quietly. Do a search on “whistle mute”. And then … You can operate all whistles almost silently using the “whisper method” of playing. To do that you place the beak of the whistle just beneath your lower lip. And you blow over the voicing window. You finger the whistle as you would normally. You’ll hear a whisper of the note. There is no overblowing for a second octave but you’ll get 12 distinct notes. You’ll get used to it quickly. The whisper method has saved many a whistle player from being tossed out of the house in the cold of winter..
But if you are looking for sweet, quiet and mellow I would look for a nice Generation D.
First of all thanks a lot for your helpful advice - it’s great to get that response from well versed people, as I just started to play four years ago and have a lot to learn.
Well, to answer the questions: I’m from Germany and have yet played a Dixon Trad D Nickel, which ist beautiful in the lower octave but gets a bit shrill from g upwards in the 2nd octave. Then I have a Parks Alto Bb, which is very nice. Warm and round tone. And they have that tone-ring to reduce loudness, which works proper, but clogging increases. Naturally I guess.
After I made my homework following your hints, I made some discoveries. I likes the Hans Bracker Whistles from what I could hear from the soundfiles. They remind me optically to the Tilbury Whistles, do you agree? There is a dealer here in Germany who has some Tilburies.
As I do not play on sessions yet, I mainly want the whistle for take it with me when I’m on the way, f.e. in the woods or a hotel room. Or at home of course, when the family is going for a walk. I play music for many years, but mainly piano and accordion. As I can’t live without having anything by my side, where I can put some music out of, a whistle is the perfect Instrument for me.
Now I think it’s not easy because I’m a bit spoiled concerning the sound of an instrument. That’s why I’m ready to spend some money if the sound is really nice. I know that this disagrees with the fundamental idea of the pennywhistle, as many great players knowingly decided to stick to inexpensive intruments. But I guess I would not become happy with that.
Maybe a wood whistle would be good which are beautiful looking on top of everything. But I wouldn’t want one that reminds of a recorder. Has anyone experienced the O’Brien? The soundfile on the website is a bit cryptic.
There are only one or two dealers in Germany. They have the Sweethearts, which are sadly expensive, and Pipe Makers Union (Carbony) Whistles, as well as some Dixon, Chieftain, Shaw and Traditionals as Walton, Feadog etc.
Sorry, seems I’m a complicated case - but still thankful for all replies!
I have much less experience on whistle than many of the folks here (flute and mando are my main instruments), but I came across a Gene Milligan D wooden whistle and love it. I am not a big fan of the sharp tone of many whistles and love its more mellow tone. I also play a Killarney, which is substantially less expensive and a joy to play. The say it’s “similar,” at least, to a Sindt. I haven’t played a Sindt, but they are much more expensive, and he may or may not be taking names for a very long waiting list. Find something you like and play the heck out of it. After guitars, mandolins, and flutes, whistles are comparatively inexpensive and even great whistles feel like a bargain.
Since you’re in Germany you should get up with Colin Goldie.
He makes world class whistles which you can try, in person, and
he can adjust them to suit you. http://www.colingoldie.de/home.html
The sad fact is that there are so many good whistles out there.
You probably won’t know whats perfect, for you without trying many.
Thanks for the additional information. That helps some. Whistles dealers are few and far between. It is a good idea to “meet your maker” by buying whistles directly from them.
Unlike some other instruments, more money does not necessarily equate to a better playing or sounding whistle. Higher prices are usually due to expensive materials and the cost of detailed handwork - just as with handmade recorders. You can buy some very capable and wonderful sounding whistles for very little money. But again, it’s all relative to your needs and preferences.
The Big Whistle Shush is a great suggestion. I should have thought of that too. Kudos to Tommy for mentioning that one. That’d do for your quiet playing time. Then you can get a nice whistle to play the other times.
I would not compare the two whistles. Appearance and materials matter very little in comparing two different whistle designs (unless one maker is consciously trying to emulate the design, sound and playing characteristics of another whistle). Hans makes very good whistles. Contact him if you are interested.
Colin Goldie is in Germany. You can buy directly from him as well. There is no better or more experienced whistle maker on the planet. His whistles are among the most widely played whistles used by professionals throughout the world. (x-posted with Maki)
I do own an O’Brien Rover whistle. Mine is made of delrin with brass fittings. It is an elegant little instrument. The Rover is an ideal travel whistle. The three piece design makes it a compact instrument which easily fits in a shirt, jacket or pants pocket. The delrin requires no maintenance other than cleaning. It is very durable and rugged as well. The voice is pleasant. The volume is moderate - but likely louder than you’d want in a hotel room with other guests in adjoining rooms. So a mute or the whisper method would be appropriate in those cases.
You have a Parks Bb. If you like that one then look at his other whistles. Carey Parks also makes a three piece high whistle called the Walkabout. It’s a pretty good whistle too. It has the advantage of being compact just as the O’Brien Rover. So it travels easily. It is built well and should be durable too. It has the added advantage of having the built in mute or “tone ring”. You know how that works. Since it has no metal parts it should fly past airline check-ins too. I like the less expensive CPVC model. So that may be an option for you.
I did not recommend the O’Brien or the Parks earlier since I thought if you are in the Euro-zone additional shipping costs and taxes might increase the prices of those whistles to a point of being unreasonable. But they are both good travel whistles.
I understand. Yes, the whistle is ideal. But there are other options as well. Harmonicas, melodicas, ocarinas and ukuleles come to mind.
When I travel I generally have a laptop/notebook computer with me. I have a few of those small USB keyboards with which I can play/write/record music in my down time. Something like the Akai LPK25 works for me. It’s not a full sized, two-handed keyboard but I can make music with it through a soft synthesizer in the PC. It fits right in the bag with the laptop.
If you have a tablet or smartphone you could look into Hohner’s Squeezebox apps for IOS and Android too. Lots of music apps available for those devices.
I am not sure what exactly you mean by “sharp”. I am assuming that what you are referring to is the bite or piercing tone you feel that comes with the Dixon Trad? I have the Dixon Trad and the 2nd register is not at all very sharp for me.
I ordered this whistle a while ago and have not got it yet. I am hoping it will maintain the playability of the trad while taking just a little bit of the bite off of the tone. Here is a clip of the whistle https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aqCG8Yu7lA
That clip seems to showcase more of a softer pleasing tone. At least I was impressed with it anyway:) I thought as much as liked that Trad I might as well give the DX204 a try. So, if you really like your Dixon Trad, but want less bite, this might be something to consider. However, I could be wrong. If your interested at in the DX204 let me know and I can share my experience with you when I get it. Also, someone who has the new DX204 could perhaps could weigh in on how similar the DX204 is to the Trad (which I am assuming your already quite experienced with).
In fact I considered the Dixon DX204, particularly one of the few dealers in Germany have them, so I could try one.
My conclusion so far is, that I need three whistles, not one:
the Hans Bracker for the beautiful tone (what I heard on the soundfiles - a little more chiff than the Burkes, but still sweet and warm)
the Gene Milligan for the stunning look
the shush whistle for quiet playing
Slowly I get behind it, why you all know so many whistles…uaaaargh
I recently heard that there are many attractive instrument apps, useful while travelling. Well I don’t have any smartphone or tablet yet and I would say I’m more the kind of one who likes the natural look and feel of a well made instrument. For that reason a pvc / full delrin whistle would not be my first choice. Carey Parks says, the sound of a whistle depends not so much from the material but from where the material is not - which means the holes. I’m far away of being wiser than carey, but I believe I can hear if the flute is made of wood, metal or plastics. That shouldn’t become a religion but metal or wood comes closer to my vision.
I actually own one of his high D a like it a lot. It’s sweeter than the dixon trad, especially in the second octave. It’s a bit louder, but not that much, and plays as easily. It’s well in tune with a oxxooo fingering for c nat. The brass tube is as large as your dixon trad one. Il like the overall look with the wooden top, mine being boxwood. It should cost subtentially less than your limit, around 130 Euros. You should give them a look.
I also second the Killarney, I had one and enjoyed the sweet second octave.
Seems I have to withdraw from my dream, to carry the one and only whistle with me and be happy whenever I take it out of my pocket.
Now I know, why there are multiple whistle bags to buy
While wandering through the whistle universe, I stumbled across Mick Hoover Whistles, which should be more suitable for living room playing. Has anyone experienced them? I dind’t find sound examples or photos. Read, that the natC by OXXOOO should be a bit difficult. Should I add this one to my list?
The french one looks nice as well, but I found no sound example either.
Freckle girl, you may find the oxxooo fingering easier to play than cross fingering, unless you’re really used to the latter. As for GMP sound samples, you’ll find one in my soundcloud : https://soundcloud.com/christophe17
Don’t be confused. Both OXX OOO and OXX XOX, as well as other combinations are cross fingerings for C natural. What works best depends on the whistle’s design and the context of the note in the tune you are playing. Best to know and be able to play a few fingerings as your playing skill grows. Half-holing the top hole, DOO OOO is the one fingering that works on all whistles. Get comfortable with that one too.
Sure, everyone has to have one or more of Mack’s whistles. Mack Hoover is well known for his quiet whistles. He tends to make sweet sounding whistles. I have frequently said that Mack makes whistles with a very high giggle quotient. Yes, his whistles make me giggle. They are so darned sweet and pleasant to play that I can’t help but break out in a laugh when I play them. Yes, put one on your list.
But again, remember, it’s all relative. Mack’s whistles are on the quiet side but may still be too loud to play in some situations. It depends on what you mean by “quiet”. Mutes and the whisper method are your best solutions for playing at lowest volumes. And any whistle can do that. An O’Brien Rover made in Torrified Tiger Maple with a simple mute could be the one whistle to rule them all. Bilbo Baggins carried one in his pocket, or so I’ve been told. Or was that Bofur?
Whistles are social instruments. Whistles need the company of each other. You have to have a lot of them around each other to be happy.
While I can understand and support your vision I would also suggest that you keep an open mind regarding materials.
Work your way through the wood and metal whistles that are attractive to you first. But you may still find yourself singing like Bono. You know, “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for”. Then look at alternative materials.
It is true that many whistlers, like yourself, believe that they can hear the sound of wood or brass or aluminum or plastic or unobtanium for that matter. I’ve made whistles out of many materials and to the same specifications. They sound substantially the same. The material will color the tone but the design and craftsmanship define the tone. Some materials limit design choices while other materials will enable particular design choices. You never know what combination of design and material will result in the whistles that allow you to express your music best until you find it. You might want to keep an open mind on the material. Buy 'em all. Try 'em all. Keep the ones that let your voice sing.
Welcome to WHOAD world.
