For the sample, I first play a little of The Foxhunter Jig on a plain old Susato (not the VSB model), and then play The Shannon Breeze on the new M&E whistle. I am standing about six feet from the microphone–any closer, and I overdrive the mike with the new whistle.
I like the sound. It’s not as pure or edgy as the Susato and in some ways sounds like a really loud Clarke. It has a nice open sound, though really really loud, and takes almost as much air as a flute to play. It has chiff, and it doesn’t get too shrill when you go high…but did I mention it’s really really loud?
Update 9-30-2002: Michael Cronnolly sent me another head for this whistle which plays with more normal whistle volume and takes only a normal amount of breath support. Comparisons coming soon.
[ This Message was edited by: peeplj on 2002-09-30 07:31 ]
I have one of the prototypes. It is not on his website yet, but if you are interested in getting one, email him at polymer@eircom.net. I am sorry but I don’t know the asking price.
(His new Rudall and Rose model flute isn’t on his website either.)
I also now have the #1 Parkhurst whistle in E-flat, which is a lovely little thing (well, technically, my wife has it…). Look for it to soon be featured on my website as well.
Does this whistle take more air than any other high D’s you’ve tried?
I tend to stay away from whistles that take a lot of air to play, but this one sounds intriguing (<-- I think that’s spelled right, but it sure looks strange).
This whistle does take some air. Not as much as a flute, mind, but close.
Michael Cronnolly told me one of the advantages of this whistle is that for those who intend to later transition to flute, they will already be used to breathing in the right places.
He also wanted a whistle which had good volume but without the “edgy” sound you can get from Susato or Sweet whistles, for playing in session.
This whistle isn’t as loud as a flute played full-on, but it’s close, seeming to be about twice as loud as the Susato (at least from the player’s perspective!).
The potential downsides to this whistle are that it does take some air and support, and it has very large tone holes for a high D whistle (about the same size as the Irish flute has). The good points are its wonderful sound, intonation–and, believe it or not, if you aren’t afraid of a whistle that takes some air, it’s actually quite an easy whistle to play. I also like the way he handled the tuning slide.
This is not a whistle you’d ever have to worry about miking, either!
Michael Cronnolly sent me another head for this whistle which plays with more normal whistle volume and takes only a normal amount of breath support. Comparisons coming soon.
