Hi:
I am new to the tin whistle. (And this site, hello, pleased to meet you) I have a Clark whistle in D. I have been making good progress learning to play my whistle and read music; However, I have some problems with high c and high d. A lot of the time these notes will be shrill and sound bad. I don’t think it is the flute because sometime they sound fine, especially when I am playing scales and going slow.
Can anyone give me any tips on what I might be doing to cause the notes to go shrill almost two toned and how to keep this from happening?
I’ve got two different makes of whistles with a total of five between them. Eb,
D, C and Low D. Each is different. I had troubles with a couple of them and found that learning proper fingering and breathing differences with each made a lot of difference in getting the notes to stop squeeking and start sounding like the notes they were meant to be. Some whistles are easier than others.
First thing,if your notes are squeaky, make sure that you have a good finger seal around the holes. Secondly, practice, practice and then practice some more. Like any musical instrument, the whistle takes dedication and hard, diligent work. But, don’t get frustrated and don’t give up. You’ll get it, and before you know it, you’ll surprise yourself with the progress that you make.
Welcome to the club.
Betty, I don’t have a Clarkes (never liked them) , but in addition to the good advice already given, I’d suggest that you experiment with the fingerings too. If, as I understand you, you mean the C# at the top of the 2nd octave and the high D that starts the 3rd octave, there are some variant fingerings and different ones work better on different whistles. Fingering charts supplied with whistles do not necessarily give the optimum fingerings for the whistle and almost certainly won’t suggest alternatives.
For top D try oxx ooo - the commonest best fingering, but also oxx xxx (overblowing the “middle” D fingering) - see which sounds best in tune, clearest and which plays most readily/reliably.
For top C#, charts usually give ooo ooo (as for “middle” C# at the top of the first octave) but it is almost always flat and unreliable. Try oxx xoo.
Just in case you meant C natural, for the one at the top of the 1st octave, experiment with oxx xox, oxx ooo and oxo xxx to find the best “cross fingering” on your whistle for intonation and tone. For upper C natural, try oxo ooo, oxo xxo and oxo xxx to find the best.
Thank you, it does help. For the top D I have been using oxxx xxx and the C ooooox.
For the D oxx ooo sounds a lot better, not as shrill almost a different note, slightly lower but without the shrill overtone.
The C also sounds a little lower then the fingering I have been using, but not as shrill.
I have been fingering a half hole for the natural C. It sounds pretty good, when I do it right, LOL, and pretty bad when I don’t.
Could you tell me what you don’t like about the Clarks? (I got this one because I liked the way it looked and that it isn’t made with plastic. I am open to trying other flutes if they are easier to learn or play)
Betty, I don’t have a Clarkes (never liked them) ,>>>snip<<<
For top D try oxx ooo - the commonest best fingering, but also oxx xxx (overblowing the “middle” D fingering) - see which sounds best in tune, clearest and which plays most readily/reliably. >>>snip<<<
For top C#, charts usually give ooo ooo (as for “middle” C# at the top of the first octave) but it is almost always flat and unreliable. Try oxx xoo.
snip<<< For upper C natural, try oxo ooo, oxo xxo and oxo xxx to find the best.
Hope this helps.
Welcome & Best of luck! >>>snip<<<
I do think that some of the problem that I am having has to do with how I am blowing the flute and the angle I am holding the flute when I play. Mr. Jemtheflute’s alternate fingering on the D seems to help a lot too. Maybe it is an easier fingering to blow or just works better on my particular flute.
Thanks again for all of you help and encouragement.
Betty, my dislike of Clarkes whistles is fairly personal and not necessarily a general criticism. They are (or at least, the ones in C are) the “original” tin whistle. Many people including many fine players love them. If you are happy with yours, that’s great. However, if you are going to run with this whistle thing, you’ll doubtless end up trying others, and you’ve sure found the right online resource to help. Just explore this site, especially the reviews section…
I don’t like the breathy sound of the Clarke, the way the wooden fipple block gets soggy, the sharp corners of the crimped metal and the general feel of it in the mouth. There are things that can be done to improve those points, but I don’t think its worth bothering - absolutely my opinion, no more. Of the basic whistles generally commercially available for a few pounds/dollars, my preference would be Generation, but many here would disagree!
I’m not surprised you got top D best with oxx ooo - it is the “standard” fingering that works best on the majority (not all, though) of whistles.
Half holing is another personal preference - certainly not to be discouraged. Like everything else, you can get very good at it with practice. I generally prefer to cross-finger, but again, that is my choice, not a prescription. I’d say experiment with both, mainline with what you prefer/works best for you, but don’t exclude using the alternatives. Actually, that’s pretty fair advice for the whole shebang!
LOL:
My husband is in a 1860s type minstrel band. He has rather been adopted, since the band consists of mostly family members (a father, 2 brothers, 2 brothers wives, and David, my husband) they need a tin whistle player and they have been bugging me to join the band. I picked the Clark because it was the first tin whistle and D because most of the songs the band plays are in D.
I haven’t got any new whistles, but I sure like the look of the hardwood whistles. (If I get good enough to play with the band, maybe I will save up and get one or at least a tunable whistle that has a pretty sound)
I suspect that I will get a Clark in C and maybe another D that have been tweaked by someone who knows what they are doing. I’m not sure that I like the breathy sound of my whistle, but it is period correct for the band and the time periods we like to play in. (We do living history 1740, 1812. and 1860s)
LOL: