I’m a professional symphony oboist (hence, my handle ) who wants to learn the Uilleann Pipes, so my teacher suggested I get started on the whistle first to learn fingerings and style.
So I’m in the market for a whistle, but I’m thinking that a whistle with more resistance might be best for me since I’m used to the tremendous resistance/back pressure from the oboe reed.
Any suggestions for a brand or model for me? I’m open as to budget…I’ve heard that Burkes and Copelands are of superior quality.
Shouldn’t you be “hautboy”? (or maybe oboe players are way “hotter” than we brass (and whistle) players!!!) Welcome to the dark side!
Pat
P.S. If you’re a concert oboist, you aren’t going to have ANY problem with ANY whistle. I’d suggest you get a cheapie (generation, etc) to try it out and then jump up if you like it. (I also know that most oboists don’t make tons of money.)Whistles are a lot like oboes in one respect. You get what you pay for… The low ends play fine, but there are nuances as you go up in price (and quality). I play Burke and GFM whistles (and a bunch of other “low end” ones, BTW…
What’s it they say about Oboes? “An ill wind that no one blows well”?
Just kidding of course - I played one in a former life and have a certain fondness for double-reed instruments
For sheer backpressure in a whistle, one cannot go past the SYN by Erle Bartlett, of course, many of the fine makers of whistles can tailor this to your requirement - contact details for most of them can be accessed via the front page of Chiff and Fipple (look for “High End Whistles”).
The other instrument you could consider is the french bombarde or piston - these are quite similar to Oboe, but finger more like a whistle. Whistle is good for becoming familliar with the techniques in Irish music, but are “open-system” - with the pipes the fingering system is usually “closed” - best to ask about that on the Uilleann pipes section of this forum.
I favor the Overton (high and low D) for resistance or back pressure. I also have Copelands in high and low D and prefer their tone. Just depends on the music.
If I were to get one and prefer resistance, it would be the Overton.
I second the Goldie Overton as a high backpressure whistle, not to mention wonderful sounding and playing instrument. And I trust Mitch’s description of the SYN. Burkes and Copelands are top notch, both low pressure (esp. Copeland), and with their own charms.
But I wonder … since your main goal is fingering and style, why not just pick up a Feadóg or Susato or such and have at it? There’s no such thing as a “pro quality” whistle per se, and some of the best players in the world play cheapies. A visit to Lark in the Morning at the Cannery in SF, and you’ll come away with something nice. As for the breath requirements, why not just take the whistle on its own terms? With your years of training in breath control, you’ll adapt very, very quickly. And arguably, some of the stylistic nuance of the traditional whistle sound stems from its nature as a gentle, easy-blowing instrument.
Oh, and if you’re one of those oboists who have a room full of reed making equipment and supplies, as my clarinet/oboe teacher did, I can’t wait to see your posts once you become a surly piper (inside joke).
I’m not sure if learning whistle will help you with pipes in regards to the fingerings. I’ve looked at fingering charts for pipes and find the basic system to be a little different. However, learning whistle would be a good way to ease into getting a feel for Irish music.
I played Sax and Oboe during my school years(started whistle a few years before) and I did find many similarities in the basic fingerings that helped me learn those instruments…I’m sure it can work the other way.
I can recommend Overtons and Reyburn Session whistles for backpressure.
Careful though…once you get a feel for Celtic music you might never go back!
Whistle isn’t terribly difficult and the absence of
back pressure isn’t going to make much difference to you.
You’re going to learn whtever you purchase a lot
faster than most folks will. Also whistle is a beautiful
instrument that you may continue to play for
the rest of your life. So you might just go for
a good, beautiful whistle, backpressure
be damned. (Also you can one
day sell a good beautiful whistle.)
Of course there are going to be different opinions
aboutwhat that whistle is.
If you have some money, the Copeland silver D
is one of the most beautiful instruments on earth,
IMO. Abell whistles in blackwood are great.
An instrument with terrific backpressure and the same
fingering is the Irish flute. But then you may never
want to play pipes!
The Burke you mentioned, and other suggestions
above.
Anyhow, as few whistles have back pressure (not the
nature of the beastie) and you will learn the whistle
anyway, you might not so restrict yourself.
Again, Overton probably has the back pressure you are looking for and let me add, a beautiful tone. Since oboists are relied upon to be in tune, I have to guess that you “have an ear” and that you would prefer a tunable model. Again, the tunable Overton is right on the money. Collin Goldie will work with you on your requirements and encourages musicians to get in touch to discuss your whistle. His number is: Tel. 01149+49 2161 958701 (USA to Germany). Once you get hold of him, he will call you straight back. Cheers, Cyril.
Welcome! I’m an oboist too (amateur, but serious about it). I stick to moderately priced whistles, so I can only give you advice based on Generations, Susatos, Syns, O’Briens, and Sindts. Out of these, the Sindt gives the most back pressure (and to me has the nicest sound). A new Sindt costs about 100 bucks, but John has a waiting list of around six months if you buy a new one directly from him.
Go to your nearest music store and buy whatever they’ve got, in D. This is most likely to be a generation, but it could also be a Clarke Sweettone. Either will be fine.
Make a scene if they don’t let you toot each available whistle pick the one with the clearest tone (ie, least ‘wolf’ noises.)
This will set you back ten bucks, and that’s all you need to get started.
I think I will head up to Lark in the Morning in San Francisco and pick up a Generation to learn fingerings on and get used to, then sometime soon order something of higher quality after I figure out whether I really want any back pressure or can get used to a standard free-blowing whistle.
I do have a bunch of oboe reed-making equipment and I’m looking forward to making UP reeds when the time comes…I probably haven’t become surly enough yet, but maybe I can work on that with the help of some Jaimeson…
BTW Mitch, an Oboe is “an ill wind that nobody blows good.”
My handle reflects a license plate I have on one of my cars: “HOTBOY1”…I’ve owned this plate for more than 20 years…
…and plunk111, I played Oboe professionally since 1975 but that’s not my career…I’m a Realtor to pay the bills
If you choose a Gen, be sure they let you try as many as you can before you buy. Generations are notoriously inconsistent. Out of 12, six may sound nice and six may be annoyingly scratchy. Bring alcohol swabs with you if you must to convince them (around $2 per 100 at Safeway).
Alternatively, Feadógs are the same basic design and sound, and more consistent. The individual whistle heads are often shrink-wrapped, but any one is likely to be OK. The Oak whistle is nice, similar to the Feadóg Pro. Waltons and Clarkes are other choices you may like. And you can try the putty tweak described elsewhere on C&F on any of these (except Clarkes) to tame the tone and response a bit. The plastic Susato is another choice. Have fun!
On a slight tangent - you might want to attend the Bay Area C & F party that Tony Higgins is hosting in September. Lots of whistles to try/compare, a beginner’s workshop is planned, good music, and lots of good people to meet. Tony has a thread with details over in the Pub.
What, you don’t have enough reeds to worry about already ?
I love “Hotboy”, and have a soft spot for oboe players, since my wife used to be one. When I met her (online) her name was Oboe12345.
For back pressure, I’ll second the Goldie Overton recommendation. Work directly with Colin and he’ll tailor the playing characteristics of the whistle to your liking.
One of your biggest obstacles is likely to be learning Celtic ornamentation. It’s often written with some of the same symbols used for Baroque music, but is played ENTIRELY differently (I came to the whistle via the Recorder, so I know how this can be a problem).
I recently dug up my dad’s 1955 oboe and it’s certainly not an easy instrument to pick up, esp with the very old-fashioned English key system (I play the sax). On a not so good reed, with my lack of control and experience, I sound like a really bad uilleann pipe player (wavering pitch, squawky reedy Indian snake charmer-type tones)!
Regarding whistles having sufficient resistance or back pressure, I have Syns, and I disagree with those who say they have high resistance. I find myself having to hold back a bit to avoid the note jumping to the higher octave at times.
Overtons - yup, these whistles have good and pretty even resistance. I would go for Overtons over Syns.
As many before me said - it´s one of the best whistles tonewise (my opinion is, that it´s THE best, but that´s just an opinion).
It has rather solid backpressure - and, Colin is truly great maker, as he makes the whistle custom made - so if you tell him you want even higher backpressure, than usual, he´ll do it.
It partly depends on your view on whistle. If it´s mere piece of tin you´re going to practise and throw away with pipes, don´t waste money and get some cheap one (Clarke Sweetone is very good in price/sound ratio). If, on the other hand, you want to get serious about whistling, go for Overton.
) who wants to learn the Uilleann Pipes, so my teacher suggested I get started on the whistle first to learn fingerings and style.
