One of those survey/conversational topics

Whistle
1

In another thread, E=F flat mentioned a few questions that have been brought up multiple times before, but y’know, I’m still interested in how people will answer them:

My experience:
My whistle collection:
My whistle preferences and bias:

And here are my answers:

I have been playing whistle for 2.5 years. For six months or so I played a variety of Gen/Soodlum/Walton/Clarke D whistles, then stumbled on a Burke and fell in love with it. Shortly after that I found C&F and learned the perils of WhOA. I don’t have an ‘ear’ – that is, I can’t tell if I’m in tune so I rely on a tuner or someone next to me to let me know if I’m sharp or flat.

My (soprano D) collection currently includes Gen, Soodlum, Feadog, Clare, Meg, Sweetone, 2-piece Doolin, Cooperman, Dixon, Burke, Sweetheart (old and new), Rose, Abell, Copeland, Overton. Out on permaloan are: Susato VSB and Thin Weasel. In my collection on loan are an Alba and Harper. There is a Hoover in the house, but after an initial play to check it out, it was gifted to Tyghre. If I’ve missed any, its because I haven’t played them in over a year.

My personal preference swing wildly between wood with a bit of roughness/airiness/“dirt” to the sound, and a purer, flutier sound that I believe a metal instrument provides. I’m not a fan of injected molded plastic fipples, tweaked or untweaked…but better a cheap plastic fipple on a mass produced tube than no whistle at all! Just about the only whistles I won’t play are those with a seam down the back. I think I prefer a conical bore to a cylindrical, but I’m not sure if that is justified by anything.

I want moderate backpressure and moderate volume, and prefer a whistle that feels ‘sturdy’. ‘Finish’ isn’t terribly important to me, as I’m haphazard with polishing and have learned that a scratch here, or ding there rarely affects sound.

Looking forward to reading other responses!

2

Experience: I’ve been playing the whistle off and on since I was about 15 (I’m 41), but there have been large gaps of time when I haven’t played at all (during college, for example, and when I was newly married), so I wouldn’t consider myself more than an intermediate.

I’ve been involved in music for most of my life…choral singing for the most part, though I also belonged to a folk group in high school. I currently teach music appreciation and chorus at my daughter’s school and sing in our fabulous church choir. I agree with Jessie about the kind of breath control for singing and playing the whistle being similar.

The Collection: 2 Generation Ebs (one brass and one nickel), a stock Feadog, a Cillian O Briain “improved” Feadog, a Susato Dublin, 2 MEGS (one in D and one in C), and an Elfsong Coppertone combo (D/C). All the above in D unless otherwise indicated.

Preferences: A pure, sweet tone, responsiveness (particularly to breath pressure…I like an “expressive” whistle), easy and sweet second octave. The more I can give it the kind of expressivness I associate with the human voice, the better I like it :slight_smile: Volume is very much a secondary consideration, as I usually play solo and usually when no one else is at home (well, except my dog, but he’s deaf anyway!), but I would ultimately like to find a whistle that has all my favorite qualities AND is loud enough to stand up to other instruments (possibly an impossible quest, but a fun one nonetheless!) Right now, my Elfsong represents my ideal, with the O Briain “improved” running a close second.

Redwolf

Edited to add some stuff

[ This Message was edited by: Redwolf on 2002-12-28 14:23 ]

3

Ok, I’ll chime in.

My experience:

I have been a singer since before I could talk, and I had about 6 years of vocal training. I didn’t pick up a whistle until I was about 22 (4 and a half years go). I find that the breathing part of singing and whistling is pretty much the same, and I can use much of what I know from singing, on the whistle. I have been paid for playing the whistle a handful of times and have performed publicly and on recordings dozens of times (mostly instrumental solos, as opposed to traditional tunes). I have traveled the world to meet instrument (whistle and flute) makers and players and have developed friendships with many of them. I have played every make of whistle on the high end whistles page of C&F except the following: Silberton whistles by Foky Gruber, Weltmeister Wooden Whistles, Lark’s Wooden Pennywhistle, and P. G. Bleazey whistles, though I have seen a Bleazey whistle in person (at Roundstone Bodhran shop in Ireland, they wouldn’t let me play the whistle).

My whistle collection:

I have sold many of the whistles I had, and have kept the ones I really like. I have Copelands, Weasels, Burkes, Abells, O’Riordans, Sindts, Silkstones, a Seery, a Reyburn, Swaynes, a Rose, and some tweaked inexpensive whistles. I also have a stash of Sweetones to give away whenever someone new shows an interest in whistles.

My whistle preferences and bias:

I like a rich, warm tone without breathiness and a moderate volume that can be heard with other instruments but that won’t hurt my or my cats’ ears when played alone in a small room. I like an attractive whistle that is nicely finished and I keep my whistles polished. I like a whistle that helps, rather than hinders, my playing…a whistle with a nice singing voice and an in-tune cross-fingered (OXXOOO) C natural. Interestingly, my favorite whistle is the first handmade one I got, an Abell Madagascar rosewood d. I have played a bunch of Abells, and none of the others were as pure and easy as this one. With every handmade whistle, there is variation. That said, there are characteristics that are shared between all whistles of a certain model, and I enjoy finding out what qualities people like in a whistle so I can hook them up with their ideal one.

:slight_smile: Jessie

4

Experience: I’ve been playing about 12 - 13 years. I have a good ear and like to learn by ear, but I do use sheet music. I play irish & welsh trad. I also play classical and a little trad violin / fiddle and classical viola. I mess around on a metal flute and piano.

Collection: Best whistle is my old gen D I’ve had for about 10 years. I have a couple of new gen Ds, old gen Bb, C, Eb & F & new high G (all in brass). I have an old dented Hohner C and similar Clarke original C. I also have an Overton low D which I got 3 / 4 years ago after saving up for what felt like ages! Oh yeah, tunable susato D (It was a present).

Prefences: Love my gen. Hate the susato. I like the whistle to be able to take a lot of presure but not necessarily need it. A little breathiness can be nice, but not too much. A whistle must be in tune with itself.

Jo.
(edited for typo)

[ This Message was edited by: Jo C on 2002-12-28 14:11 ]

5

My experience: I’ve played on and off for about a year and a half I guess. I can’t play during the school year much because the people in my dorm suck.

My whistle collection: buncha generations, a few sweetones, an oak, a 2pc clare dealie

My whistle preferences and bias: I like a pure tone, not too much of that wind-tunnel-airy business, not too loud and especially not too shrill in the upper octave(I value my hearing) I don’t care about cross fingerings as I never use them (they tend to confuse my poor fingers, I’d rather half-hole it), and I don’t like whistles that are blazingly out of tune with themselves.

6

I’ve been playing whistle for about 4 years or so…I started about the same time Chiff&Fipple got started.

I have an Oak and a Dixon which are my “fall-back” whistles. They’re both pleasant to practice on while at home but neither is quite right for session playing. The Oak is too quiet and the Dixon isn’t in tune on a few notes.

I’ve been on a whistle quest for the last couple of years trying to find that perfect whistle (which I’m sure is out there somewhere). I’ve had (all in high-d) 2 Copelands, 2 Abells (one of which was close to perfect and I wish I had it back!, the other was nothing special), 3 Water Weasels, 2 Sindts (I really didn’t care for the sound of these, but they are cool looking), 3 Burkes (WB Brass, Composite, and AlPro). My favoite Burke is the old style wide bore brass…the high notes on that whistle ring like bells.

Right now I’m waiting to trade my cocobolo Grinter for Overtons in the key of D and A (I’ve never played Overton whistles before…), but I really want to try one of Ronaldo Reyburns Delrin headed high-D’s soon.

-brett

7

Experience;Have been fooling around with wind instruments on and off (mainly off)for years,‘self taught’ alto sax.,boehm flute,bass clarinet(I’m no Eric Dolphy!)Also had some interest in I.Trad.,still have matt malloy & josie mcdermott albums bought in late 70’s/early 80’s.Had Bought a gen. Eb years and years ago,but never really played it. No musical fun for years,except for listening.Started trying to play whistle ‘properly’ approx. 18 months ago. Collection;Gens. in all keys,Oak D,Doolin,Clare(1&2 part),Clarke orig.D&C,Sweetone D,C,Susato D,A, FRED ROSE BLACKWOOD D,B.Overton G,Dixon low F, C.Goldie low F, Susato,Shaw,Howard,Chieftain Low D’s. Preferences;Still in a newbies Whoa phase,but most are cheapies(apart from FOUR LOW D’s!)-Thats my excuse. I am more of a ‘Trad.’ fan,rather that your ‘Lunasa’s’,Mary rather than Joannie,SO, although I would say I veer towards a traditional(i.e. ‘cheapo’) sound preference-I still like to try out a variety of High end whistles as well!! Well,it’s ME who pays for them (lol)!

8

My experience: I’ve been a whistler for just a little bit shy of one year, and a guitarist for about 10 years.

My whistle collection: Full set of Gens, an Oak, a Dixon G (my all-time fave), a Feadog, a Walton’s, a Gill plastic recorder, and an antique Tonette.

My whistle preferences and bias: I play mostly Celtic and progressive rock and Christian praise choruses, so I tend to favor lower whistles, and “coloring” effects like chorus and reverb. In light of this, I am very fond of Dixons, and my ornamentation leans much more toward slides/bends and breath effects than cuts and rolls.

9

My experience:
I’ve been playing whistle for probably 5-6 years, but only discovered Brother Steve’s website (and began learning cuts, taps, and rolls) maybe 1.5 years ago. I couldn’t understand why my whistling didn’t sound like whistling until then.

My whistle collection:
Thin Weasels in D, C, Bb; all the Water Weasels; Burke brass in D and C; AlPro in D, low-D and low-C; composite in B and low-E; Harpers in A and low-G; Alba aluminum flageolet and composite D; a handful of Gens; Clare, Oak, and Feadog all in D; Busman, Wilson, Bleazey, Abell, and Grinter all in D; a Serpent in D; a Copeland in D, and a low-D in the mail. Bunch of Susatos. Two Clarkes and a Weltmeister.

My whistle preferences and bias: Number 1 bias is that I like wood. My consistent favorites are the Thin Weasel and Burke wide-bore brass. My current favs are the Grinter and Bleazey. I like a pure sound that isn’t too sweet, preferably with an edge (I would call this moderate chiff). The Grinter is almost over the edge in sweetness, the Bleazey in roughness. I don’t care all that much about appearance, although, say, Albas are so beautiful that it almost doesn’t make any difference how they play.

After sound, probably the most important thing is playability. I like moderate backpressure – something between a Clarke (none) and Overton (turning red in the face). Smooth octave transitions are a must. The Burke and Abell epitomize smooth octave transitions; it’s so easy it’s almost telepathic.

Next, tuning – I would’ve said it’s more important, except that the Grinter is a little flat. I will be sending it back to be re-tuned, but only reluctantly. It is in tune with itself (absolutely essential), but can’t quite make it up to A440. Boy, I’ll miss it.

A two-finger Cnat is a plus, but I adapt pretty quickly to the OXXXXO of the Harper. I can’t stand forked fingering (OXXXOX), which is one reason I don’t like Gen-style whistles.

10

Experience: I started playing about 13 years ago, when I came upon the Bill Ochs book, Clarke C whistle and tape at a favorite toy store shopping for my then 1-year old daughter. I taught myself to read the music and several years later studied with Bill in group classes at his apartment for several years. I have not played in sessions and generally play alone for enjoyment and once in a while for some friends at work, pre-retirement.

I have good rhythm (played drums years ago), but not the feel of the ITM the way many of you do that have been playing less time. I need to listen to more music. I generally learn tunes via combination of ear and sight.

Whistles Played/Collection: I have played and owned almost every whistle make I’ve seen mentioned on the Board with the notable exception of Rose, Harper and Hoover. My early whistles were Clarkes, Susatos, Gens, Waltons, Feadogs and a Shaw (way too much air required). My first high-ender was a TW cocobolo D; I still have all of these whistles.

Over time I’ve accumulated Overtons, Chieftains, Copelands, O’Riordans, Abells, Grinters, TWs, WWs, Sweet, Cook, and the newer makers like Burkes, Silkstones, Parkhurst, Tully, Seery, Busman, Elfsong, Dixon. I even have among my considerable number of cheapies (including the Sweetones), a couple of “Perri” whistles - they’re so-so, but I got them because my daughter’s name is Perri.

Preferences/Biases: I love mostly metal and wood with an overall fondness for metal and a special place for WW and Silkstone PVC as well. NOtably I do not share much of the Board’s appreciation of the Sweetone, based mostly on intangibles - it just is not rewarding to play and lacks character; many cheap whistles still manage to have lots of character.

At one point I developed a fondness for Overtons and had a collection of all keys from D to D. Although I still think it is a superior whistle (I have only played Goldie whistles and only one that he made specifically for me, understandably the best of the lot), I just did not like them as much as other great whistles and sold off my entire collection to Board members. Mostly a matter of personal taste as to tonal qualities; but still recommend to others. (I may even at some point get a tuneable Low F).

I have sold off a good number of whistles including my Silkstone alloys, which I found to be excellent whistles but somehow physically uncomfortable for me; OTOH, I love and have retained my older Silkstone PVCs. I sold my Dixons because I like other plastic whistles better, but still consider them good value. I have also sold all of my Burkes except for one Al-pro D - also fine whistles, just others that I like better.

I believe my collection now includes only older cheapies and those high-enders that I prefer most and will continue to play. These include Copelands (2 sop. D, Bflat, Low G, Low D), O’Riordans (Low G, D Travelers), Abells (delrin sop. D, Blackwood Bflat/A), Grinters (red lancewood sop. D, Bflat, Low F), WW A, Busman bocote D, Elfsong D, Parkhurst D, Tully D, Burke Al-pro D, TW cocobolo D, Sindt D and C (these are great and early Sindt; I sold the Bflat and A), Susato Kildare Low G, Kerry Low D, and Sweet Kilhoury blackwood C and maple D, Obriain improved. I also kept an early Alba sop. D as a collectible because I think it’s gorgeous; I do not like playing it (the painted Kerry and laser etched Susato are in that category as well). I gave away an older Howard Low D that had decent sound but the fingerholes were too big for me to handle comfortably.

Many of my favorite high-enders have been purchased from a particularly generous Board member or through Dave Migoya when he was doing whistles.

The whistles that shall pass into the next world with me are my Copelands, O’Riordans, and Abells.

Among the cheapies, I have two excellent Gen Bflat and some of the best C whistles in existence, the Walton Golden Tones.

Ounce for ounce the best whistle I’ve ever played may be the O’Riordan anodised aluminum Low G. MY Copeland (old) LOw G is in the same league. The Copeland Low D is the very best LOw D there is and the high D is my favorite as well. For a while I thought that older Copelands were better, but I just got new D and Bflat whistles that are wonderful. My favorite A (and I’ve played many high-enders)remains the WW.

I generally prefer either metal or very dense stable woods (blackwood, e.g.). I like and enjoy playing whistles that take moderate air, are responsive (quick pops of ornamentation and able to bend notes with some feeling), moderate (ok Bill, not as loud as Chieftain but louder than descriptions of quiet Hoovers) volume, clear round or full sound, with ease of transition.

A note for Tyghress. When I refer to “fit and finish” I do not necessarily mean the polish, but rather as a unit term (as in knife collecting)referring to the workmanship and how it is finished off, i.e., are the edges of the holes consistent and smooth, does the slide work well, are there burrs on metal or chips in wood, etc. including whether the entire piece holds up together as a single unit that is pleasing to eye and touch and substantial and unified in character.

Philo