I fear that I am on a desperate trip down a one way plunge into irreversible WHOAD. I have begged and pleaded with folks to save me, yet to no avail. Just as I thought the addition of two beautiful wooden creations from the hands of Gene Milligan, and an incredible set of David O’Brien Rovers in Eb, D, and C to my expanding stable of wonderful whistles would serve to quell my insatiable thirst, alas, no. In a cruel and heartless tease, Sillydill goes and puts a Fred Rose whistle up on the exchange. I sincerely made a valiant attempt to resist the lure of the African Blackwood and the contrasting gleam of the sterling silver adornments and the Rose reputation for exquisite tonal quality and playability. I argued with myself, “don’t do it lad, if ye jump there’s no coming back”. I am afraid I lost the battle. The Rose should be in my shaking hands for a good toot by high noon tomorrow. Steve Bliven was right, I am beyond help and smitten for whistles.
It’s about quality, not quantity. I know most of us have there at one time or another, but after 6 years of buying, trading selling whistles, I’m down to one D whistle, a Freeman Bluebird. And guess what? I’m perfectly content with that.
Thomaston,
It is really a matter of personal choice, likes and dislikes. The Bluebird is a very nice whistle and I have one in D and another in Eb. Great tone and I frequently take them placess where I would not bring my more high end whistles. I happen to enjoy exploring different whistles by assorted makers with as your post suggests, a focus on quality. I like changing to different keys for certain tunes rather than playing everything in high D. I also appreciate the craftsmanship of various makers and the appearance of whistles in a variety of both standard and more exotic materials. So, I really dont see where quality and quantity are mutually exclusive of each other. I am just fortunate enough to own multiple quality whistles by choice, and I play them all frequently so that none are just sitting about gathering dust.
I am glad you are perfectly happy with one whistle.
Oh dear, how can you ever know that your current favourite is your personal ultimate? You might think you got it, but doesn’t remain that latent feeling that there’s an even better whistle out there, just waiting for you?
Damn, but doesn’t an institution like the chiffboard help to narrow down your hunt? Just the opposite! If you want certainty, you’ll have to try them all, I’m afraid. Generations of whistlers devoted their lives to this quest.
Or might it really be… maybe… that the Bluebird indeed is the chosen one???
Contentment to me is more like realising that no matter what i buy, there’s always something better, newer and shinier.
I am quite content with my 2004 Mondeo, which by no means is a high end car
Returning to whistles, i would hav a hard time to decide between the Burke, which is excellent, if a tad.. “boring” is a strong word, but a bit character-less, the Syn or the Löfgren who both have more character than the Burke, but aren’t necessarily better.. The Freeman Mellow dog is also a strong contender among my high D whistles..
I am glad i am not forced to choose
The same reasoning apply, although to a lesser degree with my whistles in other keys, but as far as A whistle goes, i won’t ever replace my Löfgren, it’s as good as they get.
Same with the low F and D, there might be better ones somewhere out there, but at least for the moment i feel no desire or need to search.
Steve,
You may be on to something. Reminds me of that song “Born To Be A Bachelor”, something my wife put a stop to some 29 commited years ago. I have me priorities straight lad, there is just a profound weakness when it comes to whistles.
Let me clarify… I’m content with my Bluebird as my only D whistle. I also like other keys, however. I also have Freeman’s Gens in Bb and A, and am looking to add a C and E whistle to my collection.
I just felt like, in my earlier years, I wasted too much time looking at other whistles instead of using that time to practice the perfectly usable one next to me.
Blackwood,
For me, the quest is not aimed at newer or shinier. The fact is, the majority of low whistles I own are pre-owned instruments. I still have my original Feadog whistle, recently repaired by Jerry Freeman, and still play it regularly. The fact is, it was the only whistle I owned for several years. Are there better whistles out there? Absolutely. I will say that I favor function over form and tone is a major consideration, but one that I often take a gamble on by purchasing over the internet with no opportunity to try the whistle prior to purchase. I think it fair to say that many members find themselves in that same predicament. I also give deep consideration to form and appreciate the craftsmanship that goes into the making of a beautiful whistle. It is to me, a functional piece of art that I can enjoy visually and by making music with it.
Is there a “perfect” whistle out there.? Perhaps for some. I am sure there are those that would be very happy for all their whistling days with a entry level whistle with no tweaks, and many of them can play better than I might ever be capable of. For me, I have some incredible whistles by some of the best makers out there. I may have already come as close to having the “perfect” whistle as I ever will, and that would be fine. As mentioned previously, I enjoy exploring whistles that I have no prior experience with. If I buy a whistle and I feel a connection to it as an instrument that I like and will play often, it’s a keeper. If I buy a whistle and just don’t feel any connection to it, it will probably go back on the secondary market, not because it is neccesarily a bad whistle, but just not a whistle for me.
My “stable” of whistles certainly pales compared to many of the members on this forum, though it does seem to be growing. The whistles I do have get played regularly and seem to coax me into doing so because I have a special conmection to them and derive great enjoyment from doing so.
Oh, and by the way Blackwood, I drive a pre-owned 1996 Toyota 4 Runner that is far from new, less than shiney, but gets me around, I don’t mind putting my Labrador Retriever (Cayden) next to me on the leather seats , and I can get off road to remote locations to hunt and fish when I am not playing whistles. I would be perfectly happy to drive this rig for the rest of my life if I could. I agree with another poster that “comtentment is wealth”, but it is also relative and will vary from one person to the next.
