Overdue intro (and a request for info)

Whistle
1

Howdy,
I’ve been a member for over a year, but mainly just lurked until recently. So, I thought I should introduce myself.

Life story: Born near Nashville, TN (USA), raised and educated in east TN, then spent 4 years in purgatory (aka Dallas, TX) before moving to the Seattle, WA, area in 1996. The one good thing about my time in Texas? That’s where I discovered the joys of Irish music (at the North Texas Irish Festival).

1st whistle: An honest-to-god TIN whistle (D, conical bore with wooden fipple plug) made at Colonial Williamsburg, VA, purchased in the mid 1980s. This thing is in serious need of some professional tweaking. It’s so difficult to play, it made me think I just really sucked and should try some other instrument. I didn’t play this whistle, or buy another one, for several years.

2nd whistle: Generation C (nickel), purchased in the early 1990s. Hey! Maybe it wasn’t me that sucked, maybe it was the whistle! Not that I was any good, then or now. But at least I could make some noise that approximated music. (Can’t play this one much, now, due to a nickel sensitivity.)

3rd whistle: Feadog D (brass), purchased in 1996. My first high-D whistle. (Not sure which Mk it is.)

4th whistle: Clark Sweetone D. Makes the Feadog sound really harsh.

5th whistle: Burke AL-Pro high D, purchased in April 2001. My first “high-end” whistle. Wow, what a difference money can make.

6th whistle: Laughing Whistle telescoping high D. Perfect tone and volume for quiet practice. My wife (as well as the cats and the dog) seems to prefer that I play this one around the house. Super cloggy, though.

7th whistle: Burke AL-Pro Viper Low D, purchased in March 2004. Love the sound; still getting used to the piper’s grip.

Whistles 8 and 9 (birthday presents from my wonderful wife) are on order, both being made by Paul Busman: one of bird’s-eye maple (for home use) and one of Delrin (for travel), both D.

Other instruments I own but can’t play: Guitar, fiddle, harmonica, ocarina.

Okay, that’s the intro. Now the request for information. I was one of the lucky winners in the raffle for Jerry, and I’ve won the Serpent SunSinger Bb whistle. I’ve never played or heard (in person) a Serpent whistle. How would the SunSinger compare to, say, a Burke, in tone, volume, chiff, etc.? Anyone out there experienced with both? I guess I’ll find out for myself soon enough, but I was just curious. Any opinions on the subject will be greatly appreciated.

Cheers!
John

2

I know nothing about Serpents, but while we’re waiting around for a qualified response I’ll just contribute that I have an Alba Bb, and it’s a very cool key to play in.

3

I believe James Peeples (peeplj) posted a review of the SunSinger’s predecessor, the Anaconda, a while back. (He also has a music clip posted on his site - http://www.flutesite.com)

There’s also a clip on the Serpent Music site, http://www.serpentmusic.com, under “sounds”.

I’ve currently got a SunSinger A on order, but I can’t post a first-person review yet. I like the Serpents I have (two different models of Polly Ds, and Python Low F) enough that I ordered the SunSinger (and a Sweet Polly D/C set that Bill’s making as a bit of an experiment), so I’m not exactly unbiased. Serpents do tend toward the airy/chiffy side of the whistle spectrum, by design.

4

Em: Yeah, I’m looking forward to having a non-D whistle. (I can’t really count my Generation C, since it gives me a rash. I should probably give it away.)

DCrom: Thanks for the info. I’ll look for the Anaconda review. None of my current whistles are particularly airy or chiffy. An airy, chiffy whistle in Bb sounds like a nice addition.

Cheers,
John

5

:laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

I see we both share our “love” of Dallas! I’ve been there innumerable times (and was born there, perish the thought) and am never so happy to leave a place!

(I’ll scurry away now, ducking the birdshot… :moreevil: :moreevil: )

:smiley:

Robin

6

Heh. I actually enjoyed the job I had in Dallas, but that didn’t keep me from finding another one just to get out of the place. The last straw for me: July 4th, 8pm, in the shade, 108 degrees F. Ugh. I much prefer the climate in the Pacific Northwest. (I freely admit that I’m a heat wimp.) And the yearly tornado season in TX wasn’t much fun, either. I’ll take my chances with earthquakes and volcanoes. :slight_smile:

Cheers,
John

7

Dallas is hell - I mean it can be so hot you’d think you were in hell.

8

Dallas can be bad, but a lot of folks seem to like it. Me, I agree with you, though there ARE worse places, some of them in Texas. Like Houston (about as hot, but 90%+ humidity, too) or west Texas.

Old quote: “If I owned a ranch in Hell and a ranch in west Texas, I’d lease out the one in Texas and live on the other.”

But I think the real hotter-than-hell award goes to SW Arizona / SE California. Lovely area to vist in the winter or early spring, but the rest of the year more than makes up for it. Riding a motorcycle there in the summer left me feeling like I was riding into the exhaust fan from a blast furnace. And no matter how hot you feel, as long as you’re moving you stay bone dry - the air is so dry the sweat evaporates as soon as it forms.

9

When I think of the desert Southwest, I think, “Nice place to visit (in winter), but I wouldn’t want to live there.” One of my hobbies is hiking. When it’s cold, I can throw on more insulating layers of clothing. When it’s really, really hot, even buck-naked ain’t cool enough. :sunglasses:

Cheers,
John