I’ve been wanting to learn to play an instrument for a while, and was inspired to pick up an Oak D after finding out one was used to play the melody in the Star Trek episode Inner Light.
The lower register plays fine, but the upper register is very raspy. Am I simply not giving it enough air? I’ve found the Oak D quite loud in the upper register, and I’m afraid of giving it the air needed to reach upper G and above.
Is there another model I should try that’s a bit quieter that would be better for practicing in an apartment? My only requirements are that I can get it in Canada and that I’m unlikely to end up with a bad one. A suggestion for a whistle in C would also be appreciated.
Welcome to the whistle forum. The Oak D is a nice whistle and the raspy second register can arise from different issues. Mainly your experience. Beginners. Give the whistle some time with playing as playing is the only way to get to where you want to be. The whistle needs the proper air (breath control) for either octave. The second octave may require more push, but, not that much. Overblowing/underblowing is a common beginning problem.
I like to practice with exercises going up and down the two full octaves using the minimum amount of air required, and then two full octaves with maximum amount of air. For me, this helps find the breaking point of what works and what doesn’t.
Apartment living has it’s own issues. You can search here on C&F for quieting a whistle. And you can search here whistle forum for that Trekkie topic as well.
When I started I had a Walton’s Mellow C. I still have that original whistle and it is still a favorite to this day. Had to replace the tube and tweak the head a bit. But, I still play it and will always keep it.
One thing I did on my Walton’s mellow is take it right on up to the third octave. I didn’t really know what I was doing and that whistle could be pushed right up to third octave right about to the point your talking about (the half way point).
There really should be no reason at all to be afraid of giving it the air needed to reach upper G. If it feels really forced try backing off a bit. From what I remember the second octave came for me before the lower octave did. That could be what your struggling with.
“Mr. Spock, the women on your planet are logical. That’s the only planet in the galaxy that can make that claim.” – Captain James Tiberius Kirk
Check the head of your Oak carefully for little rough areas or extraneous bits of plastic. In particular, look through the windway towards a bright light, and check all around the square window area. Tiny irregularities in these areas can cause undesirable sounds. They can usually be cleaned up with a sharp Xacto blade.
To a certain degree, a second octave will very often be a bit raspy or harsher sounding. The high air velocity needed to push the sound into the second octave can create noise producing turbulence.
