Recent Observations

Whistle
1

There have been a lot of questions lately about which whistle to buy, which to be the first high-ender, a decent strong lower octave low G, etc., so I thought I’d just post some observations after owning and playing many whistles and finally having the ones I really like best. Keep in mind my preferences are a good deal of volume, responsiveness, ability to bend notes, consistency, ease of transition, forgivingness, chiff or pure is fine.

A note on Copelands. I have had very bad luck in having Michael make whistles for me on two ocassions (spread over ten years), but my favorite whistles are the used Copelands I’ve purchased from other Board members. The Copeland Low D is simply unparalelled in my experience and has brought me the kind of joy I’ve always sought in a Low D; I play it every day - easy to play, responsive and great haunting tone throughout two octaves. The Low G I got via Dave Migoya the same. The soprano D is also perfect in every respect for me. I would love to get a Bflat used Copeland as well. As you know, these are expensive.

Now for, IMHO, the universe’s absolute best ounce for ounce soprano D whistle, the Burke AL-pro. Many of us post reviews when we first get a new whistle and fall in love (again); this one has stood the test of time; it’s still my favorite.

I’ve seen a lot of posts about Water Weasels. I have a Low A WW purchased from Andy’s that is extraordinary and if the Low G is anything like it, I’d heartily recommend it.

Finally, the Abell soprano D delrin is also wonderful (and expensive). I find that with Abells you have to pay attention to your approach to the mouthpiece otherwise because of the thin windway you may get no sound or one that sounds full of air or gulped somehow.

You may have noticed that I’ve talked about metal and plastic. I love my woods as well (aesthetically and the timbre of the vibrating wood)but I’m preparing to go away on vacation and will only take the more durable, impervious to elements, and maitenance-free plastic and metal on trips, so that’s where my head’s at now.

Regards to all, Philo

2

I still have to admit that I don’t own, or have ever played a whistle better than my Oak D or ‘improved’ Feadóg D whistles. They are both cheap, and easy to find.

Perhaps I got lucky, or maybe I’m just not as picky about my tone. As it has been stated before, in the end, it’s not the whistle you play, but how you play it, and of greatest importance…that you E-N-J-O-Y playing it!

To quote Lee Marsh: ENJOY THE MUSIC!!!

Bri~

3

Agreed Brian; but some of us love to collect and forever search for that perfect conveyance of heart and soul. Be well. Philo

4

Phil,

What happend to your Grinter fascination?

Loren

5

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy collecting too. I just have come to enjoy playing more than collecting. I’ve got what must be something close to 30-40 whistles in my bag, and have played literaly hundreds over the years.

All had merit in one way or another, but in the end, I’ve not found one that was head and shoulders above the rest. Not for my tastes anyway.

If I were to collect uilleann pipes the way I’d collected whistles in the past, I’d have to ask Bill Gates for a MAJOR loan! :slight_smile:

B~

6

Here we go again…(not complaining) :slight_smile:
I’ll only comment on what I own.
If I was going with one cover-all-the-bases whistle, I’d say the Burke session pro wide bore- I have the brass, can’t comment on the aluminum. Relatively traditional, metal sounding, not overly loud, but loud enough, easy to play, no weird idiosyncracies, doesn’t clog much, reasonable price.

Outside the traditional sounding arena, my all-time favorite whistle is my blackwood Abell. Besides being an easy-playing, predictable, forgiving whistle (even more so than the Burke), I’m in love with the tone. Tone is first priority with me (all other things being “equal”). I get the impression that Abells vary in tone from whistle to whistle- I’ve been told on the board I was nuts for claiming mine had chiff, the other person had a pure tone. Mine has a flutish “dark” hollow sound with a lot of chiff. It doesn’t translate much in my Clips submissions and I don’t think it reveals itself in ensemble playing. But, in a solo slow air, it’s supernatural sounding (at least in my imagination). Though it sounds nothing like a Generation, I’d argue that its sound fits Irish music beautifully. (Who’d a thought a Greek 4-stringed instrument would work?) It’s loud enough and carries in a loud session. It ain’t cheap.

I recently bought a thin weasel from Loren (cocus). This has a pure, clear, loud tone. It has an essential “whistle” sound to it, as opposed to an O’Riordan, which is the purest/non-chiffy whistle you could get. The tone of the O’Riordan I bought from a board member sounds just like the recordings of Joanie Madden’s (minus a little reverb, etc and minus the skill in playing). Up close, the whistle sounds plasticy and recorderish, a surprising weirdness I’m not crazy about. I’d say it would be good for being heard in a noisy room where you want the crispness of your playing to come across. (If you’re not crisp, you might reconsider.) For anyone who is bummed about the 2yr wait for an O’R, I’d go with a thin weasel for a close approximation in volume and clarity, without the negative. In other words, I’d recommend the thin weasel over the O’Riordan. (I promised Loren I’d record a clip with the cocus t.w. I recorded a reel I love, The Jolly Tinker, but I was horrified at my recording of it and so, there will be a delay. I can’t believe I’ve played it in public. My “friends” could have warned me.) The thin weasel is the loudest whistle I’ve played. I plan on using it for solo reels at the pub when it’s noisy. (There’s a certain amount of solo playing- w/ guitar or bodhran backup at our sessions as a way to introduce music the group doesn’t know and to give enough rope to those who want to hang themselves- like me.)

The Copeland low D is a very cool sounding low d. It’s easy to play reach-wise and just easy to play. Sounds totally different from any other low d I’ve heard- the most flutish in sound and maybe has the most chiff. You can play loud and soft. My own experience with low d’s in big sessions is that, unless you’re very close to them, you can’t hear them, Copeland included. I have a Goldie Overton low F. It has a great buzzy kind of sound. Low f’s are great low whistles, especially if you struggle with the reach of a low d. I don’t play it that much because you can’t play along in a session with it and I put a lot of my practice time into fast tunes on a high d. I tried a guy’s Hoover low F (pvc?) It sounded great.

I don’t have a large collection of whistles, but, I have to admit I’ve forked out a few bucks for the ones I have. I feel like I have the bases covered and more stuff would be redundant. I have a few other whistles that have some very good qualities mixed w/ something off-putting- either clogging, or squeaking, or air reqirements, or reach, or whatever. In the interest of not blowing the whole day thinking and typing, I’ll leave it at this.
Tony