Hello! Long time poster, long time in absentia too. A second hello to anyone here who remembers me from Long Ago.
Most of my whistles are in D and I don’t seem to have any Cs that I can locate. I have been away from Irish music for 10+ years and am finding that the makers I knew who made non-chiffy, ‘pure’ sounding whistles are mostly no longer making, and there are a plethora of new names on the market. So I thought I’d ask here for recommendations.
I tend to like metal whistles, lighter in weight if possible, with either metal or plastic heads. I really don’t like the chiff sound much and prefer a nonbreathy, ‘pure’ tone. Think Laughing Whistle, most Hoovers, a few tweaked ones of various brands. I need the key of C. Are there any brands on the market you would recommend that I check out?
Strange coincidence that I happened to browse through on the same day avanutria posted a question (and I actually had something to contribute, even if via pm).
I really should check in more often, but you know what they say about good intentions…
Astonishing… Welcome back to the both of you. The return of you both makes me smile.
To answer your ’ pure-sounding C’ question, avanutria, my suggestions for your consideration, would be Burke brass narrow bore, and John Sindt’s fine offering. There will be those who might suggest the Sindt knock-off, but personally, I feel they truly do not play nor sound the same…
Hi Nano and Byll! I was glad to see activity still on the old boards here, even if it seems a little quieter than the chaotic heyday of Way Back When.
Thanks for the recommendations, Byll! Jsluder is setting me up with a Freeman-tweaked, but I’m still interested in hearing about makers. I’ll look into Burke and Sindt - I’ve actually never played either of those, though I recognize the name. I was surprised to see a LOT of whistles from China and Russia being hawked on ebay, and amused that one of them is branded the Naomi.
I dug through my whistle box last night and uncovered a gloriously pure D that I didn’t even remember, with no maker mark but I think it must be a brass Hoover Whitecap - but it’s also a telescoping one! I am guessing it’s a prototype he gave me during a 2010 visit, as I don’t remember telescoping Hoovers being standard. I really need to reach out to him and see how he is doing.
I always recommend Killarney whistles. I like 'em. They look like a Sindt, but for me, I actually prefer them, and that’s handy, because they’re a lot cheaper. YMMV, obvs.
Hi Beth, good to see you back! Still several of us old-timers lurking around the forums even though we’re not all very active posters anymore. I hope you enjoy rediscovering the whistle!
If I get some Killarneys it will be an expensive rediscovery, but I just have to look at a concertina and then it seems cheap. In fact I need to get my Rochelle listed for sale, that will fund a few whistles.
Of the several C whistles I have, the one with the least breathiness, medium pressure, and very direct tone (clean and without squeaks/squawks), a metal body (similar in feel to a Gen C, but a little heavier because of the copper tube and metal collar), is the new Chieftain/Optima Cobre.
Sindts have a very clean/pure tone that’s also “dark” to me, very nice. I had a Sindt C but for me this Generation was just as pure and dark but also added a touch of complexity.
I think they refurbished the molds for the injection molding (according to an info from Jerry Freeman). But the C model mouthpiece comes from only two different molds, unlike the D which comes from 4. From what I read, one is a bit better than the other. I bought one recently and it is excellent. But I also like the Feadog in C. However, I’d not call them very “pure” sounding. They do have a certain amount of breathiness.
From recordings on Youtube – “Clover” whistles (from Argentina) sound rather pure. And John Bushby (Shearwater whistles) makes some pure souding whistles. https://youtu.be/YLrFqTyicks
Nathaniel Dowell has a lot of tests up on youtube. He’s also here on the form under the name “AngelicBeaver”. So he might have some suggestions.
One thing in talking about tone is that to some people “pure/clean” means removing noise/dirt while retaining the complexity/character of tone that comes from a greater presence of higher harmonics.
To others “pure/clean” means reducing the higher harmonics resulting in a tone with little complexity/character, in a word, bland.
When I compared C’s by Burke, Generation, and Sindt all three were equally “pure” in the former sense.
In the latter sense, they could be ranked from most to least “pure” Burke > Sindt > Generation.
Or as I reckon things, all equally “pure”, and ranked from most to least tonally complex Generation > Sindt > Burke.
True enough. When I think about a pure sound – I think about an ocarina. So that would be more “pure” in the latter sense – so no harmonics and no “wind noise” or breathiness. But I’d say that a “Clover” whistle for example is still a long way from the sound of an ocarina. And not all ocarinas sound like that but for example a “Focalink” does. A “Coda” doesn’t.
I wouldn’t be sure how to separate “breathiness” from complexity as you call it, Richard. There are so many factors involved. If I wanted to make a whistle with a very pure sound, I’d make a short (but maybe broader) window, short blade and larger holes.
Another “pure” sounding options is Chuck Tilbury’s C whistle. Is the one I have. https://whistlemaker.com/product/tilbury-soprano-whistle-c-copy/
The only thing to note is that the air req is super low and its really easy to overlow so it makes the low note a little weak. But for playing higher its wonderful and not shrill or too loud. It makes me sad that hes making a new model now, and only in D. I just like how this one looks more. Idk how the new ones sound.
Good points - and I play ocarina too, and are familiar with the models you mention. Most ocs retain a sense of ‘hollowness’ in their sound that I don’t get with whistles though.
I think if I were pressed to define “pure” for me, I would say an absence of the sound of rushing air concurrent with the note being played. The trait of that rushing air sound tends to get stronger at higher notes. Maybe others would define that as “breathiness” instead. I hadn’t thought about harmonics. I’ve never played Burkes or Sindts so would not be able to compare their sound to others.
