Have any of you as you’ve gotten better and more experienced gone back to whistles that you either didn’t like or found less than optimally playable, and WALLA, magic, you’re wailin away quite nicely? I always drop little tidbits into discussions about how I unhappily had to adjust to the low air requirements of the Improved; today I just picked it up (and played it) and it was really a rewarding experience.
Also we often see people saying that they can play so easily on a soprano D after practicing on low D. I find that as my general playing improves as I’m practicing almost totally on soprano D, that on that rare occasion when I pick up a low D, my playing there is easier as well. It really is the music and the musician, isn’t it? (And the teachers, and the books, and the recordings, and the metronomes, and the… )
I have. When I first got my Susatos, I didn’t like them at all. A few years later, when I needed a loud whistle for Morris, I pulled out a Susato Dublin and discovered it had gotten “inexplicably” better. They’re still not my favorite whistles for most applications, but not because there’s anything wrong with them.
Bet you’d never believe I took four years of French (started reading novels and now can barely order breakfast) and am trying to learn Spanish (conversational); from whence came “walla”?
At 55, I notice perhaps less brain cells doing more work, and sometimes faltering in that noble effort…
Yeah, it can be embarrassing can’t it. I’m almost frightened to say anything bad about a whistle for fear that in a few months I’ll pick it up and really like it. Another thing is to make sure you’ve thoroughly cleaned out the windway of a whistle if you are about to go on record criticising it. Those who haven’t ever done this have a treat in store when they try—you’ll be amazed at what’s hiding there.
Like Redwolf, I found some Susatos much better when I came back to them than I did at first. I don’t like all of them but some are very nice I think. I now think that their status as intermediate in price suggests misleadingly that they are the first you should move to if you want to move up from cheapies. I think that’s wrong. They can be good for intermediate and experienced players but not so good for near beginners.
I think that is true of every inexpensive whistle that I own. I have two Gen Cs that I thought were very difficult to play and wouldn’t play at all in the upper part of the second octave. Now I find that both of these whistles are beautiful and a joy to play. Neither has been tweaked at all. The same was true of the Susato. I now love the way it plays but I still don’t like the sound (Bloomfield knows what I mean).
The only two whistles that I have that were near perfect from the first scale were my Alba Q1 and my Walton Mellow D. These are my favorite whistles at the moment with my Clare Brass and Nickel close behind them. I have some that I wish I hadn’t done any tweaking on.
I have the opposite experience, a very lazy student I wouldn’t play much anyway..sooo I have put things into cupboards and boxes where I later discover things.
I noticed that as my technique improved so did the sound of everything I play!
LOL@Bunny!
The ones I don’t like I just haven’t practiced with enough. Usually they are the ones that have either quite different air requirements or different finger stretching requirements. I just got a new Generations B flat two weeks ago, and the higher notes sound like crap. I figure it’s because the holes are almost big enough for my fingers to fall right through, plus I have to learn to be a ‘blowhard’. :roll:
I never could get use the the Susato VSB-D Whistle. Now I own a Low D Susato and I like it a lot, but the VSB-D, well not so much. No offense meant. but it looked very cheap and sounded bad…(and no, it was not the player) it was the whistle. I had it for about 4 weeks and boom it was gone on eBay!
You are indeed a devil, Loren! As you can tell. I’m really working hard with Bill Ochs on polishing my playing, so I’m sticking pretty much to the high E, D and C whistles these days. That Olwell bamboo F is languishing away; but I’m bringing it to next session with Bill…who knows, inspiration perhaps?
)
Glad to hear you’re still focused, that’s the best way to be! (Not that I claim to be 