I’ve been playing Oaks and Generations for a few years and just got a Burke whistle a month ago. I’m having a really tough time getting high A and B out of it. To get them to sound I have to overblow so those notes are wickedly loud and out of place in a tune. I warm up the whistle before I play and treat the fipple with detergent so I don’t get condensation. I’m playing it less and less because I’m not getting the satisfaction I thought I would get from it. (I love the sound of the Burke and the low air required until I have to hit the A or B.)
Has anybody had similar problems and overcome them? How did you do it?
To tell you the truth I’m feeling the same way about the Harper when I play it. But I guess it’s something of a practice… and getting used to.
Doing a roll on a high B doesn’t sound great to say the least over here.
I have A Burke D brass wide bore. of those before the new black tip ones. Never had that feeling. The whistle is very well balanced through octaves and high notes are easily reachable and well in tune. Maybe there’s something wrong. Let Mike know.
This is truly not normal Burke behavior. In fact, Burkes are known for the exact opposite characteristics… Please contact Mike…
Best to you.
Byll
I have a Burke DAN, and I think there has to be something wrong with your whistle. There is no way my whistle is hard to blow in the higher notes.
I’m still new, so take this with a grain of salt.
That said, I got a whitecap from Mack last month and had a similar problem. It’s on an Oak body. After a day or so I actually posted the problem here on the forum. I just felt like I really had to blow hard to get the high notes, which caused them to be really loud.
I’ve since found out something that seems to help. If I put the whistle beak a little further into my mouth, the issue is much improved. It’s easier to hit the high A and B, and it’s not as loud and brash.
Normally with my cheapie whistles - which all have straight windways, by the way - I just put the very tip of the beak to my lips. I don’t know if the curved windway of the Hoover is the reason it helps to put it further into my mouth, but it certainly seems to help.
I’ve never seen a Burke in person, but if it has a curved windway, you might give that a try.
Jason
Jason, regarding the whitecap, I agree. It took me a day or two to get the hang of it’s unique requirements. It’s not a hard whistle to play, but took some adjustment. Still way easier than Susatos, IMHO, and I really love it now. I’m sure you’d expect to have the same adjustment to any other whistle that’s got its own personality.
It does sound as though something is wrong with your whistle.
Burkes don’t require warming, don’t need particularly hard blowing on the high notes, and don’t have much trouble with condensation.
–James
thanks for your replies. I’ll get in touch with Mike Burke as it’s something that seems to be out of my control. From the very favorable comments on Burke whistles I’ve read in this forum my problem is very rare.
Oaks are some of the easiest playing whistles on high A/B that you can find, so if that’s what you’re used to you’d probably find just about any high-end whistle a challenge on the high notes at first.
I’ve found very few whistles where you don’t have to push the high A/B a bit to hit the note…one of the few negative things about whistles is if you make the high A/B easy to hit you end up with a low D that’s too weak.
However, Burke and Humphrey whistles are the best at getting a good compromise between low and high notes that I’ve found, so you might have Mike take a look at it.
-Brett
My Burke Narrow bore D has the same issue–I think it’s as Bretton said, if you’re used to cheapies, the A and B on the Burke will seem to take a lot more push to hit them, but it’s just a little bit more. I play mainly cheapies and Sindts, and they’re all fairly easy blowers, so the little bit of extra push on the upper A and B is noticeable to me when I pick up the Burke. A flute player would probably think we were crazy. As far as those notes being louder, they are by a little bit, and if you play in a wet room with lots of hard surfaces, it’s going to seem even louder.
That said, you could probably have it revoiced to make it more easy blowing up top, but you’d lose something else, maybe the low D wouldn’t be as strong. I’d be interested in hearing what you find out from Mike, I’ve considered having mine revoiced for that high A and B, but I hardly play it, so I’ve never followed up on doing that.
Mike asked me to send it back for him to check out. He says “I can make them easier blowers for those that want that. So many people squeak them that I have to hit a compromise and maybe it is too far in that direction.”
Stay tuned. I’m sending it out tomorrow. I know it will come back a real gem.
jp
i had the same impression with my burke dasbt i sold it and got a hoover brass narrow bore for 1/2 the price the second octave is just as easy to play as the first and the sound is sweeter i had an oak too but anything in the second octave sounded really screechy
I received my narrow bore whistle yesterday and the problem appears to be solved. The A plays easily and it only takes a bit more to get the B, but without the increase in volume I had to work with before. The bottom D is as strong as before, and it may be my imagination, but the overall sound is much prettier and a pleasure to listen to. (My wife likes it better than before also. She wouldn’t let me play my Oak anymore, even with the Burke in the shop.)
thanks, Mike.
Good to hear good news.