Hi, I’ve played whistle for about 2 years now and I know something about whistle, but of course, not as much as those experts who answer questions of beginners like me.
The first whistle I’ve ever bought was Clarke D, the black one with gold diamonds (now all those ornaments have vanished after a few months.) The tone is beautiful, response is fast (I just love this whistle when I play a tune with crans.) , but the major issue about this guy is amount of breath required!!! Oh dear, even though I am also a trombone player, this guy sucks the wind out of me so fast!!!
So the next one I bought was Dixon Trad D with nickel body. There was tiny difference between brass and nickel, so I just chose this guy. Breathing problem was definitely solved… but now it’s tone… sure it’s purer than Clarke, less airy sound… but Low D can go off the edge so easily and the shrillness of high notes!!!
Therefore, I’m now looking for a new whistle. Something that doesn’t require air as much as Clarke does, as responsive as Clarke (I like to play with crans especially,) not too breathy or shrill (especially around High G!!) as Dixon.
I looked up some resources in this forum and found Sindt and Gene Milligan whistles as fitting-in-my-taste. (I read Wanderer’s comment about Milligan’s whistle taking a lot of air, but I’m pretty sure it doesn’t take as much as Clarke’s)
But of course, I’m sure you guys will know better than me, aye? I can’t just email Mr. Sindt and Milligan to send me their sample whistles, so I can hear how they sound like and send them back. (or can I?)
Asking someone to recommend them a new whistle is like asking a girlfriend to suggest a new boyfriend. One size does not fit all.
If you like the Clarke sound and response then I would first suggest that you perform the thumb squash tweak on it. It will lower the height of the windway and then require less air to play. Here’s the diagram fro the main Chiff and Fipple website.
As for other whistles, it is best to get out and about where other whistlers play. Whistle players are notoriously social beings and love to share. Try a few whistles to see what works best for you. Or at the very least get a chance to see and hear what others are playing and what their whistles sound like. Festivals, workshops and sessions are all great places to try other whistles. Depending on where you live you may run across a vendor or a whistle maker selling at a festival as well.
I personally have not found the Dixons I have owned to be shrill. But if I were you, I’d date Ted, IYKWIM.
I play a Sindt (among many others) and they are very good whistles. You can’t miss with them. There are many YouTube videos where Sindt whistles are being played although I wouldn’t put much stock in YouTube videos for telling you just how a whistle sounds.
Milligan is a good whistle by reputation but I have yet to run across one myself. No whistle uses as much air as a Clarke unless it is made by someone that never plays whistle. But many whistles are free-blowing designs which will require much more air than say a Generation. It’s all a matter of relative taste you know. I don’t think you’d have much trouble re-selling a Milligan whistle if you did not like it though. Hermann is a nice guy. What about him?
I hate to make whistle recommendations for the reasons given by Feadoggie, but here goes, because I love Ann Arbor. Anyway, IMO:
You cannot go wrong with a Sindt high D whistle, which has a long wait list I’m told and may be too pricey for you at this time, although not the highest priced of whistles and certainly amazing value.
If you’re looking for less costly really wonderful to play whistles, consider a Freeman tweaked whistle. I would heartily recommend his new Bluebird D, which I believe is around $37.50.
If you’d like a moderately priced whistle that’s eminently travelable (3 piece in case), the Carey Parks is very good as well.
You can call Gene Milligan who’s wonderful to deal with; I have a red dymondwood, brass and delrin from him that’s beautiful and a nice player as well.
Michael Burke turns out consistently fine whistles over a bunch of years now in several materials; these may be a bit higher in price now though.
As for the air thing, I have a handful of Clarke originals (pretty old) and never had a air reqirement problem with any of them and love their tone; the only problem I ever had with air was with a Shaw.
Hope this helps. Enjoy your music.
Philo
Try a Susato if you can - they often get assailed as loud or shrill, but I really like the ones I own, which are not at all loud or shrill - there are various models, though.
I don’t have a Dixon Trad, but by reputation they are a sweet and reliable whistle.
Could it be that you don’t have enough whistle time on this to play it to its potential?Maybe putting in a couple weeks of practice will clear up your issues.
Just for full disclosure, I’m on the Sindt waiting list and my next purchase is going to be a Freeman Bluebird.
First off, I’m not sure that I would characterize John Sindt’s whistle as having a strong bottom end, if this is what you are looking for. In fact I think if it was just a touch stronger than it is, it would suit me a bit better. However, it is a fine whistle and a great value as stated above.
The Dixon trad… yeah this whistle will boor you after a while, but if you put it away for a few months or whatever, when you pick it up again, you’ll still like it as much as you ever once did (however much or little that might be… ), and then it will start to boor you again. That nickel tube does sing nicely though, if the head were voiced a little differently…
That Celtic whistle is basically a Sweetone. They are fun whistles, good for familiarizing one’s self with whistles for the first time. Still fun to go back and play once in a while as you progress, but not good for developing sound techniques that will transfer easily from one whistle to another IMO. So yes, you definitely should get another whistle.
There are a lot of whistles out there worth considering that won’t break the budget, but based on what you state you would like to have in a whistle, I am thinking that the Freeman Mellow Dog would suit you very well at this point.
I would concur with the other posters with regard to Jerry Freeman’s tweaked whistles. The only one I have is a Generation Bb but next to my Sindt A is my favorite high whistle I mainly play Low D’s. With regards to the Sindt it is such a good whistle it almost plays itself and I have not found that it is weak in the lower register, if there is a downside to it, it is the long waiting list. I did find that John was a really nice guy to deal with even though I am on the other side of the pond from him. The Freeman Gen Bb is consistant throughout but requires a little more breath control in the upper register ( I found that it was too easy to overblow here) but I am fairly new to whistles.
I am sure you will find the answer to your question here. Keep on whistleing.
I second with the above with two caveats - 1) I have a Dixon Trad, 2) You might need to replace “weeks” with “months” or even “years”. Seriously, I think you should stick with the whistle you have for a good while longer and listen to other players, before spending money on a “better” whistle which may well just end up as an “expensive” whistle with similar issues.
and of course, I practice everyday and I know that Dixon is a good whistle… it’s like a nice girlfriend but not really good enough to get married with.
Therefore, I’m gonna attend that open session in Ann Arbor, and get some more advises from there.
And i think I should try to check out Jerry Freeman’s whistle since many of you are praising it.
But which one should I get?
Mellow Dog? Blackbird? Generation or Clarke? (traditional or meg)
Which one fits into my preference the most?
P.S: It would be good to have a whistle that is “wind-resistant” since Michigan is pretty windy… but that is icing on a cake of course…
IMHO, do NOT get a Blackbird if you’re a newbie. I wouldn’t get another Clarke either, but I’d try Feadoggie’s tweak if I had one.
The Mellow Dog and the Bluebird by Jerry are really nice, even great whistles. Definitely great for the price. I’ve been playing the Bluebird for two weeks solid and, though it’s early yet, I have to say that it may actually have an edge on the Mellow Dog I’ve played for the past two years. It is louder if you seek that. The low E note, traditionally a weak and sloppy note on many whistles, is solid on the Mellow Dog but perfect on the Bluebird. I love the bigger size and feel of the brass Mellow Dog. But the tone and playability of the Bluebird is above reproach. You will need to finger either of them OXXXOX to get a perfect C natural. In fact most, not all, whistles will benefit from this fingering which was a nice piece of news to me since I was often frustrated by this note on other whistles.
You won’t be dissapointed with either. And you won’t be needing* another whistle for quite some time.
Good luck and keep playing.
ecohawk
“needing” opens up a whole new can o’ worms. I haven’t “needed” most of the 54 whistles I now own. But I “need” them all! Just sayin’
), and then it will start to boor you again. That nickel tube does sing nicely though, if the head were voiced a little differently…
And you won’t be needing* another whistle for quite some time.