I have a Dixon Trad. I have a Susato Kildare S high D. One of them is really quiet. One of them is not . I love the sound of both. In particular, I really appreciate that neither is a “breathy” sounding whistle. The Trad has a little chiff, but not a lot. The Susato is just pure.
So… i’m wondering… is there a whistle out there that is somewhere between the two in terms of volume… not a lot of chiff… tending toward the purer sound of the Susato?
I don’t have a suggestion, but I would like to ask if you can try to define what you mean by “pure.”
This is a term some people associate with a timbre that doesn’t have a lot of audible overtones, sometimes also associated with the word “sweet.” The other end of the continuum would be a timbre that does have a lot of audible overtones, often referred to as “complex” or “reedy.” Pure/sweet vs. complex/reedy.
The other main characteristics that might come into play:
Breathiness,
Chiff (most precisely defined as the little chirp or pop at the attack of some notes.
And of course there’s loudness, balance between registers, responsiveness, etc.
Mr. Freeman,
Wow. Thank you for responding. I’ll try to explain a little better.
As you suggest, when i’m using the word “pure” i am trying to describe a tone that is 1)as you said “sweet” 2) lacking in overtones 3) at the opposite end of the spectrum from say an unmodified feadog hi D… i know a lot of people try to say the Susato is “recorder” like… i have to disagree with those folks.. to me, the Susato is almost “flute-like”
and that is what i really… really… like about the Susato sound.
the dixon Trad (to my ear) also tends away from a complex sound. While more so than the Susato… it is significantly less complex than the Feadog or a Walton. it also has significantly less chiff than the feadog or walton…
the breathiness… when i listen to a clarke meg… that is very breathy… and i’m just not a big fan of that breathiness.
i guess maybe what i’m wondering is if there is a whistle out there that is either:
similar to the Susato but not as loud; or
similar to the Dixon Trad but a bit louder
both whistles have a completely enjoyable sound to my ear. it would be difficult for me to say which (between the Susato Kildare S hi D and the Dixon Traditional hi D) i prefer. I truly enjoy both.
i’m sure i’ve only managed to muddy the water with this…
i’m still getting used to the idea that the whistlemakers and tweakers themselves are an active part of this board. that is soooo cool.
given that you are not into susatos… would you suggest any other whistle if i did not want to tweak my susato… sometimes (like outside) it’s nice to play loud…
sometimes (inside in the evenings) it’s nice to play quietly…
and sometimes… it’s nice to be somewhere in the middle…
dang… reading this it sounds like…
“mama bear said,‘This whistle is too loud.’
papa bear said,‘This whistle is too quiet.’
and, baby bear said,'Cool! check out these pipes!”
(baby bear was put up for adoption shortly thereafter.)
over 160 views and nobody except for Mr. Freeman responds? dang. was it something i said?
it was a question of curiousity. seemed a fairly innocent one, at that. usually, this membership is full of… suggestions .
i suppose the lack of response must be due to my poor wording and “sound/tone” descriptions in the starting post. sooo… since i am unable to better articulate those descriptions, thank you to those of you who took the time to read the posts. and, especially… thank you, Mr. Freeman for taking the time to respond.
Personally, I find the Mellow Dog to be on the loud side of things. It does have a nice, pure tone with a very slight tinge of breathiness (very pleasant, not as harsh as a Clarke, though I do enjoy the breathiness of my Sweetone). For me, though, I wouldn’t say it fits as a “medium” volume whistle. Keep in mind: I don’t have a lot of experience with many different whistles, only the ones in my collection:
Sweetone D, self-tweaked (putty only)
Sweetone C, Freeman-tweaked (thanks, Jerry!)
Mellow Dog C/D combo
Susato VSB D
Oak C
Hrm… I just checked and noticed that I actually have the VSB Susato, which is lower in volume, from what I understand, than the regular Susatos. So maybe the Mellow Dog would suit you. And hey, even if you buy the Mellow Dog and find it doesn’t match the volume you’re looking for, you’d still have a fantastic new whistle to play.
I don’t own a lot of whistles but i happen to have both a Mellow Dog, a sausato, and a Trad. The Mellow Dog fits the volume requirement nicely but may not be as ‘pure’ as the Sausato. Having said that, I’d recommend it as it still sounds nice and sweet and if you don’t like it I think Jerry will refund you. And make sure you get the C body with it.
Your Susato or any whistle can be altered temporary without damage to reduce the volume a little. Obstruct the window with something like sticky tac on one side. Cover about 1/4 or less with a small piece of the sticky tac. However, the more you cover the window the more flat the whistle will play, and the voice will also change some. Slide the head down on the tone tube to bring the pitch up. But if your want to reduce the volume a little this may help with what your after.
thank you, tommy. good idea. (susatos can’t be sharpened too much.)
thank you for your generous offer, jerry. it’s a pleasure to find people willing to stand behind their work. seems to be a very common trait in the whistle and flute community.
. I love the sound of both. In particular, I really appreciate that neither is a “breathy” sounding whistle. The Trad has a little chiff, but not a lot. The Susato is just pure.