Okay, I bought a whistle a few years ago, and just found it again, so I’m basically a newbie. I’m a former clarinet player, so I have music experience, and certain habits that are adjusted to clarinet, like setting my teeth on the top of the whistle.
For some reason I’m having trouble with my Clarke D whistle, the original kind, with the wood block mouthpiece. I have trouble playing the E and D in the lower octave of the whistle. I’m fine if I’m just running through scales, but when I try to play a song, it always slips into the upper octave, or a sort of whistly wheezing sound. I’ve tried breathing softer but all it does is stop producing sound. I was wondering if maybe something of my technique is causing it, and if anyone could tell me what.
I’m also wondering if it might be better to get one with a plastic mouthpiece since I’m a beginner.
I’ve always found that overall breath control with the basic Clarke is a bit more challenging than other whistles. Once you have that mastered they are capable of some lovely tone (especially with the “thumb tweak”). Whistles are relatively cheap though, and I would say it is worth auditioning another one until you get the breath control down. Flipping up an octave on D and E is a pretty common problem for a beginner, and at this point I don’t recall whether the Clark is notoriously bad at that, or just average. Why not try an Oak, Dixon, Generation, Susanto, or Feadog and see if one will work better for you. Even better a tweaked whistle by Freeman or O’Brian will be almost assured to be a “good one” and will allow you to work on your technique and not worry about the whistle itself.
I don’t have this problem on my (relatively new) Clarke Original, but I’ve had similar symptoms on one or two of my home-made whistles, when there’s been an air-leak around an ill-fitting fipple-block. As you’ve “just found” your whistle, after some period of time, I’m wondering if the wood has shrunk a little in storage. Nothing to lose by resealing the mouthpiece with a couple of drops of candle-wax or similar, to see if it makes an improvement. If so, that may be all that was necessary, if not, it shouldn’t have done any harm. Do block up the windway with a bit of folded paper first to save having to dig wax out afterwards
“Whistly weezing” on a low note can also be caused by a poorly seated finger further up the pipe. If you’ve got thick skin on your fingertips (some of us have) or loss of sensation, partial or otherwise, try working a little hand cream, petroleum jelly or similar into your fingertips to soften them and improve the seal on the holes.
You’ve demonstrated that when “just running through scales” the whistle works, so it’s more likely to be a problem with finger placement … bin there, still there, still doin’ it, but getting better!
My first thought when reading this was that there may be something inside the whistle body or the windway which is partially obstructing the airflow. My second thought was exactly what Kypfer said about not getting a good seal on the upper tone holes. Third, is that it very well could be the whistle. The problem with fipple shrinkage (IMO) isn’t so much that air can leak - air can leak around the fipple and it can still play fine. The problem is that it can lose it’s alignment with the blown edge, and that could create the problem you are describing.
The clarinet and the whistle are on different sides of the globe as far as breath pressure goes. Are you blowing too hard? All you have to do with a whistle is to breathe into it, expecially in the lower notes of the first octave. I’d say you’ll get the hang of it soon.
The tonguing technique required to start a clarinet reed to vibrate may be much too strong for a whistle. Try just barely touching the upper palate with the tongue.
Doesn’t sound like a technique issue but rather a whistle issue.
The great thing about Clarkes is that you can, with some pliers and such, adjust the voicing. You can adjust the height and width and shape of the windway so as to focus the airstream better, and you can adjust the blade to get a stronger tone.
If you could get hold of a Clarke that plays great to use as a guide it would help. I have a 30-year-old Clarke C that plays great. I spent several hours working on the windway and blade to optimise everything.
Or, you can get a Freeman Tweaked whistle on which Jerry has optimised the voicing for you. Or get a Burke that plays great as it comes.
