Why do we suffer from WHOAD? I have set myself a budget to spend on whistles, basically the proceeds of my guitar and sundry guitar books . . . and I have a wife who will see I don’t go over that budget☺ But the temptation is there! And my question, from a purely philosophical standpoint, is why? Any thoughts guys? You see, it seems to me that this disease only afflicts basically amateur whistlers. The pros (unless you’re Tony Hinnigan collecting every possible nuance of tone and pitch for film score purposes) appear to stick with perhaps a few keys of the same make. I understand Davy Spillane only plays two whistles, Low F & Low D that look like Overtons. If it’s good enough for the likes of him how come we beginners and amateurs suffer this dreadful addiction? Your thoughts?
how come we beginners and amateurs suffer this dreadful addiction?
… for me, it was mostly a case of wondering what the differences were. A player that spends time with other players will have the opportunity to try other instruments without necessarily having to buy one. He/she can make an informed opinion then just stick with the one they like best. I didn’t have that option. I bought a set of Generations, a couple of Waltons, a couple of Feadogs, some Clarkes and a Clare two-piece. This “relatively” cheap excercise convinced me there’s no “magic bullet”, I needed to improve my playing 
There are probably two classes of player that only have one or two whistles - those with natural talent (who could probably make a hose-pipe sound good) and those who genuinely can’t afford more.
The whistle industry needs people like us 
Yes, good point . . . but you came to realise that there is no magic bullet and that you need to improve your playing. Maybe not everyone does. I may be guilty of that myself.
I think that there are far more whistle makers today than in years past - and there are certainly more than in decades past. The point being that there are far more options today. Whistle makers come and go every few years, and a few have managed to make good names for themselves and endure. With there seeming to be so many choices, it is easy for a beginner to fall into the mythical quest/trap of searching for the “perfect” whistle, but as far as I know, the majority of the more experienced players still play an inexpensive whistle with more regularity than any other.
I used to have a rather large collection of whistles, most of which went unplayed most of the time. It is pointless to covet these things. They do not play themselves, and as such, if they are not played, they have no real value at all, regardless of what one paid for them. I can also tell you that for the most-part, there really aren’t as many choices as it may seem. Most of the “high end” whistles readily available today are built according to the same basic design - and many of them using the same materials. So it is not surprising that a hefty percentage of them sound and play more or less the same. It is the maker and his skill, not his whistles per se, that distinguishes one from the rest. What I have also noticed is that among these “high end” whistles, it is very hard to find one that speaks with a fullness of character like a more traditional, inexpensive whistle. There is such a thing as a whistle being too refined, in my mind, and something is lacking because of this in most of the “high end” whistles I’ve owned. They tend to be very forgiving to the less-experienced player, but they lack any real “soul,” - that is, they seem to have a rather sterile quality in their tone, regardless of the skill with which they are played.
In the car world there is an expression, “Built, not bought.”
In the world of whistling we should have a similar one, “Playing, not paying.”
Sure thats it for me, but…
It’s probably a part of the journey that many must take.
We can know something in our heads, but until we feel it to be true in our hearts we keep looking for that which can not be bought.
My appologies to all the whistle makers out there, I’m going to keep buying whistles until I sound good. And that will be years and dozens of whisltes from now.
Don’t worry, I practice too.
BTW, WHOAD is fun!!!
I take AvienMael’s point about inexpensive whistles being played by many professionals. I guess my own interest is in low whistles where there’s little in the way of inexpensive whistles, at least to the same extent, nevertheless there’s a huge choice these days with many makers out there and it can be very expensive seeking that combination of apparently unattainable ideal tone and playability that may lie in almost every low whistle we try, if we would just focus on learning to play well with that whistle instead of continually looking for a fix elsewhere. WHOAD may be fun on one level but it is perhaps also symptomatic of a restless disatisfaction with our own playing and with every whistle we play.
While I too see AvienMael’s point, he also admits that it was his journey through owning many whistles that allowed him to come to a conclusion that suits him. We’re not all going to come to that same conclusion. I’m going to agree somewhat more with Kypfer on this one but add a few thoughts of my own. While it is true that many professionals play only a few whistles, many of them, Joanie Madden would be one, own hundreds of whistles. And we who aren’t professionals, do not have the opportunity to try different whistles without paying for them, with the rare exception of a few crafters on C&F who will, on occasion, send along a new design sample to some of us who own several of their instruments. Not being a professional, had I not invested in many other instruments I would not have known the wonder of the Parks Bb, neither the Busman (anything), nor the fabulous Freeman Bluebird or Mellow Dog, or the Tommy Dion Whistle of Wood.
For those who actually believe that a pro will sound just as good on an Oak as they will on a Sindt, Abell or Busman, you’re just wrong. Of course they will still sound great and likely better than most of us. However, I’d challenge anyone to prove that a great artist playing a mediocre whistle will sound as good as a great artist playing a truly great instrument.
I would also add that collecting and appreciating whistles for both function and form has nothing directly to do with playing. Also, many, but certainly not all, pros play for money and the whistle is not necessarily their first instrument. They often must play for a contract or what will sell. Amateurs or pros who aren’t under this restriction are free to play what they want. While I will agree that there is some similarity between whistle designs, I find the subtle differences pleasing to me.
We have a right to joy and I find joy from playing the perfect whistle for the perfect tune. Isn’t that what art is about? So WHOA, WHOAD or WOAD, whichever you prefer, is a personal declaration of appreciation for art and a continuing quest for aural ecstasy. I simply sound better on some tunes with certain whistles. So I’m going to continue to appreciate and investigate both innovative and classic instruments. What’s wrong with that?
My truly favorite whistle these days is, sadly, no longer made. It is a Peter Bonsteel/Hudson Winds brass conical bore high D which I got by listing a WTB ad here on C&F and a generous member begrudgingly parted with his. It makes me happy and I wouldn’t have found it unless I kept looking.
So stick to your budget and don’t think of WHOAD an illness but a blessing. Like everything else in live, just be mindful of your choices.
ecohawk
That’s me told!! Good thoughts. BTW is the Parks Bb something particularly special? I had that down on my list of possibilities at one point. It’s just more expensive in the UK.
In my whistle infancy, so many years ago, I purchased and traded quite liberally on C&F. As a professional musician, it took me a number of years before adding whistles to our band. Whistle is not my main instrument. I suspect that the throes of WHOA were upon me, for a few years. As I played and became more experienced, I found that certain makers built instruments that simply felt and sounded better to me than others. That was quite a while back… For years now, I have kept 16 whistles in a roll, that I use in concert. The keys are D, C, Bb, A, G, F, Low D, and Low C. All whistles play differently, and all have different timbres. Hence, I have multiples of some important keys, and less for not so important keys. The reason is the music, and how I wish the instrument to play and sound for a particular selection.
WHOA is certainly not unique to whistles or to music. I know of few endeavors where afficianados do not have multiples of tools. I know that personally, my WHOA became relatively cured, when I met Mike Burke, Paul Busman, Colin Goldie, Pat O’Riordan, and Misha Somerville. My whistle world would have been lots less successful and not nearly as much fun without Mack Hoover, also. I count these men as mentors and good friends. They are of course, superb craftsmen and businessmen.
And yet, other players criticize whistles built by these smiths, and have other choices that rock their world. And that is to the good. In the end, a whistle is a tool. Horses for courses, and all of that…
Does the fun go out of WHOA after awhile? Is it ever really ‘fun?’ Is it an obsession? Does one finally see that there is more to life than ordering and then haunting the mail box for weeks on end? Does one finally find their minor holy grails? (Please note that is plural…) Can WHOA be dangerous, in the context of ‘tail wagging dog?’ I am sure a psychologist somewhere has studied this universal phenomenon, and it has a proper psychological name…
For me, the search has been over for a whole lot of years. My whistle roll contains what I want and need. However, I also have a box full of early Hoover non-tunables in aluminum with Corian fipple blocks that I keep under my computer desk, that Mack made for me from pieces of tubing he had around. I use these whistles a lot to practice and to work out backing whistle parts for songs and tunes for the band. A new song awaits.
The best to all.
Byll
My own reasons seem to be best described by Byll. It’s not that any particular whistle is “best”, but they are indeed all different. I love my Clarke original for it’s sweet and gentle tone, yet I also enjoy a breathier tone at times. Sometimes I want to play quietly so I don’t disturb the neighbors and sometimes I want to be heard through all the other instruments. For me it’s about discovering what each individual whistle has to offer and enjoying the nuances that make them all different.
Well Byll said it so much more eloquently than I…
Without intending to hijack the thread, but then it IS your thread isn’t it, the Parks Bb is a very interesting whistle. IMO Carey’s other whistles tend to be well rounded and traditional sounding with nice volume, nice balance and a strong bell note. The tone ring and the fact that they’re so portable (walkabout) makes them a great all around carry (pun intended) whistle. I have one in my pocket every day and another in my suitcase.
I don’t think Carey would mind my suggestion that his Bb feels to me like Carey was channelling Glenn Schultz during the voicing process. I’ve been lucky enough to acquire both a D and Bb Water Weasel and though the design similarities are certainly there, no surprise since Carey studied with Glenn, Carey’s innovations are there too. The tone ring again adds value. This is a big, brash, loud whistle. With the tone ring wide open, I can’t tell the difference between Carey’s Bb and Glenn’s for sound, tuning and volume. They certainly feel different in the hand because they are different materials with different finishes. Glenn’s is pure plumbing pipe gray PVC. I’m not sure if Carey’s is PVC I suspect not, since it is also heavier. But when you turn the tone ring down to cover about 1/4 of the window, Carey’s instrument is what I suspect a Busman Bb would sound like if Paul ever blessed us with one. (hint, hint) Then, it is merely bold and still has some chiff but tends to be more pure than Carey’s D instruments. You need to be warmed up and ready to play this whistle. There’s enough resistance (backpressure if you must) to enhance efficiency and provide good dynamic range. Closing down the window past 1/2 with the tone ring definitely quiets the whistle as intended but it also dampens it’s character just a mite too much for me. If I needed to do this I’d pick up my Sindt or Jerry Gen Bb instead as this is where they shine. If you could only have one, I’d need a tiebreaker to decide between these three (four if you include the Schultz). If you need to be quiet sometimes and loud other times I’d choose the Parks and never look back. If you just want a beautiful tone with normal volume, pick the Jerry Gen or the Sindt. If you want to be heard, either the Parks or the Schultz (if you can find one) is the ticket.
Hope this helps,
ecohawk
Word up! A lot of hi-end whistles are like men’s magazine cover girls to me, beautiful but totally characterless.
Also, as concluded here, i guess it’s a psychological ‘malpaso’ that make us think ‘if I only a had a better whistle, i’d sound better too’ 
Why complain about WhOAD, you could have UPOAD 
That saying, my last purchase was a low Eb Chieftain (non tunable) 2 days ago - it cost me 20 quid (30 bucks), so I couldn’t say no.
David
Thanks Ecohawk for the review of the Parks Bb! And yes, BigDavy, UPOAD would be an expensive habit!!
The results of UPOAD 
Definitely an expensive habit
David
Because people like collecting stuff? Look all over the net - there are forums about fountain pens full of people with massive collections of pens, forums about razors full of people with collections of razors, forums about guitars full of people complaining about their GAS (Guitar Acquisition Syndrome), forums about cameras full of people complaining about their GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome). People are the same everywhere. The hobby of collecting is only tenuously connected to the hobby of actually using whatever it is one collects, although people like to claim otherwise.
How do you know Davy didn’t try every brand out there before settling on his Overton F & D? 
He did, for sure. Back towards the end of the last millennium (1970’s), when Finbar Furey and Davy Spillane started informing about the low whistle, it did not take much to “try every brand”. There was Overton(period). It did what folks wanted a low whistle to do. It didn’t crack like those cane tourist whistles some used. In fact the Overton was the definition of a low whistle. Then came all the others dividing up the market for low whistles. Life was much simpler then in some ways.
Feadoggie
That, Feadoggie, was a superb answer. The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
Cheers.
Byll
I tend to suffer from MIOAD 
As for some obscure reason I like to collect musical instruments (an Morris Minors - but that is a whole different forum 
)
I especially like the indigenous instruments, and the end blown flutes (maybe it is because I am crap at making fipples and windways)
I do have all the books to read about the theories of instruments, but I never quite get round to reading them (oh yes, I collect books as well )
John