I now have a Susato high D. I notice that the E in the second register (fingering second to last two holes or not) must be overblown harder to break into the second octave than the other notes, resulting in what I find to be too loud. I am used to playing transverse flutes, being able to play second and third registers just as softly as first by changing embouchure, not by overblowing to reach upper registers. I want to be able to play that E2 as softly as I can the D2. How?
Lisa,if you ever find a whistle that plays 2nd octave without overblowing please let me know…I reckon the extra six holes will take a day or so to get used to though.
Mike
The Silkstone is the only whistle I’ve ever played where the 2nd octave volume was fairly consistent with the first…but it’s still louder.
Whistles just get louder when you overblow them. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Check out Foxhunter’s Jig on the BBC’s Virtual Session ( http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/folk/acoustic_club/launch.shtml )..it’s on the 2nd page in the slipjigs section. You’ll hear a prime example of volume differential. These are high-quality musicians..on this tune, the 3rd phrase is identical to the first, only an octave higher. During the first two phrases, the fiddle is the primary instrument heard, and you can barely hear the whistle. During the last two phrases, the a wind (though, in truth, I think i’ts a flute, and not a whistle) comes out to shine. This kind of thing helps keep tunes dynamic and fresh., I think.
Greg
[ This Message was edited by: Wandering_Whistler on 2001-09-23 14:46 ]
[ This Message was edited by: Wandering_Whistler on 2001-09-23 15:03 ]
Lisa,I guess you were being serious after all…its just that susato D’s are generally known for their consistancy and loudness over both octaves,the main drawback being a slightly sharp G and a tendency to shrillness above high A but there is a way to tame the 2nd oct and sweeten the overall tone by increasing the window size by reducing and slightly rounding the sharp edge of the knife.This is by no means a straight forward tweak only to say its possible …I have one with and one without and the difference is chalk and cheese.If you take a look at my chamfer vs non-chamfer topic you’ll find Neil Dickeys post’s fascinating and may offer extra clues in finding a solution to your dillema.Best of luck, Mike 
Mike,
It won’t be the first time I’ve taken a knife to a musical instrument! Seriously, now that I know the volume differential especially high A and above is to be expected, I’ll probably just learn to tolerate it. I thought I might be doing something wrong.
Greg,
Thanks for steering me to some great pro recordings to compare my tone to!
My Sindt D (and the C to a slightly lesser extent) are almost perfectly even in volume from the first to second octave. They are a joy to play in the upper registers.
My Clare Nickle D is very good in that respect as is my new favorite “Frankenstein whistle”–a Feadog D nickle body with an Oak D head (slightly tweaked).
My Burke Al Pro High D is little louder in the upper registers, but is not bad at all, and it sounds fantastic-- very “whistly” with good “drive” as I call it. A strong whistle. My old model Wide Bore Brass D is excellent too, and only slightly louder in the upper registers (and requires a smidgen more air to play).
My Copeland Nickle D is a wonderful playing and sounding Whistle, but you really do need earplugs for those high notes. Definitely not a “quiet around the house” practice whistle.
I still yearn to try a Thin Weasel and an Abell-- I’m curious how they stack up. The Thin Weasel played on the Baltimore Consort’s CD “The Mad Buckgoat” sounded unbelievable.
Money Money Money… Sigh.
Tres
Many people find the second register of
the Susato D a bit much–especially the
shrillness upstairs. The Susato C seems
much better, to my ear anyway. I think
the Susato C is the most successful
Susato whistle, personally. The Sindt
D is very good, as mentioned, and the Abell
is very very good.
P.S. The Sweetone D is good, too.
A Sweetone D fipple grafted onto a Shaw D is even better and it will never rust. Mike