When I first started with the whistles, WHOA struck me hard and at one time I had over 90 of various conditions, playability, names, etc. Over time I have been able to control WHOA with a medication known as “WIFE” and have sold several whistles that for some I wish I hadn’t have sold and for others I am glad I did.
Now I only have the follwing:
Chieftain Kerry Songbird Low D
Chieftain Gold Low D
Chieftain High D
SYN Large Bore Low D
Alba Tunable Low D
Cillian O’Briain Low F
Dixon Aluminum High D
David O’Brien High C
Burke Tunable Low A
Walton LBW
Oak High D
I have commissioned a Low C to be made by John McHaffie.
I believe that by continuing to take my “WIFE” medication WHOA will soon be a thing of my past…
A few years ago on the previous Chiffboard (hosted by Coolboard) I devised a formula for testing purposes.
A = number of tunes you know (meaning you could perform them comfortably in public without notice)
B = total dollar value of all the whistles you own.
Divide A by B. The result is your Personal (Whistle) Acquisition Disorder Index or PWADI.
The higher the number, the better you are doing. If you know 1000 tunes and own whistles worth $100, your score is 10 - good going.
If it is less than one, you are in deep trouble. You know 100 tunes but your whistles are worth $1000. Index = 0.1. Sell some whistles and work on your repertoire!
Steve
PS This seemed to get under the skin of a couple of people at the time, at least one of whom is still around. So let me stress that it’s to be taken light-heartedly.
I figure if I own more whistles than the number of tunes I know I am a whistle collector as opposed to a whistle player.Currently by this definition I am a player by a small margin.
I haven’t yet arrived at the number. Peter’s probably right though, and after you’ve done experimenting, you probably just need a few for whatever specific purpose (self enjoyment, church, session, recording, etc.) in whatever keys. But then again, you need home and away whistles too, right, for travel? Then you need those that carry well outdoors and those that are quiet for indoors; then those that invoke or befit certain moods; nah, Peter’s wrong.
What I just couldn’t part with and are by definition necessary:
Eflat - Copeland brass
D - Burke black tip brass, Copeland, Sindt
C - Burke black tip brass, a loaner Copeland that I’m becoming increasingly attached to, Sindt, Walton Golden Tone
Bflat - Abell
A - Copeland
G - Copeland
Also my original high ender - cocobolo Thin Weasel and all my O’Riordan Travelers (D/C, G and D).
Then there are the away whistles including the two-piece Clare and all the Water Weasels.
I’d say the ideal would be one each of the following:
Eb
D
C
Bb
and one low whistle, I’d go for an F.
That makes a total of five, which is pretty close to the extent of my own whistle collection, although my low whistle is a G and I have three D whistles but only play one (the Sindt).
Two attractive things about whistle to me are, first, that they are so inexpensive compared to almost all other musical instruments, and, second, that there are so many different sounds and playing characteristics available.
This inexpensive diversity is hard to find in any other instrument I’m aware of (except perhaps harmonica).
Well, I get good use out of most of the keys that I’ve bought (low D and G, A, Bflat, C, D (not counting the high F yet as I haven’t found a use for it but REALLY wanted something high) and the Hava Rabba).
Of the duplicates, I feel as if I need two ‘good’ whistles in the house, and one sturdy D for each car. Tyghre has his own small stash, two whistles.
The whistles I’ve bought as much for their artistic beauty as for their playability are in a class of their own…as are the ones that I keep around just to show that a 3 dollar whistle does indeed play a recognizable tune.
So I’m in the ‘just one more’ camp…and that is an E whistle or whistle body.
But I’m about to divest of some. If they’re good whistles and not being played, its silly to keep 'em.
As a newbie, I have collected a handful of whistles (Clarke original C, Clarke original D, Walton D, Sweetone D, Sweetone C, Feadog, LBW) simply because I read various threads discussing the merits of each and decided to decide for myself. I currently practice on the Feadog and a Hoover whitecap on a Feadog tube. (OK, OK, I liked the Feadog so much I got a second as a spare). I keep the others because I don’t have any significant cash invested in them and they look cool sitting in the jar on my desk. I also just bought an O’Brien Rover from the recent tour and am having a great time learning to get the most out of a higher end instrument. I think that will be my primary instrument for a while, but I’m probably not done acquiring whistles.
Until fathers day the right number was a few on my desk, one in my car, a couple carefully wrapped in their cases by the Low D.
Then I wandered into a “music store” after a great traditional Korean lunch with my son. I asked “Do you have any Irish Whistles?” The fellow gave me a puzzled look, then said “Oh yah! we have some Tin Whistles.” He turned around a rummaged about amongst some rubbish.
They had a dirty Yamaha Recorder and a handful of Generations clanking about in a plastic tray on the shelf on the back wall. I looked at the poor neglected - a little dirty, a little dented - treasures and asked “How much?” He said US$8.00 each. I asked “Even the dented ones?” He replied “maybe US$5.00 if it’s dented.”
There were 5 in D, 2 Eb, and 1 F, mixed color fipples and both brass and chromed bodies. I thought there must be at least one decent D, the Eb and F are good for a chuckle, and I could always pick up a Hoover White Cap. What the heck, it’s father’s day and I’m a father. I said US$6.00 each for all eight. He said “you got it!”
So I nearly doubled my whistle ownership in one day. I’m keeping 4, I think 2 Ds for the car and desk, 1 Eb, and the F - or maybe I could ask Jerry Freeman to tweak a couple, or what about that Mack Hoover Whitecap, or maybe Jerry can tweak a couple and I can get a White Cap from Mack.
I started playing in February (Susato set of Eb, D, C and a Jerry-tweaked Sweetone). I slowly (and not so slowly) added others, including a few low whistles of various keys. I’ve played consistently everyday. I probably could have gotten by with the first whistles I had, but having different whistles and different keys has helped me be more aware of things like breath control, responsiveness, and so on. That, and the fact that I like trying a piece out with different whistles, or different keys, has made playing even more interesting and satisfying. In some sense I don’t need all the whistles I have, but it is nice to have them.
Let’s see, most of my whistles left the nest last summer. I have:
Key of A: Dixon
Key of high D: two Laughings, 2-piece Doolin, Hoover-whitecapped Feadog
Key of high Eb:Hoover whitecapped nickel Gen
Key of high F: Jerry-tweaked nickel Gen
I also have two O’Brien Rovers which arrived on a tour yesterday, they are three-piece copper D whistles. One is nickel plated and the other is plain copper.
I like multi-piece whistles
These days I’m in more danger of increasing my number of concertinas. But I still can play more concertina tunes than the number of concertinas I own, so it’s okay.
I don’t think you need many.
