To clarify, how does back pressure affect ornamentation speed?
I have an Overton low D with high back pressure and had a Copeland low D with very low back pressure. I found that the Copeland was very nice for slow pieces, airs and so on but could not very well muster reels and such. It felt like it could not keep up with fast note changes, and if you tried to blow harder to make faster changes, it would jump octaves.
The Overton will blaze away at reels and jigs and can of course also play airs. I have also found this to be true with high Ds.
Anyone wish to share your observations? Thanks, Cyril.
I didn’t notice any more air requirement on the Copeland; what I did notice is that it was slower. The instrument could not make transitions as quickly as the Overton.
The Overton’s higher air pressure in the tube faciltated quicker note changes; however, blowing more frequently on the Copeland did not compensate for the low pressure of the air column; plus there was the tendency to over blow and be sharp or jump octaves.
BTW, I am not knocking Copelands. They are heirloom quality and have a beautiful tone.
Have you listened to Flook? They use Overtons. They are rather speedy.
I imagine I know what you mean, but the effect has never seemed very marked to me.
BTW, I am not knocking Copelands. They are heirloom quality and have a beautiful tone.
Have you listened to Flook? They use Overtons. They are rather speedy.
Yes. And I’ve discussed Overtons with Brian Finnegan. He uses easy-blow Overtons made for him by Colin Goldie. They don’t have much back pressure at all, and still he’s pretty speedy as you say.
I love every bit of backpressure I found that whistles without it feel like pieces of metal, while whistles with backpressure feel like living beings living in symbiosis with me, when I play.
That alone would be sufficient for me. But I think the pressure makes certain vibration, which get the best out of the whistle.
I don´t think that ornamentation is too connected with backpressure, if you look at Dixons, or Burkes, they have no backpressure, yet they still sound crisp.
I found that whistles without it feel like pieces of metal, while whistles with backpressure feel like living beings living in symbiosis with me, when I play.