Never had the flipping up problem with my Thornton. It’s the most easily controllable whistle I’ve ever played.
Owen
Anything higher than a Low F is generally too “shrill” for my particular ears.
However, among the Lows I’ve played over the years, my Burkes have been the most easily accessible and “well-behaved” high-octave players of the lot.
Since Mike’s designs seem to be very similar, from whistle to whistle, this higher-note pleasantness probably holds throughout the keys.
Good luck!
How come nobody mentioned the Dixon Trad? Absolutely lovely, sweet and easy to play second octave.
3 things come to mind…
Are you leaving any other fingers near any holes - like the bottom one for support? I use my bottom finger to support the whistle on B’s and i seem to remember the Rose did get temperamental at the top if that bottom finger was covering the bottom hole even slightly.
I always found it played best when it was blown as hard and near to the breaking point as possible throughout both octaves - that’s when i found it really started to sing. It does sound a very nice whistle if you blow not too hard throughout, but it is a little temperamental if you do that.
I also played it for about 90 minutes every day (for well over a year it was the only whistle i played), swabbed and kept in it’s case, so the wood would stay saturated and swelled. If it’s allowed to dry out some then that will obviously change it’s response as well.
I have a Burke Composite Session high C, and for that whistle I agree, compared to my other whistles. Also my Sindt D is a very easy and nice blower in the upper range.
Before, as per usual, just about every whistle in the universe has been recommended, maybe it’s about time to think whether you need to polish up on your blowing/breathing technique. If a number of whistles start breaking up in the high notes for you that should under reasonable circumstances shouldn’t, there’s an indication you should go back to basics and practice instead of buying another whistle. Stick to the one instrument for a while, play it and play it often until you can handle the high octave and note transitions without and breaks or squeaks. Then play a few other whistles, for a while if need be. You’ll be surprised how they improve with time.
I would love to blame some of my whistles for doing that but from what I gather, reading things on this site, it’s mostly about me and not so much my whistles. Practically all my high d whistles squeek in high B and A (ok, not all the time as I improve!) - I suppose I better buy some more till I find one that doesn’t 
I need to practice…try not to collect…at least not one a week…(personal admission - maybe I am starting to see the light 
)
Thanks a lot for the ideas. I will certainly keep this in mind. I do remember you posting a thread about your new Sindt and how much you loved it. Why did you switch, did you find the Sindt easier or just wanted something new?
Breath wise, i found the amount of air and back-pressure are very similar between the two. The Rose has, by far, the most gorgeous sound of any whistle i’ve ever played (especially when it’s really pushed hard), however the Sindt is far more responsive at high speed like an old style Gen or Feadog.
The Sindt sound took a little getting used to after the Rose and the C nat was a dog, but then i stuck an O’Briain Improved tube on it and that sorted out the C nat and made it sound better at the same time.
The top notes on both whistles i would say were about the same. I would second Peter Laban on what he said, that it’s very rarely the whistle at fault. I think for most people they simply don’t push the whistle hard enough throughout the range and when they get to the top notes they either don’t work or the player pushes hard enough only on those notes and they therefore sound completely out of balance with the rest of the whistle.
Another way of looking at it is that instead of focusing on the bottom octave as the main area on the whistle and pushing up from there to get the second octave (which is something i read a lot on this forum), focus on the second octave as the main area and ease down to get the bottom octave. The second octave becomes far more controllable like this and the bottom octave becomes far richer.
Oh, and about the smell. It’ll be Patchouli and Ylang Ylang mix. I didn’t ever put any on the whistle or case it’s just that i always wear it as perfume and the whistle and case have probably picked it up from being in my pocket. Friends tell me it does fade away after a few months.
Dissatisfaction with whistle tone is a frequent sentiment on this forum. Technique notwithstanding, sometimes I think that we should just get used to the sound of a whistle and not expect it to sound like a harp.
I have an alba that goes up in the range very nicely and the volume doesn’t get much harsher, also my overtons for the most part follow suit, with the exception of a couple keys (out of 6) Those are the Alto A and the High D. The B flat really is pleasant, and the the high d especially is controllable, there’s just a learning curve.
Others may correct me, but all whistles will get louder as you got up in pitch. It’s the nature of the beast. Some won’t get as loud but all will increase in volume.
Search this forum and you’ll find a number of threads discussing techniques for taming the higher notes. The basic technique is to move less air, faster when blowing the upper notes. You do this by pursing your lips and raising your tongue, making your mouth cavity smaller (that’s the mental trick that works for me anyway). It takes some experimentation and practice but you’ll get the hang of it soon enough.
Shrillness is, to some extent, a fact of life with high D whistles as well. High A and B are way up there and, according to one recent post here, are the frequencies where the human ear is most sensitive. If you move to a Bb whistle (Generation makes a good cheapie) you get into a lower range but still have a whistle that can be played using you high D technique without changing to a low D piper’s grip.
Mostly it just takes practice. Earplugs will help while you are getting the knack.
Yeah i agree with walrii, just the idea of overblowing will raise the volume. i guess the idea is some you have to blow so hard, and the volume does go way up. My dixon polymer high d tuneable, by the high G you’re like a banshee and people are throwing fruits and veggies at you, hahaha…well with mine anyways.
Before I posted here I just played Ar Eireann Ni Neosainn Ce hl on all the whistles I own. This tune has a high B and C in it.
You have to get air into the whistle to play these notes other wise they will break up. Putting more air into the whistle means playing a bit louder.
Of all the whistles I just played this tune on the Burke Brass Session in D was the easiest and sounded the best. However the Dixon Trad in Eb sounded sweet as well. I had no trouble playing the tune on my Dixon Polymer in D and My Dixon Trad in D nailed it. Now I think I have a clunker of a Feadog as I can’t even get the High C to sound in tune. I can hit it but it is so out of tune the dog runs and people start to wince.
What I am finding out is that while there are whistles out there that are easy to play in the upper octaves. It takes breath control and practice to hit them consistently. In other words its not so much the whistle as its the person blowing in it.
I tried a few of my whistles to see which was the most balanced. Though my Burke D was very good it wasn’t the best. One of my Gen Bbs was the best and my old Feadog D a close second.
Ron