The recent thread on Syn whistles prompted me to record this comparison:
http://www.flutesite.com/samples/7whistlescomp.mp3
This is a 2.8 meg MP3; my apologies to anyone on dialup for the length of the file. I wanted to keep the bitrate high enough to really let you hear the differences in tone and response of these whistles.
In this comparison I play the reel “Paddy Rafferty’s Favourite” on the following whistles:
–Original Syn: this is a fairly loud whistle with much resistance, can take very aggressive play, gets somewhat shrill in the second octave
–New Model Syn: with a redesigned fipple, resistance isn’t quite so high, octaves are better balanced, tone is much purer and sweeter, and can still take fairly aggressive play. Not neary so shrill on the highest notes.
–Alba Q1: a unique whistle with a quiet but very traditional tone, has much resistance and can take very aggressive play
–Oak D (untweaked): inexpensive whistle with lots of chiff popping in between notes, plays very well, though it has much less resistance and takes much less aggressive play
–Hoover Whitecap on Oak D body: has a very pure, sweet tone. Has a little more resistance than an Oak and better balance between the octaves. Like the Oak, needs less aggressive play
–Burke AlPro Session D: pure, sweet tone. Will take lightly to moderately aggressive play, and has excellent intonation right up into the 3rd octave
–Burke Brass Pro Narrow Bore D: pure, sweet tone, but with a slightly more traditional, melancholy lonesomeness than my other Burke. Can be played in a moderately aggressive style, has a wonderfully rich bell tone, and plays right up into the 3rd octave with perfect intonation and no shrillness at all.
These are all fine whistles; I’d hate to have to do without any of them.
–James
Edited: I removed as much silence as possible from the MP3, pulling the file size down from 3.3 to 2.8 meg. Still larger than I like to post, but at least it’s better than it was.
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