I was advised to buy a few whistles after mentioning the breathy tone of the Clarke. I have done so. The two Clarkes I have are the original with the wooden fipple and the Meg, which has the plastic fipple.I love both of them. They have a warmth in their tone which appeals to me.
My feadog seems to be difficult to play. I need to work on technique, as I keep swapping between octaves, far more so on the feadog than the Clarkes. It has a harsh tone, which is probably great for competing in a combo with fiddle, pipe and mandolin or guitar. Its tone would cut through over the top, and actually sounds good as kwela, though again, I can’t maintain an octave consistently.
My last whistle is the Walton. It’s a bit of a compromise between the Clarkes and the feadog. Harsher than the Clarkes but warmer than the feadog. I read here that the bell tone can be very sharp - that’s not the case here, so I have a good one.
They’re all in D, so I’m going to buy a C Clarke, probably the original, and then another - maybe a walton Bb, or a feadog, though the feadog is my least favored. I do like it though.
I guess I’m asking to be flamed here: how do others find their different whistles?
I find my whistles in the bag that I keep them in. One whistle I find in my car in the storage netting behind the front passenger seat. I occasionally find a whistle on the coffee table but right now I find my flute there.
Hello Dlew919.
I’m a fellow beginner too, so no flames from my key board.
The following advice is free, so keep in mind that you get what you pay for.
I own and play some of the cheaper whistles, Sweetones, Oaks, Feadogs, Generation.
All these whistle are very sensitive to breath pressure and good seals on the tone holes.
My favorite is a Freeman MellowDog, and these cost a little more.
Stable between octaves, but still great in the upper register.
Far more forgiving of my less than perfect ability than my Feadogs.
I’ve read that others also recommend the Dixon Traditional, but I not have bought one yet.
I don’t think that owning a better whistle makes someone a better whistler.
But, when you enjoy your whistling you tend to practice more and longer which puts you on the road to becomming better.
Find the whistle you love to play.
When you make your own, it’s a matter of pride to be able to play the thing. It’s a feedback loop: you make the whistle that suits you. I look no further. Mine live in a big black Oxfam bag, along with the overtone flutes, the tabor pipes, the NAFs and these days, the tabor.
I guess I’m asking to be flamed here: how do others find their different whistles?
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I find my whistles in the bag that I keep them in. One whistle I find in my car in the storage netting behind the front passenger seat. I occasionally find a whistle on the coffee table but right now I find my flute there.
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Lol.
I find mine very excruciating waiting for 3 weeks in the post to arrive. My first whistle in years … is going to be a Reyburn classic low D. I hear what the OP says about the harsher ‘edgier’ sound rising above session instruments. Personally I don’t play sessions nor group, so I’m more interested in the specific tone colour. Not that there is much with a whistle, but I did like my Copeland low D RIP sniff which led me to move onto flutes.
At the moment I think I have a flute obsession. I haven’t bought a new flute in years, and suddenly in the space of a month, I end up with four more.
I got the Freeman MellowDog D/C set and the C tube plays lovely.
All of my other whistles are high Ds.
Play what you like.
A great many folks like lower keys, but I’m thinking that I want to master the standard whistle and ITM repertoire before I move on. So I’ll take up another key 20-40 years.
Simple answer…just buy a Burke. I have two. No regrets, great sound, great session instrument. Check out the web site, order on-line, it arrives in the mail, no fuss, and you just start playing great music forever.
J.
Dlew, you are an Aussie, so there is only one way to handle this. Buy good, buy once, buy an Oz. I did, after struggling with the cheapies and on the advice of a music teacher friend. My playing surged ahead, and I can now make music with the cheapies. Also, you can’t lose. An Oz is an investment, it can only appreciate in value, so which ever way you look at it, it is win win. I bought my first Oz, Gidgee in D as a gift to myself for cheating death after a serious illness. I like it. So much so that I ordered a C to further celebrate my continuation of life, and it should be here this week!!
The Feadog - walrii was right - nearly 12 months later, I’ve grown to really love it I’ve also bought a Walton and a ‘C’ Meg. The D clarke is still my favourite…
I agree with Maki, the Jerry Freeman whistles will steer you into a comfortable and happy place in your playing. I just posted a new tune, the Sixpenny Money, using Jerry’s Bluebird in D major. I think you would be quite pleased with Jerry’s whistle as you play in the higher register, very sweet in sound.
