Can some of you please share your thoughts about a recent comment in a posting about the Busman Delrin? The comment read “. . . the whistle ‘beak’ is not long enough for my personal comfort.”
A few weeks ago I received a Busman Delrin from Paul, and the first thing I noticed was that the beak is shorter than the beaks on my other whistles. The Busman beak seems to require that I keep the end of the whistle on my lips. Maybe this is a good thing. I have noticed when I keep the end of any of my whistles on my lips (instead of further in my mouth) and purse my lips that I can create a more flute-like sound.
When you play, where do you keep the end of your whistle? (I realize that this question invites a punch line.) Do you strive for what I’m calling a more flute-like sound?
By the way, I don’t have trouble playing the Busman Delrin because of its shorter beak. I like it very much because it sounds beautiful, woody, and haunting. That’s how I describe it. The Busman also looks like a work of art.
In his week-long whistle workshop, Grey Larsen recommended putting the whistle just far enough into the mouth as needed, no more. He felt it helped with control and expressiveness.
About the Busman beak.: it’s about 3/8" shorter than a Generation D, or a Burke, but with approx. the same distance from mouthpiece to blade edge. Paul says the head measurements are similar to Glenn Schultz’s Thin Weasel, which has stood the test of time. The “scoop” down the backside is also somewhat thicker than the Burke, and the result is that the whistle feels like it’s pushing me away from it, and doesn’t comfortably reach my upper lip when holding at a comfortable angle for my hands. While Paul offers excellent customer service, and was willing to modify the whistle to accommodate me, I didn’t feel comfortable “hacking” away at his design. Since they seem quite usable and highly desired by other players, I figured it’s my quirk, and I’ll just need to make another choice.
I don’t usually chime in on threads about my whistles, but I wanted to add one small clarification here. In communicating with me about this whistle, Kevin mentioned that he holds the whistle very vertical, which in his case makes it difficult for the top edge of the beak to reach into his lip. If you hold the whistle at what I believe is a more common 45ish degree angle, the mouthpiece falls naturally into place. I agree with Kevin that this is simply a personal playing preference.
Back when i was new, I used to stick whistles way in my mouth…and I tended to chew on plastic mouthpieces.
After playing several “shorter beaked” whistles over the years, such as susato, weasel, busman, etc, I now tend to play with the beak mostly resting on my lips. Now, even long beaked whistles don’t really go in there long enough for me to chew one.
I don’t really think one way is necessarily better than the other…just a matter of preference or what you’re used to. And like any whistle idiosyncracy, if you really like the whistle in question, and play the heck out of it, you’ll likely to get used to a whistle beak beak if its shorter (or longer) than you’re used to.
i hold my D’s at 45 degrees aswell,
but the holes are wider apart with a C whistle,and i hold the C very straight.
so maybe it’s good to go for a smaller whistle(higher key).
and the other way 'round, if your low D is comfortable at 45 degrees,
and if your low C is a bit of a stretch, hold her more straight.
Paul’s clarification is indeed what I communicated to him. Hey, I actually might be closer to 45 degrees than straight down, but I definitely don’t play the thing straight out like a trumpet. I do like the whistle tip IN my mouth so I can clamp down and close around it. I tried playing with it just touching my lips, and my upper lip tended, under breath pressure, to spread and block the top of the air way. I have other whistles, including in the car, and don’t want to make that much adjustment every time I pick up a different one.
Probably The Clarke orgiinal was actually my first whistle, but I replaced it after a while. I was a smoker at the time, and it took more air than I had to give. Actually, I replaced it several times…I kept putting them in my pockets and sitting on them, or the fipple would become loose after lots of playing. I lost a couple to early tweaking experiments. So when I say ‘i replaced it’, I mean “as a brand of choice”.
I moved on to the Sweetone…that’s where I developed the gnawing habit I had for such a long time.
I have always kept the tip of the whistle just in between my lips. I pinch my cheeks and pucker as if I was trying to blow through a straw. I find that I have more control this way. I can do octave jumps without tongueing and can even increase backpressure if the whistle I’m playing doesn’t have the amount I like.
Angelo
The Clarke orgiinal was actually my first whistle, but I replaced it after a while. I was a smoker at the time, and it took more air than I had to give. Actually, I replaced it several times…I kept putting them in my pockets and sitting on them, or the fipple would become loose after lots of playing. I lost a couple to early tweaking experiments. So when I say ‘i replaced it’, I mean “as a brand of choice”.