Happy and healthy New Year to you all —
(first posted this on WhOA thread, but it doesn’t really belong there, does it…)
I have a question about whistle etiquette related to WhOA: while I completely understand and am tugged by WhOA, I do not want to become acquisitive about whistles. Nor can I afford to buy every wonderful handmade whistle to ‘try them out,’ and O’Riordan isn’t taking any more orders, I understand… So how does one find which whistles TO adopt? It seems it might be impolite, to say the least, to ask the owner of a Copeland, Burke, (or any other) etc to run a few scales on them. What say you?
(I have a Freeman-tweaked Sweetone, can’t blow a bad note on my $4 Meg, and bought a Walton’s D brass because I had to wait too long for the Sweetone to come to me… And yes, I going to try flute as well. I must exert some will, obviously.)
Thanks for helping a newbie avoid serious d’ohs. And if there are any whistlers south of San Marcos and north of San Antonio, Texas, this NYer would love to know.
Well, I haven’t tried all the biggies, but I don’t see how you could be disappointed by a whistle from Michael Burke.
Also check out the main website and Wanderer’s reviews.
After studying all the reviews, prices, volume (and pictures!) I chose a Burke.
I found it helpful to listen to a bunch of the clips and snips at tinwhistletunes. That got me narrowed down to 2-3 whistles that have the sound I want, and now I only have to compare those few to find the one that feels/sounds best when I am playing it.
Thanks for the suggestions–
I have checked out the reviews, snips of others playing, etc, but for me, nothing beats actually having thing in hand and trying it out. A Burke is sounding pretty nice right now, but as another poster has pointed out, what one person means by “sweet” or “light” or “breathy” may vary rather radically from another’s same description.
Is it in fact considered rude to ask someone if you might try their whistle? Presuming one looks clean and presentable and carries a wad of antibacterial wipes..?
I think most whistle players wouldn’t mind your trying out their whistles, assuming you don’t have the advanced plague or anything like that.
Where in NY are you? Anywhere near Albany? You’d be welcome to come try any whistles in my collection, either made by me or by others (Overton,Sindt,Sweet, etc).
Hmmmmmm… Ok, I just looked at my map, and my latitude is in between San Marcos-San Antonio. However the longitude of Santa Fe, Texas is almost 300 miles west of there. If you decide to take a trip to Galveston come on by, and you can try plenty of whistles here. Let me know ahead of time, and I will give you a spot at the head of the line of traveling sales people- magazines, life time light bulbs, magic soap made from oranges, meat & ice cream with free delivery etc… 
Thanks for the offers!
Brewer – I am from NYC area, but am living in Texas for the moment. I intend to visit back north this year, maybe in the autumn, so maybe then… And nah, I’m pretty presentable, and very germ-aware (worked in a hospital, comes with the territory)
Tommy – I have not yet been to Galveston, and want to see it, so maybe yes! Especially if you give me a spot at the head of that line…
Thanks for the responses and help, folks. Off to practice…
It’s not rude to ask. It’s rude to still pick up the whistle and play it after someone has said no or just pick up a whistle and play it without asking.
Some shops will let a person play a whistle.
I always ask before tooting and I usually let people try mine out. I carry some alcohol swabs to disinfect them as I have a suppressed immune system.
My favorite whistles (in key order) are:
D
A Parks Whistles Every whistle
A Clarke Original design
A Generation brass tube with a Whitecap fipple
C
Generation brass tube with a Whitecap fipple
B (my second preferred solo whistle)
A Mack Hoover PVC Whitecap
Bb (my preferred solo whistle)
A Generation brass tube with a Whitecap fipple
Good luck with your WhOA. 
Mutepointe:
Please tell me you are kidding. Who the heck would ever do that, after someone said no???
Thanks for the response… and I hope you don’t run into people like that.
Fancypiper:
Alcohol swabs a good idea… but wouldn’t alcohol damage plastic fipples??? Just curious…
Thanks for the general sense of things, 'preciate it.
I believe you may have misread Mutepointe’s post.
I always remove the fipple and coatings on brass whistles with acetone (fingernail polish remover) and it doesn’t seem to bother them, and I doubt if alcohol would bother them either. At least, those chemicals haven’t bothered any of mine that I still have. I can’t say absolutely as I have lost a few whistles along my journey.
Edited to change toluene to acetone
Hmmm .. I would not put fingernail polish remover on anything plastic - most polish remover is acetone - guaranteed to melt all plastics . Delrin might be the exception there.
Toluene is highly toxic - it will be absorbed throgh your skin directly into your bloodstream and .. well - look up the txicology.. it will de-nature any celulose-base substance. - so don’t let it get on your skin or wood.
As for trying whistles out - it is certainly the best approach for any musical instrument. But remember, many pathogens find your mouth to be the best method of entry into your system. Don’t be blaze’ about that - sure, most the pathogens you pick up are from riding the train or having a kid in school bringing them home .. the supermarket etc etc.. but whatever you put in your mouth is a highway for infection.
Alcahol is good - it is the primary weapon that mold uses to compete with bacteria - it kills bacteria, it does not kill mold, it does not kill virus. Ethanol is the least toxic of the alcahols - Methanol is next best, Isopropyl is quite harmful to mamals - as I understand it, isopropyl will break-down cyst-walls that your body has constructed against flukes and other encysted pathogens.
A mild solution of Iodine is good - it kills everything (including you if you get too much) in very small doses it is actually good for thyroid function.
Happily, most viruses die when exposed to the air or sunlight(ultra violet) for a some amount of time.
To target molds, wild honey is good - not sure how one would prepare it for whistle treatment though … honey tends to leave a residue.
There are a few plants that have developed defenses against both bacteria and funguses(mold) .. Sandalwood is probably the best of these - in my experience, it also produces the least of alergic reactions.
Ants and bees secrete anti-bacterial and anti-fungal agents to keep their hives clean. One could leave a whistle on an ant nest overnight for good disinfecting. The Australian aboriginees did that to prepare wound-dressings.
Bacteria is easy to control, mold is less easy .. Viruses are a problem.
To be sure, I’d be swabbing with mild iodine - maybe mixed with ethanol or methanol for a good braod-spectrum. Then allow to dry before putting it in my mouth.
.. If it’s a wooden whistle, I’d not be using alcahol - it’s a solvent that will de-nature the wood oils and pigments. For wood, maybe almond oil with a few drops of Iodine and pure sandalwood oil (Australian sandalwood has the best disinfectant properties, but is a little expensive at $50 for 10ml). One can use aromatherapy sandalwood - gotten at the hippy-dip shoppe - this is about 9 parts rapeseed oil to 1 part Asian sandalwood, so you don’t need almond oil .. so hippy-dip sandalwood oil with a drop of iodine is probably the most effective easy-to-get protection.
Iodine can be gotten as a sore-throat cure at your chemist, or as a disinfectant for bottles for brewing beer - a brewer’s shop will have it.
That’s as much as I’ve found out concerning the dissinfectant of whistles. Happy for anyone to add to that.
With regards to trying out whistles (or any other musical instrument):
Whistles are chaos creatures - they have character, they do not have defined properties .. If you hear a whistle who’s character you like, go ahead and try - it will add to your own character .. if you have no character of your own .. better get one - you will need it if you want to play. Like what you like, and not if not .. you are the salt of the earth?
Be prepared to be captured - That’s WhOa .. go on - catch it, it does not hurt your body - and it will cost you less than the exercise machine parked under your bed and will bring you infinitely more satisfaction.
A whistle is the path between a consumer and a person - be a person.
(btw - I think it’s been well proved that a few pathogens make yur imune system stronger - the world is full of dirt - we walk on it, we have adapted to cope with it, the risk of catching terminal invaders from a whistle are not so high - and remember, when it’s right you will kiss the one you love and share your biospheres together, no matter what?
.. and what is music? )
Careful there - Toluene is toxic, and, afaik, NOT used as nail polish remover. Nail polish remover is usually either acetone or ethyl acetate. Whilst these are not entirely safe, they are far, far less toxic than toluene.
I do not want to sound as if I am nit-picking - but I would not want anyone to start playing with toluene without being aware of its toxicity.
Happy new year…
Senior moment! You are correct, I used acetone, but not to worry, my major was in chemistry, so I read the precautions, used it outside with gloves and only enough to break the glue seal on the fipple (I have a Generation C fipple that isn’t cracked) and remove the coating. I changed methods after trying “fipple tea” and cracking several fipples, even my Bb.
Mitch–
Wow! After that treatise on disinfection I have a couple of ideas, and the iodine is a great one, I think. Thank you!
At present not in the market for a wooden whistle tho’ I do love how they sound. I have a willow flute made by a Navajo at the Taos Pueblo that a friend bought me as a present because I loved the sound of them, but I was in grad school and after trying it a few times I found it unplayable and thought little of it. Now, I look at it, and see irregularly-shaped holes, and the lowest note doesn’t match anything on the local piano, somewhere between an F and a G, I think. Lovely sound, but one of these days I may run into someone who can tell me if it’s fixable or not. Until then, I am looking for something clear, warm, definitely not shrill, that goes beautifully into 2nd octave and takes a little bit of effort to put air into it. I know I’ve heard O’Riordan whistles and love the sound, but, alas… maybe he’ll start taking orders again one of these days.
Funny – when originally I posted my question, I was thinking more of others’ worries about a stranger’s germs…didn’t even think I might not want theirs…tho’ probably if someone struck me as unhygienic or unhealthy I probably would be disinclined to ask to try their instruments.
I do appreciate your response. I no longer have many things I don’t use – been cleaning out life for some years now – and yeah, the exercise machine is gone, too…less dust balls under the bed…now it’s hiking/walking around the lake here to improve my aerobic capacity. I can see how much breath control matters not only in playing all the way through a phrase to a good breathing space, but also to the overall sound. I love this little whistle! So easy to play…such an all-encompassing challenge to master.
Best wishes to you for the New Year. I just noticed “oz whistles” at the end of your post…I shall have to go see!
Sig
wow, I hope you guys don’t apply the same detox regime under the Christmas mistletoe? 
Band directors have used Sterisol for as long as I can remember. I’ve never seen or heard of it damaging any sort of plastic or finish. I decant some into a 2oz. spray bottle and take it and a rag to sessions.
http://www.wwbw.com/Sterisol-8-oz--Premixed-Germicide-Spray-420158-i1133328.wwbw