Hi all,
Found your excellent forum and would like some help if possible!
I’m not a whistler (an “average” acoustic guitarist) but during a recent browse in a music shop my wife picked up a Walton Mellow D whistle and has been practising/ playing every day since.
This surprised me as she hasn’t shown any previous inclination toward musical instruments and now appears to have a bit of a flair for it!
Apparently she played the recorder in primary school and this has helped.
Anyway, it’s her birthday at the end of next month and I’ve decided to buy her a nice whistle.
To this end I have been perusing the net, learning about whistles in general and trying to determine which one to buy.
The criteria for selection includes:
Has to sound good for Irish/ Celtic music
It has to be “easy” to play (I think she finds breath control the most difficult part at present)
Dosen’t have to be especially loud
Must look nice!! (shiny etc)
So far I’ve narrowed it down to either a Burke or Silkstone alloy high D, probably in session bore.
Am I on the right track?? :roll:
I’m a fairly new whistler myself. I have a Burke brass session bore, and I am very happy with it. It has enough volume for a session without being overpowering. It plays easily, and you can play it either gently or aggressively; it will take either. It will tarnish, but your wife can keep it polished if she likes.
You might also look at an Elfsong http://www.elfsongwhistles.com/ . I have a brass E that I just bought from another board member, and if the D is anything like the E, your wife will probably like it. It has a low breath requirement, and it is extremely responsive (plays easily). And they’re beautiful–available in all kinds of colors, and finished with a clear coat so they won’t tarnish. Plus, she can get a C tube for it later on. They are on the quiet side, though, and you do have to wait about 8 weeks.
Thanks for the info.
I hadn’t considered whether to go for the brass or aluminium body, apparently the brass has a “warmer” tone.
Is there much difference?
A deciding factor may be availibility!! I would need it delivered within 5 weeks and it seems there could be a waiting list?!
I have the DAN (high D, aluminum, narrow bore), and it has a relatively sweet, pure sound.
I also have the CBW (high C, brass, wide bore). It’s a bit less pure, but I’m not sure if this due to the difference in key, material, or bore size-or some combination of two or three elements.
I find both easy to play. (I got the DAN about a month after starting, and had no problems with it.) They aren’t “especially” loud. I’d say they are medium loud.
The Burke aluminums are very pretty, and tend to stay that way as long as you’re careful about not getting them scratched up. The brass ones can be kept shiny with Wright’s brass polish (non-stinky, non-toxic). Someone laughed at me when they saw that mine was polished. Apparently some folks like the patinaed look, but I prefer shiny.
Re the wife:
Is she tunable?
Does her head come off?
Is she quite or loud and screechy?
Is she a ‘high’ or ‘low end’ wife?
Can you give us a sound sample?
I am a brand new whistler and the only one I have is a D Clarke SweetTone, it’s inexpensive and it’s been wonderful for learning on. I figure once I get better, I’ll buy some different models. For now, I’m liking what I got.
I noticed the harmless looking little learn-to-play tin whistle book by Waltons sitting on the cabinet as I walked past a few times during the day..didn’t think anything of it.
Evening comes…wife visiting a friend…boring mindless crud on the TV, should go an practise guitar. Out of the corner of my eye the little book beckoned.
Casually I picked it up and flicked through the pages..hmmm
Picked up the whistle and followed the fingering diagram to hit a few notes..pretty straightforward, so that’s how you get get the 2nd octave!!
Could be fun…
Suddenly realised what I was doing No Nooooooooooooooooooooooo!!
Hope you ordered that Burke as a matched set – sounds like you need 2. And don’t forget to invite your wife to come out & play with us here, too.
Welcome to WhOA, reefat.
~Judy
PS - If you decide to try a whistle on the plastic end of the scale, Dixons are great. I have 3 (D,A,G) and love them all! Then there’s the Burke, the Alba, the Chieftain … oh well!
I was wondering whether this was one amazing whistle or a really disgruntled husband.
More seriously, I think that a Burke sounds like a good choice, but if she’s still working on breath control (or needs a knockaround “good” whistle) it might make sense to get something like a Dixon D as a bonus - they’re decent sounding, easy to play, and almost indestructable. Cheap, too - I think the nontuneable still sells for around $20.
Let me also put a thought in your head about wood…some of the most gorgeous whistles for both sound and visual/tactile beauty are wooden. My first high end whistle was the Burke (available through Song of the Sea as well as Mike himself), and I don’t regret that one bit, but I love the sound and feel of all my wooden instruments: Sweetheart, Busman, Abell, Rose (do I still have the Rose? Ack! I’m losing track of what I’ve sold and what I’ve kept!)
Hope you ordered that Burke as a matched set – sounds like you need 2. And don’t forget to invite your wife to come out & play with us here, too.