All whistles are played with the same fingering to get the major, and 2nd major scale.
If I were to play a Bb whistle I wouldnt have to do anything to the sheet music, I would just pretend I am playing a D whistle but it would come out as Bb.
A Bb whistle will play 2.5 notes lower than a D, and the high octave will end 2.5 notes sooner.
Right, if I understand that correctly, I like the idea of getting a lower whistle, like Bb. Is Generation the only one who does Bb in the cheapie range? Who else does them relatively cheaply (or similarly lower-than-high-D)? Is it a bad idea for a beginner to change to a lower key early on?
yes, you’ve got your keys sussed. i can’t think of any reason why it would be bad for a beginner to play a lower whistle - as long as it’s not too big so it makes playing more difficult.
jo.
The small bore Susato Bb is around $20 (US), and has a beautiful, rather quiet tone (in my most humble opinion). The quality control of the Susatos is excellent, while that of the Generations is highly variable.
On 2002-10-03 18:54, Stella wrote:
I just had a look on the Susato site and ARGH! They are the most appallingly ugly whistles I have ever seen! All fat and bulbous…
Stella
I’m sorry, Stella. I was just concerned that you might waste your money on a Generation which might not play well. The Susatos all seem to play well, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Ridseard
A lot of folks like Dixon whistles. I’ve not played their Bb, but it is available at the Whistle Shop. Very clean lines, I think one of the more estherically pleasing of the inexpensive whistles.
I’m sorry, Stella. I was just concerned that you might waste your money on a Generation which might not play well. The Susatos all seem to play well, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Ridseard
Sorry, I wasnt meaning anyhting against your suggestion! I dont think I am going to buy a generation ever, too many bad reviews. I only mentioned the generation as that was the only one I had seen with Bb.
I was actually just in a local music shops and they had all of 1 feadog, 1 oak and 2 generations. I got to have a tootle on them just for interest, the the generations sounded…boring! As well as lots of extraneous noise. The Oak was LOVELY and very tempting…I am off whistle-shopping this weekend in a bigger city - I cant wait!
Stella
On 2002-10-03 18:54, Stella wrote:
I just had a look on the Susato site and ARGH! They are the most appallingly ugly whistles I have ever seen! All fat and bulbous…
Stella
I was gonna stand up for myself, as well as anyone else on this board who may be considered " All fat and bulbous…"… but then I realized you were dissing Susato WHISTLES, not whistlers!
I have both a Dixon and blue-tacked Gen Bb. Both play quite nicely. The Bb is the only Gen that I have ever kept, it plays that well. The Dixon has the edge both in sound quality and the fact that it is more tunable, but is quite a bit more money. The Gen is more chiffy, but has a TRAD whistle sound. The Dixon is more flute-like, but with a resonance that I enjoy. I would go for the Dixon if it’s in your WHOA budget, but the Gen (my sample at least) is quite playable.
Ian
Ah Madguy, that really had me laughing! (I think the susato site photos have been squashed sideways a little, they look a bit more slender on the whistle shop site, but still hideous!)
Ian, Dale also mentions the Gen Bb being decent on the inexpensive whistle reviews page. Since they seem so widely avaliable I am hoping I will come into contact with a Bb they will let me play first. I wouldnt bother if I couldnt try it out, but I am definitely interested now!
I also have a Dixon D and it IS a lovely sounding instrument! But I ought to be gentle on my budget..
I also have a Dixon D and it IS a lovely sounding instrument! But I ought to be gentle on my budget.(Stella)
Perhaps you have a point there, Stella…
However, for me at least, throwing caution to the wind concerning my budget is one little whim that makes the enjoyment of a new whistle a “guilty” little pleasure!
Stella, if your budget does stretch a little futher, you might want to try a Sindt or a Burke. I’m still waiting on my first Sindts and Burkes (ordered) but reviews are so consistent that you are very unlikely to get something different from what you were expecting. To sum up a long and continuing debate, the Sindt would be what a Generation would be if it were made properly. The Burke would be purer—less chiff—sort of the attainable O’Riordan according to some.
Don’t ever buy a Generation without trying it IMO, and ask to try it in the sound proof room. The Susato will play better than it looks and, unless you’re luckier than I’ve ever been, it will play much better than the Generation.
I dont think I am going to buy a generation ever, too many bad reviews.
I have to say this: One MUST try a good Generation in one’s lifetime, no matter how short the fun is. Trust me, with all the ‘bad’ reviews people might have seen, there’s certainly more good than bad.
The first Generation whistle I’ve played was a Brass D (belongs to a friend who won’t sell it, sigh). Guess what? Nothing bad came out of it, it was bliss. So sweet.
(to think that my friend picked it out from a box just like that!)
Bad quality control doesn’t mean the whole line is bad. It’s just that the good ones tend to hide yknow…
It’s your choice in the end anyway, get something you’re comfortable with.
I realize this thread went off into whistle recommendations, but I had to mention something about different keys. For reading sheet music, if you know just the fingering for D, you can play on any whistle of course, but only songs written in D.
But I suggest also learning C fingering. It can be very useful and as they are only one finger/hole off from each other, not too hard to learn and switch back & forth. It can greatly expand your range, esp if you want to play stuff other than Irish music. Also, you can play stuff with the Bb (I think that’s the key of F?) which REALLY can expand your range of sheet music available for you.
Thanks for all your wonderful suggestions!
On Saturday I hunted down a mucis shop and they had Gens and Sweetones. I tried a Bb Gen and some other key… just sounded all blowy and squeeky. I took a sweetone (actually I got out of the shop and suddenly realised: my god, that was the quickest, most impulsive buy I have ever made…) I realised a while later that the copyright symbol was actually the key - C! I first got to give it a real decent tootle in a large kitchen with lots of hard surfaces and it sounded glorious and enchanting. However in a room with carpet and soft furnishings it sounds quite boring.
Despite that, I have nearly forgiven it’s awful green paint! It is a nice whistle.
Now I just need to hunt down stuff about this particular key and learn the different notes… Also, how do I know what key written music is in??
Stella
I know Generation get a lot of unfavourable comments, but I’ve got several in different keys and none of them are bad. Maybe I’m just not blowing the right way to get squeeks?
I particularly like the Bb now, though at first the enormous sixth hole put me off - you could lose a finger in there!
I dug mine out again to play along with a Lunasa track, and golly, I really love it. Boring, but with extraneous noises? That’s the trad sound coming through!
If the £3.50 (about $5-6) is too much to risk, I think a Dixon would be a good slightly more expensive choice. My Dixon A is lovely, and doesn’t require pipers grip.
Hi Stella,
I have a Generation B flat. It buzzed terribly at first. I blue-tacked it and eventually (in desperation) stuck a piece of VERY thin plastic (from a Coffeemate bottle) on the lip part. After much adjusting and bending and sticking, I had a great whistle. Wow, what a difference. It’s got a hauning sound that is free of those extra unwanted noises. I love the thing now, especailly for laments (which in Ireland we call Come-all-ya’s, BTW).
