I had a bit of a revelation tonight as I was playing my whistles. I picked up my Dixon Trad, which has been much neglected ever since I got my Burke DAN 2-3 months ago. The thing just SANG to me. I think that, having never played a “high end” whistle, I was never completely happy with my little ole $25 Dixon until now. I briefly owned a Busman, and it just didn’t suit my tastes. I traded it for the Burke, and liked the pure, sweet sound, and it became my main high D. But now, having played both side by side and in trying to be honest with myself, I really think I like the Dixon better.
I feel like I subconciously made myself think that the more a whistle costs, the better it is. Not to say that Burke and Busman don’t make great whistles, because they do, but I definately had a “grass is greener on the other side” mentality when it came to whistles. Heck, the Dixon really suits every possible need I could have in a high D.
Anyone else had similar experiences?
Yeah. And the next day it’s the opposite. I’m one who’s OK with having a bunch of whistles. They’re all different, and all great in their own ways.
(WHOA content: I haven’t tried a Trad yet! 
).
I have a trad, and I really like it too. Of course that is going to stop me from getting my hands on every other whistle I can find.
Mate; have ya learned anything na? Love the one you’re with! Best, Cyril.
I’ve 2 high D’s which I like a lot. But that doesn’t mean that I won’t buy another high D.
Yes. these are very nice, but I’m sure there would be BETTER high D’s around there. So, I have to buy every high D that I can to find the best (and then, keep them all, anyways.)
After being stubbornly loyal to my tweaked c1980 Generations (except for D, for which I preferred my tweaked c1980 Feadog) for nearly 30 years, I recently went on a Burke binge, getting “dem tings” in low D, G, A, high C, and high D.
The more I play the Burke low D, G, and A the more I love them.
However I had an experience/revelation similar to yours about the Burke high C. I just like the old tweaked Generation C better. Though the Burke has a somewhat larger bore (being the “session” version), the Generation is just about as loud in the low register. The Burke is rather louder in the 2nd register, in other words the Generation has a better balance between the registers. And the Generation has that vintage Generation sound I love.
I wonder if some of that revelation is that at first maybe you don’t like a whistle much because it does things that you can’t control. Then you get a purer whistle, it seems better, you are able to practice and improve. Then when you go back to the original whistle you find that those things it did are now no longer out of your control, and you can now be more expressive or maybe you can sense more colors in the tone that please you that you weren’t able to bring out before.
Just an idea.
I am really interested in Burkes right now myself. I play a composite D in my band. If I played more than 3 tunes on a C whistle, I’d get a composite C, also.
That said, I own a near 30-year-old Feadan whistle which was a gift a long time ago…
It really blows any other cheapie I’ve ever owned out of the water, and is an extremely nice whistle.
Diane, I do feel like that’s a lot of it. Well said. It’s like I remember someone once saying, that whistle can be unique among other instruments in that, as you improve, it becomes easier to work your back into playing the “cheapies” well.
Of course, I just played a little of both again, and I’m back to liking the Burke! Still though, It’s hard for me to justify keeping a $170 whistle when I have a $25 whistle that I consider it’s equal. With my limited disposable income and my desire for a couple of other things (white cap for my Gen Bb and a Tipple flute, for example), I may look at putting it up for sale soon.
Yep. As a repeatedly rebaptised WHOAist, I can confirm this type of revelation, in my own experience.
A decade ago, got my 1st Low D…a Susato. Loved it, learned on it, “outgrew” it, and moved on to “higher-end and better” instruments. Burke, Chieftain, Copeland, Overton, Humphrey, and recently the MK twins.
Ooops. On a WHOAwhim, I just got a new Susato Low Eb. kaCHING. And it has found it’s way into my regular A-Musements. Adds a whole new flavor to the rotation. Plus, it doesn’t feel so, er, precious…so I feel free to jam a wad of blu tac onto it’s blade, to change the shape of the tone, etc.
Yes. Love the multiple and varied charms of the many whistles!
I love Dixons…The soft feel of the tube, tone, playabilatiy, price…
But the second octave A and B were terribly out of tune! I am not looking for perfection either, just somthing that is resonably in tune!
Hope yours is better,
Nate
In my case that’s not it, because I actually played the Burke C very little, hardly enough to get used to the difference in playability between it and the Generation. (Actually there’s not much difference, which is one of the things I like about Burkes- I don’t have to adapt my playing to them; I can just pick them up and play the way I’m used to.)
I just like the balance and timbre of the Generation a tad more.
Mr. Nate - the Dixon trad has a brass tube, and mine is remarkably in tune throughout the range…
I love my Dixon trad. I’ve played around on friend’s high end whistles and have never felt the need to buy one now that I have the trad…there’s just something about it’s sound that suits my perfectly.
The Burkes I’ve played are wonderful whistles - just not wonderful enough to displace my little $25 treasure.
Eric