Little did I think that I’d get a reply within 8 hours!
I just received this from Yamaha:
<<Thanks so much for the link to the bulletin board. I was very pleased to see that most people are happy with our student recorders.
Unfortunately, I have heard no mention of a penny (tin) whistle in any of our R&D meetings or memos. I will, as the US product manager for recorders, suggest in my next monthly report that this be considered. My suggestion won’t be given much consideration without additional information though.
Can you estimate for me the number of whistles purchased by consumers in the US? Canada? Other countries? Also, what would be the acceptable street price (actual purchase price) for a good whistle in the US? Would it be plastic? Other material? Would schools realistically use this product or would it make more sense as a consumer/hobbyist product or as a toy bundle with a book?
Finally, can you suggest a ‘model’ or two of existing whistles that I could review? The link you forwarded mentioned a few (Clare, Hohner, etc), but which whistles would be considered the best? Any help would allow me to make a complete proposal to the recorder design section.
Warm regards,>>
The email address is: MSchaner@yamaha.com
And my response to him has been:
<<Dear Michael,
Thank you for your prompt reply. As far as use in schools, I am not qualified to speak, but I will encourage teachers to get more information for you, if you’d like. You may get valid estimates of sales from a place like The Whistle Shop, and Song of the Sea, to whom I will forward your note.
If you peruse the website http://www.ChiffandFipple.com (dedicated to the penny/Irish/tin whistle and presided over by Dale Wisely who probably has a great deal of information to offer you!) you’ll find an enormous amount of information about all varieties of whistles, from the extraordinarily inexpensive models (Generation, Walton, etc) which go for under $10 through midrange (I would imagine that a manufactured plastic whistle like Susato would be a big competitor) that range under $100 through the elite, hand-built models like the Burke, O’Riordan, etc. and the whole gamut of keys that are common (soprano D being the most common, but ranging up to the high G and down to a low C, from my reading).
Unlike many instruments, an inexpensive whistle is not necessarily a ‘toy’ or unplayable or considered a ‘student model’, or even substandard in sound! I hesitate to go into detail, as I’m neither a whistlesmith, nor a terribly accomplished player, but it appears that consistent sound quality, ruggedness and ease of playing is often the issue.
The bright side of this, from a manufacturer’s standpoint, is that whistleplayers tend to be affected by something called WhOA disorder: Whistle Obsessive Acquisition. One instrument simply will NOT do. I have only been mildly touched with this, and have two A whistles, 4 soprano D’s, a C and a Bflat. I show no symptoms of slowing down either.
Please let me know if you would like me to pass your letter on to others who may descend on you with near maniacal fervor. We whistlers are a strange and dedicated lot! >>
As soon as I hear back, I’ll post the email address he recommends.
