Chiff and Fipple Forums

The standard bore Bb McManus in Newtonia is the quietest. It doesn't have the carrying power of the wide-bore instruments. I use it in situations where I don't want to annoy people with excessive volume. It has a gentle, but well-defined sound. Hope this helps. Enjoy which ever choice you make, Seán.

Seán: I've had my eye on a McManus in A for awhile. With the standard bore, does it take a lot of push to reach and sustain the top notes of the 2nd octave with a good (i.e., not harsh) tone? I don't have a standard-bore A (only a wide-bore), but the standard-bore Bb doesn't take inordinate breath ...

Hello WX Flurry, I have four McManus Bb whistles -- all of which were used for street performances in Paris, Prague, Verona and Tipperary until COVID 19 temporarily put a stop to it. They are (a) wide-bore in African Blackwood, (b) wide-bore in Mopane (c) standard bore in African Blackwood (d) stand...

Good point, PB+J. I wouldn't put it inside a bass drum. But I think that the dangers are a little exaggerated sometimes. I stand about a metre (a yard) away from the microphone to record the whistle. This poses no threat to the ribbon. Take a look at this: https://www.aearibbonmics.com/are-ribbon-mi...

I've tried high-end large diaphragm condenser microphones (AKG C414XLS), standard dynamic mics (Shure SM57), small-diaphragm condenser mics (Audix VX-10), Broadcast interview mics (Beyerdynamic M58) and large ribbon mics (NoHype Audio LRM-V) for recording whistle. And the winner is: NoHype Audio LRM...

A good friend of mine swears by McManus whistles for his wedding reception gigs:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2ilOz-RxUk

His recording isn't exactly 'dry' -- but you can hear the sweet timbre of Roy's instruments.

Warm regards,

Seán in Tipperary

I really do have an Ab McManus and a G# McManus. Enharmonic? As it happens I have a D whistle and a C## whistle :o No, really. I have an Ab McManus whistle in Mopane I also have a G# McManus in African Blackwood. Both are superb instruments. One is a back-up for the other and allows me to give each...

Here in Ireland, 'Sambo' means sandwich.

I play an unhokey version of The Irish Washerwoman in my current set ... then segue into the Rondo from Mozart's Horn Concerto No.4 (at jig tempo) ... then back again into The Irish Washerwoman. It works, I enjoy it, the public like it, and the ITM police haven't made an arrest yet :wink: https://ww...

Actually, no. I really do have an Ab McManus and a G# McManus.

Warm regards,

Sean.

Great question Frizzygirl. I'm currently doing some street performances in a sweltering Paris. The whistles I'm using are by Roy McManus, and are in the keys of C#, Bb and G# on this trip. In Verona, last week, I played McManus whistles in C#, Bb and Ab (seriously). Why those keys? Because they soun...

With the greatest of collegial respect, Thomas ... if you have a McManus in D, you will not find an Abell in D any better. I have an Abell in D, and McManus instruments in the nearby keys of C#, Eb and E. They all match - or even outshine - the Abell. (The Bb, A and Ab McManuses I have are all wonde...

Hello Scott, I have a McManus wide-bore A in mopane .... and it is wonderful. Solid tone, great carrying power, accurate intonation -- a delight to play. Just to give you an idea of the loudness, I have a wide bore African blackwood McManus in Bb that is too loud for some purposes. So I have a stand...

'Peccavi' The most brief and brilliant example of a favourite British form of humour, the pun. In 1843 Sir Charles Napier conquered the Indian province of Sind (now southeast Pakistan), and was criticized in parliament in 1844 for his ruthless campaign. A girl in her teens, Catherine Winkworth (1827...

Do Sindts in all keys have the difficult OXX OOO? Meaning, Sindt players must be good half-holers which I am not. Off Topic: Regarding bagpipes from Pakistan, I bought a new set in 1974 for $125 at a store in New York City. Within two weeks, there were huge cracks in two of the drones at the base. ...