new whistle wanted, but what kind?

[Mr.Gumby]

it is up to us to drive within the limitations our instruments have

And I think there lies the beauty of it. A good whistle is really a set of compromises where the maker balances a number of things. To get the best high notes, sweet and agile/nimble, while retaining enough stability an strength in the low notes etc

The challenge for the player is, as you say, to work with the character (and the limitations) of the instrument and make music out of all that. And there's potential for great beauty there (as well as terrible disaster).

[mainlandjusiel]

Whistles are no different. The top note or two simply fall out of the nominal range for this tube size. You can adjust a bit with your airstream, but there is not the flexibility of a flute embouchure.

Yes, but there is a HUGE difference between my Feadog or Oak and this new whistle. The new one is way extreme. The Feadog and Oak are way more even in how much air they need. Much more pleasant to play AND listen to. My husband can't stand the shreaking of the new one.

God I sound like my father with such lectures. Yikes!

HAHA!

[awildman]

I just swapped out my Mack Hoover whitecap for the factory Feadog head(this means I am playing a stock Feadog) so I could understand what you mean.

The Feadog doesn't feel easy to play to me. Killarney and my Dixon Trad are both superior whistles. They take less air volume and pressure. They feel smooth, while the Feadog feels a bit clunky. Intonation is fine. Balance between notes and octaves is better on my other two. Feadog is perfectly serviceable, just doesn't have my preferred traits. All 3 whistles are similar in tone, but the Killarney has the least airiness/raspiness of tone. Definitely it is the easiest on my ears, but the Dixon is not far behind.

If you don't néed tuneable, the Dixon Trad might be a good option for you. It isn't quite as nice as the Killarney, but is a heck of a value at under $30 for the Brass.

[pancelticpiper]

An Abel whistle can cost over $600. Why would anyone pay that unless there was something better about it?

Why indeed.

A few weeks ago I attended the annual convention of the National Flute Association. There was a booth there of a maker of very expensive whistles made of Grenadilla and Silver.

I tried one. The maker asked me what I thought. I said the 2nd octave was too stiff for me. He said "Mary Bergin told me the same thing." Now, if Mary Bergin is telling you what could be improved, why not do it? I assume it's because the people who buy his whistles are probably Boehm flutists, who are looking for different things than Mary Bergin is.

This thread, and the fact that I recently got a Burke Narrow Bore Brass (which I've long wanted to get my hands on) has got me to compare a few High D Whistles I have to hand:

Feadog MK1
Generation with central mould-seam line*
Generation without central mould-seam line*
Killarney
Burke Narrow Bore Brass
Burke Session Bore Aluminum

I was most interested in seeing how the Burke Narrow Bore would compare against the other D's of similar bore. (The Burke Session Bore has a bore larger than is usual for High D Whistles.)

Volume. The Burke Session Bore is the loudest, next is the seamless Generation. In the middle are the Killarney, the Burke Narrow Bore, and the seamed Generation. The Feadog is the softest.

Lightness/sweetness/ease of response of the 2nd octave. The Killarney and lined Generation were tops, followed closely by the Feadog. The Burke Narrow Bore was in the middle. The seamless Generation and Burke Session Bore had the stiffest 2nd octave.

Timbre (low octave) This of course is subjective. To my ear the Killarney and Feadog had the richest/most complex timbre. The Generations were in the middle. The Burke Narrow Bore was next. The least complex timbre was the Burke Session Bore.

Interesting that complexity of timbre was often in inverse proportion to volume, and that the whistles with the sweetest high notes had the richest low notes. (Not loudest, the richest in complexity of timbre.)

Intonation. The Burkes were bang-on as they came. I switched out the Killarney body due to the one that came with it having a sharp bellnote. The bodies of the Generations and Feadog all required some carving to adjust the scale.

One thing to be aware of is that many Generations have a very flat 2nd octave. The seamless Generation I have is like that. The other Generation isn't. The Killarney and Burkes have perfect octaves to my way of playing.

It's easy to see why the Killarney is popular: very sweet nimble 2nd octave, good volume, nice timbre, bang-on octaves, attractive price. In many ways it plays like a really good vintage "cheapie" (which is high praise indeed). I did switch the body that came with mine for an old Generation body 1) to fix the sharp bellnote and 2) to get the C#/C natural relationship the way I like it.

* the two types

[mainlandjusiel]

I really appreciate all that info. What do you mean by "sharp bell note?"

[mainlandjusiel]

Just now saw the pictures. Really interesting!

[awildman]

Bell note is the lowest note. The note vents through the "bell" or end of the instrument. Probably terminology taken from other wind instruments that do have bells.

[mainlandjusiel]

Thanks!

[tstermitz]

My Killarney has the nicest high A and B of any whistle I've tried. It is semi quiet, lowish air requirements, and is balanced between both octaves. $72 shipped to my door.

That's my experience, also.

Just buy the Killarney, already. Two weeks, then get back to us! I guarantee you won't return it; send it on to me if you have to! Do get the brass, as the chrome wears fairly quickly.

I've worked with the Killarney for a number of months, now. I guess it's a little quieter, but the clean tone still cuts through quite nicely. The low air requirements are noticeable at first. Now, when I go back to a more "session volume" instrument, I find I run out of breath. Despite the low-air requirement, the Killarney is very responsive and predictable, and it has a good dynamic range. I can push the low G, A or B and get more volume without moving the intonation too much. And then, when you push it into the second register, it doesn't get shrill.

I liked pancelticpiper's review. The only thing I don't think he got to was a comparison of the different tonal qualities. "Complexity of timbre" is a bit vague or subjective. Upon first encountering the penny whistle, there is a tendency to want a more resonant or clean tone rather than scratchy or chiffy. I've gone through that, but I've come back to cheaper and smaller-bore whistles, and back to appreciating at least a little bit of scratch or chiff over purity. I mean, I really don't want my whistle to sound like a recorder.

In the end, that is the most important thing about different whistles: i.e., what is the tonal quality you want.

[pancelticpiper]

I really appreciate all that info. What do you mean by "sharp bell note?"

With whistles you get the 6 notes that emit from the 6 holes, plus the note that comes out of the bottom of the whistle when all the holes are closed (plus their octaves of course).

Sometimes you have the issue of the notes that are made by the fingerholes are all in tune with one another, but the bellnote and its octave are either flat or sharp than those.

It's easy to fix it if the bellnote is flat: chop the bottom until everything is aligned.

If the bellnote is sharp, you got problems. You can get a piece of metal tubing that snugly fits and make an extension; you can slide it up and down to fine-tune. I've made temporary extensions with a rolled piece of paper.

If the bellnote is just a tiny bit sharp you can carve out all the fingerholes to match the bellnote's pitch. I've done that too.

[pancelticpiper]

that is the most important thing about different whistles: i.e., what is the tonal quality you want.

There we will have to differ, because to me the timbre is not necessarily at the top of my considerations.

Above timbre, for me, are things like tuning, voicing, ease/nimbleness of the 2nd octave, and air efficiency (especially with Low Whistles). First the thing has to work; once I have a whistle that works, then I can consider the timbre.

Happily the whistles that play they way I like also tend to sound the way I like.

[pancelticpiper]

Just buy the Killarney, already. Two weeks, then get back to us! I guarantee you won't return it...

I think that's wise advice. The Killarney does everything well at a reasonable price.

I wish they had offered the brass body when I got mine.

[Tyler DelGregg]

Does anyone know whether Killarney intends to make one in C? My all brass D is a winner. I suppose I could ask the folks at Killarney.

[awildman]

I think they started making the whistles mainly for the students at their music school and expanded a bit from there. I doubt you'll see odd keys, although a C is pretty standard. Id definitely buy one.

[Mr.Gumby]

They do an E flat that is lovely but that is one that takes the same head as the D. Making a C would require a re-design and probably for a smaller market (although I would possibly buy one if I felt flush and in need of retail therapy). It may not be worth the effort as long as they are ticking over nicely with what they're doing now.