The eternal search..
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- Tell us something.: Whistles are fun, whistles are charming, whistles sound nice, whistles are affordable, whistles make us smile, whistles make dogs bark, and whistles upset some neighbors.
- Location: Middle of Virginia
Re: The eternal search..
You make some good points, Sedi, regarding favoring certain whistles depending on your mood and situation. Sometimes, I just want a brass whistle, and other times, aluminum. And there definitely are times when the pvc Goldfinch is just the ticket. Late at night with a steady rain falling, the quiet, Clarke Original is ideal. As long as one is not frustrated nor regularly disappointed in a futile search for something ideal and illusive, I see no harm in having a large collection. The collection should be enjoyable, not a distraction. However, I too, have only one whistle in low G, a Freeman, because I am very satisfied with it. I actually find the concept of one whistle per key interesting in a Zen-like focused way to get really competent and skillful. But whistles being relatively affordable, the temptation for me to have several voices per key is too great to ignore.
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- Tell us something.: I can only hope that my proficiency with the whistle is steadily improving. A few of my whistles get a workout on an almost daily basis. And I'm almost certainly afflicted with WhOAD.
- Location: Detroit Metro
Re: The eternal search..
I have never played a PVC whistle, and I don't think I've even watched a YouTube video of one being played. I have also only played soprano D whistles, mostly because Irish traditional music is typically in the key of D and soprano D whistles are the most widely available. When I bought my Feadóg, I chose a green one. The reasoning behind this was twofold: I wanted to see if the painted finish had a discernible impact on the sound and test its durability (especially since some of the lacquer has worn off my Walton's). I see no impact on the sound, and it's held up pretty well thus far. Though I still want to add a few more whistles to my arsenal, I'm quite happy with the Feadóg and, to a slightly lesser extent, the Walton's.
- pancelticpiper
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- Tell us something.: Playing Scottish and Irish music in California for 45 years.
These days many discussions are migrating to Facebook but I prefer the online chat forum format. - Location: WV to the OC
Re: The eternal search..
Yes that's exactly what I've done.Hooleh wrote: it would make sense to own a few whistles of the same key side by side, not for regular playing but for comparison, and then keep the one that is best of those.
A dozen years ago I decided to get out of fluteplaying (due to physical issues) and sold off all my flutes. With the money I went on a Low D Whistle buying spree. My goal was to get hold of one of each Low D I'd heard good things about and put them through their paces. It was very helpful to be able to compare batches of whistles, due to having a half-dozen different makes to hand at any given time.
I was able to get a clearer picture as to what was being made, and what the parameters of Low D Whistle design were.
Now I have one Low D.
Richard Cook
c1980 Quinn uilleann pipes
1945 Starck Highland pipes
Goldie Low D whistle
c1980 Quinn uilleann pipes
1945 Starck Highland pipes
Goldie Low D whistle
- pancelticpiper
- Posts: 5312
- Joined: Mon Jul 10, 2006 7:25 am
- antispam: No
- Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
- Tell us something.: Playing Scottish and Irish music in California for 45 years.
These days many discussions are migrating to Facebook but I prefer the online chat forum format. - Location: WV to the OC
Re: The eternal search..
That's a useful saying. I can't think of an English equivalent.Sedi wrote: in Germany we say: "It's not like they eat grass"
About my own buying and selling, it was almost exclusively Low Whistles, for which I paid $150 to $700 each, not inconsiderable sums.
Richard Cook
c1980 Quinn uilleann pipes
1945 Starck Highland pipes
Goldie Low D whistle
c1980 Quinn uilleann pipes
1945 Starck Highland pipes
Goldie Low D whistle