Chiff and Fipple Forums

Hi, newbie here came to whistle from a bit of playing fiddle tunes on bluegrass mandolin. But I found a book on whistles and ending up buying a couple high D whistles. I really like trying to play them but what I've found is that I can't control volume as how hard the wind is controls the octave, not the volume. Then I found that getting up in the upper register can get really loud and harsh. At least it's too much to practice with someone else in the room who isn't listening to whistles.

I'm thinking I might want to get a lower whistle so some songs I play where the notes go a few steps below D, I can still play on the lower register.

-l2t

Whistles in the key ''A'' will also play in the key of ''D''

It gets better with practice, but initially everyone might run out of the room. Give yourself some time and practice. When beginning try playing in a large room with lots of upholstered furniture, a rug and drapes if you have one. When I was first playing I attempted to practice at a table in my kitchen. I can do that now, but initially all the hard surfaces around me amplified my less than perfect sound.

Yes, you don't have a lot of volume control in a whistle.

You can buy a whistle that has a sweet, not-so-loud high register. Small bore whistles frequently meet this desire.

I have the same problem. I'm told it gets better with practice. I just can't blow loud enough to get the higher notes in the upper register.

I have a Low D on order. More lung power, but at least the dog won't hate me.

If you want volume as well as tone, you might have to resort to a flute style where you control both volume and pitch with your mouth.

What kind of whistle are you playing? Some hit the high register easily, others take more oomph. If possible, have an experienced player test your whistle to see if it's playing properly.A bit of tonguing for the higher notes can sometimes help get them to speak without being excessively loud.Keep at it-- this is a common problem, and you'll get a feel for it.

I find that the conical bore (tapered) whistles have an easier transition between octaves, and in both directions. However, I learned on a tapered bore whistle. I do find that the upper octave 'A' and 'B' require a bit more push on both types (tapered and cylindric)

When I was first learning, I was taught to "relax" into the higher register. Though I would also agree that tongueing might help you get a better feel for it. Looking back, I think the teachers just wanted to avoid kids emitting shrill blasts and therefore instructed them to take it easy in the second octave . In all honesty, though, practice is pretty much the universal remedy to most whistle-playing problems.
Cheers!

I had the same issue with the high notes then one day after months of practice I miraculously found I could manage the high G, then sometime later I suddenly realised I could hit the high A and then the high B followed soon after. One thing that did help was when I purchased a Syn C whistle which seemed much easier to play through the high octave without the harsh sound that my D whistles produced. Maybe a C whistle might be worth a try because after you have play that for a while you might find that for some reason that escapes me the D seems easier. Cheers JTU