Some Questions about Sweetones
Posted: Sun May 20, 2018 11:46 am
Hi all! I'm curious about a few things about Clarke Sweetone tinwhistles.
First, I've got both a C and a D. The D whistle has a very slight convex curve to its labium: if it had a curved windway, the labium would be curved to match (as it is on my Yamaha recorders). The C whistle's is dead straight. I play each a lot, and I really like both. But while each sounds to me like the same kind of whistle, the D seems generally better in terms of consistency of tone, of 2nd-octave playability, and (especially!) in that it doesn't lose volume on its lowest notes (the lowest 2 notes on the C are almost inaudible on my recordings).
So, now the questions: first, is this difference in the labium likely to be responsible for the differences in the whistles' respective performances? Or is it incidental to that, and I should start poking around inside to find if there are bits of flash to remove or other things to improve in the C?
Next, does anyone know whether this difference is part of the design? In other words, do D Sweetones all have the curved labium and Cs all have the flat ones? Or did Clarke change from one type to the other at some point? Or is this a manufacturing irregularity? (The curve on my D is very even and looks intentional.)
Now, I understand that Clarke has discontinued the C -- a real shame, as in spite of the superiority of the D, my C is still a really nice whistle (among other things, it's got the best intonation out of any C in my collection). Clarke USA still has them in stock (that's where I got mine from), though, and so I wonder: should I should be hunting around for another with the curved labium, while the Cs are still reasonably plentiful?
Finally, on a completely different tack: how is "Sweetone" usually pronounced, anyway?? I keep thinking "Sweet-One", but it could also be "Sweet-[T]one". I imagine Clarke intended for a bit of ambiguity there, but I've not talked enough with other whistlers to get a sense for what the consensus on that is.
Many thanks in advance!
First, I've got both a C and a D. The D whistle has a very slight convex curve to its labium: if it had a curved windway, the labium would be curved to match (as it is on my Yamaha recorders). The C whistle's is dead straight. I play each a lot, and I really like both. But while each sounds to me like the same kind of whistle, the D seems generally better in terms of consistency of tone, of 2nd-octave playability, and (especially!) in that it doesn't lose volume on its lowest notes (the lowest 2 notes on the C are almost inaudible on my recordings).
So, now the questions: first, is this difference in the labium likely to be responsible for the differences in the whistles' respective performances? Or is it incidental to that, and I should start poking around inside to find if there are bits of flash to remove or other things to improve in the C?
Next, does anyone know whether this difference is part of the design? In other words, do D Sweetones all have the curved labium and Cs all have the flat ones? Or did Clarke change from one type to the other at some point? Or is this a manufacturing irregularity? (The curve on my D is very even and looks intentional.)
Now, I understand that Clarke has discontinued the C -- a real shame, as in spite of the superiority of the D, my C is still a really nice whistle (among other things, it's got the best intonation out of any C in my collection). Clarke USA still has them in stock (that's where I got mine from), though, and so I wonder: should I should be hunting around for another with the curved labium, while the Cs are still reasonably plentiful?
Finally, on a completely different tack: how is "Sweetone" usually pronounced, anyway?? I keep thinking "Sweet-One", but it could also be "Sweet-[T]one". I imagine Clarke intended for a bit of ambiguity there, but I've not talked enough with other whistlers to get a sense for what the consensus on that is.
Many thanks in advance!