Feadog pro D whistle

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Laura
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Tell us something.: I have been playing the tin whistle for about 6 month, would love to get some tips on playing. I have several flutes and each one is a bit of a challenge but I am enjoying the differences on each one. I do have some question about particular flutes and their characteristics. I hope to talk to some that have played the tin flute for years and have some great information to draw from. I would also love to find more music through this forum and perhaps some great places to learn more about ornaments.

Feadog pro D whistle

Post by Laura »

Hi all, I am new to this forum and started playing the tin whistle about 6 months ago. I purchased a new whistle, a Feadog Pro D and I am having a bit of a time with it. There seems to be some chatter with it. Just checking if it is air control or a feature of this whistle. I do not have that problem with my Blackbird D. I am not blowing very hard but it seems when I go to the higher octave there is some squeaking and chatter. Any ideas, I know it may be breath control but I am at my wits end. Perhaps someone has the same whistle and knows the idiosyncrasy's of that particular whistle. :-?
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Re: Feadog pro D whistle

Post by brewerpaul »

Look very closely at all areas where your breath passes through or over any part of the mouthpiece. The plastic molding process often leaves little bits of plastic where they shouldn't be. These cause turbulence in the airflow which can account for extraneous sounds.
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Mr.Gumby
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Re: Feadog pro D whistle

Post by Mr.Gumby »

Hi Laura and welcome.

According to the blurb (on the Feadóg website) breath control is more important in the pro. When I got one it was however not an apparent feature. Whistles like this, injection moulded heads, are variable, it's part of the process. In addition your are new player. Between those two, it is hard to tell what is causing the problem without taking the whistle itself for a spin. In general terms I would suggest the Blackbird requires a lighter touch than the Feadóg but any number of things could cause your problem. All said and done: I binned the head of the Pro I got, it just wasn't right.
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PB+J
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Tell us something.: I'm a historian and the author of "The Beat Cop:Chicago's Chief O'Neill and the Creation of Irish Music," published by the University of Chicago in 2022. I live in Arlington VA and play the flute sincerely but not well

Re: Feadog pro D whistle

Post by PB+J »

Laura wrote:Hi all, I am new to this forum and started playing the tin whistle about 6 months ago. I purchased a new whistle, a Feadog Pro D and I am having a bit of a time with it. There seems to be some chatter with it. Just checking if it is air control or a feature of this whistle. I do not have that problem with my Blackbird D. I am not blowing very hard but it seems when I go to the higher octave there is some squeaking and chatter. Any ideas, I know it may be breath control but I am at my wits end. Perhaps someone has the same whistle and knows the idiosyncrasy's of that particular whistle. :-?

So I'm a beginner also, and I went though a lot of inexpensive whistles and they were all frustrating in the way you describe--i could not tell the difference between what might be a problem with the whistle and what might be my poor technique.

I bought a killarney whistle in D and a Jerry Freeman Tweaked whistle in D on ebay, a Mellow Dog, and they both eliminated the kinds of problems I was having with notes cracking or rattling. Just much much more consistent and easier to play. Just much more fun and less fuss. Of the two I love the Killarney best, but the Freeman has a great sound as well, a little smoother.

Since then, since I have a model of what a good whistle should sound and act like, I've done some tweaking to the Feadogs and other whistles and managed to get them playing better. I have a Feadog Pro D in my hand right now in fact. In most cases putting some poster putty in the cavity under the mouthpiece made a big difference. It just seems to make it more stable. And it seems to matter how much you fill the cavity. Also taking some very fine sandpaper and smoothing the airway. I got 600 grit automotive sandpaper and cut it into strips, then wet the mouthpiece and ran it through the airway, looking for any irregularities or bits of flashing. The Feadog plays pretty well now. I still prefer the Killarney by a mile
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