Playability question re Susato Orioles D

[MichaelRS]

So here is what one YouTuber had to say about his experience with the Susato Oriole D:

"This whistle is great at the lower end, but the top octave is a different story. It's almost impossible to play (for me anyway)..... it's okay on a *tune like this that doesn't really go into the upper register, it's very hard to control in the top octave, you have to blow so hard that I would probably pass out before I got to the end of the song." (That last part meaning if he had to play too much in the second octave)
*The Yew Tree

Anyone else find that to be the case with either the high D Oriole or Kildare?

[ecadre]

So here is what one YouTuber had to say about his experience with the Susato Oriole D:

"This whistle is great at the lower end, but the top octave is a different story. It's almost impossible to play (for me anyway)..... it's okay on a *tune like this that doesn't really go into the upper register, it's very hard to control in the top octave, you have to blow so hard that I would probably pass out before I got to the end of the song." (That last part meaning if he had to play too much in the second octave)
*The Yew Tree

Anyone else find that to be the case with either the high D Oriole or Kildare?

In one word. No. The Oriole D plays just fine, on its own terms.

I used to have a Kildare D which I have vague memories of, but more recently bought an Oriole in D.

The reason I bought it was that wanted a whistle to play outside that wasn't so bothered about the cold, or especially the wind. I also wanted one that was louder than my Generations, Dixons, Impempe, Chieftain etc.

In those departments the Oriole scores very highly. I've never had it clog, it simply shrugs off strong breezes and it is much louder than my other whistles.

Its lower octave is particularly strong compared to most other whistles, but, in common with other loud whistles with strong lower notes, its upper octave needs a bit of a "push" and gets pretty loud.

What follows is my experience, and there may be people that have a different one.

In my mind it is a very opinionated whistle, so to speak. Try to play it like a Generation, and you will fail. Play it how it wants to be played, in a strong and confident way, and it is a very sure footed whistle that plays clearly and cleanly and with good intonation.

I find that it doesn't seem to accept all of the ornamentation that a Generation or Impempe whistle will and can reward you with strange grunting noises. Play it a little more cleanly and it rewards you with a strong and confident sound. To begin with, I think it was also that it didn't like how lightly I was placing my fingers over the holes.

I find that the Oriole is not always the ideal whistle to play fast jigs and reels on (English, Scottish or Irish). This is probably because I'm too used to playing whistles like Generations and similar whistles which overall have a lighter touch, feel a bit more nimble with ornamentation, and have their characteristic chiff and chirruping sound.

The Oriole really shines for me with slower tunes, hornpipes (English or sailors hornpipe style), and many French and English tunes with a more Baroque style ornamentation and tonguing technique. It's also great for playing O'Carolan pieces on, which fits right in with that Baroque style.

Having said that, the more I play the Oriole, the more versatile it becomes.

One of the problems with its volume is that it rarely gets played at home. I tend to practice in a small room where hitting the top notes just blasts my ears out. Even in my much larger living room, it is just too loud for me. I couldn't imagine playing this whistle in a session, but some people seem to do so.

Ostensibly, the Oriole is a whistle that I should dislike. It's loud, doesn't have much chiff and that sweeter chirruping sound of whistles like the Generation, and it blows a bit differently (needing more support when blowing it).

It is really an illustration that there are not many "bad" whistles, just different ones. Give it the room, playing style, and tunes that it likes and the Oriole is a remarkable whistle, a little cracker.

[MichaelRS]

So here is what one YouTuber had to say about his experience with the Susato Oriole D:

"This whistle is great at the lower end, but the top octave is a different story. It's almost impossible to play (for me anyway)..... it's okay on a *tune like this that doesn't really go into the upper register, it's very hard to control in the top octave, you have to blow so hard that I would probably pass out before I got to the end of the song." (That last part meaning if he had to play too much in the second octave)
*The Yew Tree

Anyone else find that to be the case with either the high D Oriole or Kildare?

In one word. No. The Oriole D plays just fine, on its own terms.

I used to have a Kildare D which I have vague memories of, but more recently bought an Oriole in D.

The reason I bought it was that wanted a whistle to play outside that wasn't so bothered about the cold, or especially the wind. I also wanted one that was louder than my Generations, Dixons, Impempe, Chieftain etc.

In those departments the Oriole scores very highly. I've never had it clog, it simply shrugs off strong breezes and it is much louder than my other whistles.

Its lower octave is particularly strong compared to most other whistles, but, in common with other loud whistles with strong lower notes, its upper octave needs a bit of a "push" and gets pretty loud.

What follows is my experience, and there may be people that have a different one.

In my mind it is a very opinionated whistle, so to speak. Try to play it like a Generation, and you will fail. Play it how it wants to be played, in a strong and confident way, and it is a very sure footed whistle that plays clearly and cleanly and with good intonation.

I find that it doesn't seem to accept all of the ornamentation that a Generation or Impempe whistle will and can reward you with strange grunting noises. Play it a little more cleanly and it rewards you with a strong and confident sound. To begin with, I think it was also that it didn't like how lightly I was placing my fingers over the holes.

I find that the Oriole is not always the ideal whistle to play fast jigs and reels on (English, Scottish or Irish). This is probably because I'm too used to playing whistles like Generations and similar whistles which overall have a lighter touch, feel a bit more nimble with ornamentation, and have their characteristic chiff and chirruping sound.

The Oriole really shines for me with slower tunes, hornpipes (English or sailors hornpipe style), and many French and English tunes with a more Baroque style ornamentation and tonguing technique. It's also great for playing O'Carolan pieces on, which fits right in with that Baroque style.

Having said that, the more I play the Oriole, the more versatile it becomes.

One of the problems with its volume is that it rarely gets played at home. I tend to practice in a small room where hitting the top notes just blasts my ears out. Even in my much larger living room, it is just too loud for me. I couldn't imagine playing this whistle in a session, but some people seem to do so.

Ostensibly, the Oriole is a whistle that I should dislike. It's loud, doesn't have much chiff and that sweeter chirruping sound of whistles like the Generation, and it blows a bit differently (needing more support when blowing it).

It is really an illustration that there are not many "bad" whistles, just different ones. Give it the room, playing style, and tunes that it likes and the Oriole is a remarkable whistle, a little cracker.

Thanks for that. As far as the type of music IT likes to play, sounds like we might be a good match.