Killarney Eb

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PB+J
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Killarney Eb

Post by PB+J »

I had started dabbling in Eb whistles to get some Micho Russel tunes down more easily. I bought a Generation with a poorly fitting head, then another Generation that was better. Then I saw a Killarney Eb on sale and snapped it up.

Once again, it's just a really fine whistle. it's not as loud as the generation but it has a really sweet tone that's more solid but still well in the ballpark of what I think of as a traditional tone.

Here's a very short comparison--the Generation is first, then there's a fumbling pause, then the Killarney. Please forgive me--I've only been playing the whistle for nine months. I just wanted to give a sound comparison

http://spokeshave.net/music/gbjig.mp3
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Mr.Gumby
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Re: Killarney Eb

Post by Mr.Gumby »

It is a lovely clear and cheerful whistle. I am surprised you think the Gen is the louder one but I haven't really compared them closely, maybe I'll come back to that later.

Well done on Garrett Barry but, if you don't mind me saying, do have a think about the notes you put in the tune.
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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: Killarney Eb

Post by PB+J »

Mr.Gumby wrote:It is a lovely clear and cheerful whistle. I am surprised you think the Gen is the louder one but I haven't really compared them closely, maybe I'll come back to that later.

Well done on Garrett Barry but, if you don't mind me saying, do have a think about the notes you put in the tune.

I do think about it! But my fingers don't always listen to my brain.

The Generation sounds louder in the room and tracks as slightly louder in the DAW. Overall loudness is surprisingly difficult to measure in music, but you can see it in the screenshot below, of the DAW track:

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The first section is the Generation, the second is the Killarney. The Generation is higher gain overall by a couple db. The peaks are slightly louder and the overall level is consistently higher. But interestingly the Killarney appears to have more dynamic range, that is, there is a greater difference between the highs and the lows. That's probably one of the other things that makes me like it more: it has more expressive range. But as is clear I'm not a good player, so the differences could easily be chalked up to lack of consistency on my part.

Oh and also there is more "air" in the sound of the Generation and that might account for an overall feeling of being louder
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Re: Killarney Eb

Post by Mr.Gumby »

I do think about it! But my fingers don't always listen to my brain.
#

Yes, that can be a problem. I only heard the clip once and probably not all of it but it left me feeling you had a few odd corners in it.

Interesting isn't it, I never really had the Generation down as louder than the Killarney. I have them side by side here, brass and nickel Gens and a nickel Killarney. On average they appear in the same range although the brass one is quite different and the feel of it is quieter (although I am not sure it actually is). The nickel one has a stronger octave and broader tone than the others while the Killarney has an overall narrower voicing. Interesting. I'll see if I can get a clip down of the three later on.
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