Chiff and Fipple Forums

emptypockets wrote:Oh my! Thanks for all the help! I just wung it, went ahead and bought a couple so they would get here in time for Christmas. Going off of a bit of info I could glean from YouTube. I ordered a Clarke Sweetone D and a Faedog Nickel in C. I hope they are good ones! We are COMPLETE beginners but very excited to be entering this world of worlds!

Don't be too discouraged if your first attempts a playing sound nothing like those recordings. There will be two things at play here. One is a learning curve. The whistle is an inexpensive simple looking instrument so many assume mastery will be simple and quick as well. And it sort of is as compared to playing the bassoon, but it is not going to sound great right off the bat.

Another issue here is those recordings were heavily mastered. If you listen to much non-traditional music played on the whistle, (like the soundtrack of Lord of the Rings for example) the whistle usually has been enhanced to increase the ethereal quality of the tone. In the real world in an acoustic setting will sound quite different.

And a third: A D and even a C whistle will sound much higher than a Bb.

The most important things are: Have fun and give yourself some time.

RoberTunes wrote:Is there a whistle player psychiatric hospital that can give us a definitive answer?

No, but I am happy to announce my willingness to sacrifice myself for the mental health of anyone crazy enough to seek the cure for WHOAD. No slow turkeys here. Just box up all your whistles (any key, any make) and send them to me! They'll be stored in secure lock-down so they can't infect anyone else!

Sorry, I forgot the link. Here it is:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsWrxX4GsIM

Nanohedron wrote:

RoberTunes wrote:

Steve Bliven wrote:[And I note that the formal definition of WhOAD is missing from the Forum as "The Book" seems to have gone missing from the web site. Perhaps a sticky is needed..]

I've been presuming WhoaD means something like "Whistle Owner Acquisition Disorder" ...

Ever since the loss of the original Main Page, WhOAD's standard definition is presumed lost along with it. So, just like any other cultural artifact that goes unmoored, there's going to be some room for interpretation. I think the original meaning was Whistle Obsessive Acquisition Disorder, but yours is as good as any.

I think the word "obessive" best describes the affliction so I'm sticking with this recollection. Enjoy it... whistling... its only time, money, family life, and everything else sacrificed for a few tunes.

Don't worry about the hospital as Chiff & Fipple will pick up the tab.

ytliek wrote: Don't worry about the hospital as Chiff & Fipple will pick up the tab.

Medication may be made available

There is a cure for WhOAD but it's like curing an alcohol addiction with heroin. Start making your own whistles. Soon you'll be spending twice as much time for the hobby but less money considering what you can build with some simple tools. However the number of whistles you own will grow exponentially, once you can make one (or more) every day .

I prefer WAS, it is similar to UAS & HAS, of which I am equally afflicted, (& apparently FAS).

Whistle Aquisition Syndrome
Ukulele Aquisition Syndrome
Harmonica Aquisition Syndrome
Flute Aquisition Syndrome

MichaelLoos wrote:Here's a live performance [by ISB] on German TV which wasn't broadcasted - for good reason IMO...
To be fair, most of their other performances were a lot better

MichaelLoos wrote:Sorry, I forgot the link. Here it is:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsWrxX4GsIM

(Bracketed insert mine)

I always expect a rather - what to call it? - wanderingly relaxed and homespun character to ISB's sound, but I agree that broadcasting the above would probably not have sold them to the newcomer.

fatmac wrote:I prefer WAS, it is similar to UAS & HAS, of which I am equally afflicted, (& apparently FAS).
Whistle Aquisition Syndrome
Ukulele Aquisition Syndrome
Harmonica Aquisition Syndrome
Flute Aquisition Syndrome

Four rotten afflictions. I was rehabbed out of HAS about a decade ago. I had Diatonic Congestion, and had about 23 to get rid of. Felt better right away. But was it worth it? I learned a lot about the instruments, and now own only 5 harmonicas and they're all great players with nice tone. It's possible to avoid the syndromes and still get your share of great musical instruments.