My new toys... and my trip to Disneyland.

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ErikT
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Joined: Thu May 17, 2001 6:00 pm
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Location: Colorado Springs, CO
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Post by ErikT »

I promised a story in one of my other posts, so here is the fullfilment of the story. I didn't really go to Disneyland, but for a whistler it's about the same (and much much less crowded). I visited with Colin Goldie on the grounds of the Goldie-Overton whistle empire. It was a wonderful time and I accidently came home with three beautiful anodized whistles. A high D, a low D and a mezzo F.

So here is my quick review. I'm really suprised that the high D Overton doesn't get talked about more. I love the look (mine is a polished turquoise), the weight (it feels very solid), response, and it slides very smoothly into the second octave...very nice transition from the high G to the A and B which aren't too loud. The whistle itself is a loud whistle and it does have a nice breath to it; somewhere between a Generation and a Clarke original.

The F just astounds me. It is a beautiful royal purple, and really, I just love to set it there and look at it. Colin tells me that it is designed to be a 'hard blowing' model; it does take some force, but like Loren was saying the other day, it doesn't take much air. I think that this will become my favorite key. I do have to be careful though - it's loud enough to strip the paint off my walls and make my neighbors angry :wink: I played it in church tonight and it projected well (even my stinkers ;().

The low D is colored to match my high D (he had a dark blue high D that almost had me, but I decided to go for the matched set). Anyway, the low D. It's really my first low whistle. Up until now I've played my tenor recorder and flutes. This helped with understanding the proper grip, but it will still take some getting used to. When I transition through D between the octaves I sometimes miss a hole. So, I can't really comment on the infamous right hand stretch question (in relation to other lows), but I can say that I have very small hands and I think that I will manage with a bit more practice. As for the sound, it is exactly what I was hoping for (when played by Colin - not me - I didn't know that someone's hands could move that fast on a low D). That helps you understand, doesn't it? It's not exactly flute-like. Maybe more like an American Indian flute with an edge to it.

Here's a picture and my daughter playing it for you. <a href="http://www.tullberg.com/blowingD.mp3">click here</a> I'll wait a while before embarassing myself in front of y'all.

<img src="http://www.tullberg.com/thebigboy.jpg">

The moral is, I obviously am really enjoying my whistles. Can't really come up with any negative comments to give it some balance, but that's OK because I am most definately NOT the reigning king of internet whistle journalism. I don't need to be objective :smile:

Peace,
Erik
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