Why is the Bb called the Goldilocks?

[MichaelRS]

Thanks everybody. As always a lot of good, practical information. But I'm still a little confused about the two sizes of Bb that Susato offers (Pictured through their web page linked below). What is that doing for the sound?

https://www.susato.com/collections/dublin

[pancelticpiper]

So who made them? When?

Generation made them.

Joe McKenna likely the source of Mary Bergin's (his sister in law) low G as well then, going by the story.

So they were "mezzo" G heads that McKenna got?

I certainly could be wrong, but I thought Joe had bigger sizes with red tops back in the day. Of course since he was making the tubes he could make any sizes he wanted, as big as would still work with a G head (if G was their originally intended key).

Oddly enough, back in, what, the late 1970s and early 1980s Joe and Antoinette were a familiar sight here in Southern California, playing fairly often at various local venues.

Anyhow I couldn't find any photos or videos of him with those old red plastic top whistles.

I did find this, quite interesting, showing the whistles he was using in 2017

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6cFiK1gAgM

[pancelticpiper]

I'm still a little confused about the two sizes of Bb that Susato offers. What is that doing for the sound?

Susato has offered various whistles in as many as three different bore sizes over the years, more than that if you include their early whistles which were machined out of PVC stock rather than being injection-moulded.

For me the differences in various bore sizes is more about the performance than the timbre.

If a whistle's bore is a tad wide for its length you get strong low notes but stiff high notes.

If the bore is a tad narrow for its length you get very sweet easy high notes but weak low notes.

Opinions differ on just where the ideal middle spot is.

I've owned Susato "mezzo" A whistles in three different bore sizes and my favourite was the narrowest. It used the same ID tubing as they were using for their High D whistles at that time. So if I were unsure, I would buy the Susato Bb with the narrowest bore Susato offers in that key.

[Tunborough]

Besides the bore diameter, the other thing that affects the balance between low notes and high notes is the window length, between the fipple and the blade. A short length favours high notes, but you have to breathe very softly on the bell note to avoid breaking into the second octave. A long length makes the bell note easier, but makes it harder to get into the second octave particularly on the high notes.

If Joe McKenna's molded heads were for mezzo G whistles, they might not have worked well for a low D whistle unless he sanded or cut back the sound blade.

[benhall.1]

I do remember the low Camac ones for sale but never bothered, not liking their Bflat, that I did get, much.

If the rest of them are anything like the A Camac that I've got, you weren't missing much. Mine is a truly horrible whistle. I only got it because, at the time, i wanted a whistle in A, and hardly anybody was making any.

[pancelticpiper]

I have an old C Camac and it's sh!te.

[tin tin]

I've referred to Bb the 'Goldilocks' whistle pitch: not too high, not too low. Exhibit A: Kitty Lie Over by Mick O’Brien And Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh.

[Nanohedron]

Exhibit A: Kitty Lie Over by Mick O’Brien And Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh.

I had a cat who responded especially to that album; she'd jump up into my lap and purr like blazes.

[benhall.1]

Exhibit A: Kitty Lie Over by Mick O’Brien And Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh.

I had a cat who responded especially to that album; she'd jump up into my lap and purr like blazes.

It's a purry sort of album, isn't it?

[Steve Bliven]

It's a purry sort of album, isn't it?

Yeah, purr drop....

Steve

[Nanohedron]

You guys...

I must say, though, that out of all my whistles, the Bb was always my personal favorite. It had nothing to do with playability, tone, response, clarity, chiff, any of that; all my whistles were of different makes and characters, and I liked and dealt with each on its own merits and personality, so that had nothing to do with it. It was simply the pitch. Unfortunately it had rather limited practical application, but that's the one I liked to play the best; it was its pitch that pleased me most of all, and I'm guessing it was probably at the limbic level or something.

[whistle1000]

It's been discussed here before...Bb is the pitch of the buzz or hum of the universe...a bit of a hippy dippy statement but I could appreciate the notion....Bb is indeed a nice pitch to play!