how to choose my next whistle (confusion)

Whistle
1

I own a clarke D whistle and would like to move on to another whistle.
Of course I heard about those low D whistles but I wonder how do I choose.
I live in the netherlands and as far as I know, not much (if any) shops selling ANY whistles other than the clarke’s kids package (starter kit with the colouring book ).

I have read the low D has a 1 inch bore, and it sounds like a lot to hold to me.
Also I know about medium bore.
Then, SHOULD I get a low D anyways or should I go for the low F instead which is medium bore but with still the “flavor” of the low D?

To me it seems I will to have order the next whistle from the internet so I need some good advice, anyone willing to discuss this with me about advantages, disadvantages?
And HOW do I choose between low D low F or another low key if i have no examples at hand.
Is there a way to form myself a picture of what it may SOUND like???
Weird question, I know.

Warmest greetings

2

there your are again :wink:
You can download a lot of soundclips played on various whistles by various C&F members here: http://www.tinwhistletunes.com/clipssnip/
That should give you an idea about the sound of some whistles.

  • claudine -
3

You can download a lot of soundclips played on various whistles by various C&F members here:

The slow airs page would be your best bet.

Now, ask yourself what you hope to do with a low whistle. Play strictly solo? If so, a low f would be nice. Easier to hold. Your hands don’t get tired so fast. (If you practice regularly with a low d, your hands will get used to it. Most models also take a lot of air to play. Overtons and Chieftains don’t.) How loud do you want? If you play mostly in a small room by yourself, louder ones can be a bit much. If you plan to play along with other players, either in a session, or along with cd’s, you’d have more use for a low d. Do a search for threads about low d’s on this board. People have a lot of opinions about the relative comfort and ease of playing between models. You might want to get a cheap one to start with to see if you’ll like it at all.

If someone posts recommendations on specific whistles, look for their reasons: cost, comfort, volume, air requirements, etc. Some people love one kind for specific reasons, but those reasons may be ones that make you hate it.
Tony

4

hi berti! regardless of which key you decide to purchase the main thing
i would say at this point is the “piper’s grip”(playing w/the pads of fingers).
if you quickly form to this, any whistle regardless of bore size and lenth
will not be an issue. :wink: in terms of which key to purchase, try and
give this a listen and just maybe one of the low whistle’s being featured
will spark your interest. i’m using a variety of keys of which some you
have an interest in hearing! also, notice again, the “piper’s grip”!-enjoy
www.talbertstclaire.com
[/url]

5

hi berti,

here’s a teacher from the netherlands http://www.mmediahost.com/fluitpraxis/fpcursus1.htm
i also send you a private message

6

Talbert, I visited your web site. Great low whistle playing.
www.talbertstclaire.com
Tony

7

Loads of shops in the Netherlands [used to] carry Generation whistles, Sweetones Susatos and sometimes others. Hakkert in Rotterdam, Staffhorst in Utrecht, loads of shops in Amsterdam, Haarlem, Groningen and other places. There’s a shop in Bergen op Zoom which specialises in things ‘celtic’ and they are supposed to have a selection of stuff. Shouldn’t be a problem.

You should be able to find out a lot about tuition, shops, guides etc through www.volksmuziek.nl

8

What’s with the 'do, Tony?!?!?!? I could have sworn you were bald! :laughing: :laughing:

Mary

9

Looks like he’s joined the Hair Club :smiley:

10

Hi Berti,

It sounds like you are new to whistling. If so, I would not be too quick to jump to keys other than soprano D. The key of D is very common in Celtic music. The next most common is the key of G, which can be played on a D whistle. Music in the key of C is also possible on a D whistle, with a little experience.

Low D whistles are hard to play at the speeds that are normal in sessions. If you have big hands and seveal years experience on a soprano D whistle, playing low D whistle at normal speed can be done.

I use non-D whistles for accompanying singers. For this, I find soprano Eb very useful. If you accompany a female singer, soprano F may be useful. So, you see we are going up the scale, not down.

I recommend you get a good soprano D whistle. The makes that come highly recommended are mentioned regularly here on C&F. I have tried and can recommend the new Burke aluminum pro with Delrin head (over $100) and the new Sweetheart Professional wooden whistle (over $100). For a good whistle that costs less, buy a Syn ($40). If you find these whistles uncomfortably loud, plug your ears when you play. Loud whistles are needed for group playing, which you will probably end up doing in the next few years.

Do not under any circumstances buy a Susato whistle. I hope I have made myself clear on that point.

For accompanying music on CD’s a C whistle is handy. No need to spend a lot of money on that because it’s just for fun really. An Oak or Generation will work fine.

MR

11

THANK YOU all who responded to my message, feel overwhelmed :wink:
It has been very helpful to read all your responses.
As I can see, I now doubt if I SHOULD get a low D anyways since I do indeed play solo, mostly to express my feelings and now and then with sheet music (still learning that last one… admit I only play whistle for a few months now but loving it and just want a better one)
It will be hard to decide which one to get, maybe I should settle first for a better soprano D than I have already (a cheapie clarke which is intended for kids and came with a colouring book. I have the problem with this one that after playing half an hour it becomes harder to get good tones out of it because of the smallish mouthpiece)

As for the last person who replied mentioning susato, NO you did not make that clear, WHY shouldn’t I get a susato? We would like to hear your opinion on this.

greetings
berti

12

i believe the link that peter mentioned above is best http://www.volksmuziek.nl/cursussen/svn/iers/!php.php
there’s bound to be a lot of whistlers with all different makes, high and low whistles.
plenty opportunity to try them all out! send them an e-mail to find out, they’ll know the shops.
and you’ll learn valuable skills.

13

As with all instruments you get what u pay for. Avoid cheap rubbish

14

The beauty of the whsitle is that you can get a perfectly fine one for a fiver, in fact I would prefer them over the ones that would cost 140 or so. It all depends on what you are looking for.

15

Hi Berni,

A good whistle has mysterious, new age, etherial je-ne-sais-quoi. The sound of a good whistle should transport you to another world.

Susato whistles have a little of that, but they also sound quite a bit like a recorder. They have a screeching sound on higher notes especially. At the high end of the second octave you have to give them a lot of extra wind to keep them from dropping to the lower octave. The result is very loud high notes, compared to the other lower notes.

Having said that, I must admit that Susatos fit in OK with a big session. It’s like vinegar. It’s not so nice by itself, but tastes good with other things. For playing alone, Susatos will just give you a headache. I recommend Michael Burke’s whistles for that.

MR

16

Burkes are fine. Dixons are good value for the money, cheap and tunable, and not so screechy as a Susato.

17

Here’s mine, perhaps not what you were looking for, but worth considering. It all depends on whether you’re into 1) playing, or 2) spending money, or 3) collecting, or possibly all three I guess.

I’ll assume you’re into 1).

Stick with cheap whistles and learn to play well on them. You can find cheap models in Eb, C and Bb which will give you some nice tonal variety while you’re doing that.

Nobody needs an expensive whistle to be able to play well. Anyone who claims they do is, in my opinion, not likely to play well even with one (or with 20 - I’ve met several such people). To play well, all you need is a wee spark of ability - and lots of time practising and learning.

When you’re a more experienced player, sooner or later you’ll be somewhere where you can try other kinds whistles and see how you like them. Don’t be in a hurry.

Also be aware: there are a few good and halfway decent players on this board who have come full circle - buying and trying lots of expensive hardware in a quest for something better and then eventually coming back to realize that the cheap plastic-headed whistles they started with are as good as anything, if not better.

Low whistles are another matter - but again, I’d suggest that you get good on the high models before migrating.

In my experience you need to take some of the advice you get here (including mine, why not) with a pinch of salt. Yes many people get a horrible sound out of a given whistle, but often this has more to do with the way they blow it than with the whistle itself.

What Peter said, really.

However of course if you’re into 2) and/or 3), take all the advice you get here, you’ll never look back!

Steve

18

I have to agree with Peter and Steve (I better - either one of them’s forgotten more about whistle than I’ve ever learned! :laughing: )

I admit to having WhOA (a fairly mild case - most of my whistles are cheapies) and have had chances to try other folk’s high end whistles. There IS a difference in sound between whistles, but I think the much of the real benefit of the high-enders lies in consistancy and tunability. Though I love the pure sound of a Burke or Elfsong, I must admit that my Oak D ($10) and Dixon nontunable D ($15) have very similar voices. And although I would love to have either of the higher-end whistles, I wouldn’t play any better on them.

I’ve also noticed that whistles I thought were pretty awful when I was starting out now sound much, much better now I have more experience. Not to say there aren’t bad cheap whistles out there (my Walton’s standard D and Generation Bb both needed tweaking to be playable - but the Walton’s is now OK, and the Gen is actually pretty good).

Though they aren’t my personal favorite as best whistle, I’ve had very good luck with Clarke Sweetone Ds (funny colors and all) - every one of the 4 I bought (work, home, whistles for my kids) plays well. And though I had to tweak them a bit, both my Generation D’s are also very good whistles, with a rather different sound than the Sweetones.

I’d also recommend the Walton’s C whistle - mine was a marvelous whistle right out of the box - not bad for under $6! I wouldn’t recommend my favorite cheapie (the Oak) to beginners as their only whistle because of the more precise breath control needed, but it makes a fine second whistle (very quiet and pure voice).

If you really want to go beyond the Sweetone, Generation, or Oak Ds, you might want consider either the Dixon non-tunable ($15, rather pure) or Serpent Brassy Polly ($20, tunable, quite chiffy) - neither one will make you a BETTER player, but they’re both quite good whistles with much better out-of-the-box consistency than the real cheapies and neither will break your budget.

What do I play? Depending on my mood and the tune, I rotate through all the mentioned whistles, but I probably play the Oak and Serpent more than anything else when I’m at home, with the Sweetone and Generation whistles living in my car’s glove box and my desk at work.

Nothing wrong with buying the high-end whistles (and I’ll probably be adding some more to my collection as time goes on) but there’s no NEED to, really - a skilled player on a decent out-of-the-box Generation or Sweetone sounds far better than a less-skilled player on a premium whistle.

19

I’ve mucked around with cheap whistles for years. Unless you get very lucky you’ll never get a good sound from certain brands of cheap whistle. And even with all the luck in the world you will never get one that is loud enough for a big session. Every cheap whistle you buy will cost you $10. And you will buy more than one, trust me. Why not pay $40 and get a decent one (Syn, Dixon, Freeman tweaked Generation, O’Brien tweaked Feadog, whatever) from the start? Better still, pay $140 for a Burke or Sweet and you’l have a great instrument that will last a lifetime.