Hello again, Tim here! Just wanted to share something I’ve noticed about my practicing over the past few weeks.
Like seemingly everyone else in the universe who plays whistles, I too have accumulated quite a collection of cheap-ish whistles in order to find what I like in an instrument. Usually, I gravitate towards my Oak and Feadogs in D, and my Freeman tweaked Gen A.
However, until recently, pretty much all of my practice sessions have involved me jumping back and forth between what seems like all of the whistles in my bag - only a couple tunes per whistle, then I would get bored. A few weeks ago, I took my new Mellow Dog outside to lounge for a bit. Initially, I wasn’t very impressed with the Mellow Dog when compared with my Oak and other Feadogs side by side - it required a lot more air and wasn’t quite as responsive. I was surprised, because I’d heard people on this site swear by this whistle, so I decided to give it another chance.
I’ve never had a better whistling experience than when I sat outside and forced myself to play the Mellow Dog for two hours. With no other whistle in reach, I had to really work the whistle in order to get the best sound. I really got to know the instrument, and it sounded amazing. I also feel like I’m developing better better breath control, playing the other whistles is almost effortless now (aside from occasionally overblowing!)
So I guess the moral of the story is this: If you’re like me and seem to have quite a few whistle on your hands, try to be patient for once and really get to know your instruments individually. You’ll probably be surprised by whistles you thought you disliked!
I agree. The more ‘face time’ you spend with a particular instrument the better you sound on it, as you intimately learn every tiny quirk and feature. It’s more that that: the instrument will subtly influence your style, as your style adapts to it.
With that in mind, my goal has always been to have one go-to whistle for each key; only so many slots in the whistle roll!
And my whistle roll stays in the closet between gigs, usually.
The only whistle that gets daily playing is my car whistle, and this whistle thus being the whistle I know best and sound best on, it only makes sense for this whistle to be my main performing instrument, my wonderful MK Low D. Yes its finish gets beat up rolling around in the car, but it was pretty beat up when I got it! I can’t imagine having a whistle that I have to treat with kid gloves.
So yes I spend practically 100% of my practice time on one single whistle, and have for years.
Making music has it’s share of distractions, so it’s always good to hear when keeping focus becomes the #1 priority. or in the words of Pogo (via Walt Kelly) "Yep, son, we have met the enemy and he is us"
In other words, Tim, good to hear you’re not letting distraction get the better of you.
I’ve spent practically 100% of my practice time on one single whistle for many years, my main performing whistle, though which whistle is in that role has changed from time to time over the years. Since around 2007 it’s been the MK. From around 2005 until I switched to the MK it was a Burke Low D. Before 2005 I was a fluteplayer, not a Low Whistle player, and my ‘car whistle’ was my main Soprano D, my cherished old Feadog Mk1.
I’m not good with dates, usually, but I know that when our band was going to go to Scotland in 2007 I had been hearing great things about the MK and tried to get in contact with Misha for several months before our trip in order to buy one while we were staying in Glasgow. This not happening, after our trip I picked up a used MK, and I’ve bought five used ones since (sold them all but one). So my ‘car whistle’ has been my performance MK since 2007 but this whistle has changed every time I’ve acquired an MK better than the one I had.
Now that I think about it, some of the most fun I had whistling was when all I had was a Shaw high D. I think I’ll play it exclusively for a while and maybe it’ll become my favorite again.
I only play two whistles, a high d and a low one, if it’s in another key I just don’t play at all.
When I borrowed someone else’s whistles at a session once it was a horrendous experience. He must have thought I was terrible but I just couldn’t play and of course in the noisy session I got no feedback to hear where I was going wrong. Never again.
I have the same experience. Although there’s not too much of difference between whistles…their little differences are enough to have the need for a transitioning time’(or what). I mean it’s like speaking different foreign languages… You need some getting used to one,and only one at the same time, to really use all the resources that are already in your head.(words, expressions and grammar)