Back again after some time of kind of “forced abstinence”…
I got me a Sweetone D yesterday since my Bleazey D sometimes is too loud for practising (by the way, I got that Sweetone for the price of a Meg, hah!). And I’m still impressed how great that thingie plays.
I just wanted to encourage “newbies” that those cheap little rascals are often better than you might think, and there must not be a need to buy expensive instruments to have fun with the whistle and whistling. So if you think you have to buy a better instrument to improve your whistling, think twice! The instrument, no matter of which quality it is, is worthless without you, the player.
There’s a couple of contradictory arguements around this topic that seem to have equal value in the discussion:
A beginner should start on a difficult instrument because it will make them work harder on technique to get a result. This extra work is good training for when they obtain a better instrument - their playing will be more assertive, crisp and controled. Technique is the objective because it is the doorway to music.
A beginner should start on an easy instrument because it will allow them to master the instrument quicker. This will allow the student to sooner appreciate the music accessible through technique - music rather than technique is the objective.
1a. Obsession with technique can obscure the music.
2a. Without a rigorous discipline of technique the student will not develop the stamina required to become a fine musician.
1b. A difficult instrument may discourage a young student at a time of life where stamina is not the appropriate life-lesson. This would be a false and destructive discipline that may prevent an, otherwise, fine talent from emerging in due time.
2b. Presenting achievable challenges makes us strong and refines our values.
I think that’s a might overcomplicated. A person who loves the music can enjoy learning to play it very well on a whole range of wonderful cheapies (Clarke, Walton, Soodlum, Faedog, Gen, etc.) that play well enough; there are some great players who’ve never really played anything else. That said, for those who get a kick out of well crafted instruments that are more costly and that have richer tone and can perhaps be pushed more, and who get a positive reinforcement thusly, why not? It’s all good.
I’m as guilty as anyone of WhOA behaviors, but when I pick up almost any one of my cheapies, I’m usually amazed at how good it really sounds. I don’t regret buying more expensive whistles, and I probably will continue to buy, sell and trade. But it’s only because I enjoy the hobby, not because I need a high-ender to make good music. What great little things they are!
Difficult or easy instrument?
I think this depends on the person. I personally would prefer the easy instrument because I want to concentrate on the music and not on how to get the G played in tune when I grip the G. I understand technique as a part of music, and to master the music (and technique with it), I need an instrument that does what it has to do when I play it properly.
In my opinion, another drawback of an instrument of bad quality is that especially newbies rapidly get used to play the (i.e.) G as the instrument requires them to, which makes it difficult to play on “good” instruments later without having to relearn the whole thing.
Technique or music?
As said, I understand technique as a part of music. For example, irish music without irish technique is not irish music, and knowing how to play a roll on G without knowing a tune that needs it is worthless, too. I see both parts as a whole and both parts have to be mastered together with equal attention.
A difficult instrument discourages or encourages?
Again a matter of the person who plays. I started the silver flute some time ago and played on an instrument I got cheap via eBay (didn’t know about far east flute-like objects then). The flute played pretty good in tune, but some keys were loose and the flute leaked on them. With proper technique (and some force…) I was able to play it anyway, but it was hard and wasn’t fun really as I don’t want to concentrate on getting the leaks closed when learning a new music.
Later I got a Pearl silver flute, and the difference was huge…
All in all I think that the instrument has not to be expensive but just working. As said, my Sweetone was cheap, but it plays in tune with my technique in learned on my Bleazey, so it works fine for me.
To PhilO and crookedtune: Yep, thats exactly what I mean. I love my Bleazey and never regret having bought it as it fits perfectly on sessions and recordings, but those cheapies are great, too. I like both and use both.
True. For me I started with a particularly moody Feadog, and it was tough at first, notes “burbled”, second octave was crap, etc; but once I learned to control it, I could get the hang of other whistles, with different problems, pretty quickly, and got pretty flexible with the Feadog. So for me the harder one was best, and it actually made “relearning” a lot easier; but that’s just another side I suppose.
I don’t think it hurts to start with (or to stay with) an inexpensive whistle. You can make a powerful music with them.
That said, these days, when I want to really play some tunes, I ignore the cheapies and reach for the Overton, or the O’Brien narrow bore, or the Burkes…or sometimes a Susato if the fit takes me.
…that said…learn to play a Generation’s upper octave in tune…learn to stop the high G on the Feadog from sounding like fingernails on a blackboard…learn to take the buzzsaw out of the Susato…and you’ll be able to handle pretty much any whistle made.
I’m also often surprised how good some of the cheapies are but I wish I had started with something like a Burke rather than have wasted lots of £s on one or more of every cheapie on the market looking for a very nice whistle without quirks.
Difficult or easy instrument: The cool thing about whistles is you buy several of the cheapies and decide which you like the best. The beauty of our chosen tool is that the “difficult or easy” question almost doesn’t matter.
Technique versus the music: I’m still a relative newbie to music, but in every other field I’ve mastered, most people swing back and forth between these two as they progress. For a while, we work on just playing the notes and getting them to sound approximately correct until one day our fingers move by themselves and we suddenly experience the magic of playing the music, not the notes. Then we go after the music until one day we realize the music doesn’t sound good because our transitions to the second octave always squawk or that high D sounds shrill or some other part of our technique isn’t working. So we go back to practice those things. Having a good instructor or mentor will smooth out the swings of the technique versus music pendulum but any learning process will alway alternate between mastering the mechanics and feeling the flow of the bigger picture. For those of us noodling away on the whistle, we can allow the swings to get pretty broad without effecting our enjoyment too terribly.
Hurray for the humble whistle, the king of fun music!
Some cheapos are not good instruments to learn on because even an expert cannot get decent tone and correct notes out of them. Now, that said, there is not a hard and fast rule as to which one these are, as they happen in some instances with just about all cheap instruments. In the same maker’s batches you can find gems and clinkers. (notably
“Generation” … some wonderful ones, a lot of 'OK"s, and none too few "sheesh!'ers). Even those experts will tell you to keep trying till you find one that is in tune. … hence… why ‘tweeking’ is so popular, and why better whistles get recommended when someone really wants to play.
A genuinely better instrument is more reliable on tuning and the physical aspects of a good instrument, allowing the player to ‘know’ that the problems are in their own technique rather than in a ‘roll of the dice’ quality instrument.
The catch, of course, is that no matter how good the instrument, a beginner is still gonna be a beginner, and shouldn’t expect the change of instrument to make up for practice and learning.
James,
I am with you all the way,
to develop to ear, breath, and control of any instrument is the way to develop finesse in the ability to get the best out of an instrument,
To play a cheapie is just as much a joy if played well, as is a dearer whistle played less so…
Its all about the sound and feeling behind the sound,
Music is deep,
Sounds are rich,
Joy is available to those who seek and explore,
All this is not relative to the size of a pay packet,
Develop the best with what you have,
explore by all means,
but the joy is in the feeling of acomplishment, with what you have…
its personal, and very worth while,
Regards
David
Overall, I think that the problem with “cheapies” are somewhat exaggerated. Most all the Generations, Feadogs, Clarks, Oaks, etc. that I’ve ever tooted on have been perfectly servicable. Sure you get the odd one that is really defective (they are cheap and mass produced afterall!) but rarely are they so bad as to be a real impediment to learning and/or making beautiful music.
IMHO, time and effort spent pondering what’s the better whistle is better spent on becoming a better whistler.
When photography was my life, many ‘art photographers’ were grabbing up all the Holga and Diana cameras left in the world. The idea being that art could be made with the cheapest, lowest quality, plastic cameras light-leaks and all. In the end, I was often left with the impression that using crappy equipment might be a away of neglecting the development of perfect technique. I’m not saying those ‘art photographers’ didn’t find joy in their work. I’m sure they did. But high quality (not necessarily high cost) instruments do seem to make it easier to focus on the variable of my technique without the variable of the instrument.
But like photography you can buy your Leica or Hasselblatt with top of the range lenses and THINK you’re doing better while actually you’re coming up with snap shots. There’s no reason at all to think your average Burke makes it easier to play once you can. Go to, say, the Willie Clancy week whistle recital and see what the best whistle players you can stick on the one stage actually play, and it’s not because they can’t afford or are not aware of other choices. Like photographers, whistleplayers, the good ones, get themselves the tool to do the job. It’s the amateurs that think they can ONLY do the job with a Hasselblatt.
Great thoughts, Gabriel.
An additional thought: Listen to those around you. If your cheapie is so nasty that people comment, it’s time to get a BETTER cheapie! The Clarke original, the Sweetone, etc.
I started with a Waltons, and my family groaned in agony until I got a Clarke original.
I had never wanted to play a musical instrument, until I discovered whistling. I did purchase a Generation “D” which I found difficult to play. Discouraged, I put it down. I knew that it was possible to play a whistle well, but I had not shown myself that I could play well. When I got my hands on my Jerry Freeman "MellowDog (thanks to recommendations from Chiff & Fipple and Big Whistle music), I found that it wasn’t so hard which, in turn, kept me interested - kept me playing.
So, from my point of view, beginners (especially those with little musical knowledge or experience) should start out with whistles that are easy to play in order to maintain interest in the instrument. Perhaps those with more experience, knowledge and talent in music should start with something more demanding.
I agree that beginners should play the easiest instrument to play. But so should everyone. Everyone should try to play the best (most versatile, easiest) instrument they can get their hands on. But: When it comes to whistles, more expensive does not mean necessarily better (and a tweaked cheapie is a cheapie in my book). I’ve played many expensive whistles that I felt were distinctly inferior to a good Generation or Oak or Feadog.
