Well…my two cents worth is that Im sitting here playing my sweatone in C while I am reading all the posts and I say Yahoo!!! buy them all. This is the most fun sickness I have ever had. But I have to agree on one thing. I will have to quit smoking in order to play my Clark original. But I love all the noises it makes(Chiff I suppose). The sweetone sounds just fine and is in tune with itself as far as I can tell, and is easy to play to boot. But I have it real bad and I wont stop wishing for just one more till I drop dead.(Dixon low D on the way)
I refuse to be an expert at anything except collecting. . .but never let it be said that this Cat doesn’t have an opinion.
So here it is…get a whistle. Any whistle. Play it until you know what you do or don’t like about it, then go looking for one that changes that quality. I was playing a really hideous Gen, and two different Soodlums, and the upper register made me not want to go there. So I made a conscious effort to find a whistle that I thought sounded pleasant in the G/A/B of the upper register.
Since then I’ve gotten high end whistles that I really don’t like for one reason or another, low end whistles that I find extremely nice in certain ways, loud whistles, soft whistles, whistles with ‘a strong low end’ or that pop registers easily (I need that for certain airs that go from low A to high A for example) whistles that I can give away, those I won’t let leave the house.
But the real annoyance is when you play someone’s Acme whistle and love it, so you go out and get your own Acme and it sounds like something an apprentice whistlesmith made with a hacksaw and hand awl. The lesson there is – if possible – play before you buy and make sure you can return it if you feel you have a lemon.
And two years later, the Gen sounds better than ever, but the Soodlum still honks!
For a complete beginner, I don’t think you’d go wrong with an Acorn (a new one, anyway–I have heard the first out weren’t good but they seem solid now).
Clarke original is also good, but be aware that lots of folks, especially in the beginning, really don’t like the feel of that wooden block against their lip.
Sweetone is good if you like the sound. I do; some don’t.
I am not sure I’d recommend Feadog–I have a D that’s only a few months old, and it took serious tweaking before it would play well. I think Acorn is a good way to get basically a very similar whistle that doesn’t need tweaking.
I would recommend Oak as I think this is one of the best whistles out there, but it takes such precise breath control I’m not sure it would be good for a complete beginner.
As one of those semi-experienced players who usually has an opinion—and on this topic we all express our opinion at least once a week—I’m going to suggest that you buy two or three cheap whistles. Several people have said ‘buy them all’ but I think that their reason was that this is the best way for a beginner to find out what he or she likes. That’s not my reason. Rather, I think that different cheap whistles have different qualities and that, by moving between them, you will improve quicker. I started out with Clarke original D and C and an Acorn. On some days I found one easier to play, on others another. If one clogged, I’d swap. If I couldn’t control one, I’d swap. I then bought a Sweetone D and found it more responsive than any of the others. So other aspects of my playing improved quickly. What’s more, improvement achieved on one whistle carried over to the others. I don’t know exactly why this occurs, although I have a theory or two, but I’ll bet that others experience the same thing. I still swap around amongst high-end whistles and it continues to help my playing.
[ This Message was edited by: Wombat on 2002-12-10 09:56 ]
Why I play and recommend Dixon’s tunable for the beginning whistler.
Nice tone - a little breathy and volume is okay across octaves.
Easy to play - with smaller beveled finger wholes that make getting good seals easier, octave jumps are stable.
Less clogging - the hemispherical pvc windway seems to clog less.
Sturdy durable construction - you don’t have to be careful with it, squeeze it with your fingers as much as you want, or even sit on it and it won’t break or dent.
More consistent tone - PVC isn’t affected buy temperature or weather as much a the metal whistles are.
In-expensive - under $30 for the regular tunable.
Excellent customer support - from the maker and/or Thom at The Whistle Shop.
I came to these conclusions when another newbie and I stopped in House of Music Traditions. We tried 30 or 40 different whistles that day including a couple of $100 mid-range whistles; and, we both felt that the Dixon was easiest to play.
Its not the greatist, I like a number of whistles better. I’d love to have a Copeland, Thin Weasle, O’Riordan, Burke, Overton, or Paul Busman (BrewerPaul). They all cost at 2-10 times as as much. I think Dixon’s are and excellent value for the beginning whistler.
But regardless what you choose, the best whistle for you is the one the lets you …
Enjoy Your Music,
Lee Marsh
[ This Message was edited by: LeeMarsh on 2002-12-10 10:18 ]
