C vs. D

blowby · Post by **blowby** » Tue May 28, 2002 1:30 am

I am a pre-novice (is their is such a thing.)
My recently aquired and one and only whistle is a Clark Sweettone "C". Somewhere I have read that your first whistle should be a "D" Is this a bad choice and should have gotten a "D" instead. Can someone tell me why your first whistle should be a "D".

Walden · Post by **Walden** » Tue May 28, 2002 1:57 am

C should be fine. It is as easy to play as a D. In fact, Clarke used to only make C's I believe. D is popular because it plays in two of the keys easiest for fiddlers and other stringed instrument players: D and G. But C and F (the C whistle's keys) are also common keys.

Martin Milner · Post by **Martin Milner** » Tue May 28, 2002 2:02 am

Hi Blowby and welcome to C&F,

The D is the standard whistle, because 50% of Irish Traditional music is written in the key of D, another 40% in G, and about 6% in A, all of which can be played on a D whistle (these %ages are approximate).

That said, you can still play any tune you know on a C, it'll just be a tone below the D whistle. If you try to play along with any recordings you may have trouble.

Keep your C for playing solo, but you should get a D as soon as possible.

Don't worry, the first whistle I bought was a high G, I had no idea what was the standard and neither did the girl in the shop!

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[ This Message was edited by: Martin Milner on 2002-05-28 04:02 ]

bob baksi · Post by **bob baksi** » Tue May 28, 2002 7:36 am

My first whistle was a Clarke C. My second was a Clarke D. I have added many brands and keys to the collection since then.
I respectfully disagree with walden's comment that the Clarke C & D are equally easy to play. My experience is the C takes much more air than the D. I was amazed at how much "btter" I could play when I finally got a D, as I had more much more available breath. Because I use a D 20 times more often than a C, whether its for playing along with CDs, a Celtic radio station, the BBC Virtual Session, or in a live Sessiun, I would suggest you consider picking up a D now, as they're not expensive and it will vastly increase your "playalong" opportunities.

jim stone · Post by **jim stone** » Tue May 28, 2002 7:49 am

Yes, get a D--and keep the C, too.

Strider · Post by **Strider** » Tue May 28, 2002 10:20 am

On 2002-05-28 09:49, jim stone wrote:
Yes, get a D--and keep the C, too.

And so on, and so on...

The Weekenders · Post by **The Weekenders** » Tue May 28, 2002 10:42 am

A practical reason for owning a C is that many folksongs use it. Its a very universal key to have any pitched instrument in. matches white keys on a piano too!

I just acquired a more expensive C for that reason. Its lower pitch actually makes it great for playing solo airs etc.

Enjoy em all, just know what was mentioned above and understand that if you read Irish dance music, its going to be in keys that would indicate the lowest note being a D.

ChrisA · Post by **ChrisA** » Tue May 28, 2002 11:33 am

On 2002-05-28 04:02, Martin Milner wrote:

Don't worry, the first whistle I bought was a high G, I had no idea what was the standard and neither did the girl in the shop!

Ahhhh, but can you play it yet?

I have a high G, which I like to mess with from time to time, but having the fingers pressing into each other makes it difficult to play at speed.

Still, I think my jigs are fairly passable now...

--Chris

Walden · Post by **Walden** » Tue May 28, 2002 11:41 am

On 2002-05-28 09:36, bob baksi wrote:
I respectfully disagree with walden's comment that the Clarke C & D are equally easy to play.

Well, for me the C was equally easy, but I was coming from already playing C soprano recorder, which is the same size.

No doubt on a Clarke original there would be more air required on the C, than the D, which is smaller. I have only played C on more airtight models.

blowby · Post by **blowby** » Tue May 28, 2002 2:26 pm

Thanks for the info.
I have to say that I am really impressed with all of you people and your response to a complete novice. I use to play trumpet in my younger days. (and think I was pretty good and full of a lot of hot air.) Can I play the whistle yet, not even close. But I am an old f*rt and retired and with some time to try to learn this confounded thing.
Thanks again. Dale Cassels

Fred Johnson · Post by **Fred Johnson** » Tue May 28, 2002 7:11 pm

There's one other very practical reason for using a "C". My first was a "C" and I then got a couple of "D's". The "C" whistle not being as high doesn't irritate my wife as much. It's a little softer for practicing. Also keep in mind that prolonged WhOA can affect your hearing, especially if you use higher whistles or do a lot in the upper register. A "C" is a little lighter load in these regards but when after big game I pull out my "D", lol

gonzo914 · Post by **gonzo914** » Tue May 28, 2002 9:51 pm

My first whistle was a C Clarke Sweetone that I bought on impulse a couple of years ago at a toy store just because I liked the story about R. Clarke. I got it home, took one look at the chromatic fingering chart, said to myself "This is too complex for gonzo," (although I do use my real name when I'm talking to myself), and stuffed it in a drawer. And there it sat until a few weeks ago, when I heard my first live Irish music and serendipitously also stumbled onto The Whistle Shop website. That's where I found out I didn't have to learn all those chromatic notes, I just had to get whistles in different keys, and the whole prospect of playing the whistle became more inviting, especially to someone who got hopelessly confused in high school band back during the Johnson administration (Lyndon, not Andrew) when there was more than two flats or one sharp in the key signature.

Anyway, I told you all that so I could tell you this -- Not only is all the music in D and G, but also all the tutorials, at least the ones I've seen, are written for a D whistle. And they are damnably difficult with a C whistle if you are transpositionally challenged. So I got some D whistles.

I still use the C whistle, though, when my wife drags out Recorder Music from the Darkside, which is usually in C or F, and asks "Can you play this with me?"

Kar · Post by **Kar** » Wed May 29, 2002 3:19 pm

I also "accidentally" bought a C as my first whistle (one of the Clarke naturals - the small "c" stamped into the metal is pretty subtle) but even after I got a couple of D's, I still prefer playing the C, mostly because it is a little lower and less tough on my non-whistle-loving roommates. In fact, I liked the lower tone so much, I got a Bb as well, which is even lower. The great thing about whistles is you can play any tune written in D with the D fingering on ANY whistle and it'll still be right, just in a different key--which doesn't matter much if you're not playing in groups or with music. If you do the D-tutorials with your C whistle, you'll still learn everything you need to know.