Oboist looking for tin whistle recommendation

[MTGuru]

I think I will head up to Lark in the Morning in San Francisco and pick up a Generation

If you choose a Gen, be sure they let you try as many as you can before you buy. Generations are notoriously inconsistent. Out of 12, six may sound nice and six may be annoyingly scratchy. Bring alcohol swabs with you if you must to convince them (around $2 per 100 at Safeway).

Alternatively, Feadógs are the same basic design and sound, and more consistent. The individual whistle heads are often shrink-wrapped, but any one is likely to be OK. The Oak whistle is nice, similar to the Feadóg Pro. Waltons and Clarkes are other choices you may like. And you can try the putty tweak described elsewhere on C&F on any of these (except Clarkes) to tame the tone and response a bit. The plastic Susato is another choice. Have fun!

[DCrom]

On a slight tangent - you might want to attend the Bay Area C & F party that Tony Higgins is hosting in September. Lots of whistles to try/compare, a beginner's workshop is planned, good music, and lots of good people to meet. Tony has a thread with details over in the Pub.

[brewerpaul]

Hello everybody...new member here.

I'm a professional symphony oboist (hence, my handle ) who wants to learn the Uilleann Pipes, so my teacher suggested I get started on the whistle first to learn fingerings and style.

TIA!

What, you don't have enough reeds to worry about already ?
I love "Hotboy", and have a soft spot for oboe players, since my wife used to be one. When I met her (online) her name was Oboe12345.

For back pressure, I'll second the Goldie Overton recommendation. Work directly with Colin and he'll tailor the playing characteristics of the whistle to your liking.

One of your biggest obstacles is likely to be learning Celtic ornamentation. It's often written with some of the same symbols used for Baroque music, but is played ENTIRELY differently (I came to the whistle via the Recorder, so I know how this can be a problem).

What symphony do you play with?

[tuaz]

Welcome, Hotboy!

I recently dug up my dad's 1955 oboe and it's certainly not an easy instrument to pick up, esp with the very old-fashioned English key system (I play the sax). On a not so good reed, with my lack of control and experience, I sound like a really bad uilleann pipe player (wavering pitch, squawky reedy Indian snake charmer-type tones)!

Regarding whistles having sufficient resistance or back pressure, I have Syns, and I disagree with those who say they have high resistance. I find myself having to hold back a bit to avoid the note jumping to the higher octave at times.

Overtons - yup, these whistles have good and pretty even resistance. I would go for Overtons over Syns.

[Pyroh]

I´d definitely go with Colin´s Overton.

As many before me said - it´s one of the best whistles tonewise (my opinion is, that it´s THE best, but that´s just an opinion).

It has rather solid backpressure - and, Colin is truly great maker, as he makes the whistle custom made - so if you tell him you want even higher backpressure, than usual, he´ll do it.

It partly depends on your view on whistle. If it´s mere piece of tin you´re going to practise and throw away with pipes, don´t waste money and get some cheap one (Clarke Sweetone is very good in price/sound ratio). If, on the other hand, you want to get serious about whistling, go for Overton.

[pancelticpiper]

Wow MTGuru, you're being rather kind to Generations, I think. In my experience, with a dozen, you'll find one that plays really well, one that plays pretty well, the rest being dodgy, and a couple utterly unplayable. But oh the joy of finding that Diamond In The Rough, that great-playing instrument for under $10! I have a Generation D that's fantastic. After packing the head and doing a bit of carving on the F# hole, it's a real player.
But, if you want to learn the pipes, you should get the pipes. Though it's true that some of the ornamentation is similar (pipes v. whistle), the fingering, though analogous, is quite different. It reminds me of a fiddler I know, who has been playing fiddle for ages. She originally bought a fiddle, however, because she wanted to learn the Bulgarian gadulka. All these years later she's a great fiddler, but still doesn't play the gadulka!
One day I brought in my uilleann pipes and played them for a guy who teaches oboe at a local university. After he heard them he said earnestly "All my students need to hear that thing." I asked why, and he said "Because it's tone perfectly embodies the exact opposite of everything an oboist is trying to achieve."

[MTGuru]

It reminds me of a fiddler I know ...

It's rather like the big road trip of life, eh? Sometimes the things you see and do along the way turn out to be more interesting and satisfying than the original destination you thought you wanted to reach.

In any case, Hotboy will probably be visiting our session here in SD this weekend, and he'll be able to try out more whistles than you can shake a turkey feather at ...

[cadancer]

It reminds me of a fiddler I know, who has been playing fiddle for ages. She originally bought a fiddle, however, because she wanted to learn the Bulgarian gadulka. All these years later she's a great fiddler, but still doesn't play the gadulka!

No wonder I can't find a bloomin' gadulka player in this town!

...john