James Becker new whistle maker review

[A-Musing]

Yep...while cheapo high-keyed whistles (with the production value of toys)...have long been being turned into ITM magic by the masters...

...the production of lower-keyed whistles has been almost exclusively the bastion of skilled artisans, (with high prices, and a resemblance to other well-made musical instruments.)

For those of us who prefer the Low Whistle, it'd be quite dreamy to suddenly be confronted by an inexpensive low...with actually decent playing, and listening characteristics.

I've tried a few "cheapo" lows, over the years, and am a bit burned-out by the results. I'm not a master, but thoroughly enjoy playing whistle. Guess I'll stick to my high-enders, till a bit of feedback trickles in.

Hope springs eternal!

[Dale]

Also, the Becker is another example of how musically high quality, low cost whistles have arrived.

I don't mean to inflame this thing any further, although I may. This whole thing makes me uncomfortable. We're never going to settle the cheap vs. expensive thing. I've certainly had a role in the last 11 years or so in promoting the idea that there's something good about the high-end and while I always enjoyed cheap whistles and expensive ones alike, I think the cause that Peter champions is more than worthwhile. "Cheap" whistles have, at the very least, always been a viable alternative for players at every level. (I just haven't been persuaded yet that they're the only sensible choice). I'm a bit of a believer, in the marketplace and I think that, by now, if there was nothing to be gained by playing higher-end whistles, the market would have dried up by now. It's a matter of preference and taste. Hype, including some I may well have contributed to those years ago, might account for some of the 1996+ inflation in high-end whistles, but not all of it.

All that said, this idea of Mr. Becker--whose whistles I haven't seen-- has finally produced a "high quality, low cost whistle" is objectionable. It really is an insult to musicians who have made beautiful music with Clarkes and Generations and such. (Before someone dredges up something I've written before that might be interpreted similarly, let me say now that I have written a number of things over the years that I probably wouldn't write now. I disagree with myself as a matter of routine.)

One of the things I've learned during these years is that I needed to stop doing whistle reviews. Looking at old ones, I don't think I did anybody a major disservice, but when I was writing reviews, I was simply not a good enough player to pass judgment. (I'm still not.) I excuse myself because I happened to be a rank amateur who put up a whistle site at about the right moment, behaved reasonably well, and wrote pretty well. Now there are a WHOLE lot more whistle players on the Internet and my usefulness in writing reviews ended years ago because there are people who are much, much better prepared to do it.

With due respect to the reviewer above, if I could, I'd regulate the use of the word "review" on this forum. I'd ask people not to use that word unless they've been around long enough to be credible. (I have no idea whether the above reviewer meets that bill, but that's my point.) I'd ask everyone who's not particularly qualified to use words like "comment" or "impression" and, along those lines, I'd ask people to give those people wide berth to write whatever they please and to be entitled to their own opinions.

[jim stone]

I reckon, from reading her posts, that this is definitely
somebody entitled to use 'review.' Also one feature
of a high-quality whistle is consistency. The reviewer
is very enthusiastic--as to whether it's warranted,
I'll wait to see for myself. But a highly consistent
five dollar whistle that plays as well as
a water weasel, say, would merit this description.

As to the past, it's a funny thing. I played Gens
in the 70s and they sure seemed a lot better
than they do now. I sucked, the whistles were
great. Now I'm actually getting pretty good, a lot better
than I was then and most of the whistles
I pick up are virtually unplayable. As the problem
emerged as I improved, I don't
think the problem is me.

As to the Clarke's, I've had some great ones
and some less great ones.

There's no question that SOME particular cheapies
are very good. The reviewer is talking
types, though, and there's little question
that there are problems with cheapie types.
The judgement is entirely consistent with
some great particular cheapie whistles.
And people playing wonderfully on em.

So I think this OK, but it's also OK to disagree.
These claims may be warranted--it really depends
on what these new whistles actually do,
and that I must wait to see for myself.

[Tommy]

It may, loads of big words with not a lot of real content but plenty of suggestion.

Hmmmm.......
''Big words''
''No content''
''Plenty of suggestion''

I have seen several politictians whistle that same set tunes.

[Dale]

Now I'm actually getting pretty good, a lot better
than I was then and most of the whistles
I pick up are virtually unplayable. As the problem
emerged as I improved, I don't
think the problem is me.

I guess I'm having trouble with this "unplayable" thing. I've lost count of how many of the standard inexpensive branded whistles have come through here...and I found very few unplayable. I'm sure I've played a couple dozen Clarkes, found them consistent and perfectly serviceable. Lots and lots of Generations and I did have trouble with some of those, but even those aren't close to being unplayable. In fact, among the cheap whistles, I think the only ones that really seemed to be unplayable was a batch of "Acorns" that came through.

I dunno. There are probably bigger mysteries in life to solve.

[Cayden]

I have to agree with Dale agreeing with myself here, I am not interested in re-opening the old cheap versus expensive (some may have noticed I have been using 'designer' whistles versus mass produced as term of choice for some time) as I think there's a place for all of them.

I do think the whole 'what whistleplayers have had to put up with until ..' train of thought the reviewer has been displaying in recent write-ups is at least ill-informed and as Dale says an insult to whistling as it has been on the go for, what is it, over a century and a half?

Personally I have never had the feeling I was 'putting up' with anything in particular in all the years I have played the whistle and none of the players I know have expressed thoughts of the kind. And when I say players I know, I don't mean people who are just about able to knock out a cripple hymn tune but I mean people who can really play.

As for Jim's comment that whistles went worse for him as he got better I recall a past discussion where I put up a simple clip played on a run of the mill Feadog to make the argument that while you may tweak them, it's not because they would 'need' it. An argument which Jim discredited because the clip was 'virtuosic' (or words of that magnitude. which, by the way, it wasn't) and 'a player like that can make anything sound good'. Yeah, right, whatever way the wind blows.

I annually walk in on the whistle concert at the Willie Clancy summerschool, arguably the largest gathering of high quality whistle and fluteplayers you are likely to find. I don't see people 'putting up' with anything there and I am well aware what their opinions on their instrument of choice are.

Now, that all aside, I have some interest in whistles as they have been played since the mid 19th century and in fact I have quite a bunch of them in all sorts of varieties and makes (if you care to look you'd find by the late 1800s and up to the 1930s or so there was quite a number of different types of whistle available all over western Europe, metal, wood and early plastic/cellulose etc etc) . These whistles can hold their own against any whistle produced today and they make a mockery of the thought playable cheap whistles have been invented in the past year or two. In fact I could argue they have some features much to be preferred over most of today's whistles, qualities lost in the search for ever more louder whistles modern day makers seem to be obsessed with.

Someone in e-mail gave the comment there's a lot of enthusiasm and energy put into re-inventing the wheel here while things have been riding along readily and effortlessly for quite some time already.

All said and done, I applaud Guido G and his followers' attempts at making a well working instrument available at a low price. Although it'll be interesting to see how the whistle maker who is subject of the present write up will fare once the demanding customers who frequent this forum start turning up in their droves ordering by the set at $5 to $8 a shot.

[jim stone]

Now I'm actually getting pretty good, a lot better
than I was then and most of the whistles
I pick up are virtually unplayable. As the problem
emerged as I improved, I don't
think the problem is me.

I guess I'm having trouble with this "unplayable" thing. I've lost count of how many of the standard inexpensive branded whistles have come through here...and I found very few unplayable. I'm sure I've played a couple dozen Clarkes, found them consistent and perfectly serviceable. Lots and lots of Generations and I did have trouble with some of those, but even those aren't close to being unplayable. In fact, among the cheap whistles, I think the only ones that really seemed to be unplayable was a batch of "Acorns" that came through.

I dunno. There are probably bigger mysteries in life to solve.

Sorry, I was talking only about the Gens. Here I stand by what I said.
I've bought maybe four in the last several years and they
are indeed squawkers. Other cheapies (e.g. Oaks, Clares,
Clarks) are better. Also
there is a definite sense the Gens have descended--in
the late 70s and early 80s, they were sweet items.
My impression is that the design got changed for
the worse and, also, the company stopped caring.

The Bbs Gens are better. The Ds not. On other
cheapies, outside of the sweetone, there is often
a lot of inconsistency. Some are fine, others
not. Clarke classic whistles can be lovely, for instance,
but sometimes way to breathy. I start
trying to narrow the windway.

So yes, unplayable, generally, Gens are, I say, unless tweaked.
Jerry Freeman's efforts make the Gens close
to what they used to be.

The reviewer is likely talking about types, not particular
whistles. The consistency issue is important. I do not
take her to be asserting that every last cheapie
whistle has problems; nor that the problems, when
they exist, are necessarily insurmountable.
Though sometimes they are, IMO. But I said
that, she didn't.

By the way I agree with Peter that the past, in general,
was OK. It's the more recent past that's the problem,
IMO.

[Dale]

Sorry, I was talking only about the Gens. Here I stand by what I said.
.

I'll defer. I haven't had occasion to buy a Generation whistle in some years.

[jim stone]

Thank you. The reviewer is, I feel, a bit on the enthusiastic side
and invites Peter's objection and your response too. But she is also
critical of Becker's whistles and
has some significant criticisms.

This Becker fellow is here in Missouri, it turns out.
Maybe I'll be able to get my fins on one of these.
I would like to see for myself what they really
amount to, and at five bucks, I guess
I can afford it.

I think PVC D whistles can be very good,
I have one of the last ones Michael Burke
made and it's really nice. Cost me 50 bucks.

Forest/trees: I think the reviewer has done us
a service in bringing a detailed account of
these whistles to our attention. Some
well played clips would be helpful, as others
have pointed out.

[Cayden]

I haven't had occasion to buy a Generation whistle in some years

Well, I have but let's not go there at this time. The myth that they are 'unplayable' has eaten it's way into the mind of some in such a way that even a clear demonstration that you can go to a shop and buy a perfectly decent one will never convince. Let's save that whole exercise for, well let say, another year or so.

On that note, Brid O Donohue has been teaching for twenty years and to celebrate that she is recording a CD with her present students. Maybe that recording will supply enough evidence that the average West Clare 10 to 17 year old can make tremendous music on an instrument bought in the local news agent. I'll let you know when it's done, if you still believe there is some secret black magic involved in playing these whistles, that up to yourself, but at least you will get to hear some nice music.

[jim stone]

But I think we all agree that at least some of these
are fine.

Anyway you, Peter, are why many of us have so
much trouble with Gens. You keep buying all the good ones!

[Cayden]

I actually rarely buy any, except wh n challenged to make a point here, I don't need more whistles on top of the ones I have.

[Dale]

I haven't had occasion to buy a Generation whistle in some years

....if you still believe there is some secret black magic involved in playing these whistles, that up to yourself, but at least you will get to hear some nice music.

Not sure if you're addressing me. I was saying -- or maybe I was meaning to say -- that my experience was the opposite of Jim's. Early on, I thought I definitely detected variability among the Gen D's (although, weirdly, rarely the Eb's and never the Bb's), but that had not been my experience as time passed.

[Cayden]

Not sure if you're addressing me.

No I wasn't actually, you made your point clear and you made it well.

[jim stone]

I haven't had occasion to buy a Generation whistle in some years

....if you still believe there is some secret black magic involved in playing these whistles, that up to yourself, but at least you will get to hear some nice music.

Not sure if you're addressing me. I was saying -- or maybe I was meaning to say -- that my experience was the opposite of Jim's. Early on, I thought I definitely detected variability among the Gen D's (although, weirdly, rarely the Eb's and never the Bb's), but that had not been my experience as time passed.

Well, we're playing different whistles, all of us. So I don't know the reality.
But it isnt' just me, anyhow.
The perception that D Gens are often 'garbage' (a word used
onboard to describe them)
is widespread. FWIW:

Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2007 5:05 pm Post subject: Reply with quote
crookedtune wrote:
A Jerry-tweaked C/D set will turn your head around. It's not that expensive, and you'll never look back!


Yeah, there ya go. And if there's some other key you can't live without just save your pennies and get them one at a time. smile

In my experience untweaked Generations are great for holding windows open.

Doc
_________________
smile http://irishflutestore.com/ Flutes, Whistles and Pipes for the impatient smile