Desert Island Whistle

[JTC111]

Thought it might be fun to see what whistle you folks would pick if you could only pick one whistle.

So... of all the whistles you own, if you where going to be stuck on a desert island for the next decade or so, which of your whistles would you want there with you? And if you feel like going a step further, tell us a whistle or two your choice had to edge out to make it to #1.

I'll start the ball rolling...
My pick is my Oz high D. High D isn't my favorite key but that whistle is so pure in tone and so damn easy to play that I can't imagine ever parting with it. For those reasons it edges out my Copeland D and C for top spot.

[Feadoggie]

My pick is my Oz high D.

The thing about desert islands is the extreme atmospheric conditions, you know, very hot with sea winds sucking humidity out of any and all wooden objects. What's that OZ made out of?

I am on record with a Burke narrow bore brass high D as my desert island whistle from the last time we did this. Can't think of anything I've acquired since then that would change that. But really, I'd be happy with any decent whistle that would survive. I'd just be so happy to have time to play and play and play. Ain't that right, Wilson?

Feadoggie

[plunk111]

Impempe high D - it sounds great and is sturdy enough to fend off pirates!

[Tucson Whistler]

This is a hard question, since I like all my whistles, but I had to be practical.

1-Salt water could corrode a metal whistle, so plastic would be best.
2-A take apart whistle would be nice because there would be less chance of it getting broken. Plus, it'd be easier to make a small case out of a banana or palm leaf, or something like that.

With these two factors in mind I thought I could choose my O'Brien (regular and quiet head). But, if I were alone on an island, why would I want to play quietly? Therefore, I choose my Irvine pocket whistle. That's not to say I don't like my other whistle just as much.

[Ryuookami]

I was going to say my clarke original then thought about the salt water and decided that out of the ones I have at present it would have to be my Shaw which is a high D.

It plays nicely and has the added advantage of being metal so if I sharpen one end I can use it to kill the wild pigs and parrots on the island so I don't die of starvation.

[tinman]

Burke Low D composite

[sackbut]

Gen B flat, as the most versatile & forgiving, and a compromise between high whistle or low whistle. It seems right for every kind of music, renaissance, jazz, klezmer, sacred, whatever. In ten years on a desert island I'd probably end up playing the blues, and the B flat does that best.

[I.D.10-t]

I would say my oak, but I only own 2 whistles. The nickel plating might help with corrosion.

This is the one I usually have on my life preserver, so it is the one I would end up with.

As a side note I was on a transport boat where a guy in the back was
using one of these like a Boatswain's Pipe to signal the captain.

[Hotblack]

Since I got it for Christmas there is only one choice I can make. My Goldie tuneable high D. Sounds superb, has plenty of back pressure so I can really lean in to it and can be much more expressive with it than my earlier whistles. It's also fantastically tactile. A real pleasure to hold and play.

[hoopy mike]

The one with the outboard motor...

[Wiz]

My Oz D. For the same reasons as JTC111. Remember the Oz instruments are made in a hostile climate, and the place I live in is pretty extreme as well, so the whistules are used to it, especially when made of gidgee. I would also smuggle in my Oz C when it gets here, that is if I am banished to said island after its arrival. I am sure somewhere could be found to hide it

[Ryuookami]

I am sure somewhere could be found to hide it

Maybe but would you ever really feel happy about putting it in between your lips and playing it again afterwards.

[Wiz]

Maybe but would you ever really feel happy about putting it in between your lips and playing it again afterwards.

Salt water is a great cleanser!!

[riverman]

Burke A in aluminum, my "reach for" whistle. It's low enough never to be shrill, and high enough to play with fingertips. Nothing else I have even comes close.

[JTC111]

My pick is my Oz high D.

The thing about desert islands is the extreme atmospheric conditions, you know, very hot with sea winds sucking humidity out of any and all wooden objects. What's that OZ made out of?

I deserved that. I intended to make weather conditions a non-factor in my scenario but it was late and my brain was a bit scattered.

[My Shaw] plays nicely and has the added advantage of being metal so if I sharpen one end I can use it to kill the wild pigs and parrots on the island so I don't die of starvation.

That's some good outside the box thinking, although unless one of those pigs attacked me, I'm not sure I could bring myself to kill one.

Burke Low D composite

Anyone want to ask him why he chose a whistle with a wider bore to be his long term island companion?
...didn't think so.

My Oz D. For the same reasons as JTC111. Remember the Oz instruments are made in a hostile climate, and the place I live in is pretty extreme as well, so the whistles are used to it, especially when made of gidgee. I would also smuggle in my Oz C when it gets here, that is if I am banished to said island after its arrival. I am sure somewhere could be found to hide it

Now there's a person with quality ears. An Oz C on order, you say? I'm pistachio green with envy. The thought keeps crossing my mind to sell my brass Copeland F (which I just can't play cleanly) and get an Oz C although I'd invest in a case rather than store it in your bum locker.

Good fun, all!