Got my Laughing Whistle today (!): Review

[srleslie]

Only took five months; I expected six. From Noah Herbison in British Columbia.

It's a telescoping brass penny whistle in D, which one may see here. A nice little whistle. Not as quiet as I'd been led to believe it would be, about the same as the O'Brien Rover I recently acquired. Surprisingly strong bottom end, more so than the Rover, but a little tricky in the second octave, more what I'd expect from a low D whistle.

Here's a recording of "The Gates of the Yellow Town" (remember, I just got this thing—cut me some slack on the breathing and phrasing!). I did cut a thumb hole, and actually got it right this time, having practised on an Oak that cost 1/10 as much. Other than that, this it how it sounds right out of the box (or rather padded envelope).

[Zabava77]

May I ask if it clogs up fast, as was mentioned about these whistles? I really like the sound of it.

[Anomylous]

Mine does clog up. Dish soap helped some, but wears off pretty quickly. Beeswax might work better; I'm still testing it. I also used some beeswax to narrow the window a little bit; this seems to strengthen the sound, especially in the high register.

[German Whistler]

beautifull whistle and sound
oh and well played i guess - as a beginner i cant realy say but its inspiering to me

[MTGuru]

The Laughing whistle sounds nice enough.

I'm not sure why Scott chose an air - "Geaftaí na Bhaile Buí" - that he had to apologize for in advance.

For an air like this, you really need to either reference the lyrics (here) for the phrasing, or follow a song setting or air setting as a model. Otherwise, it's easy to make a real muddle. But you live and learn ...

Maighread & Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqgpXGyFC7U

Other recordings: http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/3962

[crookedtune]

Maighread & Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqgpXGyFC7U

Exactly why I keep finding my way back to Chiff & Fipple. Thanks, MTGuru, (again).