Favorite A whistle?

[Peter Duggan]

Löfgren. Kevin Crawford agrees

For me, Bracker (but you knew I was going to say that)!

To be fair i haven't tried any other A whistle though..

And I've only had three (the others being the original Overton I've still got and the Chieftain NR I've just sold).

[narrowdog]

For me, Bracker (but you knew I was going to say that)! .

I know you really like the Brackers but could you elaborate
a little.
I was hoping Hans UK tour was going ahead so I could try one myself.
Thanks

[Peter Duggan]

I know you really like the Brackers but could you elaborate a little.

Fantastic tone (a complex mix of sweetness, tight core, chirpiness, clarity and decent volume) and response (both stable and expressively biddable) with modest air demands.

Consistently well made, well tuned and well matched in a way that, despite the obvious/necessary differences between, say, a high D and a low D, gives a reassuring feeling of continuity as you move from size to size, with what little that initially caught me off guard (eg best top 'C' and third-octave 'E' fingerings) not just non-problematic but also consistent throughout the range.

Great maker to work with, leading to what I believe have been some mutually beneficial developments.

Very good value for what they are!

[maki]

I know you really like the Brackers but could you elaborate a little.

Fantastic tone (a complex mix of sweetness, tight core, chirpiness, clarity and decent volume) and response (both stable and expressively biddable) with modest air demands.

Consistently well made, well tuned and well matched in a way that, despite the obvious/necessary differences between, say, a high D and a low D, gives a reassuring feeling of continuity as you move from size to size, with what little that initially caught me off guard (eg best top 'C' and third-octave 'E' fingerings) not just non-problematic but also consistent throughout the range.

Great maker to work with, leading to what I believe have been some mutually beneficial developments.

Very good value for what they are!

Can't wait for the tour!

[jmiller]

For me, Bracker (but you knew I was going to say that)! .

+1
I have owned a number of nice A whistles but I have never had one which I have enjoyed playing as much as the Bracker which I received several months ago.

[ecohawk]

I have several A whistles. My two favorites are very different.

I like the brass Copeland A because it is the most well balance whistle I own. It has a good strong bell note with a sweet high end and the breath pressure required to play it is, of course, not completely even from bottom to top but is the closest to that of any that I own regardless of key. Unlike other Copeland's I have, it seems very breath efficient.

My easy blowing non-tunable Goldie A has tremendous resonance and a powerful bell note. I can actually feel the vibrations and air moving through the instrument on my fingertips as I play. It also has a very nicely reachable 2 plus octaves.

A is currently and easily my favorite key at the moment. YMMV of course.

I wouldn't call either of these inexpensive, though I'm fuzzy about "affordable", but the Goldie is certainly "obtainable".

ecohawk

[narrowdog]

Thanks for that Peter, I look forward to trying one.

[MTGuru]

Isn't there a SoCal uilleann meeting tomorrow? I could bring a couple A's for you to try.

I'll be there, Richard, and wouldn't mind trying your Generation A.

Richard was indeed kind enough to allow me a go on his re-engineered Gen A. Thank you! A nice whistle. The bell note is a bit scratchy, but otherwise it's very sweet, much like the Gen Bb it started as. Overall, I'd still opt for my Susato A for versatility.

[pancelticpiper]

Yes, with that head on it... a funky 35-year-old Generation Bb head. I can put my Freeman Tweaked Bb head on it and get full round low notes, but the 2nd octave isn't as sweet.

The best all-around head on it is the Bb head I tweaked with the hacksaw tweak, the head I use on my Generation B. With that head it plays nice and sweet throughout the range.

[LisaD]

What is your favorite A whistle and why?

I have a Sindt A/Bb/B set that I really like.

[benhall.1]

I have a bass A Alba that is simply gorgeous. I like it because it's really really big but still looks like a whistle. Oh, and it sounds fantastic.

[jadphoto]

I don't have extensive experience with A whistles but of the three I have, Tweaked Freeman, Susato (recent...same bore as a fire hose as near as I can tell) and the Milligan, the Milligan gets played a lot. The harper in our trio is also a flute player and her Alto flute and the Milligan A are incredible together.

My A Milligan is in Diamond wood, and the hole placement is very comfortable. The Freeman has a bit wider reach, but with the Susato I actually have to use my little finger on the 6th hole. But then I have some finger issues even though I have fairly large hands.

JD

[pancelticpiper]

with the Susato I actually have to use my little finger on the 6th hole.

On an A? Wow! I use the same ordinary fingers on all my whistles including Low Ds and even the Low C I have.

[RonKiley]

The only A whistle I have is an Alba hi A. It is a very good whistle with a fair amount of back pressure. It sounds great.

[MTGuru]

The only A whistle I have is an Alba hi A. It is a very good whistle with a fair amount of back pressure. It sounds great.

High A, really? That's A above a Generation G? That's a mighty small whistle.

Actually, I see Alba offer an alto A and bass A (like Ben's). So I guess yours is the alto, which is indeed relatively high compared to the other.

The A terminology is tricky. Taking the Generation range to define the conventional "high" whistles, there's no Generation A, so that key falls in the crack between "high" and "low". I'd normally take unqualified "A whistle" to mean the alto range, with high or low an octave above or below that, respectively.