Edited to explain that the Alba Soprano D Practice Whistle is now called the Q1
The whistle I won is the New ALBA Soprano D Practice Whistle. The whistle Stacy sent along with it as a bonus is the ALBA Alto G small bore standard. You can see the Alto G on the ALBA Site but the practice whistle is a new whistle and it is not on the site yet. http://albawhistles.com
I am in love this little Soprano D whistle. I have not been able to put it down. On the Alba website, Alba whistles are referred to as Alba aero phonics. That name suits them very well. They have a very distinctive look to them. The whistle is made of aluminum alloy and has a brushed satin finish look to it. It is one solid piece of aluminum tube. By that I mean it has no collar or separate head, just one solid straight tube with a window and fipple and 6 holes. It is non tunable and it has a very clean and neat appearance. This whistle is very lightweight. It has a burgundy colored tufnol fipple that looks like the finish on a car that has that “sparkle paint” on it. The windway is curved. The window is different than any window I have ever seen on a whistle. It is a rectangle shaped hole, with the long part of the rectangle going downward, not across the tube and has been machined (my son called it fluted) so that a lower layer of the metal is still there on the bottom half of the hole. The corners of the rectangle are rounded so it is very pleasing to look at and the part of the window that has been left after the machining is painted royal blue so it has just a touch of color. It is very eye catching. The holes are very neatly cut and I find no trouble with sealing the holes to get a solid sound. A very small letter D is discreetly stamped or engraved near the bottom on the front of the tube but doesn’t stand out in anyway and is very neat and tidy. There is a stamp in the back of the whistle near the bottom that says “albawhistles.com” but it is so tiny that I had to get a magnifying glass to read it. (Make note: get bifocals checked)
This little whistle is so sweet! It is the easiest whistle to play, and it doesn’t clog. Well, maybe a little bit after I have been drooling into it for an hour or so or if I haven’t warmed it up before playing. I have put in more playing time since I got this whistle than I have with any other whistle I own. I have hauled it around in my purse and in the car and it looks as new today as it did when I got it last month. I have actually conquered tunes that I was struggling with because it is so easy to play. It is a very responsive whistle and the sound is very nice, not shrill. It is not what I would call a chiffy whistle either. Stacy calls it a practice whistle because it is quiet but I don’t think it’s all that quiet. It isn’t real loud either, but I was out on the front porch playing the other evening and the neighbor across the pond and 2 fields away (about 350 yards) told me she could hear me playing. I think maybe it might not be heard if you were to take it to a session. Both the bottom octave and second octave are strong. C natural is fingered OXXOOO on this whistle. I checked it with my krog tuner and it is in tune. I find that I do have to purse or tighten up my lips a little when I get above the 2nd octave g to make it pop up there. That may be different for someone with more experience than I have. I don’t have a practiced breath control or embouchure.
I can’t tell you what the price is because I don’t know what it is. But I’m sure Stacy will tell you if you ask . The prices for all Stacy’s whistles are very reasonable.
To summarize, I love this whistle! The way it looks, sounds and the feel of it, I have improved my playing with it and I think if I ever get to go to a session I will surely try it out to see if it can be heard.
(I scanned the whistle and have a picture of it but I have no way to post it so if someone volunteers to host it, I will send you the file.)
The ALBA Alto G small bore standard is also an eye-catching whistle. There is a picture of it on the Alba website. Mine has a bright yellow fipple and is not a tunable one. It is as superbly made as the Alba soprano D is. Near the top just below the window, there is an Alba logo tinted in blue engraved on it. I think this adds to the attractive look of the whistle. It has a curved windway. The holes are neatly cut and although they are farther apart than a soprano whistle, they aren’t so far apart that I can’t get a good seal on them. I use a pipers grip on this whistle. (I have short fingers) Down on the bottom front of the whistle is a large G tinted blue like the Alba logo on the top. On the back of the whistle at the bottom, there is a small mark stamped in that says “Made in Scotland”. The whole whistle has a distinctive dynamic look.
As everyone knows, low whistles take a lot of practice to play really well. I have a Dixon Low D and a Dixon Alto A. I can play tunes on them but I won’t claim to be any good at it yet. The same goes for my new Alba Alto G. I will refrain from giving a formal review because of this, but I will make a few comments. I like the sound and feel of this whistle. It has a strong lower and upper octave. I think the upper octave is just a little more chiffy than the lower. It takes some air to play it but it is about the same as my alto A, but it doesn’t take as much as my low D does. I have found that if I tighten up my lips on the mouthpiece it sounds more solid and is not as chiffy in the upper octave. C natural is fingered OXXOOO. It is a lightweight whistle and measures about 1½ foot long. I like this whistle a lot and am looking forward to learning all its secrets.
I think that if you were looking for a great new whistle to cure you of your WhOA’s either of these whistles or both of them would fill the bill nicely. There, now you have my 2 cents.
Cheers,
Kathy
Warning: I am posting this to both of my favorite whistle boards
Edited to change the title and to take out the bragging stuff
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Thanks you guys 
Stacey has the most bodacious fipples! & Message board
