Suggestions for a Good LOUD Session Whistle

[Dekkard]

jess may back this up..or not , i dont know..i have a Boisvert, which i believe is modeled after an O'riordan concert(as in performance) whistle... the thing is ..LOUD..but the tone is very cloying..also..wood..which makes it nice to look at. Like I said jut a thought..( and yes i agree susatos are loud pure and utterly in tune)

[glauber]

Alba SE, or Silkstone alloy, or Sweetheart old model.

Water Weasel is a better whistle, IMHO, but any of these 3 will outblow it any time. As will a Susato (so i'm not acused of being an anti-Susite again).

I agree with the Alba and Sweet if you're talking about the upper register, but those are so unbalanced between the bottom and top of the range (the Alba also unfocussed at the bottom end) that I wouldn't recommend them for playing with others.

[...]

The Silkstone is a good point -- I should've mentioned it; I've recently re-discovered my alloy D+, a damn fine whistle. I had remembered it having a boring sound, but either I've become a better player or acquired a different taste, because it's got a nice chiffy sound and is a joy to play.

My Sweet old style (which i bought from Cranberry) has the strongerst bottom octave of all my whistles.

The 'Stone is the whistle i usually play in loud sessions, since the Sweet is not tunable.

Right now i fell in love with the O'Briain Improved Feadog, and it's the only whistle i'm playing, sessions or not. It's not as loud as the 'Stone, but it has a nice pronounced "pop" that helps me hear what i'm playing in the middle of the noise.

g

[glauber]

Water Weasel is a better whistle, IMHO, but any of these 3 will outblow it any time.

But the Water Weasel D certainly is loud enough for your average session.

Yes. And it's a lovely whistle too.

[whamlyn]

I have an Overton D. The darn thing clogs frequently and demands a lot of "push". Are the Copelands similar?

Robh

Hey Robh,

I hear you about the Canadian $$$...

I've been playing a soprano Overton for a couple of years now and I find it just a wicked whistle for sessions, a nice warm tone with tons of volume through both octaves. Now I admit that it does require a bit of getting used to, and definately more attention than most other whistles, but if you get it figured out you won't want to trade off for anything.

I've played Copelands, Burkes, Silkstones, yadda, yadda, yadda, before and would still choose my Overton any day of the week. The clogging is a pain to be sure but I find that dipping the windway into a mixture of water and dish detergent before a session and letting it dry can usually get me through a few hours without clogging the windway. Keeping it tucked under my leg at a session is another trick for keeping it warm (warm whistle definately = less clogging).

It's kind of funny, I've been playing flute just about constantly for the last 6 months, hardly touched a whistle. Saturday past I was playing at a session and having a bad day on the flute so I picked up my Sindt to play it for a bit and it just got completely lost in the din of the pub. (Sindt's are not bad whistles I suppose but I'm not particularly fond now that I've got one.) So anyway, I picked up my Overton and started playing along... it was like somebody had turned the power switch on or plugged in the amp or something. It wasn't that it was cutting through the noise so much as "moving" through it, Overtons just have this great soft tone that comes out with plenty of volume that can carry like nothing else.

I can't stand when people get so obsessed with the "that whistle is too loud so you shouldn't play it" mentality. There's a time and a place and I can guarantee that those same people have never played a session with a couple of pipers, a couple of boxes, and a pub full of eagre folklore undergrads looking to get in touch with their "culture" by making so much noise the music gets drowned out.


Anyway, that's my 2 cents on Overtons... the soprano ones anyway. Lots of people hate 'em for just the reasons you mentioned but I personally think they're worth the work.

All the best,
Wes

[chas]

I agree with the Alba and Sweet if you're talking about the upper register, but those are so unbalanced between the bottom and top of the range . . .

My Sweet old style (which i bought from Cranberry) has the strongerst bottom octave of all my whistles.

Ah, the joys of handmade whistles!

[Flyingcursor]

My Susato is the loudest. I had a Thin Weasel once that was pretty ear damaging.

The loudest item I own is a Sweetheart high D flute (sometimes called a fife though not a "real" Bb fife).
I call that one the "Ear Buster". I like to use it at the renfaire.

[glauber]

I agree with the Alba and Sweet if you're talking about the upper register, but those are so unbalanced between the bottom and top of the range . . .

My Sweet old style (which i bought from Cranberry) has the strongerst bottom octave of all my whistles.

Ah, the joys of handmade whistles!

Yeah, i hear you.
That thing honks like a trombone, but YMMV, and AFAIK that model is not being made anymore, and i have no experience with the new model. I wouldn't say the Sweet i have is a great whistle, though. The first octave is good, but the top of the second octave is distinctly different from the rest, and a little on the hysterical side, for my taste. The loudest whistles are not always the best sounding or the best playing.

I think the Silkstone and the Water Weasel are good compromises. And as i said, the O'Briain is good enough for me right now.

[robh]

I have an Overton D. The darn thing clogs frequently and demands a lot of "push". Are the Copelands similar?

Robh

Anyway, that's my 2 cents on Overtons... the soprano ones anyway. Lots of people hate 'em for just the reasons you mentioned but I personally think they're worth the work.

All the best,
Wes

I've been reluctant to bring the Overton to a session as it's not tunable. My first session experience was horrific due to my (at the time) untunable whistle and, well, the other players who took an hour to mention it to me.

But I am getting used to the Overton. I think you have to be slightly more accurate than I am at the moment. I left it in my living room so I'd be forced to play it.

The Susatos sound too much like that old plastic recorder I used to be forced to play in elementary school (shudder).

Thanks for the tips re warming the whistle under your leg. I'm going to try a hat/Overton/warm leg combination and see if it helps.

I hear you on the loudness of the pub. Criminy, I really couldn't hear meself at all. Perhaps it was a blessing.

[WhistlingGypsy]

Keeping it tucked under my leg at a session is another trick for keeping it warm (warm whistle definately = less clogging).

It must be really tough to play in that position

I usually play the Susato in a noisy session. I don't find it sounds anything like a recorder. If it's good enough for Sean Ryan ( http://www.eaglemusicshop.com/recordedm ... bCatID=245 ) it's good enough for me - and the price is right..........

[Ridseard]

Loud whistle for a session... It's a classic excuse to splurge on a Copeland, but a Susato will do nicely.

[KDMARTINKY]

I think the Chieftain and don't forget the little black whistle can be load enough for any session.

[E = Fb]

I've worked on this issue for quite a while. I also wanted a whistle that was easy to play, which knocks out some of the high enders that require a lot of breath. Susato is out due to tone. I had some issues with Copeland. I concluded my sage with one of Mike Burkes new "DASBT" models. When you play it alone at home it sounds moderately loud, but for some reason it penetrates in a session. Cost is $130 US. The Silkstone is also a winner. It's a tad louder, but the tone of the Burke is slightly better. Silkstone wins by a nose on accuracy of tuning, especially the C natural.

Final comment: Sweet Pro model in laminated wood is also very good. Good on loudness and tone, but it's not a "penetrating" tone. Be prepared to slide a few millimeters off the end to bring the bell note into tune.
All of the above whistles cost under $150 each.

[glauber]

Yes, what i like about the Silkstone alloy and the O'Briain Feadog is that they both have that little "pop" that goes with every note, a kind of percussive attack. In my humble experience, that little pop does wonders to help the whistle cut through pub noise.

Yes also, the Burke cuts through very well, maybe because of its pure tone.

If the Sweet Pro is non-tunable, i'd advise against it. There's probably some natural law that explains it, but as soon as you get used to playing a non-tunable whistle, strong gravitational forces will attract to your session an accordion player who has a loud instrument that's tuned just a tad sharp...

[Paul L]

Hi

I have an Abell D and a C which I play in sessions. I don't think you can go wrong it is without doubt my favorite (and I have quite a few). It is quite loud and has a round (flutey) sound. Plays correctly in both registers and has a strong C nat which I like. It takes only slightly more air than my Burkes but is not quite a shrill.

The Abell has a very short beak so if you're used to getting the whistle a long way into your mouth and hanging on you may not like it. This may mean learning some new tricks for hanging on to the whistle when there's no holes covered (it did for me). I live where it's dry (Calgary Alberta) and the wood is slipperier than metal in my opinion so I have to use cream on my hands at sessions.

I think you'll also get better at sorting out the sounds of the instruments at sessions with practice - the sound of most whistles carries over the music pretty well.

All that said the ABELL is a wonderful instrument with a unique sound and gets the most comments from other musicians and listeners.

Good luck

Paul

[Jerry Freeman]

Hi, Paul!