looking for something different..

avemo · Post by **avemo** » Thu Sep 16, 2004 12:26 am

Hey there,

I've got two whistles: a tony dixon (d) and a sweetone (c).. But I'm looking for something that has a little more satisfying blow (if that makes any sense...), more resistance, if you know what I mean. Hmm... maybe I'm just not playing 'loud' enough

.. Any ideas? I really appreciate your comments...

greenspiderweb · Post by **greenspiderweb** » Thu Sep 16, 2004 6:32 am

Hi, and welcome! Someone else recently asked the same question, maybe it would help. What you are looking for is back pressure in a whistle. Not many have it, especially low end whistles.
Overton and Chieftain are known for it, and the Water Weasel, as in this post:
http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php?t=22259
Most whistles are easy blowing, and it takes a while to get used to it, also breath control to control a whistle with little back pressure only comes with practice.
If you want more control, sometimes a Clarke or Shaw is easier to control for a beginner, because you have to put more air into it, although they are easy blowing, and they sound airy too.
Hope this helps!

AngeloMeola · Post by **AngeloMeola** » Thu Sep 16, 2004 9:54 am

You can increase the back pressure by pulling in your cheeks and puckering your lips slightly. You can actually shrink the opening of the windway because the lips will block it slightly. Of course, you have to keep the fipple end in between your lips and not back near your teeth.
Angelo

SirNick · Post by **SirNick** » Thu Sep 16, 2004 10:14 am

After long periods of just playing around the house and trying to keep the noise down, I find that I get into the habit of holding back. It's always good to get the house to yourself or go somewhere where you can really blow the whistle out every once in awhile. Ultimately, you never know what whistle is going to suit you just right so you have to keep buying new ones to try. That holy grail whistle might just be the next one!

Jack · Post by **Jack** » Thu Sep 16, 2004 10:29 am

Put your shirt or some other piece of cloth between your whistle mouthpiece and your mouth until you like the amount of backpressure there is.

Then find a way to get a piece of cloth to stay there. With Sweetones, I've found that rubber bands work ok. So does super glue.

It looks funky, but it works.

Brewster · Post by **Brewster** » Fri Sep 17, 2004 8:11 am

Hi Avemo,

I'm the person who posted the message that Greenspiderweb mentioned. It's down a couple pages with a title "I need another whistle".

Naturally, when you post a question like this you get lots of input, and here are the whistles that were recommended to me that allow for a bit more air pressure:

Shaw
Clarke Original
Water Weasel
Humphrey Wide Bore
Overton
Susato

Both the WW and Humphrey got multiple mentions, so I ordered a WW which I'm waiting to receive.

michael_coleman · Post by **michael_coleman** » Fri Sep 17, 2004 10:08 am

Talk to Mr. Syn about getting one of his older style whistle's as they are/were thick with backpressure and probably the cheapest you will find. You can really push this whistle and the tuning is great...

Duffy · Post by **Duffy** » Fri Sep 17, 2004 10:18 am

michael_coleman wrote:Talk to Mr. Syn about getting one of his older style whistle's as they are/were thick with backpressure and probably the cheapest you will find. You can really push this whistle and the tuning is great...

Amen!

Kar · Post by **Kar** » Fri Sep 17, 2004 12:12 pm

My Serpent Sweet Polly (or whatever it is called) can handle almost any amount of breath; you can really wail into it and it doesn't sqeak or anything. I got it as a trade but they aren't that much.

DCrom · Post by **DCrom** » Fri Sep 17, 2004 12:30 pm

Kar wrote:My Serpent Sweet Polly (or whatever it is called) can handle almost any amount of breath; you can really wail into it and it doesn't sqeak or anything. I got it as a trade but they aren't that much.

The last I looked, the Sweet Polly was $25

Mine's my most-played D whistle, to the point that the paint's all scratched up from carrying it around with me. It's also, IMHO, one of the easiest whistles to play - in tune, not prone to sqeaking, well balanced between octaves. And yes, it can handle a lot of air, if you want to push it.

The Sweet Polly's on the breathy/chiffy end of the whistle spectrum - to my ear, it sounds somewhat like a Clarke orginal model. On a a sound purity continuum it would be something like Dixon->Sweetone->{Serpent, Clarke}.