What was your first whistle?

izzarina · Post by **izzarina** » Fri Sep 17, 2004 11:21 am

My first (and still my only...no wonder I'm not suffering from WhOA so much yet..) is a Clare D onepiece nickel. The sound seems pretty good to me, although I don't have a lot to compare it to as of yet. I do have a few Clarke Sweetones for the kiddies as well. I'm thinking of getting either a Susato or a WW for my next one.

Heather

PhilO · Post by **PhilO** » Fri Sep 17, 2004 11:29 am

My first whistle was a Clarke original C (No D was being made at the time), purchased about 12 years ago (I was about 43) as part of a package with the Bill Ochs book and cassette. Finest purchase I ever made.

Philo

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Sep 17, 2004 11:56 am

Theres a book in this but I resist such elaborations on the internet.

One Christmas in between me draggin hay to housed stock and other chores my sister bought me a Clarke which was black with gold lettering on it. I know it tasted good because I almost ate the wood out of the end of it, but I can tell you it spent a long time on the mantlepiece. I was 11 or so years old at the time. BTW We used hunt the Wren but I can't remember who played what, we had a Chinese mouth organ, a TW and a Tamborine as well as a following of variously attired merry makers. Another age alltogether from today!

In fact, now that I am thinking about it, most of the people selling records of themselves today were not even born at the time, nor were their parents out of nappies. It was the age of the mighty Paulo Soprani and some very lonesome playing with people all emigrating out of Ireland.

Steve-o · Post by **Steve-o** » Fri Sep 17, 2004 2:53 pm

My first whistle was a susato and a LBW that i got from lark in the morning. I hated the tone on the susato and the LBW could hardly play, so I ended up getting a Jerrytone from the whistleshop, and i love it. It is still the whistle that i play mostly now.

Bloomfield · Post by **Bloomfield** » Fri Sep 17, 2004 3:08 pm

Green-and-brass Feadog Mk II.

Daryl · Post by **Daryl** » Fri Sep 17, 2004 3:20 pm

AngeloMeola wrote:My first whistle was an Oak that I got when I was about 30. I played it for 15 years before buying another whistle. Once you master the breath control, an Oak is a great whistle. I still have it and play it occasionally.

Now, I mostly play a Hoover whitecap. I have 3 of them. One is on a clare 2-piece that I keep in the car. I also have a D and an A that are all Hoover's, both fipple and barrel. I just got a Jubilee practice low D. So far, I am using it as an aerobic exercise because it needs so much air. When I switch back to the Hoover, I can play some entire tunes without taking a breath.

I'm still waiting for the Sindt I have on order. I don't know how I avoided Whoa all those years. Playing one whistle for a long time really helps you to get the sound you want. I think it is the only way to reach the limit of what the whistle can do.

Angelo

Angelo,

I bought one of the Jubilee practice low D whistles a couple months ago and had the same trouble. Some of the others here suggested some tweaks and tips to alleviate the "one breath per note" syndrome.

I ended up inserting a piece of a plastic soda straw into the mouthpiece (you need to play with it a little to get the right position), then packing the corners around the straw with spearmint chewing gum. Now it takes a LOT less breath to play, it tastes minty fresh, and nobody seems to want to borrow it from me after I tell them how I tweaked it!

-- Daryl

Daryl · Post by **Daryl** » Fri Sep 17, 2004 3:21 pm

And, while I'm already posting in this thread:

Feadog beginner's package (whistle, book, CD), quickly followed by a Gen D, Oak D, and Oak C.

chas · Post by **chas** » Fri Sep 17, 2004 3:47 pm

Mine was a Clarke D, followed a few months later by a Clarke C. I was fortunate to live about 5 miles from House of Musical Traditions, where I was able to try many (many) whistles. I never did find a C I liked there (was disappointed by the Clarke after I'd played it for awhile). A few more months later they had a Water Weasel Eb-D-C set that I played and was blown away by. A few dozen whistles and a half dozen years later, I still play the WW's, but I've given the Clarkes away. They served a good purpose, but I definitely like a little backpressure and I like to be rewarded with a little volume if I'm moving a lot of air.

Darwin · Post by **Darwin** » Fri Sep 17, 2004 6:03 pm

jsluder wrote:No, I'm not asking for advice on what to buy. I'm just curious... What was your first whistle?

The first to arrive was a Dixon tunable D, but I had ordered a Clarke Original and a Feadog at about the same time, so it was alone for only a day or two.

How old were you when you got it?

I was a mere 61 at the time.

Do you still have it?

Yes. I can't bring myself to throw it away, and I wouldn't feel right about giving it to another beginner.

Do you still play it?

Seldom. It's very touchy, and it's not in tune with itself. I have so many other great whistles...

Etc.

mamakash · Post by **mamakash** » Fri Sep 17, 2004 7:18 pm

jsluder wrote: My first whistle was a rolled-tin, cylindrical whistle with a wooden fipple plug, made in a craft shop in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, USA.

My first whistle, as well, but shouldn't there be a law against such cheese? Yes, it's made of tin and yes, it whistles . . . badly. These things are made for five year olds to blow on as hard as they can and produce all sorts of shrill, ear splitting note like sounds. What's tragic about the Williamsburg whistle is that the real thing is probably not much more expensive and would be instructive, not destructive.
On the positive end, I did pick mine up again in my twenties and was amazing that it could manage a few notes. I did hunger for the real thing and bought the only whistle I could find, a Waltons. I no longer own the Williamsburg, but I do have the Walton. I don't play it, it's too light and doesn't have chiff. But it was a great improvment from the Williamsburg model.

Ridseard · Post by **Ridseard** » Fri Sep 17, 2004 11:36 pm

Acorn

jsluder · Post by **jsluder** » Sat Sep 18, 2004 12:00 pm

mamakash wrote:
jsluder wrote: My first whistle was a rolled-tin, cylindrical whistle with a wooden fipple plug, made in a craft shop in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, USA.
My first whistle, as well, but shouldn't there be a law against such cheese?

(Misery loves company.)

alespa · Post by **alespa** » Sat Sep 18, 2004 2:12 pm

Sounds like most of you are "veteran" whistlers, so I am not so sure I should reply . . . but I will

Dixon high D was my first, and took be about 3 weeks to get past some of the things I thought made it "bad". I bought it because between the sound clip on Whistle & Drum (sounds nice when Blayne plays it) and the reviews from C&F, and others, it sounded like the best whistle for me.

While I was working through my "issues" with the Dixon (which I think is a great whistle for the price, sound and looks), I got one of Mack's Hoover Whitecaps with brass tubes D/C. It can be finicky, but it's mainly a temperature (warming) issue along with moisture.

matt

emmline · Post by **emmline** » Sat Sep 18, 2004 7:11 pm

Gen D, when I was, maybe, 19. Along with the Robin Williamson book which I still use.

Snuh · Post by **Snuh** » Sat Sep 18, 2004 7:22 pm

Mine was a Feadog Mk II with a black fipple and a painted blue tube. I bought it at a celtic festival here in Kingston. That was about 4 or 5 years ago, making me 16 or 17 at the time. I still have it but rarely play it. It's a lot touchier than my Mk III model. I tried tweaking it, but I'm not much of a handiman.

I didn't ruin it, but I didn't make it better either.

A.J.

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