Coopermans (was "No Notes")

The Irish Rose · Post by **The Irish Rose** » Mon Apr 29, 2002 5:45 pm

Help!
I just got a Cooperman Penny Whistle,and I have been trying to form the notes but when ever I remove my fingers from R1, R2,or R3 it makes no diffrence in the sound whatsoever! no matter how hard I press down on them it does not change the tone!
I also somtimes have been haveing the same problem with L3, does anyone know what is going on?
The Irish Rose

[ This Message was edited by: DaleWisely on 2002-04-29 19:59 ]

Whistlepeg · Post by **Whistlepeg** » Mon Apr 29, 2002 5:51 pm

Unfortunately, all the Cooperman whistles I have seen have been virtually unplayable. He makes them as toys to be sold in early American museums and forts etc.
You could try looking down through the mouthpiece to see if there is anything blocking it, or look up inside the body too. Check and make sure the finger holes are not plugged up with anything. Personally, and I hate to say it but,I think you would be better off getting a new whistle to save endless frustration. Good luck

Post by **Dale** » Mon Apr 29, 2002 5:57 pm

Sadly, I have to agree with Whistlepeg. Cooperman's are inferior instruments.

Dale

Alan · Post by **Alan** » Mon Apr 29, 2002 7:18 pm

My Cooperman whistle, purchased mainly as a souvenir from Sutter's Fort in Sacramento, California, was very weak overall and especially on the lowest notes. I improved things to some extent by placing a small nail across the windway to serve as a fulcrum and using a wide bladed screwdriver to raise the lip slightly. It is 'playable' now, though despite additional poking and prodding it remains very breathy and inconsistent.

_________________
Alan

[ This Message was edited by: Alan on 2002-04-29 21:21 ]

dd · Post by dd » Mon Apr 29, 2002 8:22 pm

Mine works GREAT........to prop the window open with.

Blarney Pilgrim · Post by **Blarney Pilgrim** » Tue Apr 30, 2002 11:02 am

You know if you wait long enough on this board someone will have an opposing view. I feel about Generations like you guys feel about Coopermans. My first whistle was a Cooperman. I still play it even though I have a number of others to choose from now

It's true it is a quiet whistle, and in many ways sounds more like a fife. But mine is spot on in tune on every note. They are made of soft metal and easily damaged. I suspect that is the problem with yours. If it is dinged or if the fipple is damaged, you'll get the kind of problems you describe. I suspect, that as with Generations there may be a quality control problem. (What do you want for $4?) Also, the way they are packaged they aren't well protected from damage. Since they're unpainted, conical and have wooden fipple plugs, they make a good reenactment whistle. I suggest you either try tweaking it (easy since they are soft) or buy another (if they are readily available). Or buy a Clarke. The sound is very similar. Steve

The Irish Rose · Post by **The Irish Rose** » Tue Apr 30, 2002 12:28 pm

Thank you everyone for replying!!!!

I finealy got it to work well enough that I can use it until I can get a better one.
THANK YOU!!!!
The Irish Rose

Walden · Post by **Walden** » Wed May 15, 2002 11:09 pm

My first whistle was a Soodlum/Walton brass D. My second was (were) 2 Coopermans (they are awfully cheap), a Golden Tone (I loved this make, though it smashed easily), and a Generation tabor pipe.

I wish Cooperman would just work a little harder at making a good whistle. It is nice having an American-made traditional tin whistle available so inexpensively. If I'm not mistaken, Ralph Sweet sold his tin whistle enterprise (not his wooden whistle enterprise, just the tin), and the inferior Coopermans are what's become of it. I believe Cooperman Fife & Drum Company's other instruments are good. Perhaps I'll try the new wooden Cooperman whistles.

jim_mc · Post by **jim_mc** » Fri May 17, 2002 7:37 pm

I've played just about all of the instruments Cooperman makes, and they make only one wind instrument I like: the $6 plastic fife. It's the cheapest fife you can buy, and i'ts the only one-piece fife I can stand. It's also one of a small handful of fifes that cost less than $80 or $100! Their tin whistles, unfortunately, are junk. I've been told that they are made mostly for sale to the tourist trade at historical sites. They used to sell fifes that way, but parents would buy them for children and then complain that "this whistle doesn't work" (it takes some people months of practice to get any kind of sound out of a fife). I'm told that Cooperman started making their whistles in response to these complaints.

Their drums, on the other hand, are awesome! Not that I approve of bodhran playing, but someone had a tunable Cooperman bodhran at a session, and it had all the qualities I like about my Cooperman drums: great sound, great looks, unbelievably solid construction. My Cooperman drums are for ancient style fife and drum music. I have two of them. There is nothing better out there. Pat Cooperman died a few years ago, but the business has remained in the family, and quality has remained consistent (one of my drums was made by Pat 27 years ago, and one by his son-in-law about 4 years ago).

edit for p.s. - I wouldn't count on Cooperman working on making a better tin whistle. Their main business is the drums, which sell in the $1000 range, and fifes for re-enactors, which are in the $100 range. I think the whistles are high-volume, low maintenance item for them.

_________________
Don't you boys know any nice songs?

[ This Message was edited by: jim_mc on 2002-05-17 21:40 ]

Feadan · Post by **Feadan** » Mon May 20, 2002 11:51 am

I followed this thread with interest as I have a couple of Cooperman whistles that I obtained a few years back and they really aren't too bad. Perhaps a small step below any of the Clarkes that I've experienced. Today I went on a field trip with my daughter's 3rd grade class to Plimouth Plantation. Pretty cool place. Wonderful re-enactors, etc. My daughter took great delight in checking out the reproduction of her great great great great great great great great great great grandparent's house as well as chatting with the young lady who was acting the role of her maternal ancestor. But I digress (easily done

). At the gift shop they had Cooperman whistles for sale. Morbid curiosity got the best of me so I bought one. Although it appears less work went into the new one (roof of windway was left as an arch with no attempt to flatten it somewhat) it plays just fine. The major difference in sound is that the new one has less chiff than the older model.

Cheers,
David

[ This Message was edited by: Feadan on 2002-05-20 13:52 ]

Blayne Chastain · Post by **Blayne Chastain** » Mon Aug 12, 2002 9:36 am

He he... I just played one yesterday in Jamestown, VA at a gift shop... Funny, they didn't have one out its packaging so that you could try it out... So.... Uh, I oppened one... Yep, it sucked...

Cheers,

jim_mc · Post by **jim_mc** » Sun Aug 25, 2002 10:08 pm

I just wanted to add that I've run into the travelling Cooperman store that goes around to various musical events three times this summer, and it is no longer selling Cooperman tin whistles.

Cooperman is now handling sales of the $200 (or so) Wilson Woods whistle. It was the only whistle they had out all summer. A friend of mine bought one of these and I gave it a good workout. It's a nice whistle, but I don't think it's $200 worth of nice. It's beautiful and well in tune, and has a nice sweet sound, but the octave jumps weren't clean. Just my opinions, for what they're worth.