Beginner here, all suggestions welcome!

Scott McCallister · Post by **Scott McCallister** » Thu Jun 16, 2005 11:54 am

Classy Lassie wrote: At least I won't get winded or work up a sweat playing a whistle though!

Then you just aren't trying hard enough....

I once watched a fellow here in Denver play Moving Cloud at breakneck speeds on an Eb whistle (and yes, he had license, expertise, and technical ability to do so...) and after about 3 1/2 minutes he looked like he had hauled 30' of anchor chain up a mountain side. Of course, he didn't seem to breathe during the tune either, but... a very impressive display of athletic whistling.

Classy Lassie · Post by **Classy Lassie** » Thu Jun 16, 2005 12:44 pm

I'm sure if I walked outside right now I could work up a sweat just sitting there holding a whistle! Probably as bad as Big Chief of the "Moving Cloud" fame!

Ok, since there are some whistle/GHB players on here, help me out with a problem please. I've been playing up and down the scale here and no matter what I try, I get nothing but horrible sounds when trying to play a C sharp or a high D. I have checked and double checked my finger positioning, tried blowing very softly and slowly increasing pressure to try and find where it sounds right but....sheesh! Is it a worthless whistle, or am I just not used to hearing these notes?? Also, on every note I play I do not get a nice clear sound. I'm not sure how to describe it but it's like a scratchy echo. Again, I've checked and rechecked finger position to make sure the holes are well covered as well as adjusting my breathing. Am I just too used to hearing the sound of a blackwood practice chanter?

Oh, and I'm playing a Waltons Mellow D Irish Whistle for the time being until I can order a different one.

ChrisA · Post by **ChrisA** » Thu Jun 16, 2005 1:08 pm

Personally, I dislike the tone of my Walton's Mellow D, never found the C natural or C sharp to sound quite right, or anything in the upper octave. I think it was the Cs that drove me to try other whistles. I still have it because, well, it was my first whistle. And if I pick it up now after some years whistling, it does sound better than it did, but, I still put it down quickly.

That said, there -are- people that like them, and the C sharp -can- be in tune (but, I think, it is always weak). If you play the rest of the lower octave softer and then the C sharp a little harder it should end up being an in-tune scale. I pretty much only play my Oak D now, though I have a bunch of generations and sometimes pick up one just for variety (esp. the Eb).

So, I guess, the things to get from this are,
- Some of us just don't like the Mellow D sound. You may be one of that group.
- If a note is too far out, you may have to change your breathing on the -rest- of the scale to bring in a true scale.
and, of course,
- Your breath control will improve with time.

It wouldn't hurt any (if you have the income to make frivolous expenditures, anyway) to try a Generation or a Clarke (original or SweetTone), if you can find them at your local music stores.

stratochicnic · Post by **stratochicnic** » Thu Jun 16, 2005 1:39 pm

Just to add my two cents..

I would also recommend Bill Och's book/CD as the other's have said, he makes it really easy to follow the lessons, learn the techniques, and play some tunes.

When Bill gives group lessons, he sells Acorn whistles for the beginners. I have one and it can be nice because it doesn't require a lot of air, but it's very sensitive and can go up into the higher octave if you're not careful. I have a Walton's Mellow D as well, but I didn't get a particularly good one. I would also recommend a Generation. I haven't tried Clarke myself, but I've been meaning to get my hands on one. Good luck

Classy Lassie · Post by **Classy Lassie** » Thu Jun 16, 2005 3:22 pm

Thanks Chris and Nicki. I guess I am one of those who do not care for the Walton D. I'm pretty sure I'll order a SweetTone and maybe an Acorn and Generation too. I vaguely remember seeing a soprano D that was recommended for beginners but will have to go back and see what brand it was. It may have been the Susato (?) which I have been warned not to get. As inexpensive as most of them are, it wouldn't hurt to get two or three different ones to try. I'm not a professional musician (not even close)

but I do have a pretty good ear and can tell when something doesn't sound right. And if it makes me cringe then I won't practice!

Is it really worth the extra $$ to have a whistle "tweaked"?

stratochicnic · Post by **stratochicnic** » Thu Jun 16, 2005 3:37 pm

Susatos are not recommended for beginners because the fingering is tricky. But I've heard good things about them overall.

It definitely doesn't hurt to get a few inexpensive whistles to try out, but don't go all out and buy like 10 because that's overkill LOL I'm still a beginner myself, been playing for a few months now and only have 2 (really just 1 working) whistles.

About tweaked whistles, the consensus is that tweaked whistles are better than the off-the-shelf versions. But I wouldn't buy one until you can play a few tunes. I'm actually looking to get a fairly inexpensive tweaked whistle -- the tweaked Sweetone. It's up to you, but if you get a regular Sweetone, you might want to get the tweaked in the future to see how they compare. WhistleandDrum.com has a neat little media player that lets you hear the different whistles. Happy shopping

Classy Lassie · Post by **Classy Lassie** » Thu Jun 16, 2005 5:07 pm

Well, I just ordered a "tweaked" SweetTone and Bill Ochs' tutor book. What's taking the UPS man so long?!

I decided since it was only $15 I'd go with the "tweaked" to begin with. Once I get going on that one I'll probably order one or two more of the inexpensive ones and see which I prefer. When I can acutally play some tunes I'll look around for one of the more expensive ones. Maybe an Elfsong whistle. Heck...compared to bagpipes an $85 whistle is cheap!!

I'll be sure to check out WhistleandDrum.com! Thanks!

stratochicnic · Post by **stratochicnic** » Thu Jun 16, 2005 6:14 pm

Classy Lassie wrote:Well, I just ordered a "tweaked" SweetTone...What's taking the UPS man so long?!

That makes two of us!

Happy whistling. I can't wait for my Sweetone. I've only played a (bad) Walton's Mellow D and a semi-decent one that Bill Ochs let me try, the Acorn I bought from Bill and now I've got a Sweetone headed my way

I'm trying to resist the temptation to go all out and buy 10 whistles myself

They're so inexpensive it's hard, but the numbers do add up so I try to choose my whistles carefully.

Cynth · Post by **Cynth** » Thu Jun 16, 2005 6:20 pm

stratochicnic, can you say more about what you mean that the fingering on Susatos is tricky? I didn't care for mine because of loudness problems, but what is the tricky fingering thing? I'm just curious that maybe there was something I didn't know that would have made it work out a little better. It was the first whistle I practiced on, so I had no experience at the time. And not much more now!

stratochicnic · Post by **stratochicnic** » Fri Jun 17, 2005 5:52 am

Hey Cynth,

Sorry, I should've mentioned that I was thinking about Susatos in other keys aside from D.

Cynth · Post by **Cynth** » Fri Jun 17, 2005 8:14 am

Oh, okay, mine was in D. I just get curious. Thanks!

Wormdiet · Post by **Wormdiet** » Fri Jun 17, 2005 11:10 am

JUst a tip for maybe learning some tunes. . . anything you can play on GHB can be played on a whistle if you transpose up a fifth. IE, a pipe tune that starts on A would start on . . . .A! but fingered as xxoooo. But you probably already knew that.

scarhand · Post by **scarhand** » Sat Jun 18, 2005 12:29 am

so would you explain that transposition thing a little big more clearly and don't use xo football diagrams? if it's GHB and it starts in A, on the whistle it would start on . ... A + 5 notes = F?

Wormdiet · Post by **Wormdiet** » Sat Jun 18, 2005 10:40 am

scarhand wrote:so would you explain that transposition thing a little big more clearly and don't use xo football diagrams? if it's GHB and it starts in A, on the whistle it would start on . ... A + 5 notes = F?

No, it would still start on A, coincidentally.

On pipes, you would start the tune with "6 fingers down" (Actually 7 if you count the thumbhole for octave A)

On whistle, you start the tune with 2 fingers down.

Pipes are in A mixolydian. Whistles can play in A mixolydian too, but use different fingers to play the same notes. Clear as mud?

Lambchop · Post by **Lambchop** » Sat Jun 18, 2005 12:07 pm

Classy Lassie wrote:Ok, since there are some whistle/GHB players on here, help me out with a problem please. I've been playing up and down the scale here and no matter what I try, I get nothing but horrible sounds when trying to play a C sharp or a high D. I have checked and double checked my finger positioning, tried blowing very softly and slowly increasing pressure to try and find where it sounds right but....sheesh!

C# is the one with all the holes uncovered, i.e., 000000. D is the one with all the holes covered, XXXXXX, but you bump it up. Better still, uncover the top hole, 0XXXXX, and see if that improves things. If it does, you need to uncover that hole on the high D.

I used to have that same exact problem, and it turned out to be because I was blasting air into the whistle, not pushing it up. It's not a blowing thing, exactly, but more of a pressure thing.

Now, I'm not very good at this, so the technique might be off (way off!), but I definitely know that if you work at it a while you'll accidentally discover what to do. My suggestion would be to try less hard. Lots less hard. But, not by "blowing softly."

The air speed has to increase, but not by blowing. I just tried it. I think it's just smallening up the size of the oral cavity. Tongue rises a bit.

I hit on it by accident while I was distracted, thus preventing me from trying too hard. Why don't you noodle around while you're watching TV?

At first, too, I could only get the high D nicely, then the E, then the F, etc.
It seems to be a practice-dependent affair.

Also, on every note I play I do not get a nice clear sound. I'm not sure how to describe it but it's like a scratchy echo. Again, I've checked and rechecked finger position to make sure the holes are well covered as well as adjusting my breathing. Am I just too used to hearing the sound of a blackwood practice chanter?

Err, "chiff?"

If it's just extra stuff around the note--skritchy squeaks and such--it's probably just extra stuff you're blowing in. It'll go away as you practice, I'd bet.

I used to think all my whistles were horrible. Worst whistle on earth. All of them! Cheap trash! Bleah!

I went on a quest for the perfect whistle. Got a Burke aluminum narrow-bore D. It was good! Played that almost exclusively for some months.

Went back to the old ones after a while and discovered that they'd rather miraculously rid themselves of whatever issues they had. (Wasn't the whistles; it was me.)

Of course, I'm still appalling, but I firmly believe that whistles get better as you practice.