The State of the Inexpensive Whistle Address

oskan_oskula · Post by **oskan_oskula** » Tue Nov 29, 2005 12:18 pm

What about Clarke Megs? Are they any good? I've got my eye on one for a temptingly tiny sum...

Methinks I'm going to need a larger whistle pouch...

markbell · Post by **markbell** » Tue Nov 29, 2005 12:29 pm

I like Megs for teaching kids, since they are so inexpensive. The ones I have played are reliably musical, and at $3 a pop, it keeps the blood pressure down when someone uses the whistle to hit rocks.

I usually keep one in the cab of my pickup for playing at stoplights. When it falls out into the parking lot, it's no big deal.

I don't object to the tone of the Meg, but it is not my first choice for regular playing. It is a pleasant, pure sound, but I like a little more complexity. I most often play a Clarke traditional with the windway mashed down just a bit. They are usually too breathy right out of the box.

Here's a picture of me playing a Meg at a community fair this summer:

We gave away 300 Megs that day, and I played almost solid for 6 hours.

bearbro · Post by **bearbro** » Tue Nov 29, 2005 1:39 pm

Ole bear would like to make a couple of comments here and then ask a question. Keep in mind I'm new to whistles.

Ok about the plastic fipples being glued on on some of the whistles. I found out that if you take a section of ½" PVC water pipe and stick the bore end into the pipe and try to shoot it through the pipe when the plastic fipple hits the end of the PVC pipe it stops and the metal body keeps going. An instant Unglue job.
Also I have bought a couple of cheap whistles that had those burr in the wind way. I have a needle file that is .050 thousands of an inch I slide into the wind way, then you can use a small pen knife to clean up the edges and it cleans it up quite well.

And now my question. Above I read several posts that refered to a "blu tak" tweaking method. Can someone explane this to me please?

norseman · Post by **norseman** » Tue Nov 29, 2005 1:52 pm

See the tweaking info on the C&F main website: http://www.chiffandfipple.com/tweak.html

oskan_oskula · Post by **oskan_oskula** » Tue Nov 29, 2005 4:00 pm

markbell wrote:I most often play a Clarke traditional with the windway mashed down just a bit. They are usually too breathy right out of the box.

I love my Clarke traditional! It's of the un-mashed variety, but I find it's a little more forgiving for playing in enclosed spaces with other people present-- like my current living situation.

Is it just me, the climate here, or do Clarkes tarnish REALLY FAST? Mine's almost totally gray.

Feadin · Post by **Feadin** » Tue Nov 29, 2005 4:22 pm

oskan_oskula wrote: I love my Clarke traditional! It's of the un-mashed variety, but I find it's a little more forgiving for playing in enclosed spaces with other people present-- like my current living situation.

Hi May,

The Megs are nice, quiet whistles, with a sweet, and a bit airy tone.
Personally I like better a Dixon. Those are nicer and equally quiet, they are more expensive than Megs (although still cheap), but the sound is pure, not airy and the balance between octaves is way better. They're very good looking too and the black plastic ones won't tarnish

markbell · Post by **markbell** » Wed Nov 30, 2005 9:28 am

oskan_oskula wrote:I love my Clarke traditional! It's of the un-mashed variety, but I find it's a little more forgiving for playing in enclosed spaces with other people present-- like my current living situation.

Is it just me, the climate here, or do Clarkes tarnish REALLY FAST? Mine's almost totally gray.

I play two Clarke traditionals regularly, a black D and a natural C. I've had both for years. The gold diamonds have worn away on the black whistle, but I don't really have much tarnish on the silver one. Colorado is very dry, and that may be the difference.

bearbro · Post by **bearbro** » Wed Nov 30, 2005 11:21 am

My unpainted clarke turned gray in just a couple of months. I live on top of a mountain in NC. It got so bad I had to sand and paint it. A cool burgandy color.

oskan_oskula · Post by **oskan_oskula** » Wed Nov 30, 2005 1:50 pm

Wow-- I live in Florida at present, where everything is damp-- I might as well live on a sailboat.

I kind of like the tarnish, though. It gives the impression I've owned the thing for longer than a couple of months. If only my playing were as well seasoned!

oskan_oskula · Post by **oskan_oskula** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 10:52 am

I got my score for Brigadoon today!
And then realized that I don't have a tunable whistle to play in the orchestra! Looks like I'm going to have to buy another one... drat.

So my question is this. I have a Feadog and a Clarke traditional. What's a good tunable whistle, in the neighborhood of $30 or under, that would be able to compete with a 15-piece orchestra?

peeplj · Post by **peeplj** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 10:59 am

oskan_oskula wrote:I got my score for Brigadoon today!
And then realized that I don't have a tunable whistle to play in the orchestra! Looks like I'm going to have to buy another one... drat.
So my question is this. I have a Feadog and a Clarke traditional. What's a good tunable whistle, in the neighborhood of $30 or under, that would be able to compete with a 15-piece orchestra?

I would think Syn or Susato would be good choices. Of the two, the Syn is the easier to play but the Susato has more volume.

--James

oskan_oskula · Post by **oskan_oskula** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 8:00 pm

peeplj wrote: Oak--I have found Oaks to be pretty consistenly good out of the box, and this is no exception. The tone is pure and easy in both octaves, with good chiff. Very responsive little whistle. The fipple on this one is also glued on but I don't care so much as it's default position has it only slightly sharp, maybe 5 cents or so, to A=440. Oaks are a favorite of mine and one reason is I've yet to get a bad one.

Hmmm-- I've just stumbled upon an Oak with an "adjustable and tunable mouthpiece"-- for ten bucks, should I snap it up?

NicoMoreno · Post by **NicoMoreno** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 8:12 pm

Sure! It'll go well with your tunable Feadog!

All whistles with the plastic heads can be made tunable by either running hot water over the metal tube just below the head, on the head, or by soaking in hot water. Sometimes you can just yank 'em off, even, but most are glued on. Luckily hot water will take care of that.

I strongly encourage ALL new posters to read the main website (curiously linked above as the "Main Website"). This is not to forestall questions (ok, it is), but rather to get you started. Besides, it's pretty freaking hilarious. This topic in particular is covered somewhere up there (I think).

oskan_oskula · Post by **oskan_oskula** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 8:19 pm

I know I can yank the head off of my Feadog (yikes! sounds painful!), which I will undoubtedly do-- but if the tuning happens to be flat to the orchestra, it can only get flatter-- and I really don't trust myself to take a saw to any musical instrument at this point in my completely unprofessional life.

I just listened to a sound sample for that Syn D someone mentioned, and oh my Gods I'm in love with it. A little out of my price range, but Yule is coming up-- I wonder if my father is feeling generous?

Jerry Freeman · Post by **Jerry Freeman** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 8:51 pm

Here's a free tuner you can download to your computer and check the tuning of your Feadog.

http://www1.ocn.ne.jp/~tuner/tuner_e.html

I pulled a new brass D Feadog out of a box of them I have in stock and found it to be right on pitch as packaged. Then I pulled the head off and set it all the way on the tube as far as it would go, and it was seven cents sharp. So it looks like there's plenty of room to adjust the tuning of a Feadog sharp or flat as needed. (I didn't bother to check to see how flat it could be tuned, but I know from experience that there's plenty of room to flatten it well below standard pitch.)

Best wishes,
Jerry

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The State of the Inexpensive Whistle Address

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