Playing high B softly

[eleanora]

I am learning to play on a Clark Sweet tone high D. Does anyone else have trouble playing high B softly on this whistle?
Also can anyone recommend a low whistle that's good for someone with small hands?! I love the sound ....but am turning into a grimacing contortionist!!! OK...practise, practise, practise. Look out neighbours, here I come!

[gonzo914]

I am learning to play on a Clark Sweet tone high D. Does anyone else have trouble playing high B softly on this whistle?
Also can anyone recommend a low whistle that's good for someone with small hands?! I love the sound ....but am turning into a grimacing contortionist!!! OK...practise, practise, practise. Look out neighbours, here I come!

Eventually, with practice, you will get to the point where the mirrors no longer frost over, the windows no longer shake, the dog no longer cowers in the corner, and your spouse/significant other no longer says "Dammit, I told you -- No 'Danny Boy' in the house."

Be patient -- it will come in due time.

[Tyghress]

The high B note is what makes a lot of people opt for a more costly instrument.

Learn to play the high B forcefully, so that it is there whenever you ask for it. After you learn to play it that way you can sweeten it up a bit, but it will always take more of an effort to play than the lower notes. That's just the physics of the instrument.

Tyg

[Cynth]

I'm still a beginner. I can hit the note, it doesn't sound too bad, but I sure wouldn't want to be hearing an awful lot of it . It certainly isn't soft, it is quite loud. Maybe I will be able to make it less loud, but it doesn't seem like it so far. On my Cathal McConnell tutorial CD he mentions tonguing the high notes to sweeten them. I think maybe the tonguing does sort of help you get there all in one piece, so to speak, so I don't know if he intends more than that to happen to sweeten the note.

[brewerpaul]

A bit of tongueing will help get the note started and once it's speaking you can probably soften it a bit. Play the note however it works for you, then slowly back off and see how quiet you can play it. Then, once you have a feel for that level, start the note off with a "T" tongueing and try to settle quickly at that quiet level. It'll come in time.

[Mitch]

I am learning to play on a Clark Sweet tone high D. Does anyone else have trouble playing high B softly on this whistle?
Also can anyone recommend a low whistle that's good for someone with small hands?! I love the sound ....but am turning into a grimacing contortionist!!! OK...practise, practise, practise. Look out neighbours, here I come!

The Clarke Sweetone is not the loudest whistle on the block/ However, there is a lot of difference between the octaves on the Sweetone. Some of the more elaborate instruments address that difference to a certain extent, but it will always be there. Mostly, tunes go higher into the second octave for dramatic effect and it's nice to have that added bit of emphasis - use it

Low whistles with good reach?

The least expensive i've seen is the Susato with a key or 2 added to bring the lower left and right hand holes into reach for humans. Some of the more expensive makes also have "short-reach" versions of their Low D's - Sweetheart make one standard.

One thing I have noticed with folks that are used to flutes is that they hold the thumb higher than the rest of the fingers (not sure if that's the same with clarinets) - on a low whistle that tends to turn the hand and make the lower holes harder to get - be sure to bring the thumb down the pipe a bit and the hand will be more "squared" which is good for piper's grip (using the middle pads of the fingers rather than the tips).

Hope this helps - and welcome to C&F

[Chiffed]

High B's sticking out? Play every other note louder!

Seriously, it's built in to the nature of the instrument, some instruments more than others. Embrace those high B's, slide into them, squeeze all the juice outa them. Play with passion, and nobody will sweat a couple extra dB's on the B's.

[lisdoonvarna]

A couple things-if you are playing in a performance venue with a microphone pull back a few inches from the mic to lessen the volume.

also at a whistle workshop with Joannie Madden she suggested breaking up that note by lifting the index finger off and on that hole. Not a vibrato but something slower that was in time with the music. I'm not sure what the term is. Maybe a cut???

Pat

[brewerpaul]

My Sweet Resonance low D has the easiest reach I've found yet. My wife was totally unable to finger my Copeland, but she can play this one pretty easily. I can finger it without resorting to piper's grip.

[eleanora]

Thanks for all your helpful suggestions regarding high B (and low whistles). I'm positively encouraged!

[jim stone]

Flutes have the happy feature that one can play
the high notes softly.

On whistles there is the option of playing the high
b staccotto.

[Whitmores75087]

I haven't read all the responses, but I can tell you that 99.9% of how a high b sounds has to do with the whistle itself, not how you play it. All you can do is blow it in tune. If it sounds bad, it's the whisle, most times, not you. I have a heavily tweaked frenkenwhistle that plays super soft, and the high b is sweet. Susato is very loud. I recommend you wear ear plugs. If playing into a mic, back off about 6" on high b.

[Trip-]

high B?
How about that high C# - now that's a killer...
(dogs among the bushes)

[Edward]

If the high b is a long note, you might try:

XOX XXO or X>X XXO (> is half-cover; mouthpiece end is on the left)

High Cnat: OXX XXO

High C#: OXX XOO

Ed