Taming the Dreaded Susato Beast :-)

[peeplj]

Apologies for the duplicate post, but after the fact I realized this makes more sense to be its own topic.

That said...

Ok, here are some "hints" on the Susato. These are from my own playing experience as well as watching some very advanced players who play them.

These work for me and have helped me to "tame the savage beast." They may not work as well for you. They may not work at all for you. Your mileage may vary. Do not eat...yada, yada, yada, you get the idea.

1. The mouthpiece of the Susato is shaped that way for a reason. Don't just stick it out in front of you; keep your head straight and bring the whistle down until your lower lip fits in the curve of the fipple.

2. This will force you to open your mouth a bit more than you may be used to, and you'll need to drop your jaw a bit. That's a good thing. With the Susato, open your mouth wider for a sweeter, softer sound, and close your mouth up tighter for a louder, stronger sound. Also you can vary the lip pressure to vary the tone. Try it out.

3. Support the air column, from the diaphragm on up. The whistle only gets air for maybe an inch. You have the air for much longer, so realize that it is you and not the whistle that controls the air column.

4. Don't back away. If you just blow with a pitiful little anemic airstream, a Susato will squawk to high heaven and be no where close to in tune. This isn't a whistle that rewards a cautious approach, especially in the upper octave.

5. Lean into it. This is a whistle you can punch the hell out of. You want a note to "pop out?" Give it a good extra push of air and it will.

6. Practice, practice, practice. About three years ago I decided I was going to learn how to play the damn Susato whistle. Early this year I finally "got it." And guess what? I'm no world-class whistler, but the things I learned on this whistle have made me better on all of my others.

That's it---it's what works for me. I can't swear it'll work for everybody, but for whatever it's worth, it works for me.

--James

[Tweeto]

I've done all of that, but can't seem to get it to stop sounding like a re&%!der. HELP!

[Coffee]

I think that's not something you can really help. Susatos, played well, will sound similar to a recorder to some people because they lack the raspy quality that we typically associate with the voice of a whistle. Clark's Sweettone is another one of those whistles that some say sounds like a recorder. *shrug* What can ya do?

[King Friday]

It'll grow on you. When I first got my Susatos I couldn't stand them but I've really become fond of them. Sometimes it's just hard to give them the practice time they need because boy are they loud

[peeplj]

You know, it's odd.

If my Susato is louder than my Feadog, it isn't by much. I think they are pretty much neck-and-neck for volume.

The Susato has a purer sound and in my experience that'll tend to make it cut through instead of blend in; the Feadog has a more traditional sound gets lost in the blend--not that this is a bad thing! There are times you want to blend, and times you want to cut through. It's good to have whistles that can do both.

If you want real volume, the loudest whistle I've played by far is the little wide-bore powerhouse made by Michael Cronnolly of M&E Flutes. It takes a hell of a lot of air, but I would call it at least twice as loud as a Susato, pretty much as loud as an orchestral clarinet.

--James

[XDVarenkor]

1. The mouthpiece of the Susato is shaped that way for a reason. Don't just stick it out in front of you; keep your head straight and bring the whistle down until your lower lip fits in the curve of the fipple.

I'd agree, except for the low D which I can lean into much more if I do play it straight out in front. And it's uncomfortable, but have you ever tried inverting the head (window pointing downwards)? It sounds like a weird thing to do, I know, but it gives a smoother sound and a whole other way of controlling the whistle through the playing angle (I got the idea from watching Kwela players).

[RonKiley]

Try recording yourself playing the Susato. It may sound much different than it does to your ear while playing. Then again it is a matter of personal taste. Many people like the sound of the Clarke original. I can't stand the Clarke original. I have Clarkes but never play them. It is just personal preference.

Ron

[peeplj]

I was really thinking about my Susato high D whistles when I wrote this.

I have a Susato low D but once you get the trick of making the reach and sealing the tone holes well, there really isn't any special effort needed to play it--as low whistles go, it's an easy player.

I also have a Howard low D...some days I like one better, some days the other.

--James

[michael_coleman]

I'd suggest anyone to get a Susato C before going to the high D because its a slightly less aggressive whistle, but still carries the same characteristics that James has mentioned here. Then you can get a D tube later. I think the C has the best balance of all the whistles, its a real joy to play.

[Jon-M]

Do you guys have any experience with Susato A's? And, if so, what do you think?

[Wanderer]

I had a Susato VSB A that I really liked. I think they've discontinued that model, which is a shame, because it was easy to play, not squeaky at all, and had a very nice sound to it.

[Henke]

Do you guys have any experience with Susato A's? And, if so, what do you think?

I have a Kildare A, but I don't think I need to tell you what I think

[Adrian]

Do you guys have any experience with Susato A's? And, if so, what do you think?

I have had a Kildare A for a few years and enjoy it. Apart from the VSB D I'm quite pleased with my Susatos esp the B. I have four more in the post!

[Tommy]

Do not hesitate to send your retired Susato whistle to me. We have a very nice facility for whistles. You can rest easy knowing your Susato is in good hands.

[Tweeto]

Tommy (or anyone else in the USA, that might be interested),

I have a hardly-been-played, black, non-tuneable Susato C that wants to be traded for a never-been-tweaked Oak D. It was ordered for a specific occasion, but not received until it was no longer needed.

Edit: I've changed my mind about the Susato - I'm thinking about keeping it. However I might still trade it for the older series of Oak D, that has the clear vinyl label (as opposed to the paper sticker) and was packaged in a vinyl envelope (as opposed to a plastic box). The holes on these have edges that are more comfortable than those of the newer Oaks.

Contact me via private message if you have one of these Oaks that you might want to trade.