New Bleazey High D - trouble with the second octave

[sugarfoot jack]

Hi folks,

I'm new to the forum and recently aquired a Bleazey High D in Mopani from Phil. This is a lovely looking whistle - I did some research on wooden whistles before ordering it and settled on the Bleazey as it seemed to get good reviews from many people.

However, I got the whistle and, being ignorant of the care instructions on the web started playing it straight away, and continued for the first week until I read about oiling and playing in. So, I got some almond oil, made sure the whistle was completely dry, oiled it and have been playing 15 mins a day ever since, and will do for the next four weeks or so until it's played in. Hopefully the earlier playing will not affect the whistle in any way.

But, I still am having trouble getting the notes an octave up, and cannot make the above the F at all - and apparently I should be able to do this, even when playing in. It's really hit and miss - sometimes they are there other times not, but not above the F whatever happens. This does not happen on any whistle I try and some whistlers at the session are voicing their doubts and I dont' know what to think. The blowing in hole on the fipple is also off-centre - when I emailed Phil about this he said 'hand-made to almost perfection!' which I assume to mean it doesn't make a difference

It is most likely me I realise, but why does this whistle need so much playing in when others don't? This is a lovely whistle which sounds fantastic in the first octave, and I assume would in the second too. Can any Bleazey owners offer some advice?

sfj

[JessieK]

The second octave on a Bleazey requires much more blow than the first. The second octave is, therefore, considerably louder than the first. Once you start blowing hard enough for the second octave, you can begin to blow harder than you are inclined to blow on the first octave, and, thus, develop some approximation of balance between octaves. The result will be loud, but not unpleasant (a great whistle for playing in sessions or performance, but not ideal for personal practicing). Good luck.

[sponge]

Hi sfj,

one of my first whistle was a Bleazey mopani high d, bought for me as a present, the hand crafted touch was also apparent in my whistle, but lovely sound, I did the breaking in and increased playing over the weeks,
until I was at the point where I could play it for a good session, then I got more whistle, alloy ones which I carried with me for practice, this unfortunatly stopped me playing the Bleazey, so when I did pick it up I was back to playing it in again, they are great whistles but at the time
woodcare was not my main goal, practice was, and the alloy and plastic whistle where easy to transport without fear of damage, anyway cutting a long story short even when I started as a begginer, the second octave was a only a little push, high G/A/B where slightly more but very manageable, but I am sure that it is possible to get a whistle thats not quite right, I recently had a Chieftain tunable high D, I know that aquiring the upper octave is not all about just blowing harder, but this whistle would not play high A or B even if I put the hoover on reverse and stuck that on the end, so it went back, and the guy in the shop also agreed that this one was definatly a few holes short of a full whistle if you get my meaning, my best suggestion would be to get some one else to have to have ago and see what they think.

all the best Sponge

[canpiper]

Don't worry Sugarfoot - it IS you, not the whistle. A lot of whistles require very little breath control. This makes them easy to play, but it also means that there is very little you can do with their sound. The thing that makes Phil Bleazey's whistles so nice (besides their appearance) is that you can really affect their dynamics with enough breath control. Don't be afraid to lean into it to get the upper octave. What you'll find is that with a little practice you will be able to control the volume while still hitting the upper octave. You'll also find that you will be able to introduce crescendos and diminuendos into your playing more easily than on other high whistles.

Phil makes a sophisticated whistle. I don't think that it is a starter whistle, really, but I know I wouldn't trade my Blackwood high D for anything. Stick with it. It's worth it.

[King Friday]

I'm not sure about the Bleazy's but Swayne's which are quite similar are only really made to play one octave and six. Same thing, I dont know. Jessie would know best.

[Unseen122]

King Friday, an Octave and a sixth is up to the B which Sugarfoot can't even get to as it is. It is definatly you, Bleazeys take a hell of a push.

[sugarfoot jack]

Thanks for all the replies folks - great advice. I thought it was me rather than the whistle and I think I'm going to stick with it - anything worthwhile takes effort and time and the whistle does seem to be playing in a bit now.

I went and bought a plastic Dixon high D to practice with whilst playing in the Bleazey so hopefully by the time it's palyed in I'll have a few tunes under my belt.

Thanks again everyone - I certainly feel a lot better now!

sugarfoot jack

[talasiga]

I especially enjoyed reading canpiper's post.

[sugarfoot jack]

Dare I ask why, or is it a private joke?

[Doc Jones]

Yeah, blow like you mean it or forget it on that second octave.

If you continue to have trouble contact Phil. He's a very nice fellow and will take good care of you.

Doc

[talasiga]

Dare I ask why, or is it a private joke?

I felt that canpiper's post answered your query very specifically, with encouragement, and provided universal whistle context.

In Australia, appreciation is not considered a joke.

[canpiper]

Thanks talasiga.

[sugarfoot jack]

Sorry - didn't mean to appear rude. I didn't think canpipers post was a joke either. In fact, at the moment the help I have received from this thread has given me the motivation to carry on, so apologies if I came across as ungrateful.