A beginner on the quest for his whistle

[mordred]

i am learning the whistle (since 4 days) and i got a generation D. I find it difficult to keep the whistle from squeaking in the higher octave, especially on the A or B. I guess it's me who don't blow enough for fear of breaking my neighbors' windows, but could it be that there's some plastic residue in the mouthpiece? Other than that, i like the way it sounds.

Now to the matter at hand: i like the Clarke original sound, because it's airy and dirty, so I was thinking of getting one. Is it fine for a beginner or should I wait a bit before playing it? I read that the sweetone is a fine choice for beginners and more expert players alike, but i fear it could sound too "clean" for my taste. Would it help me play the higher notes? Which one would you suggest me to buy?

[Gabriel]

Hi mordred,

Generations tend to be very inconsistent, so your problem MIGHT (see below) be caused by a poor whistle. Jerry Freeman does a great job on tweaking Generation D's, they're really worth a try and much better than the retail version.

BUT it might also be that you got one of those occasional good instruments, and you still need to develop a proper breath control. The high notes are almost never easy to hit and need some time to get used to. The goal is to blow as gently as possible without losing tuning or falling back into the first octave. It's mostly a matter of practise, so keep on whistling!

Regarding the Clarke: I play a Sweetone (by Clarke) on session when I don't want to attract too much attention, and I like it. It's pretty consistent (I have three of them) and has a nice chiffy sound. The Clarke Original tends to need more air than the Sweetone, so I prefer the latter.

[straycat82]

Generations take a little more intention to play. Keep plugging away at it. Clarkes are very easy players, they are what I started out on. I played the original design for about three years before buying a sweetone/meg and then I played those for several years because they are less demanding on breath but still had a similar sound.
The bad thing about the Clarkes is that, even after having played the whistle for several years, I still couldn't get a satisfying sound out of a Generation or a Feadog because I had developed lazy techniques playing Clarkes. I would recommend that if you get a Clarke, keep playing the straight bore Gens or Feadogs as well to encourage good habits in intonation and breathing. IMO the Clarkes are not bad whistles but the habits you're forced to reckon with on the Gens will make you a better whistler over time. These days I play Generations, Oaks and Feadogs more than Clarkes but I still keep a Clarke or two around, for nostalgia sake. I do prefer the sound of the Generations now though... and mine are all stock, not professionally tweaked.
Best of luck!

[PhilO]

Whistles will generally not help you play higher notes; practice, trial and error, leading to breath control will. OK, feeling a bit crusty today, but there is an awful lot of talk of late re which is a good beginner whistle, is it me or the whistle, etc. First, in ten years I've come across maybe two whistles that were unplayable (one was high end), and a handful at most that were difficult to tame in octave transitions when I was learning to play; at this point none of these whistles present any problems other than some are easier to play and others sometimes get in the way a bit.

Part of the joy of this entire experience has been gradually learning over the years including buying various whistles all over when traveling or on the internet, some as part of tutorial packs. These whistles cost, as I recall, from $6-10 apiece. It really doesn't pay to get into tuning as an issue at this point, as you're just learning and the tuning on most is not so dreadfully off so that they either can't be blown into tune or that they are totally unplayable or will not serve you as a beginner.

I personally love the Clarke original, own about 6 of them, have played about 15, and have never hit one that I didn't get along with, other than a sharp under edge where the tin is rolled together on one or two of them. I also own and have played many Waltons, Soodlums, Faedogs, Clares, Oaks, Susatos (a bit more expensive but affordable), Generations, Perris, Shaws, etc. I have some Sweetones, which were not available when I started.

All the above whistles comprised a great adventure and I love them all. The Sweetone, loved by some, hated by others, I find a bit toy like and overly pure for my tastes and the Shaw may present some early air requirement problems. Other than that, experiment, have fun, concentrate on the music.

Philo

[CranberryDog]

You might try tweaking your Generation. I just followed the directions: http://www.chiffandfipple.com/tweak.html and all is well. In fact, the second octave is a dream; the easiest second octave of all my whistles which include some very nice high end whistles.

The Generation I tweaked is a Bb. The three tweaks I did that made the most difference were: 1) I polished the blade with 600 grit sandpaper; very gently and finished the polishing with the BACK of the sandpaper strip; and 2) I beveled the throat of the windway; I used a small jewlers file to scrape an approximate 35 degree bevel where the windway stops and the window begins, and 3) I filled the cavity below the windway with that poster sticky stuff.

Volume increased by about 30%, the bell note is now rock solid; first and second octaves are balanced and as noted the entire second octave is a dream. Good luck.

[squidgirl]

I'd say that having trouble getting a non-squeaky high A or B is pretty normal if you've only been playing for a few days. The trick is learning to blow hard enough to make a clean shift into the 2nd octave, but not any harder than you have to to get there.

I had a lot of trouble with the 2nd octave for the first month or so that I played -- it was so shrill that I'd hold back, and that would make the notes crack and kinda screetch. What helped me was using a blob of sticky-tack to make the whistle a little quieter, so I wasn't afraid to fully blow it up into the top of the upper octave. Put the blob of sticky tack either horizontally across the ramp below the window, or else vertically across one side of the window, so the opening is only half as wide.

As for the question of whether there might be any plastic residue messing things up, why not just pull off the head and check? Tho' in my experience, having plastic residue makes the whistle flaky or screetchy at various weird spots all through it's range, rather than just up at the top where the notes are tricky to blow. But there's no harm in pulling off the head and cleaning it out up there, just in case. And while you're there, you can fill in the cavity under the windway with more sticky-tack -- I think someone already posted the link to the tweaking page where it says how and why one does this.

And on the Clarke original vs. sweetone question, I have both. The sweetone is a great beginners whistle, but I started with the original, and ended up having to do a lot of tweaking to make it play the 2nd octave without sucking all the air out of my body. The sweetone is not quite as breathy/flutey as the original, but definitely much more so than other inexpensive whistles. If I were forced to give advice, I'd say to go for the sweetone to start with, and just plan to get yourself the original as a prize for... practicing every day for a month, learning to master that 2nd octave, whatever milepost you choose to reward yourself for.

[hydromel89]

I will second Philo on the subject.

Also I am still a beginner with my 9 months practise, I originally started with a Generation D, which I tought was awful (too breathy, too much shrillness, squeaks, etc.).
So I hunted for "beginner" whistles, whatever that may mean. I got a Dixon polymer and a Dixon Trad which are easy blowers indeed and kept practising with them.
I recently went back to the Generation and found it not as bad, by far, as I first thought. Now I only find there is shrillness in the very high notes.

I think you could use your Generation as a reference point for your improvements. If you don't want to commit to it, you should still play it on a regular basis and find out that you did improve your breath control, fnger placement and so on.
Plus, I believe there is an important "used to it" factor when playing, or lern to play a whistle. So if you keep at it, you WILL improve anyway.

If you want to commit to your Generation, you can still record yourself on a regular basis too and listen to how it sounds.

Welcome on the road.

[mordred]

I want to thank everybody for the answers, I'll heed to your suggestions. Where can i find that poster sticky thing you mention? I think I'll get a sweetone and a clarke original (I'll play the original when I get proficient enough ) and move from sweetone to generation to the original.
Right now I'm learning to play the silver spear reel, but i find some difficulties in playing the roll on the A, my left ring finger is quite lazy

Just wanted to express my gratitude again, you're a pretty friendly bunch!

[Jason Paul]

You can find the poster putty at Wal-Mart or someplace like that. In Wal-Mart, it's probably going to be in the school section around the crayons and glue. That's where I found it, and it was about $1.00.

Jason

[paulsdad]

You've asked a dangerous question! It's like asking what the best beer is. It depends on whom you ask.

I have mostly Clarke whistles. I like the Sweetone best, but occasionally play my Clarke original. I find that the wooden plug begins to swell after I've been playing awhile, and then it's hard to get much sound out of it. I have a Clarke Meg and a couple of Clarke Woodstocks that I picked up at a farm supply store. I don't like these cheaper models as much.

I also have a Susato that I play when I need more volume, but IMHO, it sounds more shrill on higher notes. I also think the Susato sounds more like a recorder.

Paulsdad

[talasiga]

i am learning the whistle (since 4 days) and i got a generation D. I find it difficult to keep the whistle from squeaking in the higher octave, especially on the A or B. I guess it's me who don't blow enough for fear of breaking my neighbors' windows, but could it be that there's some plastic residue in the mouthpiece? Other than that, i like the way it sounds.

Vivian told me to remind you that you are, just as you said, a mere beginner.

Vivian says just keep playing the whistle 40 times 40 days before you consider seeking the Holy Grail.

Vivian suggests you also practise high notes with full force away from your neighbours somewhere. She mentioned a lake ......

[mordred]

who's Vivian?

[Denny]

http://onlineethics.org/reseth/appe/vol ... ic-c3.html

careful what you ask

[mordred]

http://onlineethics.org/reseth/appe/vol ... ic-c3.html

careful what you ask

does that mean i should just back away and listen a lot before thinking of trying to ask anything?
If so, I wanted to say that i am the humblest of wannabe whistlers, and that i understand that my efforts will push me near the Holy Grail with only a lot of practice and time. I'll just be quiet now

PS.
I'm going towards dosmary lake, maybe if i play there an hand will emerge from the water.

[Cynth]

I agree with those who think that four days is too short a time to make any judgment about your whistle if you are able to get some decent tones out of it. Those very high notes are hard to get. I didn't even try those for quite a while. Just focus on practicing steadily and don't get sidetracked. See how you feel in 40 times 40 days, like Vivian says. Gee, that's over four years. Hmmm, I'd say if you aren't getting the high notes pretty well in a few months of steady practice you might start wondering. But I'm no expert.

And no, whatever Denny's joke meant, it didn't mean you should back away. He is very subtle with his jokes .