Why I prefer cheap whistles

Jeferson · Post by **Jeferson** » Wed Oct 30, 2002 4:31 pm

Again, I suppose it depends on your personal preference
T

Not that there's anything wrong with that...

Jef

TonyHiggins · Post by **TonyHiggins** » Wed Oct 30, 2002 4:37 pm

I've found the best results are when I play with my mouth, preferences aside. (Better air control.)
Tony

bassnwhistle · Post by **bassnwhistle** » Wed Oct 30, 2002 4:37 pm

IMHO (worth all of 2 new pence), cheapies make the best high whistles but spend the money on low ones.
Ian

blackhawk · Post by **blackhawk** » Wed Oct 30, 2002 4:42 pm

On 2002-10-30 16:59, Teri-K wrote:
It seems every couple of months this topic re-emerges with the same outcome: there is no resolution. The issue being compared time and again is not whistles, but preferences. And THAT will never be settled, made generic, or in agreement across the board for every single player.

Absolutely. And I doubt anyone here is naive enough to think we're going to change anyone's mind. The fun of all this is that we're able to have a discussion with other folks who also love playing Irish music on whistles. I don't care who loves what, I just enjoy the discussion. We're all sitting around the cyber pickel barrel having a talk with our cyber friends. There's no winner or loser in these debates, just folks having fun, talking about what they love.

The Weekenders · Post by **The Weekenders** » Wed Oct 30, 2002 5:38 pm

And just to be sure: I didn't use the word best or imply same. Just the .02 worth for yer daily Weekender.

Sounds like B.S. to argue that this is a cyclical pointless discussion, but way back in Jan-Feb, I read everything I could find by Forum folk about Burkes/etc and narrowed my choices down to Burke or Sindt. I found what worked for me in this way.

So even if its repetitious, some may be listening and learning.....

Bloomfield · Post by **Bloomfield** » Wed Oct 30, 2002 6:09 pm

On 2002-10-30 18:38, The Weekenders wrote:

...Just the .02 worth for yer daily Weekender.

Quite a good day, too, for a "lurker".

Jim_B1 · Post by **Jim_B1** » Wed Oct 30, 2002 6:26 pm

On 2002-10-30 17:18, Redwolf wrote:
One thing I feel I have to mention...someone in this thread said that "whistles started out as 'cheapies'." That's not entirely true. While Mr. Clarke may have kicked off something of a whistle revival with rolled-tin half-penny whistles, whistles have been around as instruments for a very, very long time (bone whistles have been found dating from the Iron Age, and we know from records that Irish Bards played the "feadan" as well as the harp). Before mass production became economically practical, ALL whistles were handmade, and some of them were undoubtedly very finely crafted instruments indeed.

Hi Redwolf,
I was specifically speaking of the tin whistle as we know it not any neolithic bone things

Woodwinds are some of the oldest instruments known so every culture in the world has ancient types so I wouldn't say that a neanderthal playing a bone flute would be playing Raglan Road

Take care,
-Jim

peeplj · Post by **peeplj** » Wed Oct 30, 2002 7:40 pm

"By 1800 English flageolet-makers were using an adaptation of recorder fingering, and, in a sense, the modern tinwhistle can be considered a simplified version of the recorder." --L.E. McCullough, "The Complete Irish Tinwhistle Tutor," page 8

Thus the modern whistle would trace back to the flageolet for its fipple and the recorder (and the traverso, as well) for its fingering system. This seems valid, as the recorder was a very popular instrument, and it would have been a boon to make an instrument that would appeal to both recorder players and flageolet players.

Best,

--James
http://www.flutesite.com

Bloomfield · Post by **Bloomfield** » Wed Oct 30, 2002 7:50 pm

On 2002-10-30 20:40, peeplj wrote:
...This seems valid, as the recorder was a very popular instrument, and it would have been a boon to make an instrument that would appeal to both recorder players and flageolet players.

"popular"? Popular in the sense of "played by the people" or in the sense of "widely used by perucked musicians on feudal payrolls, in splendid parties away from the smelly mob"?

peeplj · Post by **peeplj** » Wed Oct 30, 2002 8:02 pm

--quote--
"popular"? Popular in the sense of "played by the people" or in the sense of "widely used by perucked musicians on feudal payrolls, in splendid parties away from the smelly mob"?
--endquote--

Well, there is evidence for both--check out Sam Pepys' diary, for instance, in which he refers to recorders.

Remember, too, the smelly mob didn't have the money on the whole to buy many new instruments, so if you were a maker, those feudal payrolls probably looked pretty darned good to you back then.

Best,

--James
http://www.flutesite.com

Caoimhin · Post by **Caoimhin** » Thu Oct 31, 2002 2:00 am

Taking aside preferences, I think these facts apply for most (unless you're so rich you don't realize it):

1) Cheapies are good for tweaking because they have room for it
2) Non-cheapies are usually tweaked-to-the-max-or-so
3) You WOULDN'T want to destroy a Copeland, would you? Or, should we say, a Riordan which you waited, hmm, how long?

Wombat · Post by **Wombat** » Thu Oct 31, 2002 2:11 am

On 2002-10-31 03:00, Caoimhin wrote:
Taking aside preferences, I think these facts apply for most (unless you're so rich you don't realize it):

1) Cheapies are good for tweaking because they have room for it
2) Non-cheapies are usually tweaked-to-the-max-or-so
3) You WOULDN'T want to destroy a Copeland, would you? Or, should we say, a Riordan which you waited, hmm, how long?

Quite so. I think if I tried to tweak a Copeland, I'd turn it into a not very good Generation. Anyone who is capable of improving a high-end whistle through tweaking could have made their own from scratch. Well, I'm not a whistle maker but I'd be surprised if that weren't true.

jim_mc · Post by **jim_mc** » Sat Nov 02, 2002 10:29 pm

A year or so ago, I decided to get rid of all the whistles, fifes, flutes and piccolos I had that I didn't play regularly. The plan I had was to put any proceeds aside, and when I was done, have a superfife made for myself.

I didn't do it all at once. I picked a few whistles that hadn't seen action in years and sold them off, then a couple of months later sold some more, along with a flute and a fife. Over the summer, I sent out the last of the dust collectors. This was not my original intent, but I now find that I have no high end whistles left!

This is not to say that I don't think expensive whistles have their place. I think it says that I'm still searching for the perfect whistle, and the expensive ones I tried weren't that much closer than the cheap ones. I haven't tried an Overton yet, though, so I ordered one. You may see it for sale here in a year or so!

By the way, the superfife is going to be delivered in a month or so! It's being made by Hammy Hamilton.

peeplj · Post by **peeplj** » Sat Nov 02, 2002 10:57 pm

--quote--
A year or so ago, I decided to get rid of all the whistles, fifes, flutes and piccolos I had that I didn't play regularly. The plan I had was to put any proceeds aside, and when I was done, have a superfife made for myself.

I didn't do it all at once. I picked a few whistles that hadn't seen action in years and sold them off, then a couple of months later sold some more, along with a flute and a fife. Over the summer, I sent out the last of the dust collectors. This was not my original intent, but I now find that I have no high end whistles left!
--endquote

So what flutes and whistles are you left with? Inquiring minds wanna know...

Best,

--James
http://www.flutesite.com

jim_mc · Post by **jim_mc** » Sun Nov 03, 2002 9:29 pm

I have only 1 flute: an Olwell bamboo D. Since I'm only an occasional flute dabbler and never play flute outside the house that's all I need for now.

5 whistles: the Dixon B flat, which is my main solo/practice whistle, a 20 year old Soodlums D, which is my main D whistle, a Meg D, a Waltons C, a Thom Larson tweaked Clarke D and a 30 year old Clarke Original C. The Clarkes aren't getting much use, but I won't be selling them. The C was my first whistle, and was a gift from my since departed grandmother. It seems like only about 10% of the air I push through it goes toward making a musical sound. The D was a great whistle for about 3 years, but the sound from it seems to be deteriorating now. I've heard a few people say that the Clarke D has a limited life span. That seems to be the case with mine.

6 fifes: Two Wilson Woods John McDonagh Regimental models (a 6-hole and an 11-hole), a black plastic Cooperman, a persimmon Cooperman I had to take away from a student because it was such a lousy fife. I was going to sell that, but I got to worrying about my karma. I'm using it for a wall decoration now, next to an antique accordian I found in a pawn shop. Then I have 2 antique Cloos fifes - a two piece grenadilla dating back to the pre-Civil War era and a one piece Ebony made around 1920.