Grow out of your whistle, or Grow into it?

[john17]

As I get more and more into this great tradition of Irish whistles (I've been at it now for a little over a month), I found myself wondering the following:

Do you find it to be more of an incentive to your progression by growing out of a lesser whistle, or into a better one?

What I mean is, as a beginner I've only invested in two low-priced whistles, and made a couple of my own. However, I can't tell you how much I'm starting to drool over some of the higher end instruments. Especially the handcrafted wood ones.

My problem is this...as a beginner, I don't know if I feel justified explaining to my wife the "necessity" of a prettier whistle, when the sound I produce isn't as pretty as the whistle itself.

So my question is when any of you were starting out, did you find you worked harder to deserve an upgrade to your lower end whistles, or did you buy a higher end whistle and find that motivated you to want to play better?

Just curious.

Oh, and as a side bar, here's a picture of the latest C whistle I made:




Cheers!

John

[swizzlestick]

Wow, John. I don't think whistles get much prettier than that!

[Aanvil]

Is that wood or painted PVC?

[john17]

Swizzlestick: Thanks for the kind words.

AAnvil: Shhhh...you'll spoil my secret. lol Actually, I'm trying to improve on my woodgrain painting technique. Still alot to learn to make them look realistic. I desperately want to make one out of real wood, but unfortunately don't have the proper tools for boring out a dowel.

[brewerpaul]

Nice work! Are you sure you need something "better"? How does it sound?

[john17]

Paul: This is just a Low-Tech whistle out of PVC. I just paint them to look a little nicer than plain plastic pipe. The sound is actually nice considering the material, but I really would like to get my hands on a professionally made, handcrafted whistle both for sound and for the enjoyment of the craftsmanship.

Cheers!

John

[Steamwalker]

That's a beautiful whistle, John. And, to answer your question, I find myself looking for whistle-works-of-art faster than I can build my skill. I don't think I am growing out of the whistles I currently own, but am looking into growing into the next whistle. Like you, I prefer the handcrafted wooden whistles. Low end whistles are usually more than adequate for folks regardless of skill so I am not sure if one can really grow out of one, although people's tastes change. I suppose I am just looking for that perfect whistle, perfect in appearance as well as perfect per my personal preference in tonal qualities. I may never find it but the pleasure is in the search.

[Tucson Whistler]

I think a cheap whistle (feadógs, Waltons, Generations, ect) is probably all that anyone needs. I mean I've heard some great music an an $8 Generation. But, what we want is another story. I started buying more expensive ($50-$150) whistles almost immediately. If you think you're going to play for while, then I say go for it. Buy what you can and enjoy it. You won't regret it!!! The whistle you made does look really good.

[pastorkeith]

Interesting question.
For high D's I have grown into a Burke by way of several others.
The differences begin to be small with each whistle - but I am convinced that those differences, at least for me after a year and a half, make my playing more enjoyable. Makes it more fun.

Is it that I need another whistle- gotta have another whistle - sure would be nice to have another whistle? I don't know. Maybe I'm just crappy enough that I like the ease with which the Burke plays in the upper octave. (And I do). Maybe I like the tone (my mellow dog has a similar one).

Some time in the future I can see moving up in my low whistle to a Burke Low Viper D. We'll see. I won't have worn out what I have - I'll be just curious enough to hear it, feel it, play it.
pastorkeith

[crookedtune]

Very pretty, indeed!

To try to answer your question, it's very clear that all of this is very subjective. My own personal experience, after lots of buying, selling and trading, is that the cheap whistles offer the best "bang for the buck", but some of the more expensive whistles are, indeed, better.

I have settled in on a couple of Burkes as my favorite whistles, and have a particularly good Hoover PVC nontunable D that I play a lot. I also like my Black Diamond and Mellow Dog a lot. The rest rarely get played, and I've sold off a few. Good music can be made on any them, mind you. But my personal preferences usually lead me to the Burkes.

My advice would be to buy and sell a few while you continue to hone your craft. You may decide your stuff beats all!

[swizzlestick]

Swizzlestick: Thanks for the kind words.

You are most welcome. And I did think it was CPVC or the equivalent. Although it looks so good that I though it just might be wood with a heavy lacquer finish.

Mack Hoover has done some experimenting along the same lines, but I think he now does more with real wood.

Anyway, that's great looking work. Hope it sounds equally good. I don't like to call these "low tech" whistles. This is modern, high quality, very high tech pipe that happens to come in diameters and thicknesses well suited for whistles. I own excellent examples made by Mack Hoover and Guido Gonzato himself.

[KatieBell]

I'll offer a fellow beginner's perspective.

When I was looking for a beginner whistle, I wanted something that would be consistent and melodic. That way, I'll know when it sounds bad that it is my fault and something I can change. So I went for the upper-end of the low cost. I know that with practice I can make beautiful music with it.

As I grow in my knowledge and ability, I'll have a better ear for what I want, like, and need. I'll be better able to distinguish between whistles and to identify which suits my needs. When I reach that point, I'll save and invest in a whistle which will most likely be better than my ability and something to continuously grow into. I am not the type predispositioned to whoa, so I'll want something that will last me a good long time when I spend that much on something.

[john17]

Katie:

Although this is a subjective topic, your response rang home with me. I like your outlook on it, and think it is one that would work well for me.

I'm definitely too much of a beginner to be in tune with all the nuances of each available whistle. I certainly have my asthetic favorites, but the sound is the area that is most elusive to me at this stage.

I would be lying if I said there was one sound out there that I definitely knew I was after. I've listened to a good number of mp3 of various whistles and I can honestly say I find the majority of them to be pleasing.

I'll stick with my homemades, and my Walton D & Tweaked Sweetone for awhile and see where the journey takes me.

Cheers!

John

[cadancer]

Do you find it to be more of an incentive to your progression by growing out of a lesser whistle, or into a better one?

In my opinion, once you have committed to really playing a whistle. Get the "best" one you can afford.

What that "best" one would be is quite subjective.

Mine was a Reyburn at $110.00.

I'll never go back.

...john

[Aanvil]

Do you find it to be more of an incentive to your progression by growing out of a lesser whistle, or into a better one?

In my opinion, once you have committed to really playing a whistle. Get the "best" one you can afford.

What that "best" one would be is quite subjective.

Mine was a Reyburn at $110.00.

I'll never go back.

...john

Il ne faut jamais dire...Fontaine, je ne boirai pas de ton eau !

I dunno my friend... it always sounds better in French.