Becoming One With Your Whistle

PhilO · Post by **PhilO** » Thu Jan 09, 2003 11:52 am

Isn't it odd how with many highend whistles, we seem to vary our opinions of the respective whistles as time goes by? I know we've talked about this before, when someone had said something akin to "My Abell really got better after about 3 months; guess I had to break it in." And someone else replied that it wasn't the whistle, rather that the player had become more and more used to playing it, in effect, making the whistle more of an extension of one's inner voice.

I bring this up now, because we just had a thread about recent Copelands v. older unnumbered Copelands, wherein I made comments about the new Copeland B, amomg others, that I recently obtained from Jim and Michael. I've been suffering with bronchitis of late (it's a tossup as to what's more debilitating, the bronchitis or the combined medications)and until last night hadn't really spent "time alone" for an extended period with the Bflat. Lo and behold, a miracle, the whistle is actually getting better! And I'm a person who never believed that you need to break in shoes - if they're not comfortable in the store, they ain't coming home with me.

Generally, the second I open a new whistle package, I do the perfunctory examinations as to condition, fit and finish, and then run up and down scales at both ends, upper and lower transitions in each note, sustaining notes, responsiveness on reels, bending notes in airs, etc. But it's not until I really get a chance to air it out for a night that I get a true sense of how I feel about it, how it suits me, and how I'd review it, e.g.

Anyway, the Bflat is definitely coming alive! I think we, together, are passing from very good at first glance to something much better.

Stay tuned...

Regards,

Philo

paulsdad · Post by **paulsdad** » Thu Jan 09, 2003 1:13 pm

I'll bet it has something to do with the inside of the whistle becoming "seasoned" with spit (or "condensation"), or of the edge of the blade becoming slightly blunted by airflow, or some other change that occurs over time with the whistle.

Even my well-worn sweetone, (REALLY well worn) didn't sound as pleasing when it was brand new. It may be a situation where the whistle changes, AND the whistler learns how to play the particular instrument.

happy toons,

Paulsdad

brewerpaul · Post by **brewerpaul** » Fri Jan 10, 2003 6:20 am

I personally think that it has a lot more to do with the player getting in tune with the little idiosyncrasies of the instrument. Every whistle is different, and every note on a given whistle is different. YOu have to attack each note a bit differently. In time, this becomes second nature, but at first it's not.
Some days, even my favorite whistles don't seem to perform well, on other days, my humblest cheapies just sing. The next day....

Loren · Post by **Loren** » Fri Jan 10, 2003 8:25 am

I'm with Paul on this one: With the possible exception of wooden whistles, I believe it's the player who adjusts to the whistle. It's not a good idea to judge a whistle based on a couple of hours of playing, I think a good 6-10 hours on a whistle, over the span of a week or two, max, is the minimum one should put in on a whistle before forming a solid opinion. If you only play the whistle an hour or two a week......well, you may never really get the measure of the instrument that way.

Loren

colomon · Post by **colomon** » Fri Jan 10, 2003 8:52 am

Another example: My Water Weasel A is one of my favorite whistles; I've had it for years now. But I hadn't played it much for a while there, and when I did start playing it recently (so I could play "Bea Maye's Reel" properly in D) I was disappointed with the way it played.

Well, I practiced on the A for an hour or two yesterday, and now it's every bit as great as I remembered it again.

PhilO · Post by **PhilO** » Fri Jan 10, 2003 8:59 am

Colomon - That WW A is really one of the best whistle values available, isn't it?
Coincidentally, I picked mine up last night after a bit of a layoff.

Regards,

Philo

colomon · Post by **colomon** » Fri Jan 10, 2003 9:39 am

I'd say one of the best whistles available period, without counting in its nice price.

I was shocked at how much difference a bit of practice made in the sound. Now I'm starting to think I should get out my WW E and C and see if a bit of practice on them suddenly "makes them" turn into great whistles...

Martin Milner · Post by **Martin Milner** » Fri Jan 10, 2003 10:46 am

I think you do get used to a whistle, and there's a bit of "playing in" involved, but sometimes whiistles appear to get better without even being played - just shut in a drawer or sitting with the other whistles in a collection.

When that happens, I think the more senior whistles have a word with the new upstart, and tell it what's what. By the next time you handle it, it's realised that there's nothing nicer for a whistle than to be played, so it does it's best to become your current favourite.

Cees · Post by **Cees** » Fri Jan 10, 2003 11:51 am

On 2003-01-10 11:46, Martin Milner wrote:
I think the more senior whistles have a word with the new upstart, and tell it what's what. By the next time you handle it, it's realised that there's nothing nicer for a whistle than to be played, so it does it's best to become your current favourite.

Is that what happened to my previously-hideous Walton's brass C? I can finally sleep peacefully at night...mystery solved!

_________________
MCM Transatlantic Whistle Detective Agency - no case too small.
Branches in London and Salt Lake City

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Cees on 2003-01-10 12:51 ]</font>

chas · Post by **chas** » Fri Jan 10, 2003 12:10 pm

On 2003-01-10 10:39, colomon wrote:
I'd say one of the best whistles available period, without counting in its nice price.

I was shocked at how much difference a bit of practice made in the sound. Now I'm starting to think I should get out my WW E and C and see if a bit of practice on them suddenly "makes them" turn into great whistles...

I agree on the WW A, and I would also include the WW E. I own the entire line of Water Weasels and for a long time planned to get most of Glenn's wooden whistles. The D and C Thin Weasels are two of the most remarkable whistles on the face of the earth, and the C, especially, is just WAY better than its plastic cousin. The Bb TW, though, doesn't strike me as any better than the PVC one (it's absolute eye candy, though, one of the loveliest whistles I've ever seen). Admittedly, I haven't spent as much time on the woody Bb. It's just not a key I spend much time playing; I pretty much just use it to play along with Yusef Lateef and occasionally Miles Davis.

So, does anyone have Glenn's E whistle in both wood and PVC? How do they compare?

Blackbeer · Post by **Blackbeer** » Fri Jan 10, 2003 12:14 pm

When I look at my old tobbacco can whistle garden I am just amazed. When I first started it there was an unplayable oak and a rusty gen. Now it is a true garden of delight. I play 3 or 4 different whistles a day (I know its bad form but I can`t help it) Although my new old water weasle (thanks Doc what a great whistle) and my O`Briain improved are what I play most right now. The O`Briain was very hard to play at first, very easy to overblow. Now I can`t believe the notes it can hit in the upper octives.
When I was working with Draft horses I had 27 big horses to deal with. When I was taking kids on the ture they would always ask me why I talked so differently to each horse. I had a hard time explaining to them that each had a very different personallity.
It is the same with whistles. They all seem to sing in there own way. As I get to know them better there voices become clearer to me. Each different with a different challenge in the way they are treated. Truely one of the best infatuations I have ever been involved in.

Tom

susnfx · Post by **susnfx** » Fri Jan 10, 2003 12:57 pm

Tom, I love reading your posts - you certainly have a way with words.
Susan

Blackbeer · Post by **Blackbeer** » Fri Jan 10, 2003 1:15 pm

It`s all in the spelling Sue. (of course it helps to only have a horse and a dog to talk to all day)

Tom

PS Thanks Sue. What a nice thing to say.

chattiekathy · Post by **chattiekathy** » Fri Jan 10, 2003 1:23 pm

On 2003-01-10 13:14, Blackbeer wrote:

When I was working with Draft horses I had 27 big horses to deal with. When I was taking kids on the ture they would always ask me why I talked so differently to each horse. I had a hard time explaining to them that each had a very different personallity.
It is the same with whistles. They all seem to sing in there own way. As I get to know them better there voices become clearer to me. Tom

We have our own "Whistle Whisperer"!
I believe this same thing. I speak differently to each of our cows too.
I have been enjoying your posts too Tom.
Kathy

blackhawk · Post by **blackhawk** » Fri Jan 10, 2003 1:48 pm

On 2003-01-10 14:23, chattiekathy wrote:
On 2003-01-10 13:14, Blackbeer wrote:

When I was working with Draft horses I had 27 big horses to deal with. When I was taking kids on the ture they would always ask me why I talked so differently to each horse. I had a hard time explaining to them that each had a very different personallity.
It is the same with whistles. They all seem to sing in there own way. As I get to know them better there voices become clearer to me. Tom
We have our own "Whistle Whisperer"!

Or Horse Whistler.