New here from the flat land of potsmokers

Basch · Post by **Basch** » Sat Mar 24, 2007 8:44 am

Hy, my name is Bas and I'm a whistle addict.

Thank god that's ou t of the way.

I've started playing tinwhistle a few weeks back. After an almost instant breack of 3 weeks due to some work related sh*t (doubledouble shifts and so on) I'm finally getting to some serious practicing now.
I own a Walton D (now confiscated bij my 2y/o son and has the mouthpiece chewed) a Generation D(wich is way off) and a generation Bb (can't even begin to play the Bb for now but it was cheap so I had to have it) and a clarke C.

So far this is what I can play
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuUiieW5kQs
(and I know I lift up my fingers a bit high)

Since both D's are pretty much out of tune I really want a whistle that's a bit better. Because whatever I play I get annoyed by the outoftuneness.
The C is pretty good but just doesn't sound right for most tunes. Wich is obvious since most are in D.

What would be a good choice for a affordable D
Susato D, Dublin Model
Clarke D
Shaw D
Tony Dixon High D

All are abouit the same price here and all are below 25€ (wich is the budget my wife forces me to keep to)

Also does annybody have good tips on playing the Bb. Since I can't really get the fingering good and airtight. And basicly I can't find fingering charts for it.

Bill Hennessy · Post by **Bill Hennessy** » Sat Mar 24, 2007 10:17 am

Hi, Bas. I'm pretty new to whistling myself and I can relate to your experience of out of tune whistles. I bought a very cheap Little Black Whistle which just doesn't sound right to me at all. I recently bought a Dixon trad D which is tuneable and sounds great. They're not too expensive as you know, so worth the money IMO. Another one I like is the Clarke Sweetone D. I also have a Walton Mellow D, but it is really sharp. I'm told Freeman tweaked whistles remedy this very well. They're more expensive, but might not be out of range. I had no idea when I started the obsession that there are so many to choose from!

Good luck!

mutepointe · Post by **mutepointe** » Sat Mar 24, 2007 11:25 am

hey. how many toys can your son place on your lap before you finally have to give in? my first decent whistle was a susato vsb tunable. so far it's my favorite. i don't play itm. you sounded good. watch those fingers though, you're either going to poke someone's eye out or you're going to get them caught in a ceiling fan. folks make fun of my fingering. my pinkie looks like i'm ready and waiting for a fancy cup of tea.

BillChin · Post by **BillChin** » Sat Mar 24, 2007 11:36 am

Susatos tend to be spot on in terms of tuning. They are not the best beginner whistles.

A Freeman tweaked Clarke might be a good way to go, though postage to Europe is a bit of change. I started on a Clarke original C, and still like it very much. The Sweetone is more forgiving for beginners than the original design.

claudine · Post by **claudine** » Sat Mar 24, 2007 12:20 pm

hello Bas,
greetings from Luxembourg

I won't talk about whistle makers, as I play only flute.
If you want to play a Bb whistle, just use the same fingering that you use on the D whistle, pretending that the Bb is a D. See what I mean? Do like trumpet players do: the basic note is always called a C (DO), no matter if the trumpet is in Bb, C or Eb. That's the most efficient way to play instruments in various keys. Otherwise the fingering will never become automatic, like a reflex.
- claudine -

AlonE · Post by **AlonE** » Sat Mar 24, 2007 1:19 pm

emmm… reason why I have heard, your Clarke has a particularly breathy sound, so serious good that you proved something but acute or sweet, I believe that susato serious the best option, but is better to choose Susato kildare.

dfernandez77 · Post by **dfernandez77** » Sat Mar 24, 2007 2:13 pm

Though I've never played a Dixon, it's probably a good choice. I'm guessing you're talking about the Trad. From what I've heard, it should be in tune and it should play and sound like a whistle.

Susato as mentioned should be in tune. But many people, including me, don't care for the voice. But that's your call.

Is there any reason you restricted the choice to those listed?

Unseen122 · Post by **Unseen122** » Sat Mar 24, 2007 3:04 pm

I was very pleased with the Dixon Trad when I tried it. A very good deal IMO.

Good to see another one from the "flat land," but that isn't generally discussed on this forum.

Basch · Post by **Basch** » Sat Mar 24, 2007 3:23 pm

I'm restricted to those beause that's basicly the onely ones that are for sale here apart from high end whistles like Overton.

ANd I've tried a "normal" tunable susato last week and I also thought the sound was somewhat "weird" is the Dublin model different in sound?

Lambchop · Post by **Lambchop** » Sat Mar 24, 2007 5:08 pm

Basch wrote:outoftuneness.

They're supposed to sound that way . . . it's part of their charm.

Also does annybody have good tips on playing the Bb. Since I can't really get the fingering good and airtight.

Piper grip and hand lotion, perhaps?

MTGuru · Post by **MTGuru** » Sat Mar 24, 2007 6:16 pm

Basch wrote:Since both D's are pretty much out of tune I really want a whistle that's a bit better. Because whatever I play I get annoyed by the outoftuneness.

Bas, Generation whistles may have some problems, but the tuning is usually not one of them. Most Generations I've played have been well in tune with themselves. As with all whistles, you have to use your breath to control the tuning of each note. That requires skill and practice.

If your Generation is out of tune to concert pitch, you can make it tunable by removing the mouthpiece and adjusting the position. This is easy to do with a very common tweak:

http://www.chiffandfipple.com/tunable.html
http://www.chiffandfipple.com/tweak.html
http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php?p=633318

So maybe you shouldn't quit your Generation until you have tried this. It can be a very nice whistle.

The other whistles are all OK, and all different. The Susato standard bore D (S series) is not a good beginner's whistle, because it is tricky to play. But the Susato very small bore D (V Series) is a good choice (20 Euros at Big Whistle.co.uk). The Kildare and Dublin models sound basically the same. Also consider the Feadog D, a great traditional whistle, and cheap (6 Euros at BigWhistle).

But at your level, don't expect a different whistle to automatically solve everything! You need time to practice and develop your technique. Then every whistle can sound good, and you can decide which one you prefer.

Good luck!

AlonE · Post by **AlonE** » Sat Mar 24, 2007 6:28 pm

But at your level, don't expect a different whistle to automatically solve everything! You need time to practice and develop your technique. Then every whistle can sound good, and you can decide which one you prefer.

Good luck!

exactly!!

Lambchop · Post by **Lambchop** » Sat Mar 24, 2007 8:03 pm

AlonE wrote:
exactly!!

Your translator is doing an excellent job!

AlonE · Post by **AlonE** » Sat Mar 24, 2007 8:08 pm

jajajajaja tnx!!

cavefish · Post by **cavefish** » Sat Mar 24, 2007 8:49 pm

susato D and Clarke D-are great for you right now---clarke's are good if you live in an apartment , they are vary mellow-susato's are loud -both are usually in tune to about 1 to 2 to 3-cents off-depending on how you blow at 440--usually on the sharp side --------------but sound great--------------if you really want to learn good and fast get the clarke whistle book by bill Ocks-also

http://www.whistletutor.com/

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