Whistle Noob having a problem. Advice please??

[gman1033]

I'm brand new to whistle playing. I just bought a Clarke Original. Makes sense to me, and while I obviously need a lot of practice to get proficient, the fingering for the major notes is pretty intuitive, and I feel good about my future with the whistle. With that said...I am having a problem.
things will be going great, and then it seems like the whistle just "siezes up" on me. It will be all squeaks, and not able to get the note that I am looking for.
I realize that at this stage it is most likely user error...but I cant figure out what I am doing wrong. As far as I can tell, everything is the same as when it was working fine. I check to be sure that the holes are properly covered, and it doesnt help. If I wait a minute and try again, everything is fine.
Does anyone have any ideas on what I might be doing wrong?

[hoopy mike]

Welcome!

Sounds like the whistle is clogging - moisture build up. Try placing a finger over the windway hole and blow the moisture out. Alternatively try a quick suck through the whistle.

The Clarke Original has a wooden fipple, which takes a while to settle in, so the best thing to do is to keep playing it little and often.

[ahogrelius]

Hi and welcome to the crazy world of whistles!!

Check for condensation is what I would suggest!

The Clarke whistles aren't that sensitive to condensation but I know that my Clarke whistle will start squeaking when drops of condensation forms on the labium or lip which is the (usually) wedged side of the window opposite of the windway.



(Guido, I hope it was okay to use one of your pictures to illustrate this)

Cheers,
Anders

[gman1033]

Thanks! I'll keep a eye for that.

From what I've read, I didnt pick the easiest whistle to learn on (I've read that the wooden fipple requires a bit more finesse than the plastic).....but it's so well thought of, and also affordable, that I figured I may as well go for it and Have a good quality "keeper" right out of the gate.

If it becomes so frustrating that it is hindering my desire to practice then I may switch to a Sweettone or a Meg until I get more proficient ( I hear that they are easier to play.) But for now, I'm gonna try to muscle through learning on the Original.

[ahogrelius]

Regarding wooden fipples I'm not so sure about that. I would say that the Clarke is one of the most forgiving whistles there are and that it is a very good whistle to start with!

Cheers,
Anders

[MoonMind]

What hoopy mike and ahogrelius have said makes a lot of sense, but there might be something else you want to watch: Don't blow too hard - air control is very helpful; not only will you have a nicer sound over all, but you'll get the lower register to sound reasonably good (instead of thin, brittle or hoarse). I don't know if you've played other wind instruments, but apart from the recorder, there's no other instrument that needs such a delicate approach at the beginning (I'm a reed player originally, I worked with too much air at first, too). I started with a Clarke Original, too - I can't say it was a bad choice at all because I had to really get around to doing the right thing. A Sweetone may be easier to handle, though (I carry one of those along now instead of the Original - mostly for the fact that I need less concentration and dedication to make it sound passable whenever I choose to use it).

A little additional hint: From my point of view (again, as a reed player), it's not so much applying less pressure but sort of "slowing down" the air flow - that's the image I work by. As a nice side effect, clogging will be a lot less likely that way.

After you've got used to it, it's really easy - until you set out to learn to make it sound in a special way and get tuning down properly, but you've got all the time you need for that; if you're onto that, it's already all about music

M.

[West]

My first whistle was also a Clarke original and I agree with you that it's a nice little instrument (even though I've slowly come to prefer cylindrical whistles). I think it's a great starter's whistle simply because it has high air requirements and virtually no backpressure, which means that once you get used to it and learn to handle it, moving on to other whistles will be a lot easier. I still pick up my Clarke from time to time but it doesn't handle too well in the high register so I tend to favor other whistles these days. I don't know if that is a universal problem with Originals or if it's just mine. But I'm still very fond of it's airy, flutey sound. So I wouldn't worry about it being a bad whistle to start with.

And yeah, the condensation (I call it drool ) problem that ahogrelius describes is probably what you're experiencing. It's most likely related to the air requirements; the more air that needs to go into the whistle, the more moisture builds up. Just blow it out or "whip" the whistle clean and you're good to go.

[pipersgrip]

Yeah, like everybody else said, it just sounds like clogging. Clarke original was my first whistle as will, and it is a good one to start with. It works up your breathing better than any other whistle I have played, even a Copeland . Keep up with it, you will do fine.

[gman1033]

Thanks to everyone! I'll keep going!
It felt unanntaurally natural when I started playing it, so I feel like it will be a good fit once I get it down.
Glad to see that I'm in good company with my choice of whistle.

[Jerry Freeman]

Clogging, perhaps. Or maybe you just don't have all the toneholes completely sealed with your fingertips.

Best wishes,
Jerry

[Nick E]

I would be interested to know how long you are playing before encountering problems. If it is "Clogging" that is the result of moisture (Spit, Drool, Saliva, not humidity) If if takes several minutes before you have the prob try just shaking it out, hold the bottom of the whistle and swing the whistle away from you a few times basically flinging the slobber out of the mouth piece. If after that the problem is diminished or goes away alltogether then it is most prob a fluid issue! If it is a fluid issue try to put a little less mouth on the whistle and blow through pursed lips.

If not, it may well be that you need to work on breath controll.
If you are blowing hard enough to get one of the higher notes in the octave, then change fingering to a lower note, but still blow at the same strength of the upper note (somtimes I like to think of it as the speed of the air passing through the whistle not so much as how strong you blow, a conceptual difference if not a real difference) it will sound like poo or make almost no sound at all. Blow Harder/Faster For Higher Notes, Slower/Softer for lower notes. The opposite is also true, if you blow as softly as you would to get a low note, and dont change that when you finger a higher note It won't work well either.

Also I would add I started with a Clarke Original myself, and I would echo the sentiment that it may well be the best starter whistle. Not only is it forgiving, it is quiet! Fully functional, but quiet... Anyone nearby would rather hear a quiet whistle played poorly than a loud one! The Clarke Sweetone is cheaper but in my opininion does not sound nearly as good and is also harder to play.
Edit: So in reviewing after I posted this I agree very much with Moon except on the Sweetone vs Original question and that is a matter of personal preference. (But go w/me on this one! )