Tinwhistle Preferences

Subject: Tinwhistle Preferences
From: Tinwhistler
Date: 16 Aug 98 - 12:41 PM

Hello fellow whistlers,

I'm curious to hear your opinions on whistle brands. Which do you prefer?

I personally have 12 whistles, including Generations, Feadog, Walton, Shaw, Clarke and a wooden Sweet, but my unquestionable favorites are the $4.00 Clarke Sweetetones. Just the right mix of clear and breathy sounds.

I often take my Sweetones to the N. California coast and play. Amazingly, the whistle playing seems to attract seals. There are always one or two who come into the surfline to check me out while I play. No kidding! Are they annoyed or curious???

Thanks for your input! And if you ever see me whistling, playing guitar or bowing fiddle on the beach, come up and say "hi!"

Subject: RE: Tinwhistle Preferences
From: Dan Mulligan
Date: 16 Aug 98 - 06:11 PM

I agree 100%. (Although the least I have paid is $5.) The Sweetone is awesome....Better than any other whistle that I have played.Check out Dale Wisely's reviews @
The Tinwhistle Table

Subject: RE: Tinwhistle Preferences
From: The Tinwhistler's Mutha
Date: 16 Aug 98 - 06:24 PM

The Walton's "Mellow D" whistle is pretty cool.

Subject: RE: Tinwhistle Preferences
From: Bill D
Date: 16 Aug 98 - 07:55 PM

I know someone who has a BokWhistle...a mouthpiece with two interchangable bodies...part of a short-lived project by Gordon Bok...it seems that the material used was too dangerous to turn...made nasty dust in the air...it seems to be a pretty rare item...no idea how it played, but Gordon would not turn out junk...

Subject: RE: Tinwhistle Preferences
From: Barbara
Date: 16 Aug 98 - 10:43 PM

Bill, I gather some friend of Gordon's is still making them (out of electrical schedule 40 PVC pipe). It basically plays like a tinwhistle.
As I understand it Gordon dropped the bucks for one of those spendy gimmies that read the bore of a tube and tell you where to bore the holes, then quit after a short while.
I'd guess said friend ended up with the gimmie and the jobs. At any rate, when I asked about a year ago, he said if you wrote him at Timberhead he would either send the addy for the whistle maker, or forward your request, I forget which.
I've made six hole flutes out of PVC, and getting the holes in the right place and the right size is the whole trick.
I am following this discussion with much interest. I play Generation whistles, by and large, because they are closest to concert pitch (and tuneable) that I've found -- and when I play with a band it matters. Lots of whistles lack internal integrity (they ain't in tune with themselves), but a really good whistle player once tried to convince me that what happens to the C note in the G scale when you play it on a D whistle is the best part of pennywhistles.
Well, however you finger it, it sure stands out.
And, as the owner of a G chrome Generation, I disagree with Wisely's web page assessment. I have always found that the G is good for long distance outdoor playing. Inside it can remove paint, etch glass, cause fillings to fall from people's teeth and clear a room in under a minute.
I didn't like the Clark's lack of in-tuneness, or the soggy bit, but I haven't tried the sweetones. I'll give it a go.
Blessings,
Barbara

Subject: RE: Tinwhistle Preferences
From:
Date: 17 Aug 98 - 12:20 AM

Now you have my curiosity piqued! I have played with some (amateur) groups using my soprano and sopranino recorders as whistles. (By the way, Barbara, well made recorders are usually quite well in tune. The sopranino will loosen your fillings; but) I don't know if they have the power to remove them.)

Are they chromatic or diatonic? Do tin whistles come in pitches, or do the letters "G" and "C" that you refer to describe some other attribute.

If they are diatonic, what scale do they sound. From the phrase "six hole", I suppose they have an incomplete scale or use cross fingering to get the extra notes.

Murray

Subject: RE: Tinwhistle Preferences
From: Barbara
Date: 17 Aug 98 - 01:40 AM

Recorders are a whole different kettle of fish. Tin whistles, pennywhistles, flageolets (trust the English to come up with a name like that and then expect us to say it with a straight face) can be aluminum, tin, brass, chrome plated nickel, wood, plastic, and maybe other rarer metals, like the ones used for flutes.
They are diatonic, that is to say they basically play in one key, though some modified fingering will get you the occasional sharp or flat.
Compared to recorders, they are simpler. Cover all six holes (on the front, no back hole)and you have the tonic ordo. Lift your fingers, one at a time and you go up the scale. Six holes give you the six notes between do and do, which brings the total to eight. Want the second octave? Blow harder.
So you want a different key? Pick up a different whistle. The Generation comes in A, Bb, C, D, Eb, F and G.
Yes, a G whistle is kin to a sopranino, but the latter is much more genteel. Actually, I think the recorder has more overtones than the whistle, and that makes it less, uh, invasive. Whistles sound more like fifes, if you are familiar with them.
Try checking out the webpage in the link above for more complete information.
Blessings,
Barbara

Subject: RE: Tinwhistle Preferences
From: alison
Date: 17 Aug 98 - 02:39 AM

Hi,

I'm a Generation girl myself. Don't like Clarkes... sounds too breathy. Susatos (plastic) have a beautiful sound (can sound like a recorder) but I don't like the mouthpiece... it's too short and I tend to play out of the side of my mouth, a combination which just doesn't work with a short mouthpiece. I just don't trust it to give me an accurate top octave.

I love the sound of low whistles (you know piece of drainpipe with a mouthpiece on the end), unfortunately they are just physically too big for me to stretch.

Slainte

Alison

Subject: RE: Tinwhistle Preferences
From: Big Mick
Date: 17 Aug 98 - 10:35 AM

I have the basic cheap Soodlum's mello D, a Susato set that has a mouthpiece and three tubes (Bb, C, D), and a Shaw Low D. They all have really distinct characteristics, that I use depending on the song I am playing. For example, one of the songs I perform is called "The Walker of the Snow" and I got it off a Davey Spillane album. Spillane plays an eerie, moody interlude on the pipe. I use the Susato whistle, which has a sharp chiff, and play and finger it as you would a pipe. That is, I don't tongue the notes as much as I run them one into the other as a piper would do. I also use half-fingerings to get the wail of a pipe. Brendan Nolan has a ballad he wrote about Grosse Ile and the Irish emigrants in the coffin ships. On it, I use the Shaw low D.

The Shaw low D can be a miserable cur to play. If you are new to whistling, stay away from it until you get your fingering and breath control down. The holes are a long way apart and it takes a lot of air to play. On the Shaw, getting to the very highest notes is tough to do cleanly without a lot of practice.

I also would strongly recommend the webpage link that Dan gave towards the top of this thread. If you subscribe, Dale Wisely will also send you a weekly or so email which has invaluable reviews on the various new products. The homepage has a good primer on the various whistles.

Mick

Subject: RE: Tinwhistle Preferences
From: Jon W.
Date: 17 Aug 98 - 10:58 AM

I am, no doubt, the worst whistler of all who have responded but I enjoy it from time to time. I own two Generations, D & C. My wife owns a D Oak whistle, which I despise. Compared to the Generation, the second octave is more dificult to play and has annoying overtones.

Mostly I am writing to fill in a little info to Barbara's response to Murray. Each whistle can actually play in two keys, the one it's labeled and the one a fourth above that. For example, D and G. When playing a C in the key of D (C sharp) you play all holes open. When playing it (C natural) in the key of G there are a couple of fingerings (cross fingerings?) that gets you there. Other than that, you can half-hole to get chromatics, but it's difficult to do rapidly.

Jon W.

Subject: RE: Tinwhistle Preferences
From: Bill D
Date: 17 Aug 98 - 01:43 PM

Having come to traditional music with only the clarinet as background, the recorder was a natural transition, and much later, the whistle...though I never got good on either. I have bags full of fipple flutes of various sorts....recorders from sopranino to bass,many whistles including all the Generation sizes...an Oak, a couple of Clarkes, a 'Melody flute' which is essentially a whistle with a welded mouthpiece played 'sideways' like a flute,...various ceramic ocarinas and whistles, and a couple of wooden flutes which are just a variation on the ocarina. All of these have their uses, though I guess I play 75% recorder and 20% Generation whistle with the others for occasional tootling. (All this in addition to 5 autoharps, a dulcimer, a melodian..etc..etc..etc..) No wonder I never got good at any of them!

Subject: RE: Tinwhistle Preferences
From: Barbara
Date: 17 Aug 98 - 02:22 PM

Jon, you said: "When playing a C in the key of D (C sharp) you play all holes open." I think you meant "When playing a C note on a D whistle..." otherwise it's confusing.
I think you are in a world of dilettanti here. I used to say I specialized in instruments that cost less than $10... and I couldn't play any of them well, either. [grin]
Blessings
Barbara

Subject: RE: Tinwhistle Preferences
From: Jon W.
Date: 17 Aug 98 - 03:20 PM

Barbara: Yeah, that's what I meant--with the clarification that in the key of D, the C note (ti)is actually C sharp. But you can play a C natural on a D whistle, which is fa in the key of G, by alternate fingerings, the simplest of which is to hold down the middle and ring fingers of the left hand covering the second and third holes closest to the mouthpiece (sorry, I don't know how the holes are numbered). But I'm sure you know this already. The point is, you can easily play two different diatonic scales on any given tinwhistle.

Bill D: sounds like you are going for breadth not depth, as I also seem to be.

Subject: RE: Tinwhistle Preferences
From: Barbara
Date: 17 Aug 98 - 05:32 PM

Well, with that fingering, to my ear it's C and 1/4; neither C nor C#. That's the note Kevin Carr says he loves. To me it justs sounds a little off. But hey, if you play it fast, it just blows on by...
Blessings,
Barbara

Subject: RE: Tinwhistle Preferences
From: Jon W.
Date: 17 Aug 98 - 06:25 PM

Yes, it's a little off but as you say, if you play it fast... A more accurate way to finger it is to also put down the index and ring finger of the right hand. Usually I use that fingering coming down from a high D, since you only have to lift one (or two, depending on if your left index finger is down or up) finger to change from high D to C natural.

Thanks for the blessings, Jon W.

Subject: RE: Tinwhistle Preferences
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 17 Aug 98 - 08:09 PM

G'day all...

Barbara: I suspect that what your friend was enthusing about was getting hold of a diatonic whistle tuned in the older untempered scales with perfect intervals. When an instrument doesn't have to match the compromises of the tempered scale it has beautiful intervals and can produce perfect harmonies with another instrument pitched the same.

The loss of these pure harmonies is the price we pay for the ability to play lots of instruments together in all keys - or even play the one instrument in another distant key ... you win some ... you lose some! (As Charlie Brown then said, in a strip many years back: "Wouldn't ,that be nice!")

Alison: I really enjoy the big whistles. I have an aluminium low 'F' that is an early prototype by Bernard Overton, of Rugby. It is a little tighter than the final models but I bought it from Graham Seal when he came back from doing his doctorate at Leeds University and I have got quite used to its vagaries.

I later bought a low 'G' in his final design and it works very well - both have that distinctive overtone of drainpipe. I love characteristic timbre in a whistle and have bought many different types over the decades, particularly eastern bamboo ones, which bring in interesting micro-rattles in the background. I have somewhat more than 120 small flutes and whistles stacked away and sometimes played.

Christiaan Dolislager's 'Dolang' whistles were a side product of my efforts to get someone making a distinctive Australian large whistle ... unfortunately most of my ideas got lost by the wayside. I wanted to combine aspects of the Overton with some characteristics of metal whistles I made in an old smithy in Tasmania, in the mid 1960s.

One thing I would like to see is a whistle/flute in light metal, with interchangeable heads to give a choice of cross-blown flute, whistle and true flageolet, which has a balancing chamber before the fipple, blown into by a narrow tube. This would allow three quite different sounds from basically the same instrumment fingering and also provide paths for crossing over in instrument types.

Metal whistle/flutes with such interchangeable heads were available in the last century and even supplied a 'cheating' fife head ... cross-blown position but with a small whistle mounted where the embouchure would normally be! The true flageolet instrument appears to have been referred to as a 'Shepherd's Pipe'.

Ah well, one of these days!

Regards,

Bob Bolton

Subject: RE: Tinwhistle Preferences
From: Dan Mulligan
Date: 17 Aug 98 - 08:51 PM

Alison, Have you tried The Clark Sweetone? It is not nearly as Breathy as the original (nor does it take as much wind.) And it is more stable jumping into the high end than the generations.

I despise those generations with thier nasty overtones. I Love the Susato whistle sound (and they are loud too.) And I like the Walton Mellow D too.

Subject: RE: Tinwhistle Preferences
From: alison
Date: 18 Aug 98 - 02:05 AM

Hi Dan,

No I haven't. The clarkes I have tried are the black and gold ones with the bit of wood at the back of the mouthpiece. I have heard the Sweetone described as great for kids because it's more bearable to listen to than the others...... and they do come in pretty colours.

I have a nice guinness whistle, very light, black body, creamy mouth piece.

I have nothing against low whistles, I think they have a beautiful sound. My main grievance is that they are just too big a stretch for my fingers. i can just about stretch a low G whistle, but I'll never be able to play a low D.... unfortunately.

Personally I like the tone of my Generations although I must admit I prefer the 'nickle" ones(silver body / blue mouthpiece) to the brass (yellow body / red mouthpiece.)

Slainte

Alison

Subject: RE: Tinwhistle Preferences
From: dulcimer
Date: 18 Aug 98 - 05:58 AM

Well, as long as you're asking! I got on a kick to own cheap tin whistles. I am in no way accomplished. But when I can make acceptable music, here are my perference based on quality of note, going from one octave to another, ease of fingers to cover holes, and lack of overtone. 1. Soodlum mello D (the company is now Walton) is most consistent. It is larger than other whistles. They can fit inside. Definately more MELLO. Some people have commented that this whistle requires too much air. 2. Doolin D (two piece). 3. Walton Black D. 4. Feadog D, 5. Oak D 6. Generation D. I have played a Clark D with the wooden bit briefly but would not rate it above 5. 1 to 4 are brass. I really like to use C whistles, seems that lower sound is more pleasing for airs and easier to shift to higher octaves. I have the Generation C and a Sweetone C (the cheapy nickel) and both seem to be equally good. I have several Generation in other keys, but don't play them that often. I much prefer the bass to the nickel; seems less harsh. Again, this is just an occasional players opinion.

Subject: RE: Tinwhistle Preferences
From: Dan Mulligan
Date: 18 Aug 98 - 09:38 AM

Alison,
Yeah, they DO come in pretty colors, but they are also available in black or unpainted.

I have one of those Guinness whistles .....it has an aluminum body Click here to hear it.....I think that the manufacturer also markets it as "the little Black Whistle." It sounds similar to a feadog . It is hard to control in the upper octave.

I have the same problem Alison ....I would love to be able to play one of those finger stretching Low Ds, but i have only two usable fingers on my left hand. So i play two fingers on the high hand and four on the low hand, and I just can't reach all the holes on a Low D. I have thought about mounting a flapper type valve on one to extend my reach.

Dan Mulligan

Subject: RE: Tinwhistle Preferences
From: Tinwhistler
Date: 18 Aug 98 - 12:32 PM

WOW! What a lot of great postings!

Bob, I love your idea about interchangeable flute/whistle. I wonder if it is possible?

My first whistle was a Clarke which I hate because it sounds like a whisper. I like my Generations--they have very clear sound--for reels and fast jigs because they are very responsive. I play my Shaw for slow airs because it is breathy and easy to "bend" notes. However, for overall playing I prefer the Sweetone and my Walton Mello-D. Besides, I won't go to pieces if I lose one at the beach or sit on one! I have loosened the mouth pieces on all of my whistles (except the wooden fipple whistles) so they are all tunable to a certain extent.

I like the fact that the Sweetones look kinda like toys. It always surprises folks when sweet music comes out of one. I have sold many whistles for Clarke by playing my Sweetone! Should I get a percentage?

I have a high G Generation which I hate, and I can't play the low D whistles either. I can handle the reach on finger ings, but my arms are too short when the whistle is in my mouth to reach the holes!

So now I have a high G, high F, lots of Ds, a C and a Bb. What should I get next?

Cheers! Sue

Subject: RE: Tinwhistle Preferences
From: Barbara
Date: 18 Aug 98 - 01:10 PM

I use the chrome plated nickel for playing with bands; fiddle/guitar/bass, because the hard clear tone penetrates better,especially in the second octave, and makes a good contrast to the other instruments. The brass gets lost.
Also have found it a struggle to properly mike a whistle; it has to stand on its own somewhat. So. louder is better.
I use the brass when I am playing along with a singer, or sometimes with just a concertina, because the softer, mellower, breathy tone matches those voices better.
Blessings,
Barbara

Subject: RE: Tinwhistle Preferences
From: Jon W.
Date: 18 Aug 98 - 03:02 PM

It certainly would be possible to make a whistle/flute with interchangeable mouthpieces. Here is a homepage of a guy who builds all sorts of experimental flutes.

Subject: RE: Tinwhistle Preferences
From: Dan Mulligan
Date: 18 Aug 98 - 03:15 PM

Barbara,
Have you tried a small cordless mike that attaches to the whistle itself, they are designed for flutes , but work very well with whistles. (I run the cord up my sleeve to the transmitter on my belt.)
They are pricey ,but work great.

Sue,
A girl after my own heart....if this was a different kind of forum I would be asking your sign... :-)
Have you tried a low G? I have built a few using Sweetone mouth pieces, they work pretty good. They almost require no breath at all on the lower notes.

I have been thinking about nickle plating a Sweetone body to see how it affects the tone. (Wouldn't gold be Sweet?) I found that local places will plate w/ nickle or gold for under 10 bucks.

Subject: RE: Tinwhistle Preferences
From: Dan Mulligan
Date: 18 Aug 98 - 05:57 PM

Some of you have mentioned that you don't like your Clarke original style whistles because they are excessively breathy or "sound like a whisper." It occured to me that I automatically adjust my Clarkes as soon as I get them.

ALL Clarkes when they come out of the box need to have the tone lip straightened out. When they are manufactured the lip is just pushed down in a "v" shape. You need to straighten it out by prying up on the center of the lip with a small jewelers screwdriver and push the sides down until the lip is as straight as possible and just slightly higher than the top of the fipple.

when this adjustment is made properly the sound of the whistle is dramatically improved, and much louder. In fact I rather like using them for tunes that are played. primarily in the lower octave, especially slower and lower tunes like "Clay of cill creagain," or "Bonny Portmore." Dan Mulligan

Subject: RE: Tinwhistle Preferences
From: alison
Date: 18 Aug 98 - 08:25 PM

Sue,

That is plenty of whistles. The only ones you are missing are Eb(not used very often... but I have taken great fun in pulling one out when a guitarist has stuck a capo on with the words "Ha ha none of you will be able to join in we're in Eb..... voila...).

susato make a low A which is an easy stretch, but as I said before I don't like the mouthpiece.

I love my generation Bb. Beautiful mellow sound.

slainte

alison

Subject: RE: Tinwhistle Preferences
From: Mulligan
Date: 19 Aug 98 - 12:00 AM

I haven't tried the Bb........sounds interesting for solo play

Subject: RE: Tinwhistle Preferences
From: KickyC
Date: 19 Aug 98 - 12:25 AM

Well, just to be different. I learned on a Clarke whistle and maybe it's just that I don't know any better, but I like it. I like the D better than the C. The C is harder to play. I just got a Susato A because I have a friend who only plays guitar in the key of A. I really like it. It has a wonderful sound. It's a bit more of a stretch, but not so much to make it very difficult.

I do have another question. Since my friend plays in A, he is also prone to play things in Am. I know I should be able to play it on a G whistle, but so many of you say that it is annoying. I like a nice mellow sound. I have a Hall glass flute in G which I can play sometimes, but the upper octave is hard to control on that. I was thinking about getting a G whistle, but now I am confused. Any suggestions?

KickyC

Subject: RE: Tinwhistle Preferences
From: Barbara
Date: 19 Aug 98 - 03:59 AM

YOu ought to be able to get Am on the C whistle, starting on the A note (five holes open). There will be one or two notes that need cross fingering, depending on the kind of minor.
Give it a try.
Blessings,
Barbara

Subject: RE: Tinwhistle Preferences
From: alison
Date: 19 Aug 98 - 07:23 AM

Hi,

You can use either a D or a C whistle to play Am. If he tends to go from A to Am in the same tune use a D. It already has the F# and C# and you can half cover the G hole to give the G#. Plus you can also finger C natural to give you Am. Saves changing between two whistles.

Slainte

Alison

Subject: RE: Tinwhistle Preferences
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 19 Aug 98 - 06:57 PM

G'day all,

Alison: I rabbitted on about all sorts of side issues and forgot what had prompted me to start the posting - big whistles. I have (as well as the low 'G' and 'F' and great big low 'D' Overton whistle. There is no way that I can hold that in an 'Irish' playing position with parallel fingers. I was shown what was represented as a Scottish piper's hold with elbows raised so that the arms - and fingers - were at nearly right angle to each other.

If you start with this position and place the fingers successively, starting with the bottom hole for each hand, you will be able to cover all the holes, but the index and ring fingers will cover the holes with a lower joint. This does not place fast rolls well, but opens up an entire area of slower, sonorous playing on the deeper whistles and excellent harmony / accompaniment possibilities.

Tinwhistler: The idea of interchangeable heads was well applied in the last century ... going into the next, we should have no trouble with it - as long as someone with the right skills can do it for the pitiful sort of money you can get out of indigent folkies! I see that someone has given a reference to a maker of interesting flutes.

Such designs were my eventual aim from interesting Richard Evans (a toolmaker who makes concertina and repairs all free reed instruments) in making whistles. Unfortunately he has been hijacked to make a (fairly) unimaginative line of 'Dolang' whistles for Christiaan Dolislager of Sydney. Still, I don't despair, some innovative 'Dolangs' are appearing and I can still play around with design in Richard's workshop - when I am in whistle phase.

Dulcimer: The larger bore of your Mello Soodlum is a direct factor inits mellow tone. There was a group in Britain, from about the Edwardian era and possibly still around, the Pipers' Guild who promoted a selfmade whistle to the schools. The body was bamboo and wooden mouthpiecesd could be purchased but the kids had to make their own whistle - so they treasured it(?!?).

Their design was way overbore (based on Romanian peasant whistles) and originally had little more than one octave range, but they loved the tone and wrote arrangements around the limited range and using a range of sizes. Later they discovered a cunningly placed half bore restriction allowed the whistles to overblow and give a full two octaves (still a fourth less than a tinwhistle in expert hands) while keeping the really mellow tone.

I have the plans for these and the bass version and hope to develop an improved version one day (you know ... when I have some spare time ...).

This question of bore seems to be highlighted with the 'Susato' range. Everything from 'A' to 'D' uses the same bore, which seems to be optimum for about C#. This means the 'A' can sound quite strangled whereas the the 'D' is very pleasant. I guess it saves on tooling costs, but it is not optimum. Dan Mulligan: You have pointed out the real secret of the old-style Clarkes - they can be voiced more effectively than any other whistle. I always adjusted mine to suit the range of the song, if necessary.

I dealt with the excess breathiness by puttying up the gaps in the fipple case with 5 minute 'Araldite'. Once the leaks stopped, the tone was much more positive.

Tin-whistling is about patching and adapting - that may be why it appeals to Australians' "fencing wire and greenhide" temperament. It is either patch it or pay for a beautiful handmade wooden whistle from one of several skilled workers. My budget indicates the first approach.

Regards,

Bob Bolton

Subject: RE: Tinwhistle Preferences
From: Tinwhistler
Date: 20 Aug 98 - 11:13 AM

Thank you, all. I think I may get a low G or A. I love the low whistle sounds.I like the sound of my Generation Bb too, but you're right, Alison, it's really only for solo play.

I have a buddy I get together with to play guitar and fiddle. Sometimes we set aside the guitars and he plays Middle Eastern drum rhythms to my Celtic whistle. Sometimes, it sounds awful. But often it sounds interesting and different at least, and amazing at best. And, I can play any key whistle without trouble! Give it a try if you know a hand drummer!

I have a PVC keyless Irish flute that I'm trying to play now. The reach is very far between the holes, but the fingering is just like a whistle. Too bad I have such small hands.

Keep on whistlin' Sue

PS--Dan, I'm a Pisces :-)

Subject: RE: Tinwhistle Preferences
From: clansfolk
Date: 23 Aug 98 - 07:26 AM

Hi

My son Simon tends to play the whistle most with Clansfolk and he tells me he likes - Sweetone's best - He is also at the Fylde Folk Festival (Fleetwood Uk) giving a workshop on 'Penny Whistles' and has a Tutor available on playing and decorating whistles.

I must admit I have a hand made 'rose' whistle which I love for both its sound and it's looks WOW! They are made by a chap in Blackburn UK and are available (but in short supply) through Hobgoblin UK at a cost of £99! (no wonder Simon likes sweetone).

Take care - and remember Whistle players don't suck!

Pete

Subject: RE: Tinwhistle Preferences
From: alison
Date: 24 Aug 98 - 02:58 AM

Hi Clansfolk,

You got me interested. How does he decorate them?

Slainte

alison

Subject: RE: Tinwhistle Preferences
From: alison
Date: 28 Aug 98 - 01:16 AM

Hi,

OK all of you who were praising Sweetone, I've now got one. sounds great on all the notes except low D which sounds very muffled. Is this a common problem and if so what have you done to fix it?

Slainte

Alison

Subject: RE: Tinwhistle Preferences
From: Barbara
Date: 28 Aug 98 - 10:50 AM

Hey, Alison, me too. I bought a D and a C, and I like the tone on the C better. Someplace above, I think it's Dan on the 18th, talks about messing with the tone lip to improve the tone. That may be the solution, but on this, my first try I was shocked to discover how flexible the tone lip on the Sweetone is, and now have a scallopy one. Waugh. But it still sounds pretty good.
So if you're going to try it, be careful. And the D I have sounds about the same through its entire range, so it must be a quirk of your whistle.
Thanks for clarifying the stuff about minors, I totally forgot the D whistle would play Am, and in fact, that's most often how I do it. Have to pick up a whistle to remember [grin].
Hey, Dan, feel like posting your webpage addy here? I'm curious about those tunes you wanted to post.
Blessings,
Barbara

Subject: RE: Tinwhistle Preferences
From: Dan Mulligan
Date: 28 Aug 98 - 08:19 PM

No......! I was talking about adjusting the tone lip on an "Original" Style Clarke.
I am amazed that you were able to make any adjustment to the tone lip of a Sweettone. I guess if I get one that needs adjustment I will give it a try....
Alison I have never noticed any muffledness on any of my Sweettones...I can't imagine how you might adjust that. Mine have always been very clear up and down the scale.

I will post that page this weekend Barbara...I haven't had the time to do anything with those tunes yet....thanks for e-mailing them! I still could use more of them though...even if anyone wants to send a .gif of the music I could use Noteworthy to make midis of them

Subject: RE: Tinwhistle Preferences
From: alison
Date: 29 Aug 98 - 04:39 AM

Subject: RE: Tinwhistle Preferences
From: clansfolk (Simon this time!)
Date: 30 Aug 98 - 04:14 AM

Hi,

I have never really noticed the low D note on mine is muffled but after reading this message I think you are right. (And I am sure I will notice it from now on)

The other set of whistles that I like are by susato - they are made in the USA but are easily available through Hobgoblin. They come in a set of three D, C and Bb only one of these has a mouthpiece so you have to change the mouth piece off that one to play in a different key. They are excellent and compact and I reccomend them.

Don't forget you can play in Em on a D whistle as well as Am, D and G. And in RE to Alison's question about decorating them - well it's all in my book that I am in the process of writing for fylde. Check out my web page, including a board just like this one and then e-mail me some time and I could maybe get you a copy of the book (when finished)

The web site is http://www.geocities.com/Nashville/7245

The board is at http://www.geocities.com/Nashville/7245/board/board.html

And my e-mail is [e-mail]

See Ya

Simon

Subject: RE: Tinwhistle Preferences
From: clansfolk (Simon this time!)
Date: 30 Aug 98 - 04:15 AM

Hi,

I have never really noticed the low D note on mine is muffled but after reading this message I think you are right. (And I am sure I will notice it from now on)

The other set of whistles that I like are by susato - they are made in the USA but are easily available through Hobgoblin. They come in a set of three D, C and Bb only one of these has a mouthpiece so you have to change the mouth piece off that one to play in a different key. They are excellent and compact and I reccomend them.

Don't forget you can play in Em on a D whistle as well as Am, D and G. And in RE to Alison's question about decorating them - well it's all in my book that I am in the process of writing for fylde. Check out my web page, including a board just like this one and then e-mail me some time and I could maybe get you a copy of the book (when finished)

The web site is http://www.geocities.com/Nashville/7245

The board is at http://www.geocities.com/Nashville/7245/board/board.html

And my e-mail is [e-mail]

See Ya

Simon