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16 May 03 - 02:51 PM (#953940) Subject: overton whistles From: merlin Are overton whistles in other whistlers opinion the best you can get! Having just got myself a fantastic little soprano D with the sweeetest sound i have ever heard from a whistle , I am new to whistling myself and at the moment have a very limited rep is this then a good purchase ? does anyone know where i can get the music for The fairy dance and The Gypsey rover Please advise. |
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16 May 03 - 05:29 PM (#954038) Subject: RE: overton whistles From: Blackcatter hullo Merlin Welcome to the world of whistles! Overtons are indeed wonderful instruments. But there are many wonderful makers there. Check out Chiff & Fipple - The World of Tin Whistles That is THE place on the net for whistles. They have extensive info on every major and many minor whistles, including prices and where to get them. As for the music, I'm not sure. I believe there is a Clancy Brothers Songbook that has Gypsy Rover on it. Try guitar, fiddle and mandolin "fake" books. They have a lot of trad. songs. Good luck (and beware - they're addicting. I have 28 whistles and they all are different). pax yall |
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16 May 03 - 05:39 PM (#954045) Subject: RE: overton whistles From: CraigS Advice for using music written for other instruments: Don't forget that a whistle is a transposing instrument - don't bust a gut trying to play a fiddle tune in A on an Eb whistle, just pretend that the whistle is an A whistle. Also, if the tune doesn't work because it goes out of the range of the whistle, try pretending the whistle is a fifth below (eg. if the music is in A, pretend that the whistle is a D). |
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16 May 03 - 07:47 PM (#954112) Subject: RE: overton whistles From: michaelr CraigS -- I'm intrigued by your advice, and don't quite understand it. No matter how hard I pretend that an A whistle is a D whistle, or that an Eb whistle is an A whistle, I'll still be playing in the wrong key, no? Or am I missing something? Cheers, Michael |
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17 May 03 - 05:07 AM (#954269) Subject: RE: overton whistles From: smallpiper You will soon learn that (just like the pipes)there is only one key! And that happens to be the key of whatever whistle you are playing at the time. Other people will adapt. |
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17 May 03 - 06:27 AM (#954288) Subject: RE: overton whistles From: poetlady I don't have an Overton myself, but most people, it seems, are quite fond of them. I have a Burke low G and would say that it was a very nice whistle for the relatively low price, and I also like my inexpensive little Clarke. I think it is a matter of personal preference. (I believe different people will likely all have different opinions.) The Chiffboard is sadly down right now, but when it is up again, I'm sure you'll be able to find plenty of other Overton fans. :) |
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17 May 03 - 07:21 AM (#954300) Subject: RE: overton whistles From: Pied Piper Hi Merlin. The best place to start looking for a tune is JC's abc tune finder Just type in the title at the top and the site returns the tune in as many formats as you could possibly want (except MP3) All the best PP |
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17 May 03 - 12:10 PM (#954388) Subject: RE: overton whistles From: GUEST I dont play whistle. But the sound Phil Hardy makes with his are very pleasant on the ear. sometimes he appears at the Blue Anchor in St Albans on a sat night. Nice perm too. and bryony |
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17 May 03 - 12:37 PM (#954408) Subject: RE: overton whistles From: Cap't Bob MERLIN You can get the tune (music melody line) as well as pennywhistle notation on the following website: YET ANOTHER DIGITAL TRADITION http://sniff.numachi.com/~rickheit/dtrad/ Under the tune you can select pennywhistle notation and then select the key of the pennywhistle you intend to use. Cap't Bob |
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18 May 03 - 12:10 PM (#954872) Subject: RE: overton whistles From: GUEST,mark dunlop Overtons are great - I have a high D which is real nice but it takes a fair bit of puff. Quite an ambitious (not to mention pricey) choice for a first whistle but if you've got the cash, why the hell not? If you're playing a lot in sessions with singers, you'll need to get a few whistles in different keys. You can buy cheap Generations and Susatos n keys like C, Bb, Eb, and F, rather than spending loads. Definitely try Mike Burke - tone wise his are the best whistles I've ever played - and they're if anything cheaper than Overtons. Good luck. m.d. |
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18 May 03 - 03:12 PM (#954974) Subject: RE: overton whistles From: Barbara Michael, if it still isn't clear what the folks are saying about keys, try this. Whistles come in different keys (different lengths and bores). But you finger each one the same. You are holding a D whistle and the fiddle player is in C? Set it down and pick up your C whistle. Playing a tune in a key incompatible with your whistle will mean fingering a lot of half holes. It's easier to change whistles, I find. Though, as CraigS says above, you can also make a D whistle into a G with one half hole or a different fingering. You move your octave or tonic note up to the fourth note/third hole (instead of the first note/all closed holes). That is to say, there are a couple of keys related to D that are easy to play in. (G, Em) After that, change whistles. Did that help? Blessings, Barbara |
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18 May 03 - 04:56 PM (#955023) Subject: RE: overton whistles From: Tyghress I had an Overton...way too much backpressure for my taste. For a metal whistle you might look at Burke (already mentioned) or Copeland which is conical bore. Or take a walk on the wild side and try a good wooden whistle. |
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19 May 03 - 12:04 AM (#955207) Subject: RE: overton whistles From: Bob Bolton G'day Tyghress, By "backpressure" do you mean that it takes a lot of pressure to play? If so, how long ago did you have your Overton? I have two very old Overtons ... probably the first brought into Australia - un-branded, but clearly Bernard's work - bought by folklorist Graham Seal when he was studying at Leeds (late '70s / early '80s?). These are much harder to blow than my more modern (and branded) Overtons, which have both broader and deeper wind passages. I note that GUEST,mark dunlop - 3 posts above - says his high D "takes a fair bit of puff" and I suspect he means that it has too little backpressure - as mine seems to - particularly after playing the very old C or low F I have had for decades. All that said, each may vary, but all can be played quite well within the range of "normal" whistle technique. My low D is beautiful - but a fair stretch for my short, stubby hands - and works best with "pipers' hold" fingering. Bernard clearly believes that "theoretical" hole spacing is sacrosanct. (I have seen one of Colin Goldie's Overtons - made, under license in Germany, with a neatly rearranged right hand hole spacing that allows much more comfort - and still gives nice tone and volume ... I think it was sent to haunt me ... the serial number turned out to be #666!) Regards, Bob Bolton |
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19 May 03 - 04:18 AM (#955255) Subject: RE: overton whistles From: mooman I'm not a great player of the whistle but found Overtons good. I have a slight preference for the rather similar Chieftain whistle though. moo |
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19 May 03 - 05:40 AM (#955277) Subject: RE: overton whistles From: Tug Overton whistles are reputedly the best but as I could never afford one, I make my own. I will never acheive the purity of note that Overton gets but it is terriffic fun and a great challenge. A bit of scrap plumbing pipe and a few inexpensive tools and you too can have a unique instrument. woodhouse.uk@lineone.net if you are interested. As for the music, try ABC Tunefinder on http://ecf-guest.mit.edu/~jc/music/abc/FindTune.html You will need a programme that plays MIDI files to hear the tune otherwise you can only print out the dots. |
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19 May 03 - 06:35 AM (#955297) Subject: RE: overton whistles From: MC Fat You could also try my mate Brian Howard's. Try Howard Music |
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19 May 03 - 12:39 PM (#955521) Subject: RE: overton whistles From: Blackcatter Anyone who focuses on just one brand of whistle is missing one of the wonderful things about whistles - they're cheap enough to own many of them. The inexpensive ones are wonderful and the expensive ones are wonderful. Just different. I get more oohs and aahs when I play an $8 traditional Clarke. |