Have been playing nothing but a D whistle for years now, just went and bought a Walton's in C and I find that I am unable to produce a clear note in its upper register. Is there a trick to it or am I doomed?
Hi Elizabeth,
I suspect you may have bought a dodgy whistle... Each whistle is a little bit different in terms of air requirement etc., but you should still be able to produce clear notes without too much trouble if the whistle itself is good. I've never owned a Walton's whistle and so won't comment on their quality, but I've had several Generations with issues like that.
A lot of C whistles are a lot quieter than D whistles. Sometimes this makes them harder to control. If that's the case with your whistle, then there'll be a knack, and you'll get it. On the other hand, a lot of Walton's whistles are rubbish - some are good, but not that many. It may, I'm afraid, be the whistle.
Meanwhile, as a bit of practical advice, it might also be that you're not covering the holes properly, because of adjusting from the D to the C. Play notes going up the scale slowly and make sure you can play them all at dead slow speed. Then, when you can, play a bit quicker etc.
Actually, the more whistles I have played, the easier I find it to adapt to the differences of the various whistles I would give any whistle some time before I discard it. I am a Clarke fan, and find that the C whistle plays very sweetly, a nice full sound. Too bad there is not much call for it in The Music.
If you have been playing for years, you shouldn't have any difficulty. I, like LW, suspect the whistle. Have a close look at the fipple area. See if there are any snags, nicks, rags, etc. A little scrape with a sharp craft knife might solve the problem.
Or make it worse.:(
Let's face facts: the quality control over the manufacture of mass-produced inexpensive whistles is not all that would be desired, and whistles which should have been weeded out and tossed are instead sent out to the public.
An example (which I've cited here in the past) is when, a couple years ago, I had first crack at a batch of 24 new Generation D's straight from the factory: one was an excellent player with sweet high notes and round full low notes, a second was nearly as good. On the other end of the spectrum there were a few which were completely unplayable, on which the 2nd octave wouldn't sound at all or was screechy or harsh etc. The majority were mediocre. A fairly common tendency was bad high B's and sometmes bad high A's as well.
Anyhow, based on that one sample, you have a 2-in-24 chance of getting a good-playing whistle when you buy off the shelf. Not good odds.
So I would go out and try as many C's as possible and sooner or later you'll happen upon a good one.
Or, you can buy a Jerry Freeman "tweaked" C. He modifies off-the-shelf whistles so that they play at their best. You'll get clear high notes from them for sure.
You can, as people are suggesting, look at the plastic top and see if there's any "flash" left over from the moulding process. But sometimes the problem isn't flash, it's the fact that the various section of the mould haven't lined up properly when the plastic was cast so that the "blade" and the windway aren't in the optimal relative positions for a good tone.
But I myself wouldn't waste time trying to "overcome" a defective whistle: you can't.
I recently started experimenting with the key of C myself. I posted a thread about playing tunes in C a couple weeks ago and I experienced this same thing when I played a C whistle for the first time.
The C whistles are a little different. It took me a couple hours to get used to them. But what AlBrown said about the more you play different whistles, the easier it gets to switch is what happened for me
I picked up a Feadog C and a Generation brass whistle in C and had to get used to both of them. Some of it is cheap whistle, but some of it was getting used to a slightly bigger air column, so you aren't the only person this ever happened to
but sometimes whistles are just messed up and need to be tweaked.
For what its worth, I think the Susato 'C's are the best of the small bore whistles, that they make. I have a 'C', 'D' ,'B' ,'Bb' and used to have an 'A'. All with the same diameter pipe. Of them all, the 'C' was, by far, the best to play. The 'A' was horrible. I now have a "wide-bore" 'A' and 'G' and wish they made a 'D', its so much better.
I have a walton's C and it has a breathy but clear tone...you probably just picked up a bad whistle (the peeling thing however seems to be common to all waltons whistles)
Martin, it's odd, I used to have a Susato narrow-bore A whistle, the same bore they use for their high D and C whistles, and it played very nicely. Perfectly in tune. It was a bit quiet due to the narrow bore but it was a sweet player.
Later I got a medium-bore Susato A and I didn't like it as much.
I'm on to using Burkes now: I have Burkes in low F, G, and A and I really like them all, they all are voiced in an amazingly similar way so that you can just pick up any of them and play. You don't have to "get used to them".
Tin Whistle in C
Tin Whistle in C
Have been playing nothing but a D whistle for years now, just went and bought a Walton's in C and I find that I am unable to produce a clear note in its upper register. Is there a trick to it or am I doomed?
# Posted on October 5th 2009 by ElizabethB
Re: Tin Whistle in C
Hi Elizabeth,
I suspect you may have bought a dodgy whistle... Each whistle is a little bit different in terms of air requirement etc., but you should still be able to produce clear notes without too much trouble if the whistle itself is good. I've never owned a Walton's whistle and so won't comment on their quality, but I've had several Generations with issues like that.
# Posted on October 5th 2009 by Pat Mustard
Re: Tin Whistle in C
A lot of C whistles are a lot quieter than D whistles. Sometimes this makes them harder to control. If that's the case with your whistle, then there'll be a knack, and you'll get it. On the other hand, a lot of Walton's whistles are rubbish - some are good, but not that many. It may, I'm afraid, be the whistle.
Meanwhile, as a bit of practical advice, it might also be that you're not covering the holes properly, because of adjusting from the D to the C. Play notes going up the scale slowly and make sure you can play them all at dead slow speed. Then, when you can, play a bit quicker etc.
# Posted on October 5th 2009 by ethical blend
Re: Tin Whistle in C
Actually, the more whistles I have played, the easier I find it to adapt to the differences of the various whistles I would give any whistle some time before I discard it. I am a Clarke fan, and find that the C whistle plays very sweetly, a nice full sound. Too bad there is not much call for it in The Music.
# Posted on October 6th 2009 by AlBrown
Re: Tin Whistle in C
If you have been playing for years, you shouldn't have any difficulty. I, like LW, suspect the whistle. Have a close look at the fipple area. See if there are any snags, nicks, rags, etc. A little scrape with a sharp craft knife might solve the problem.
Or make it worse.:(
# Posted on October 6th 2009 by gam
Re: Tin Whistle in C
Let's face facts: the quality control over the manufacture of mass-produced inexpensive whistles is not all that would be desired, and whistles which should have been weeded out and tossed are instead sent out to the public.
An example (which I've cited here in the past) is when, a couple years ago, I had first crack at a batch of 24 new Generation D's straight from the factory: one was an excellent player with sweet high notes and round full low notes, a second was nearly as good. On the other end of the spectrum there were a few which were completely unplayable, on which the 2nd octave wouldn't sound at all or was screechy or harsh etc. The majority were mediocre. A fairly common tendency was bad high B's and sometmes bad high A's as well.
Anyhow, based on that one sample, you have a 2-in-24 chance of getting a good-playing whistle when you buy off the shelf. Not good odds.
So I would go out and try as many C's as possible and sooner or later you'll happen upon a good one.
Or, you can buy a Jerry Freeman "tweaked" C. He modifies off-the-shelf whistles so that they play at their best. You'll get clear high notes from them for sure.
You can, as people are suggesting, look at the plastic top and see if there's any "flash" left over from the moulding process. But sometimes the problem isn't flash, it's the fact that the various section of the mould haven't lined up properly when the plastic was cast so that the "blade" and the windway aren't in the optimal relative positions for a good tone.
But I myself wouldn't waste time trying to "overcome" a defective whistle: you can't.
# Posted on October 6th 2009 by Richard D Cook
Re: Tin Whistle in C
Or you can avoid non-optimal whistles altogether and buy a Burke or other high-end whistle which will have pefect voicing, every time.
# Posted on October 6th 2009 by Richard D Cook
Re: Tin Whistle in C
I recently started experimenting with the key of C myself. I posted a thread about playing tunes in C a couple weeks ago and I experienced this same thing when I played a C whistle for the first time.
The C whistles are a little different. It took me a couple hours to get used to them. But what AlBrown said about the more you play different whistles, the easier it gets to switch is what happened for me
I picked up a Feadog C and a Generation brass whistle in C and had to get used to both of them. Some of it is cheap whistle, but some of it was getting used to a slightly bigger air column, so you aren't the only person this ever happened to
but sometimes whistles are just messed up and need to be tweaked.
# Posted on October 6th 2009 by Nate Ryan
Re: Tin Whistle in C
For what its worth, I think the Susato 'C's are the best of the small bore whistles, that they make. I have a 'C', 'D' ,'B' ,'Bb' and used to have an 'A'. All with the same diameter pipe. Of them all, the 'C' was, by far, the best to play. The 'A' was horrible. I now have a "wide-bore" 'A' and 'G' and wish they made a 'D', its so much better.
regards,
Martin
# Posted on October 6th 2009 by MartinJongleur
Re: Tin Whistle in C
I have a walton's C and it has a breathy but clear tone...you probably just picked up a bad whistle (the peeling thing however seems to be common to all waltons whistles)
# Posted on October 6th 2009 by Maestro McAllister
Re: Tin Whistle in C
Martin, it's odd, I used to have a Susato narrow-bore A whistle, the same bore they use for their high D and C whistles, and it played very nicely. Perfectly in tune. It was a bit quiet due to the narrow bore but it was a sweet player.
Later I got a medium-bore Susato A and I didn't like it as much.
I'm on to using Burkes now: I have Burkes in low F, G, and A and I really like them all, they all are voiced in an amazingly similar way so that you can just pick up any of them and play. You don't have to "get used to them".
# Posted on October 7th 2009 by Richard D Cook