I'm a whistle player and I am looking for a new one.. with this said.... what are some good whistles... i have been playing A FEADÓG and CLARKE for a few years and would like something better.... something that is more mellow and doesn't cost to much.....
Ditto, shanty.
I just unwrapped a Clarke to replace the one that I played for over eight years. It finally rusted from the inside out, and started to leak air when I played. I just love the sound of them, and the ease of playing. You can spend more, but in my opinion, you can't get better...
My main go-to C whistle is a Chieftain tunable Mezzo C from Phil Hardy.
Honestly, it's a remarkable piece with an amazing tone.
If you have unrelenting resources, a Copeland pre-dam C brass is exceptional if, if you can find one,
For D's I play a Kerry Songbird - now out of manufacture - in great tune with a very nice chiff, and I have an Oz high D on order.
This is, of course, after trying out about a hundred different whistles, and 30 years of owning them. Price is relative to how much enjoyment you get from them. In the lower prices you're lucky to find a good one, or even one that plays in tune with itself.
And what's funny is that I also play a Feadog and it's the second most mellow whistle I've got. It's an older one and has a nice mellow tone but a little more volume than the Clarke. www.chiffandfipple.com is a great source for whistle info...
I recently bought a few Oaks, c and d. I had one in the past that I really liked. I was pleased when the new ones were just as wonderful as the old. I always suggest Oak whistles. About $10.
I like my Oak whistle too but it's not what I'd call a mellow tone...very 'chiffy'.....chiffy....chiffy chiffy chiffy....what a happy word for a Monday morning.
Hi how are you?
Very chiffy thank you!
off to work (must remain chiffy, must remain chiffy...)
If you like Clarke whistles, have you thought about trying a Shaw? They're not expensive, and I think they've got a lovely, lovely tone - breathy and soft like the Clarke, but with a bit more volume. The tuning on them is good too.
The whistle I pick up more than any other though is my Dixon trad in D - these are fantastic value for money and you can pick them up loads of places online.
Other options if you are looking or a cylindrical tube whistle are the tweaked versions by Jerry Freeman. They are available on e-Bay and the Irish Flute store for somewhere in the $25-$35 dollar range depending on key and type.
I was not a fan of Generations but recently got a Jerry Freeman Generation D. It's become my favorite over the Oak that is now second best. Does not cost a fortune and has a nice sound. You can google Jerry Freeman whistles to get his web site to order one, and to read about his whistle modifications.
You've been playing a Feadog D and are looking for something better...
I've been playing the same Feadog D since around 1980 and in my opinion it's the best D that I've ever played at any price. Yes I've tried sterling silver Copelands and blackwood whistles and so on but I wouldn't trade my Feadog for any of them. It has the sweetest high notes and nimblest "action" of any D I've tried.
Of course these inexpensive whistles have spotty or nonexistent quality control and you might have to try dozens of them to find one good one.
Jerry Freeman's "tweaked" Feadog D is the closest thing I've played to my old Feadog. If I lost my old Feadog I would buy a Freeman Feadog right away.
I also have an off-the-shelf Generation D that plays very nicely, better in my opinion than most expensive whistles.
The next step up is definitely a Dixon trad or one of Jerry Freeman's tweaked whistles. Both are dramatically better than Clarke, Feadog, Oak, Shaw, etc. in terms of tuning, intonation, and playability. Both are also inexpensive. If you're going beyond that and don't want to spend a lot on a high-end whistle, then I'd recommend an Impempe whistle from Ian Turbull. http://impempewhistles.co.za/ You can find extensive reviews of all of these whistles by searching on the Chiff and Fipple whistle forum http://forums.chiffandfipple.com/viewforum.php?f=1.
whistles....
whistles....
I'm a whistle player and I am looking for a new one.. with this said.... what are some good whistles... i have been playing A FEADÓG and CLARKE for a few years and would like something better.... something that is more mellow and doesn't cost to much.....
# Posted on December 20th 2010 by Bran Rogers
Re: whistles....
Hard to find anything more mellow than the wood plug clark. Beautiful sound in my opinion....
# Posted on December 20th 2010 by shanty
Re: whistles....
Ditto, shanty.
I just unwrapped a Clarke to replace the one that I played for over eight years. It finally rusted from the inside out, and started to leak air when I played. I just love the sound of them, and the ease of playing. You can spend more, but in my opinion, you can't get better...
# Posted on December 20th 2010 by AlBrown
Re: whistles....
My main go-to C whistle is a Chieftain tunable Mezzo C from Phil Hardy.
Honestly, it's a remarkable piece with an amazing tone.
If you have unrelenting resources, a Copeland pre-dam C brass is exceptional if, if you can find one,
For D's I play a Kerry Songbird - now out of manufacture - in great tune with a very nice chiff, and I have an Oz high D on order.
This is, of course, after trying out about a hundred different whistles, and 30 years of owning them. Price is relative to how much enjoyment you get from them. In the lower prices you're lucky to find a good one, or even one that plays in tune with itself.
# Posted on December 20th 2010 by Toppish
Re: whistles....
And what's funny is that I also play a Feadog and it's the second most mellow whistle I've got. It's an older one and has a nice mellow tone but a little more volume than the Clarke. www.chiffandfipple.com is a great source for whistle info...
# Posted on December 20th 2010 by shanty
Re: whistles....
Although I will admit, I have always liked the sound of wooden whistles for the slow tunes, I guess I am just too cheap to spring for one!!!
# Posted on December 20th 2010 by AlBrown
Re: whistles....
I recently bought a few Oaks, c and d. I had one in the past that I really liked. I was pleased when the new ones were just as wonderful as the old. I always suggest Oak whistles. About $10.
# Posted on December 20th 2010 by feardearg
Re: whistles....
Dixon polymer whistle, tunable, in "D".
Nice, and not murder on the pocketbook.
http://www.tonydixonmusic.co.uk/
Good Luck.
# Posted on December 20th 2010 by Piece
Re: whistles....
I like my Oak whistle too but it's not what I'd call a mellow tone...very 'chiffy'.....chiffy....chiffy chiffy chiffy....what a happy word for a Monday morning.
Hi how are you?
Very chiffy thank you!
off to work (must remain chiffy, must remain chiffy...)
# Posted on December 20th 2010 by shanty
Re: whistles....
If you like Clarke whistles, have you thought about trying a Shaw? They're not expensive, and I think they've got a lovely, lovely tone - breathy and soft like the Clarke, but with a bit more volume. The tuning on them is good too.
http://www.daveshaw.co.uk/SHAW_Whistles/shaw_whistles.html
I have them in C and E, bought them on ebay.
The whistle I pick up more than any other though is my Dixon trad in D - these are fantastic value for money and you can pick them up loads of places online.
# Posted on December 20th 2010 by Red Menace
Re: whistles....
Other options if you are looking or a cylindrical tube whistle are the tweaked versions by Jerry Freeman. They are available on e-Bay and the Irish Flute store for somewhere in the $25-$35 dollar range depending on key and type.
# Posted on December 20th 2010 by Steve Bliven
Re: whistles....
Narrow-bore Walton D
# Posted on December 20th 2010 by Whiddler
Re: whistles....
Yep, Shaws are nice, also. And come in many more keys than Clarkes.
# Posted on December 21st 2010 by AlBrown
Re: whistles....
I was not a fan of Generations but recently got a Jerry Freeman Generation D. It's become my favorite over the Oak that is now second best. Does not cost a fortune and has a nice sound. You can google Jerry Freeman whistles to get his web site to order one, and to read about his whistle modifications.
# Posted on December 22nd 2010 by Ann M.
Re: whistles....
You've been playing a Feadog D and are looking for something better...
I've been playing the same Feadog D since around 1980 and in my opinion it's the best D that I've ever played at any price. Yes I've tried sterling silver Copelands and blackwood whistles and so on but I wouldn't trade my Feadog for any of them. It has the sweetest high notes and nimblest "action" of any D I've tried.
Of course these inexpensive whistles have spotty or nonexistent quality control and you might have to try dozens of them to find one good one.
Jerry Freeman's "tweaked" Feadog D is the closest thing I've played to my old Feadog. If I lost my old Feadog I would buy a Freeman Feadog right away.
I also have an off-the-shelf Generation D that plays very nicely, better in my opinion than most expensive whistles.
# Posted on December 22nd 2010 by Richard D Cook
Re: whistles....
Have you tweaked the tuning though Richard ?
# Posted on December 22nd 2010 by David50
Re: whistles....
The next step up is definitely a Dixon trad or one of Jerry Freeman's tweaked whistles. Both are dramatically better than Clarke, Feadog, Oak, Shaw, etc. in terms of tuning, intonation, and playability. Both are also inexpensive. If you're going beyond that and don't want to spend a lot on a high-end whistle, then I'd recommend an Impempe whistle from Ian Turbull. http://impempewhistles.co.za/ You can find extensive reviews of all of these whistles by searching on the Chiff and Fipple whistle forum http://forums.chiffandfipple.com/viewforum.php?f=1.
# Posted on December 23rd 2010 by apack
Re: whistles....
Or just buy Goldfinch : http://www.goldfinch.eu .
# Posted on December 24th 2010 by pavelas