Beginner, volume problem

uneven_note · Post by **uneven_note** » Sun Jan 15, 2006 4:34 pm

Hi,

I have just started the tin whistle (although did play recorder when I was a child).

I have a D whistle, and I can play all the lower notes ok, when I move an octive up everything is ok until I get to the G, A or B then I find I have to blow alot harder to hit my note which makes the volume dramatically increase.

My problem is that I cant make too much noise when I practice, is there a way of making the whistle quieter or is there an easier way of playing the higher notes?

Sorry, I know this sounds like a stupid question but I cant practise like this (and because I have just started I am not very good at all)

Feadin · Post by **Feadin** » Sun Jan 15, 2006 4:41 pm

I believe this happened to almost all of us when we started... one thing you can try is to put a small piece of bluetac covering one side of the window (the aperture where the air comes out), this will make the whistle quieter and you will also need less breath to play it.
You can also buy a quieter whistle, like a Clarke Meg, wich is sweet and breathy or, if you like better a pure sound, a Dixon.

Good luck and welcome to the forums!

PhilO · Post by **PhilO** » Sun Jan 15, 2006 4:49 pm

Basically, you'll have to do what everyone has done, which is mess around until you hit those notes with some control. That said:

- It's not just a great volume of air to get up there, but more a narrower stream of air; a slightly different embouchure.

- Also, if you could say what whistle you're using? Some will be easier to transition on and also be more forgiving while you're learning the required air flow to hit the upper octave notes without screeching, honking, or excessive volume. There are some whistles that are just terrible on those high notes - the Seery delrin comes to mind where it's difficult to get the note (really the B) out right without a lot of piercing volume.

Philo

dfernandez77 · Post by **dfernandez77** » Sun Jan 15, 2006 5:08 pm

Feadin wrote:I believe this happened to almost all of us when we started...

I would confirm this to be true in my case as well. Partly due to pilot error, and partly because some inexpensive whistles are just unruly up there.

Keep playing, practice control in the top end. When you decide to buy another whistle, look for one that has a smooth top end if it's still a concern.

uneven_note · Post by **uneven_note** » Sun Jan 15, 2006 5:29 pm

PhilO wrote: - Also, if you could say what whistle you're using?

Its a tin whistle with a plastic fipple in D. "The Sweetone by Clarke" I cant remember where I got it and I dont know if its any good (if someone should let me know if I should replace it I would be greatful)

Its going to be hard to try and use a different embouchure, but I will give it a go, thanks

Feadin.....Never thought of using Bluetack and covering the hole, thanks, might be worth trying when I practise in the evening (we have thin walls)

Whistlin'Dixie · Post by **Whistlin'Dixie** » Sun Jan 15, 2006 5:39 pm

Sweetone was among my first whistles, they are fine for beginners.

M

Feadin · Post by **Feadin** » Sun Jan 15, 2006 6:40 pm

The Sweetone is very similar to the Meg, it's not a loud whistle... you should be happy you didn't started with a Feadog Pro like me, which Is a nice whistle, but it's quite loud, and the second octave is not easy to play.

Let us know if the bluetac trick worked. You should probably play around a bit with it to get a good volume/sensitivity balance. If you cover too much of the window the whistle will become too touchy and will jump directly to the second octave.

gonzo914 · Post by **gonzo914** » Sun Jan 15, 2006 9:45 pm

As you get better breath control, those upper octave notes will sound better.

And I would second the Dixon both as a quiet whistle and as one that is good for beginners.

As for practicing quietly, here's what I do when I'm somewhere I can't make a lot of noise -- turn the whistle sideways like a fife and blow across the window. You'll get a very soft, windy tone that you can easily hear but that doesn't carry much more than a few feet. (I do it in airports to put that dead time to better use than drinking.)

Cynth · Post by **Cynth** » Sun Jan 15, 2006 10:03 pm

I think probably any whistle will sound too loud on those high notes if you have to keep the noise down.

As some mentioned already, don't think about blowing harder so much as narrowing the air stream so it will have more force, so it will be less diffuse. Think of whistling a tune with just your lips. Notice how your lips and things inside your mouth and your throat change as you change the pitch. That is kind of what you do on the whistle. You will have to fiddle around a bit, but it will get automatic. On some whistles, the low notes can be the hard ones to get and you have to do the same thing. Don't put the whistle farther into your mouth than necessary, about 1/4 " should be enough for the opening to be sealed. Then you still have some extra lip to change shape with. I'm not saying you don't blow harder at all, but you also need to do something with the air stream.

I read something about a way to quiet down a whistle, but I can't remember where or exactly what it said. You cut a strip of index card to the width of the fipple (oh geez, I hope that's the right word, the sharp edge that splits the stream of air). You fold the strip so you can hang it down from that edge. So part of the strip will be well-folded down inside the whistle and the rest will be outside---the strip is hanging from the edge. I think you can cut it narrower if the sound is cut down too much. Sorry if this is insane. I just can't quite remember it and I haven't tried it myself.

bearbro · Post by **bearbro** » Mon Jan 16, 2006 1:17 pm

I have the same problem with the upper octaves sounding louder then the lower octave. I to am somewhat of a newbie to whistles, just started playing the whistle a couple of months ago. I have tried several different brands and to me the Sweet Tone (and the Meg's) are the best and quitest of the cheaper whistles. I really cannot see any differance between a Sweet Tone and a Meg myself except for the price.

Anyway with my Sweet Tone and Megs I can get the same volume in all the registers but an still having problems with the Generations, Waltons and the one Freedog I have. I just got myself a Sasuto D and a Jerry Freeman tweaked Generation D that sounds ok also. Although I perfer a quiter whistle and the Sasuto is a loude one.

Feadin · Post by **Feadin** » Mon Jan 16, 2006 1:31 pm

bearbro, the second octave will sound louder than the first in all whistles. And while it's true that the Megs are better balanced than other cheapies, this volume difference is completely natural and with some time you'll get used to it. I actually enjoy the upper second octave in my Water Weasel NT, wich is a loud whistle, very much like a Susato played almost in the limit before the octave jump.
My new Burke Session Bore is better balanced, the second octave is still loud, but sweeter than many others.

Lambchop · Post by **Lambchop** » Mon Jan 16, 2006 6:14 pm

One of the advantages to starting off from scratch with whistle, without prior woodwind experience, is that you are forced to start with simple stuff, like "Mary Had a Little Lamb" (one of my favorites!). They almost never go beyond d or e.

This has the advantage of allowing you time to get the lower register under control without the anxiety of knowing the impossible g, a, and b await. By the time you improve to the point where you're tackling tunes that go a bit higher, you're able to figure out how to get a decent sound out of them relatively easily.

At that point, I think you have realized that whistles are whistles, not oboes or r*c*rd*rs, and that the sound that comes out isn't intended to be orchestral quality. The beauty of it is that it is a whistle, with all the roughness, humor, and joy that entails.

You're more willing, I think, to let the whistle be a whistle instead of trying to make it into a chamber-music wannabe, and you may feel less pressured to keep hunting for a whistle that is really a r*c*rd*r.

Oh, that reminds me . . . I wanted to try a Hoover Whitecap and a Mellow Dog . . . wonder if they have them at The Whistle Shop . . .

bearbro · Post by **bearbro** » Tue Jan 17, 2006 4:11 am

Lambchop said................

I think you have realized that whistles are whistles, not oboes or r*c*rd*rs, and that the sound that comes out isn't intended to be orchestral quality. The beauty of it is that it is a whistle, with all the roughness, humor, and joy that entails.

As a standard rule I guess your right about this, "but" I have herd some people playing a whistle that would fit into any orchestra. Dont sell our little music makers short my friend. They are musical instrument in their own right just like a harmonica (which I also play). There are to many people in this world that think of both, the whistle and harmonica as toys. Yes they are cheap enough you can give them to kids as toys. But in the right hands they are beautiful musical instruments, and can stand right beside a clarent, oboe, fult or any other wind instrument.

bearbro · Post by **bearbro** » Tue Jan 17, 2006 4:20 am

Feadin wrote:bearbro, the second octave will sound louder than the first in all whistles. And while it's true that the Megs are better balanced than other cheapies, this volume difference is completely natural and with some time you'll get used to it. I actually enjoy the upper second octave in my Water Weasel NT, wich is a loud whistle, very much like a Susato played almost in the limit before the octave jump.
My new Burke Session Bore is better balanced, the second octave is still loud, but sweeter than many others.

Feadin, I guess your right my friend. I have been trying to find me a whistle that is even in all octaves but I guess there is no such animal. I have a couple that are close so I'll just have to learn to live with them.