Chiff and Fipple Forums

Posted: **Mon Jan 29, 2024 2:52 am**

Anyone have any experience with soprano-range Becker whistles? Thinking of maybe getting one in E. Becker seems to be the only whistle-maker who sells E whistles at a reasonable price (other than Susato - but I already have an E Susato and strongly dislike its poor tuning, blaring tone, and tendency to squeak).

I'm wondering how loud they are, how good the tuning is, etc.

Posted: **Mon Jan 29, 2024 4:31 am**

Did you check the Becker website?

Hi fellow musicians! Thanks for over 13 years and almost 4,000 whistles!
The last day to order was March 7th, 2023.
I will be spending retirement time with my beautiful wife of 47+ years.
It has been a pleasure my friends! The shop is.......closed.......

Also, did you listen to the whistle reviews posted on the same site, especially the bits where the whistles get played by the reviewers?

Have you considered a B whistle for playing in E? They are a bit , if perhaps marginally, easier to find .

Posted: **Mon Jan 29, 2024 11:05 am**

Mr.Gumby wrote: ↑Mon Jan 29, 2024 4:31 am Did you check the Becker website?

Hi fellow musicians! Thanks for over 13 years and almost 4,000 whistles!
The last day to order was March 7th, 2023.
I will be spending retirement time with my beautiful wife of 47+ years.
It has been a pleasure my friends! The shop is.......closed.......
Also, did you listen to the whistle reviews posted on the same site, especially the bits where the whistles get played by the reviewers?

Have you considered a B whistle for playing in E? They are a bit , if perhaps marginally, easier to find .

Yes, I've looked at the website. I suppose I was just looking for more opinions. The two high D reviews are informative, but they have some conflicting accounts of the whistle's volume, for example. I also know that many people on here are more experienced than the average YouTube reviewer, so I figured I might get some interesting insights. But thanks for the suggestion of looking at the website!

Anyway, someone on Reddit said that Becker apparently retired last year. So it looks like I probably can't buy one from him anyway.

Using a B whistle might be a good idea. My concern is that the range of the instrument might not be great for Scottish tunes. Scottish tunes in E frequently go down to a low E and up to a B an octave and a half higher. Playing this on a B whistle would require you to play into the third octave, which doesn't sound like it would be easy on the ears or the lungs (the other alternative would be octave-switching, of course).

Posted: **Mon Jan 29, 2024 11:20 am**

Anyway, someone on Reddit said that Becker apparently retired last year. So it looks like I probably can't buy one from him anyway.

Did you read my post at all, I wonder. Or the website, for that matter. (Hint: see the quote from the website in my post).

I also know that many people on here are more experienced than the average YouTube reviewer, so I figured I might get some interesting insights. But thanks for the suggestion of looking at the website!

I suppose you didn't read between the lines either.

Seriously though, the way the maker represents his whistles through the sound clips and (review) videos is that likely to attract experienced players? I thought those clips were self explanatory.

Anyhow, good luck.

Posted: **Mon Jan 29, 2024 12:36 pm**

Mr.Gumby wrote: ↑Mon Jan 29, 2024 11:20 am
Anyway, someone on Reddit said that Becker apparently retired last year. So it looks like I probably can't buy one from him anyway.
Did you read my post at all, I wonder. Or the website, for that matter. (Hint: see the quote from the website in my post).

Yeah, I have (now) read that. I didn't read it initially. Somehow missed it when I was on the website at 2 AM lol.

When I originally commented today saying that someone on Reddit had said he had retired, I hadn't yet realized that you'd posted. Then I saw you had, so I edited my comment to respond to you. I clumsily didn't edit my post such that it was clear I had read your post in full. I neglected to mention that the website says that he's retired, and that I'd missed it. My apologies.

I suppose you didn't read between the lines either.
Seriously though, the way the maker represents his whistles through the sound clips and (review) videos is that likely to attract experienced players? I thought those clips were self explanatory.

Not sure what you mean by this. No idea why you think I'd assume that experienced players are or are not likely to try these whistles. Experienced players use whistles of all kinds, including very cheap ones and ones sold on all sorts of different websites. I really don't get your point.

Anyway, yeah, the clips were self-explanatory. I just thought maybe I'd get some interesting insights on here. I've watched plenty of rather uninformative YouTube reviews in the past and found better information on here before. I also know that there are some people on here that are more judging and critical than your average YouTube reviewer, which I like because it makes it easier to find out an instrument's flaws. So I decided to ask on here. Sue me.

Posted: **Mon Jan 29, 2024 1:22 pm**

Cyberknight wrote: ↑Mon Jan 29, 2024 11:05 am
Using a B whistle might be a good idea. My concern is that the range of the instrument might not be great for Scottish tunes.

Scottish tunes in E frequently go down to a low E and up to a B an octave and a half higher. Playing this on a B whistle would require you to play into the third octave, which doesn't sound like it would be easy on the ears or the lungs (the other alternative would be octave-switching, of course).

Scottish tunes in E? Do you mean E Major or E minor? If E Major I'm assuming these would be played on fiddle and box.

I have a Low E whistle which is really handy for some Scottish and Irish fiddle tunes in A Major, because you're just playing in the very comfortable key of G Major and the whistle is transposing them up to A Major for you.

On the other hand, if you mean tunes in the key of E-flat Major those would be Highland pipe tunes written in D Major but which come out on the Highland pipes, and on B-flat Scottish Smallpipes, in E flat Major.

As best I recall the only "Scottish" tunes in E Major I've heard are a few Cape Breton fiddle tunes, usually played in sets that go

E Major > E Mixolydian > E dorian or minor

in a similar way to the huge number of tunes played in sets that go

A Major > A Mixolydian > A dorian or minor

Posted: **Mon Jan 29, 2024 1:39 pm**

pancelticpiper wrote: ↑Mon Jan 29, 2024 1:22 pm
Cyberknight wrote: ↑Mon Jan 29, 2024 11:05 am
Using a B whistle might be a good idea. My concern is that the range of the instrument might not be great for Scottish tunes.

Scottish tunes in E frequently go down to a low E and up to a B an octave and a half higher. Playing this on a B whistle would require you to play into the third octave, which doesn't sound like it would be easy on the ears or the lungs (the other alternative would be octave-switching, of course).
Scottish tunes in E? Do you mean E Major or E minor? If E Major I'm assuming these would be played on fiddle and box.

I have a Low E whistle which is really handy for some Scottish and Irish fiddle tunes in A Major, because you're just playing in the very comfortable key of G Major and the whistle is transposing them up to A Major for you.

On the other hand, if you mean tunes in the key of E-flat Major those would be Highland pipe tunes written in D Major but which come out on the Highland pipes, and on B-flat Scottish Smallpipes, in E flat Major.

As best I recall the only "Scottish" tunes in E Major I've heard are a few Cape Breton fiddle tunes, usually played in sets that go

E Major > E Mixolydian > E dorian or minor

in a similar way to the huge number of tunes played in sets that go

A Major > A Mixolydian > A dorian or minor

I do mean E major, and not E flat major. There's quite a lot of tunes played in E major at the Scottish session I go to. A few that come to mind are MacArthur Road, Hull's Reel, Calliope House, and (sometimes) Ramnee Ceilidh. But there's probably 10 or so others I've heard at this particular session over the last year that I'd love to learn.

I currently play the ones I know on D whistle, which is a bit of a pain. I tried switching to the E Susato, but I can't stand how the Susato V series whistles play. And yes, I 100% agree that E whistles make transposing from G to A super easy, which is another reason I want a good one.

I guess maybe I should look into getting a low E whistle. That sounds like it could be fun to play! Of course, those too would be quite expensive. I really wish I could find something cheap, but playable.

Posted: **Mon Jan 29, 2024 2:27 pm**

Well,I'm an "experienced player" tho' I don't consider myself a musician of any stripe.

Been playing since the mid 1970s. That said as you might imagine I own a plethora of whistles accrued over the decades excluding those I sold/gave away.

Just for the heck of it I bought all of his whistles some years ago when the label was just a "B". I suppose those are "vintage" Becker's now? Cost me about $76.

For what they are,they're OK.Non tunable,ok sound,easy players,decent response.Not so hard on some innocent bystander's ears as some makes,I'll grant. That is a plus for some. Someone wondering about taking up low D could save a bit o' $ by trying out his before making an investment.Oddly,the lower the key the more air efficient I found them.Don't especially care for the higher keys tho' suppose it's possible the air efficiency for those changed since I purchased mine.

Don't play them really,tho' I will pull out the G sometimes. I don't think you'll find a lot of experienced people using them as a primary instrument,or probably very much at all. Good for backpacking in case something bad was to happen to it,but I always take "better" whistles camping. By better I can even mean up to 40+ year old "cheapies"-they sound/play better.Well,except for maybe the Waltons and new Feadogs.Not my cup o' tea,those.

James made a decent whistle at a very,very low price. For what they are,they ok. Anyone really getting into whistling will/can soon find better for only a little more $. That's all.

Hmmm......well,someone paid $1000 for an O'Riardon last year I believe.A whistle that cost $100 about 30 years ago. Maybe now that James has retired I could sell these for...$100 per? See P.T. Barnum.

Posted: **Mon Jan 29, 2024 3:30 pm**

The Lurking Fear wrote: ↑Mon Jan 29, 2024 2:27 pm Well,I'm an "experienced player" tho' I don't consider myself a musician of any stripe.

Been playing since the mid 1970s. That said as you might imagine I own a plethora of whistles accrued over the decades excluding those I sold/gave away.

Just for the heck of it I bought all of his whistles some years ago when the label was just a "B". I suppose those are "vintage" Becker's now? Cost me about $76.

For what they are,they're OK.Non tunable,ok sound,easy players,decent response.Not so hard on some innocent bystander's ears as some makes,I'll grant. That is a plus for some. Someone wondering about taking up low D could save a bit o' $ by trying out his before making an investment.Oddly,the lower the key the more air efficient I found them.Don't especially care for the higher keys tho' suppose it's possible the air efficiency for those changed since I purchased mine.

Don't play them really,tho' I will pull out the G sometimes. I don't think you'll find a lot of experienced people using them as a primary instrument,or probably very much at all. Good for backpacking in case something bad was to happen to it,but I always take "better" whistles camping. By better I can even mean up to 40+ year old "cheapies"-they sound/play better.Well,except for maybe the Waltons and new Feadogs.Not my cup o' tea,those.

James made a decent whistle at a very,very low price. For what they are,they ok. Anyone really getting into whistling will/can soon find better for only a little more $. That's all.

Hmmm......well,someone paid $1000 for an O'Riardon last year I believe.A whistle that cost $100 about 30 years ago. Maybe now that James has retired I could sell these for...$100 per? See P.T. Barnum.

Thanks for the input!

I actually did think about getting a low D from him, because I was thinking of trying one out that was inexpensive. Then I found someone selling a low D Susato for 20 dollars on Ebay (no earthly idea why) so I went for that instead.

Posted: **Tue Jan 30, 2024 8:40 am**

Not sure what you mean by this. No idea why you think I'd assume that experienced players are or are not likely to try these whistles. Experienced players use whistles of all kinds, including very cheap ones and ones sold on all sorts of different websites. I really don't get your point.

During my time here I have with some regularity referred to what I expect from a maker's website that is trying to sell me an instrument. I won't rehash all that again and ride the old hobbyhorse but in short, I am put off by makers who can't themselves play the instrument to a competent level or makers who represent their instruments with clips of players struggling with technique and intonation.

An instrument put through its paces by a competent player on the other hand is a good selling point, or at least something that may stir curiosity and invite further consideration.

Against that background, is the point I made before any clearer?

Posted: **Tue Jan 30, 2024 10:07 am**

Mr.Gumby wrote: ↑Tue Jan 30, 2024 8:40 am
Not sure what you mean by this. No idea why you think I'd assume that experienced players are or are not likely to try these whistles. Experienced players use whistles of all kinds, including very cheap ones and ones sold on all sorts of different websites. I really don't get your point.
During my time here I have with some regularity referred to what I expect from a maker's website that is trying to sell me an instrument. I won't rehash all that again and ride the old hobbyhorse but in short, I am put off by makers who can't themselves play the instrument to a competent level or makers who represent their instruments with clips of players struggling with technique and intonation.

An instrument put through its paces by a competent player on the other hand is a good selling point, or at least something that may stir curiosity and invite further consideration.

Against that background, is the point I made before any clearer?

Fair point!

Posted: **Sat Feb 03, 2024 1:07 pm**

Becker's out of business, so I did a scan of suppliers, and keys of high E and B thin down the supplier list.
Current suppliers and prices (hope I got all the prices correct, as of today's date):
Humphrey E $120, Humphrey B $140, Shearwater E £48, Shearwater B £78, Burke E $280, Burke B $280,
Goldie B EU295, Kerry Busker B £115

Searches like this usually reveal something else, so today I discovered the new Aerflo whistle which is designed
to be the best of the beginner whistles, available through McNeela so far, I see. Need more reviews if it's that good.

By the way, here are some keyboard shortcuts:
♪ = Alt + 13
♫ = Alt + 14
£ = Alt + 156

When a High E is made well, it can sound magnificent! Listen to this performance on an Anak high E whistle
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dq9iHMfmMfI

Posted: **Sat Feb 03, 2024 2:40 pm**

RoberTunes wrote: ↑Sat Feb 03, 2024 1:07 pm
When a High E is made well, it can sound magnificent! Listen to this performance on an Anak high E whistle
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dq9iHMfmMfI

Unfortunately in this day and age recordings like that are not particularly useful in light of the fact that anyone can use readily available software to pitch correct and eq the recording to their heart’s content. The audio for that YouTube video is obviously processed and one has no way of knowing what the whistle actually sounds like, or how good the intonation is.

Posted: **Sun Feb 04, 2024 3:40 pm**

RoberTunes wrote: ↑Sat Feb 03, 2024 1:07 pm Becker's out of business, so I did a scan of suppliers, and keys of high E and B thin down the supplier list.
Current suppliers and prices (hope I got all the prices correct, as of today's date):
Humphrey E $120, Humphrey B $140, Shearwater E £48, Shearwater B £78, Burke E $280, Burke B $280,
Goldie B EU295, Kerry Busker B £115

Searches like this usually reveal something else, so today I discovered the new Aerflo whistle which is designed
to be the best of the beginner whistles, available through McNeela so far, I see. Need more reviews if it's that good.

By the way, here are some keyboard shortcuts:
♪ = Alt + 13
♫ = Alt + 14
£ = Alt + 156

When a High E is made well, it can sound magnificent! Listen to this performance on an Anak high E whistle
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dq9iHMfmMfI

Wow, I have no idea how I overlooked Shearwater! They have an E whistle for the same price as Susato, and it looks to be a much better instrument. Now I'm curious: Anyone on here have a high Shearwater whistle, like a high C, D, or E? I'm actually really tempted to buy one of these but it's hard to find YouTube reviews of experienced players trying them out. My impression of them from the few videos that I can find is that they're medium bore and have relatively minor tuning issues (particularly the narrow bore ones).

I'd also love to hear if anyone has tried a brass-bodied Shearwater. Can't find any reviews of that anywhere.

Posted: **Mon Feb 05, 2024 6:05 pm**

Cyberknight wrote: ↑Sun Feb 04, 2024 3:40 pm

Wow, I have no idea how I overlooked Shearwater! They have an E whistle for the same price as Susato, and it looks to be a much better instrument. Now I'm curious: Anyone on here have a high Shearwater whistle, like a high C, D, or E? I'm actually really tempted to buy one of these but it's hard to find YouTube reviews of experienced players trying them out. My impression of them from the few videos that I can find is that they're medium bore and have relatively minor tuning issues (particularly the narrow bore ones).
I'd also love to hear if anyone has tried a brass-bodied Shearwater. Can't find any reviews of that anywhere.
[/quote]

Here is a playing review of Shearwaters, with other brands played for extra comparisons, as usual with this reviewer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=reEBskc ... o&index=60

I don't think I've seen a review of any of the brass Shearwaters.

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