Introduction: As most everyone here, I first saw this whistle on Chiff and Fipple in a post by Dale. I am probably not alone in my immediate reaction of “Wow, that’s a beautiful whistle!”. Naturally the first question on my mind was, “Does it play as good as it looks?”
Enough interest was generated so that I had to learn more. I wrote to the maker and asked if he accepted visitors. Obtaining an enthusiastic invitation, I asked Paul Busman to go along to investigate this new instrument and meet the maker.
After a pleasant drive, we arrived and found the home I was warned would be purple. As we drove up to a very purple cottage, we were greeted at the door by Peter Bonsteel, who made it very clear that the home’s color choice was Vivian’s (his partner). Everyone laughed and this set the tone for a light hearted get together with the center of most conversations being whistles and in particular Peter’s new addition.
About the maker: Peter is a tall, lean man who appears to be just what he is…a wood worker. He looks like he should have a show on PBS. Appearances aside, Peter is the kind of person who is so obviously appreciative of his blessings. He loves Vivian, his life and his place in it.
With regard to his whistle, he is humble to the point of smiling like a little boy who has hit his first homerun. He knows he has worked hard to get there, but still can’t believe it and has a huge grin when complimented.
He should fit in comfortably among our other whistle makers.
Maker: Peter Bonsteel/Hudson Winds
http://www.hudsonwinds.com/
Whistle: Tunable brass conical, key of D with acetal fipple plug.
Price: $165.00 USD
At first glance, you can see this whistle is well made and a quality instrument. After spending some time listening to two whistle makers exchanging techniques and related information, it was clear to me this guy knew his stuff, even though I don’t know very much about the specifics of whistle making. This wasn’t a project started in the garage and finished in a week. Peter has the prototypes to prove it.
Yes, the whistle is aesthetically pleasing, a work of art really.
So, how does it play…?
Picking it up, it is not light weight, but not the heaviest piece of brass I’ve held. It is just right and well balanced. Very comfortable to hold.
The body is conical and formed using a mandrel, not rolled.
The mouth piece has the flat top and this is a first for me. Felt different, but quickly became accustomed to it.
Windway is tapered. The window, blade and…well, even if I understood what was described, I couldn’t say or I’d be swimming with the fishes. Let’s just say Peter did his homework and has come up with a very impressive design that will no doubt influence others.
Like most, there are certain things I look for in my whistles. A strong low end is first on the list. I want that bell note to be up there in volume with all the other notes. Peter’s whistle accomplishes this very nicely. Good strong low end.
Next, a whistle has to be pure sounding. To me, pure means you don’t hear a lot of air being pushed through the instrument. First octave is flawless. Second octave needs steady pressure and toward the top end you can hear the slightest bit of air. Really slight. If I weren’t thinking about it, I probably wouldn’t even notice.
Tuning was pretty darn close to perfect. Most notes were dead on while others drifted a few cents in either direction. C natural was best played half holed or cross fingered OXXXOO. OXXOOO was about 15 cents sharp. Which is close enough for me.
Tuning is accomplished by sliding the top and bottom toward or away from each other. There is no additional parts for the slide. Though the body is conical, the top section is cylindrical and slides very firmly into the head piece. No additional parts, no O-rings. Just precision craftsmanship.
Transition between octaves is smooth, but does require attention to breath pressure. The higher up in scale that you go, the more pressure the whistle requires. It took me about two hours to feel like I was in control and the whistle was an old friend.
Volume is the high end of moderate. I would feel comfortable taking this whistle into seisiun. You can push it for volume without it switching octaves uncontrollably.
For me, I like a whistle with low air requirement. When I saw the size of the bore and wind way, I was certain this whistle would ‘take my breath away’. Yes it does need attention paid to keeping constant pressure, but I was pleasantly surprised to find I had wind to spare. I haven’t had the experience of coming to the end of a phrase with this whistle and having to cut it short.
I like a whistle that has a well behaved upper second octave. I don’t like getting up there and having the sound be so shrill it hurts. This whistle is not the quietest whistle on the top end and it does need that extra push, BUT it does not get so loud that it is shrill. After a short time, you learn where the correct level of push is so that you are not blowing your brains out for those upper notes. So, it’s a bit loud, but certainly not shrill.
Those who know me, know my favorite tune is also the one that I play to judge a whistle. Innerlight by Jay Chattaway; immortalized in the Star Trek episode of the same name. If you’ve tried this piece, you know how important it is to not just hit that third D, but sustain it. This was not something that came easy on this whistle, but like the rest of the upper end, it comes down to pressure. When I was able to play this piece comfortably, I knew it was capable. Although, the third D does play sharp by about 15 cents. Again, I can live with that.
Hole placement is good. I didn’t even think about it until writing this. Hole size is very comfortable. Holes have no sharp edges and your fingers can have a field day slurring and bending notes.
Clogging is not a big issue. Played cold without warm up, you can ‘feel’ it getting moist, but it has never shut down or forced me to stop. Warming the head is best and needs only a bit of breathing in warm air. Once the whistle is warmed up, clogging has not been an issue.
Conclusion: This whistle is a work of art to the eye and ear. I would not recommend someone learn to play whistle on this instrument. It’s more a second whistle. Knowledge of breath control is essential for best performance.
For me, the whistle is waiting to see what I want from it. Fast or slow, this whistle has personality. It’s crisp and clean sounding and the notes charge out of the whistle. It very nicely translates into music the emotion you put into it.
In the hands of an intermediate player such as myself or higher, this is a truly precision instrument that is worthy of being placed among the top whistles today. Considering this is Peter’s introduction piece, I can only imagine where he will end up. Staying with it, we will undoubtedly find him among the top whistlesmiths. Good luck Peter. Very nice job.
Note: I’m told an Eb is not far off. A C is planned and will NOT be interchangeable with the D/Eb head.
Sound Samples
Dennis Murphey's http://www.communitylinks.us/Music/dm.mp3
Down By the Sally Garden http://www.communitylinks.us/Music/sally.mp3
Geese IN The Bog http://www.communitylinks.us/Music/geese.mp3
Inner Light http://www.communitylinks.us/Music/innerlight01.mp3
