A tuneable whistle for playing in church?

[Feadoggie]

I've never been a member of church with real acoustics although I have visited them and I cry.

I've had the opportunity to play in a number of church sanctuaries. The acoustics in most have not been anything special - much like school lunchrooms really. But a couple were big spaces with hard surfaces all over and the natural reverb was spectacular. In those cases you just step away from the mic and let the space do its thing. It's a lovely experience.

There's a small and I mean really small chapel north of here that is a small hex shaped rough laid stone structure. It's one of my favorite places to play. But then I spend a lot of time in churches.



Feadoggie

[Denny]

wow! that's a lot nicer'n mine...

[killthemessenger]

But then I spend a lot of time in churches.

I avoid them, but credit where credit's due - they do have spectacular acoustics for solo instruments. Of course they're mostly several hundred year old stone buildings in Europe.

[Hotblack]

The only time I played a whistle in church was in Germany last year when I was on tour with my wife's choir. I tried out my Dixon Trad between rehearsals from the minstrels gallery up at the back. It sounded fabulous. Not that that helps much.

[Mack.Hoover]

Hi atl,

Welcome to C&F's simple answer forum. I do have a suggestion and I sent it in a PM.
Mack

Hi all,

Long time reader, first time poster. I was wondering if anyone had suggestions for a tuneable whistle that would be suitable for playing in church. I have a Syn that I currently use, but it's just too loud. Thanks!

[atlwhistler]

Thanks all for the suggestions and the welcome to the forum! I wonder if it could be just me thinking that it's too loud. I have a bamboo whistle from Eric the Flutemaker which is great, but not tuneable. Maybe I should just try a Susato and a Dixon. Plus, I wasn't wanting to get anything much more expensive than a Susato Kildare.

[Feadoggie]

wow! that's a lot nicer'n mine...

Nice stump house. The stumps around these parts aren't even big enough for hobbits let alone humans. All we got is stone, lots of stone.

I wonder if it could be just me thinking that it's too loud.

A syn whistle is not loud, really, just crisp. A Susato S-series would be a bit louder. You should give a Burke narrow bore a try though. They are loud enough to carry in most environments but the volume is not top heavy as it can be in some whistles. The volume is nicely balanced across its range. They are more expensive than a Susato Kildare but worth every penny, IMHO.

Another reason that I suggest the Susato and the Burke is that the tuning of those whistles seems to play well with keyboards and other instruments I run into at churches. But YMMV.

Feadoggie

[Denny]

Nice stump house. The stumps around these parts aren't even big enough for hobbits let alone humans. All we got is stone, lots of stone.

This area was first logged off about 100 years ago. Yours should be long gone.

Got stone here too

[jemtheflute]

Got stoned here too....

Effects of church...... Biblical, see.....

But I don't think Denny ever logs off.

[Denny]

I go away for a while...but not long.

[pancelticpiper]

Any whistle whatsoever, which plays well, works well with church gigs.

I've used all these on church gigs on a regular basis



(whistles in every key, chromatic, from Low D up to high Eb)

[Adrian]

Burke and Susato are my go to whistles for church.

[pancelticpiper]

Just played a church gig Sunday.

It was uilleann pipes for a few things, MK Low D for one thing, old Generation C for ST PATRICKS BREASTPLATE and BUNESSAN, Freeman Tweaked Generation B flat for SLANE.

SLANE (Be Thou My Vision) is usually in E flat and works perfectly on a B flat whistle. I never had a B flat I liked until I got that Freeman one.