Another Kerry Songbird Review

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DRC
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Post by DRC »

I received my Kerry Songbird D from the Whistle Shop a couple weeks ago and have been playing it exclusively in order to get used to it and break it in a bit before posting my comments. I hope this review will be helpful to anyone considering a Songbird.

<b>PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES</b>
The Songbird is an all-aluminum alloy, beautifully designed and crafted instrument with a shiny brushed finish and a subtle flare at the tube end. Although significantly wider than any of my other whistle's mouthpieces, the all-alloy mouthpiece is nicely designed and feels comfortable while playing. The Songbird's overall length is 30.6cm (just slightly over 12"), bore diameter is 1.5cm (5/8"), so it's what I consider a wide bore bordering on very wide, and is longer than any of my other D whistles. The bore diameter is about the same as my Generation Bb. Finger hole spacing is comfortable and nearly the same as a Susato very small bore D, except the 4th hole is placed about 1/8" lower than the Susato's, and the 6th hole is about 1/8" higher. The holes are large and nicely finished with an edge that can be easily felt, but still allows smooth slides and half-holing. The rounded fipple blade appears to be an extension of the tube and machined to a sharp, tapered edge. The one-piece mouthpiece housing is then affixed to the tube. There's no logo or imprinting on the whistle except for a small recessed "D" stamped about 5/8" from the end of the tube. For its size, the Songbird is lightweight and feels nicely balanced when playing. It feels to be about the same weight as a Silkstone Alloy D but a little heavier than a Burke AlPro D. Overall, a very simple, but impressive looking whistle.

<b>PLAYABILITY/SOUND/ACCURACY</b>
The Songbird is definitely a "power whistle" (as Thom Larson terms it), requiring a good amount of air and breath control to play properly as you progress up the scale. The second octave can handle a lot of air without breaking up or jumping octaves and you can really pour on the power without affecting the pitch. Conversely, it can be played softly and expressively while maintaining good pitch. The overall tone and character of the Songbird is what I'd term round, full and very pleasant, slightly breathy with just a bit of chiff. Both octaves are well balanced with smooth transitions. I prefer tunable whistles for various reasons and was skeptical about the Songbird being non-tunable, but when warmed up it's dead-on in tune and I had no tuning problems when using it for the first time in my session group last week. Overall accuracy is very good. I found C natural is most accurately played by either half-holing or using OXXOOO. OXOOOO is a bit sharp and OXXXOX a bit flat. This whistle requires you to be in total control at all times and seems to be very unforgiving of even the slightest bit of sloppy/inconsistent air control or not covering the finger holes properly.

<b>IN SESSION</b>
In my session group of about 12-15 people, I could easily hear myself (which isn't always a good thing) and I'm very pleased with the overall tone. Our practice room is usually heavily air conditioned and there were initial clogging problems, but once warmed up, it wasn't much of a problem. I'm not used to playing such a wide bore, and that in itself has required some adjustments in my playing.

<b>FINALLY</b>
The first time you play a Songbird, you'll immediately notice a very strong acidic, metallic, lingering taste on your lips, but this will dissipate after a few hours of playing. As with any all-metal/alloy whistle, the Songbird should be warmed up before playing to achieve proper pitch and playability.

Denny

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: DRC on 2002-08-03 00:30 ]</font>
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Whitmores75087
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Post by Whitmores75087 »

Sheech!
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