McNeela Wild Irish C Whistle + Generation, Oak, Freeman, Goldfinch, Clover, Burke, Carbony

[@johnnypipe]

For my 77 year old ears I like the tone quality of the Cl;over and Burke best. And Ashokan Farewell has always been one of my favorites. Thanks for the video.

[@NathanielDowell]

1:05- Generation C 3:06 - Oak C 6:15 - Freeman Mellow Dog C 8:39 - Goldfinch C 11:43 - McNeela Wild Irish C 15:55 - Clover (#4 head) 18:22 - Burke 20:28 - Carbony

[@OzzyCoop]

I just bought a Wild Irish in C and found this video. I cant wait to get it. It sounds beautiful. Thanks for the video!

[@tintintin]

A really useful video; many thanks for posting. I watched just for the review element but have very much enjoyed your playing. Great stuff!

[@gragall78]

I know this video is old now but my clover whistle is on its way after 4 months waiting, suppose to arrive by the 31st of August, I'm like a kid waiting for Christmas morning😁

[@robertjohnston5011]

The Oak sounds quite nice, but that Clover is a real standout for tone through the full range!

[@andytan4978]

Lovely playing. I especially liked the tune at 12:55 onwards. Very soulful. What tune is that?

[@NathanielDowell]

Ashokan Farewell

[@soslothful]

So I was revisiting this post and had an idea. A comparison video playing the same tune, or scale, on several makes of whistles in the same key, but with this twist. You play them without announcing the maker and without the viewer seeing you. Then viewers will rate the sound quality and we'll see if the high end whistles fare better than there lesser brethren.

[@NathanielDowell]

I've thought about doing something like that.

[@soslothful]

@@NathanielDowell It would be interesting. Such a blind test may be revealing. I suspect most of us may form opinions based on the makers name and would hooray a well know craftsman's whistle and quickly nix one of a less known maker and especially a mass produced maker.

[@allonwne]

Great idea

[@Simon-vt1zp]

Another great video 👍 Do you have any plans to review/ showcase a Howard low D, any time in the future ?

[@NathanielDowell]

Howard has been on my radar for a while, but I don't have any immediate plans to purchase one. CutiePie did a really nice review of one last year.

[@Simon-vt1zp]

@@NathanielDowell Thanks Nathanial. I get a lot of inspiration from your vids man 👍

[@bonenfant96]

The Oak is kind of surprising.

[@NathanielDowell]

Yeah, it's pretty good for the price. Strong bell note and a nice raspy character. Admittedly, I don't use C whistles all that often, but this was my go-to C whistle for a long time before I got the Burke.

[@ElijahG98]

Whistle question, I'd love to hear your opinion. I've been trying to make my own whistles for months. and while they are getting pretty decent, I feel like they are always a bit lacking and I want to get something good for a baseline. Which leads to my question. How do you think a burke compares to something cheaper, like a dante? A burke costs about 2/3x the price. I'm most likely looking into getting an alto a, but possibly others, like Bb. I just want to know that what I have is excellent, and then I can focus more on my playing and not in the basement trying to make something that I feel is good. And then if what I buy isnt better than mine I've made, I can make more of my own and not feel like they are bad. But Dantes are very tempting. They look and seem to play great, and at the low cost I dont really feel like I have to make my own to save the money. Thanks.

[@NathanielDowell]

So what you get in the Burke is power in the first octave, especially the bell note. The Dante isn't nearly as robust. However, I think the Dante makes up for its lighter, more delicate nature by delivering a beautifully complex tone. Both are excellent, and which you prefer is up to you.

[@NathanielDowell]

Off the top of my head, I'd say that the below are the six major characteristics I look for, roughly in order of importance. Tuning - if I have to noticeably fight a whistle to get it to play in tune, or to blend with tracks, it's no fun to play. The best whistles play in tune without much thought. The worst have multiple notes where you have to try to blow significantly harder or softer in various places to try to bring them in line, if you can even do it. Stability - The best whistles break into the second octave when you want them to. Stronger whistles tend to have bit more dynamic range than more delicate whistles, and you can push them a bit harder before they break, but it's often a matter of dialing in the breath pressure to match what the whistle needs. The Burkes and Goldies can handle a bit more push, which can make them more expressive, while the Dante breaks sooner, needing a lighter touch, but all three are very stable once you know what they need. The worst whistles have gravelly low notes that always seem like they're half ready to jump to the second octave no matter how softly you blow them. Balance - related to stability and tuning, but having a whistle that has a strong, solid low end while giving you a pleasant top end (and in tune) is rare. All whistles will be softer in the first octave and louder in the second. It's just the nature of the beast. However, the best makers can fine tune that balance and give you low notes that are full while keeping the top from being harsh or piercing. Average whistles tend to have a spot near the top (typically A or B, sometimes as low as the G) where you have to blow noticeably harder to keep it in the second octave and be in tune (usually with a noticeable jump in volume). The worst whistles are rough and uncomfortable to play at the top, while being too quiet and unstable at the bottom. I've had whistles that are flat on the bell note, but then really hard to keep in the second octave on the high B, to the point where the note blows really sharp when you are blowing hard enough to keep it up there. Again, you don't want to be fighting your whistle when you play. Air Efficiency - This is also related to balance (and the concept of back pressure - AKA 'resistance'). Usually, the more you restrict the air flow, provided you get all the other geometry right, the more focused your tone and the more air efficient your whistle. However, there's a danger that your whistle will lose some of its fullness of tone, and the tone will be more nasally and less open. Goldfinch and Goldie whistles come really close to that point. The Burke and Reviol are more on the other side. MK (low D) is kind of in the middle, having a full tone, a bit of backpressure, but not too air hungry. The Shaw low D is probably just outside the comfortable normal range, wasting quite a bit of air. It's very full, but extremely breathy. It means you have to be very strategic in where you breathe, and again, you're typically looking for a whistle you can just play effortlessly. Tone - This is the most subjective characteristic. You can have pure, full tones, pure nasally tones, immediate tones, muffled tones, rounded tones, defined, complex tones, and everything in between. Reviol is full and complex, while Burke is pure and round and smooth. To me, the average whistles tend to have muffled, muddy tones, and lack the defined 'bite' that some of the best have. Attack - This is harder to quantify, but it's the characteristic you hear at the start of the note. You might say the best whistles are 'crisp' and 'ringing' as you play. They have a lot of pop as you transition from note to note because of that 'attack'. The average whistles will play each note cleanly, but the start of each note is a bit soft or muddy. Killarney and the Chieftain Cobre have fantastic attack. The term 'Chiff' is the 'ch' sound you sometimes hear at the start ('attack') of the note, and is an old pipe organ term. Today, some people use it to refer to the complexity of the tone (i.e. 'chiffy'), but that's a relatively new usage.

[@ElijahG98]

@@NathanielDowell Thanks for all the info, it means a lot. I feel like my whistles I've made meet a lot of those 'average' or worse points. I feel like they almost are in perfect tune,. but then when I'm, paying, and especially the higher notes, feels like its flat. This bugs me the most. And some of them the tone just feels eh. Preference wise, I'm not sure which style I'd prefer more, the burke or dante. I keep switching between if I want a easy blower or a bit of push. I have a tilbury c whistle that I got a while back before I made any. Its a very soft blower so the low notes are usually pretty disappointing. But in every other way it plays very nice. Thanks again. While I'm still not sure what to buy because there's so much preference, I do think buying something will be an improvement so I'll most likely get something.

[@NathanielDowell]

@@ElijahG98 If it helps, at the A, I prefer the Dante because I like the tone so much. The Burke is a little too smooth and round for my taste, though it does have that beefy low end. I do have my aluminum Burke A listed for sale, by the way, if you decide on that one. If you're in the US, I'll sell for $210, shipping included.

[@NathanielDowell]

@@ElijahG98 My Burke A: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pXu4l6mGZc-Vf6s

[@zachariahjosephturne]

You play amazingly! How might I get that good! Other than practicing LOL Are there any resources on the Internet besides KZbin maybe online lessons somewhere that can really teach you to get to that level that you're at! I've been playing stringed instruments for over 20 years but this is a whole new ballgame would love to get to your level!

[@NathanielDowell]

KZbin has a lot of great resources. Check out Shannon Heaton's tune of the month series for great tips on rhythm and variations. Online Academy of Irish Music has a bunch of courses. Listen to a ton of music. The best advice I've heard is to focus on playing perfectly, in rhythm, at as slow a pace as necessary. If you can play it perfectly, you can speed up a bit. If you are making mistakes, slow it down again.

[@zachariahjosephturne]

@@NathanielDowell thanks for the reply

[@bonenfant96]

The Oak sounds better than the Generation.

[@soslothful]

What is the first tune you are playing on the Freeman and Goldfinch? Very familiar but I cannot call it.

[@NathanielDowell]

Jerry's Beaver Hat

[@soslothful]

@@NathanielDowell Thanks!