Tin Whistle Comparison: Generation vs Freeman Tweaked

Thanks to the everyone commenting on my previous video I got a pretty good idea what sort of whistles folks are using these days and it's given me some ideas for comparison videos. And this is the first of the bunch: OG Generation vs Freeman Tweaked "Bluebird".
Generation D Whistle: amzn.to/3i51CoB
More content on Patreon: / whistletutor
My Gear
Camera: Panasonic GH5 (amzn.to/33oJiCW)
Wide Lens: Sigma 16mm f/1.4 (amzn.to/33kBh1K)
B-Roll Lens: Panasonic 42.5mm f/1.7 (amzn.to/31iddtN)
Boom Mic: Rode NTG4 (amzn.to/3gtf59e)
On-camera Mic: Rode Video Micro (amzn.to/3i3n7pJ)
Lavalier Mic: Shure SM93 (amzn.to/2EQ0V4p)
Handheld Mic: Shure Beta58 (amzn.to/2EEGsiC)
Flute Clip-on Mic: Audio Technica Pro 35 (amzn.to/2Pj9Ywn)
Gimbal: DJI Ronin SC (amzn.to/2Xpeb6b)
Drone: DJI Mavic Air (amzn.to/3goEL7a)
XLR Interface: Focusrite Scarlett Solo (amzn.to/31d3GnD)
Action camera: GoPro Hero 7 Black (amzn.to/3i8jxuJ)
DAW: Logic Pro X
NLE: Final Cut Pro X
VFX: Apple Motion
Whistles are made by Gary Humphrey: web.blomand.net...
Flutes made by Terry McGee (www.mcgee-flute...) and Windward (www.windwardflu...)
Follow me on Instagram: / whistletutor
My website for info about lessons and tour dates and stuff: whistletutor.com
BUSINESS INQUIRIES: [e-mail]

[@TunesFromDoolin]

Good old tweaked generations sound so good, Mary Bergin all the way!!

[@andrewwigglesworth3030]

tweaked? What are you taking about?

[@TunesFromDoolin]

@@andrewwigglesworth3030 There are ways to improve the basic generation whistles, this was like a standard in Ireland for many years and I'd pretty sure people still do it! It you search "tweaked generation whistle" you can even find some videos that show you how to do it!

[@andrewwigglesworth3030]

I had a little smile at your surprised and positive reaction to the Generation whistle. The numerous outrageous claims and slanders aimed at Generation whistles online is both annoying and depressing. The fact that it was quite fine "out of the box" and simply needed a bit of tuning was no surprise to me. I've got new and old Generation whistles in all the keys they offer and every single one I've had over the years has also been quite fine. On the tuning. Generation whistles are not tuned to Equal temperament. They are tuned to something approaching Just temperament, so playing one into a chromatic tuner with Equal temperament will *always* fail. Get your Ds right (on a D whistle), and the rest falls into place where it should. I've played Generation whistles all of my life (well, since before the age of 7) so I'm used to them, and I don't have any issue hitting those top notes on any of my whistles, not just Generations. Get used to the instrument and it will "magically improve". To be fair, that's something you mentioned. My verdict on this comparison? For me, the sound and handling of the standard Generation whistle is great, and I didn't hear any problems here on this video.

[@MrSeedi76]

That was rather interesting. A few thoughts, if I may. The Generations are not tuned to equal temperament but are closer to just temperament (probably to sound better in tune with the Uilleann Pipes). So when you set the tuner to just temperament, they will be much better in tune. Even though they still tend to go a bit flat at the end of the 2nd octave but that can be adjusted by blowing harder or tuning the lower octave slightly sharp. And one other thought. Jerry Freeman himself once explained the differences between different Generations on Facebook. He said that they (the ones in D at least) come from 4 different molds for the injection molding and some are better than others. I have a new Generation that plays just as good as my vintage one (the ones made in the 80s). But others play much worse (louder, harsher and the notes break easier). Keep up the good work! You are one of my favourite tin whistle instruction channels! I often recommend your channel, when people ask about which one to choose or follow on KZbin.

[@andrewwigglesworth3030]

"The Generations are not tuned to equal temperament but are closer to just temperament (probably to sound better in tune with the Uilleann Pipes)" Sorry, but you appear to be hallucinating 😀

[@danasullivan8598]

I recently revived the brass Generations I bought in the ‘70s. But now that I play with other people I’m more concerned about being in tune. My old whistles were a little sharp, so I got the Dixon 004. Which is fine. Next step was the Killarney brass. Which is really nice. But I wanted something a little edgier for the more raucous tunes. So I ordered the Generation nickel. Tuner says D bumps up to Eb, G to G# and so on. I was almost counting on the hot water trick, but after three tries ranging from rinsing to long soaking, no luck. Refund in the works. Once my Woodis arrive (I want a tuneable C), I’ll have all the high whistles I’ll ever need (I’m 73, so I can say that with confidence). I will tell my friends that any whistle will do if you’re playing - as I had for many years - by yourself. But when you’re ready to jam, get something tuneable.

[@hellsingmongrel]

Oh God, the Freeman sounded SO MUCH BETTER then the OG! I think that sharpness problem is a reason I'm not often fond of the high, metal-bodied whistles. In the lower whistles, the pitchiness is harder to hear if it's even there, but those high whistles just blare it loud and proud, and my ears want to scream! But hearing the Freeman whistle was sooooo nice! I think I'm definitely going to have to get one of those for when I get a metal whistle!

[@travisjohnson7065]

Great video. I have several Freeman tweaked whistles in different keys and I've been very happy with them. They always seem to have a nice smoothness and consistency.

[@grahamedwards2548]

Where do you buy thr freeman tweeted whistles

[@soslothful]

I'd like to see you review Becker Whistles. I quite like the one's I have purchased.

[@MPahana]

Funny, I just got a Freeman tweaked Bb generation and compared it with my cheapo Bb generation, the day before this video was posted. The Freeman seems smoother and more "even", but the C and C# notes are a bit raspy and I can't get much volume on them. Maybe I need to play it for a while and work it in. I do, however, love my Freeman Blackbird in D. It's my favorite.

[@bob-rogers]

I've had a Generation Bb since the early 1990s and I got a Freeman tweaked about three years ago.Freeman trims some off the end of the barrel to help with the tuning. For me, the Freeman is a lot easier to play and I like the more "pure" sound better than the rasp of the OG.

[@stokiepeas]

Looking forward to the whistle smackdown!

[@Reeldin58]

Just found this one. A very easy tweak you could do on the out of the box Generation is to put some sticky tac in the hollow section inside the mouthpiece. You will find it does improve things a little. I'm a big fan of Generation whistles. If you can find a pre 1982 model before they changed the moulding process they are lovely instruments.

[@andrewwigglesworth3030]

I tried this on a Generation whistle (it's a pretty new trend in terms of these whistles) and it did nothing that I liked. Dull and characterless was my summation.

[@Reeldin58]

@@andrewwigglesworth3030 Hi Andrew, I suppose it's all very subjective when it comes to the sound of whistles. I really like the sound of a good Generation whistle but I have had one or two over the years that I've given away because for me they just didn't cut it. I do have a couple that a little bit of Blue Tac tamed the upper octave a little and made it much more playable than it was to start with, but no amount of Blue-Tac can work a miracle. When I first discovered Jerry Freeman and the tweaks he was doing I decided to search for the real thing and keep an eye on ebay for the old Generation whistles that he was trying to recreate. I have a few of them now that I've bought over the last three or four years and even those vary in their playability but by and large they are well worth looking out for. The trend these days seems to be for quite expensive "High End" instruments. I have a Killarney d that is pretty much my go to whistle, but when I need something in a different key those old Generations fit the bill perfectly. Plus maybe I just got lucky but I did pick up an old Generation d that is tarnished and even has a dent by the 6th hole but is a joy to play and to my ears sounds wonderful. Sorry this reply is so long, if you got to the end you deserve a beer now.

[@Michajeru]

I'd very much like you to review the Killarney whistle. They come in both brass and nickel.

[@PaulTheSkeptic]

I kinda like the raspiness. I'm all about the imperfections in music and how they improve the sound. I love Bob Dylan's voice for example. It's clearly far from perfect but that's what makes it interesting. I more about the Jack White approach to music. Give me a plastic guitar and I'll show you what I can do with it.

[@robertjohnston5011]

A nice informative comparison. I've been searching around for whistles about 7 years now and after buying some Generations at the start, as many do (simply because local music stores supply them for cheap, and we don't yet understand what is going on in the whistle marketplace), I am off them for good, because of the total lack of quality control by Generation, the great inconsistency of quality and performance, the very thin tone, the chances being high that the whistle will only perform in the lowest 1.5 octaves before the notes go raspy. It's not the pipe (I think), it's the mouthpiece that's problematic. After practicing to record a CD with whistle on some tunes and one instrumental featuring it, I opted for a Walton's "Guinness" whistle (similar to their Little Black whistle), which was still inexpensive, but far more uniform in tone and playability than any Generation I'd played in any key (while still clearly not up to the Burke/Humphrey/Chieftain/Goldie/Killarney level of excellence, it had notes that when starting to break up or add more windiness, were manageable and still musical within the particular piece I was playing). I've heard nothing but good about the Freeman upgrades, but to pay that kind of money, means I'm going to look around A LOT for all the options. I've also heard that people have had a lot better experience with Generations in the key of Bb, VS what goes on with the other keys. That might be the accidental arriving at a "sweet spot" where the tube bore size and the mouthpiece design find their best matchup. Anyone relate to that?

[@MrSeedi76]

Hi Robert, I think your experience proves one thing: all of the cheapo whistles have quality control issues. I have the Waltons little black whistle and it's truly horrible. The absolute worst whistle I own. While at least one my Generations plays just wonderful. But some are aweful. It is mainly due to the differences between different molds for the injection molding process. See my other post. Jerry Freeman explained all that on Facebook once. It's the same with the Generation Bb but in that case there are two different molds from which the mouthpiece originates. One is better than the other.

[@NathanielDowell]

I bought a whole set of Generation Whistles to test, and they were all decent except for the D. I got three more, and two were okay, like the one in this video, and one was more like the first one I'd played. I wonder if it's just the sheer number of D whistles they produce that causes the molds to wear out faster. I'd imagine D sells at many times the rate of the the others. My favorite traditional tin whistle has been the Timothy J. Potter at about $32. Not as nice as a Killarney, but a lovely little instrument. I think he's on a waiting list now though.

[@NathanielDowell]

The Generation Bb has long been a whistle I highly recommend to people just starting out. Every one I've ever played has been very good.

[@SeekerLancer]

I know a lot of people love the Generation for nostalgic or traditional reasons but it just never cut the mustard with me. The high D one anyway, Generation's Bb is shockingly good and I really love it. I find the high D more than playable but I'm more likely to get a squeak out of them that I am other whistles and while the rough sound is endearing it's not what I personally want from a whistle. I got a Freeman Blackbird and it really brings out the potential of what these whistles could be and shows just how much good fipple design matters, it's the voice of the instrument and if it's made poorly it sounds and performs poorly. Jerry corrects the obvious flaws in the design and the result is really incredible that it's hard to believe it's the same whistle.

[@andrewwigglesworth3030]

" it's hard to believe it's the same whistle" It's not 😀 The Blackbird whistles are made from Feadog whistles. I've tried the Blackbird, and some people seem to like them, but they don't sound right to me. I'd pick a standard Generation.

[@ericjam6346]

I really like Jerry's whistles. In my opinion, most of the generations aren't quite ready for use off the shelf. Some generations, even with the head adjustment, still can't be blown into tune. I think Jerry's Mellow Dog sounds similar to your Humphrey. The bluebird has just a bit more bite. Also, most of Jerry's whistles have decent tuning. I've got quite a few of Jerry's whistles and I am very happy with them.

[@NoHomerS]

You're lucky. He just stopped tweaking whistles. I've been eyeing some for some time on his eBay store, but I waited too long. I finally found some on eBay!

[@andrewwigglesworth3030]

"most of the generations aren't quite ready for use off the shelf" Where do people get this nonsense from? It's palpable nonsense that seems to get boosted on the web. It used to be tales of the "rare outstanding" Generation whistles, which remarkably all seemed to belong to the best players, to this kind of comment where where the rarity is claimed to be a whistle that's playable at all.

[@ericjam6346]

@@andrewwigglesworth3030 Jerry is a great guy. My point of view is pretty much along the same line of thought Jerry has about his tweaks. I tend to look at it like this. If you, and people like you are correct, then Jerry wouldn't have sold one whistle. Quite the opposite happened actually. Many people are quite fond of Jerry and his whistle tweaking mastery. Additionally, in many cases, "the best players" as you say, are performing many of the same tweaks Jerry does. So, with that being said, I hope you get just how much merit I give to your interpretation of "nonsense" and what your opinion is in general.

[@andrewwigglesworth3030]

@@ericjam6346 Buy them if you wish, but simply pointing at the sale of "tweaked" whistles is not the same as saying that they are always necessary. That's just a circular argument. Also, the claim that "the best players" are "are performing many of the same tweaks Jerry does" is just an assertion, not based in any fact. Nonsense is when anonymous people online claim that most Generation whistles are unplayable without "tweaking"; who constantly preach this to new players who haven't learnt the instrument yet. I'll state this without fear or favour. Generation whistles are a very good option for beginners (and more advanced players), there is not some generic problem with them and it is highly unlikely that you'll get an unplayable or "bad" whistle when you buy one.

[@StephenIngraham]

Looks like you need to moderate your comments :) (Of course if you do, the offending comments will disappear and folks will say “what’s he on about?” ) Great idea. I look forward to more comparisons and to the final smack-down. :) As a beginner, I find choosing a whistle that is 1) easy to play, and 2) sounds good...is very difficult. I can barely (kinda sorta) play Amazing Grace and I already own 5 D whistles and have 2 more on order. Not all cheap whistles either. :( This series should be very helpful. As a beginner I struggle with “breath control” and “popping up to the next octave.” Either the whistle is so sensitive that I have difficulty holding the low notes without them popping up (Dixon non-tunable plastic or the Sweettone)...especially if I try to tongue the note...or it takes a real push to hit the next octave (my WhistleSmith large bore...which I had to buy because it is make in Maine right up the road from me) and I don’t reliably make it. I dream of a whistle that is a happy medium. Of course, in month I may be asking “what’s he on about?” as my skills develop...anyway, great job. Keep it up.

[@soslothful]

I'm a nascent player, too. I have several handcrafted high end whistles which were expensive. Still I find I play my Becker whistles just as much. They are mellow and quiet. Becker Whistles are affordable and very nice. I have five and really like them. Other good mid priced makers are: Susato, USA and Goldfinch, Poland. I have two whistles form Gary Humphrey, the maker Sean plays and promotes. They were expensive, over $100, but wow are they sweet!

[@BobNevins420]

I have a tweaked high F. I like traveling with it, but prefer my Humphrey.

[@annikajey]

Generation 3:32 Freeman 5:59 You're welcome

[@FiddlingwithmyWhistle]

I know, KZbin has this cool new time scape thing, if you start at 0:00 intro and then the 3:32 Generation 5:59 Freeman we just need to convince the world to use it

[@annikajey]

@@FiddlingwithmyWhistle it's not cool, it's usefull

[@NathanielDowell]

@@annikajey I agree. I like the additional commentary, but I always try to put timestamps in the comments on my videos to try to let people jump quickly to what they want to listen to, or compare between whistles. I use them for learning tunes too, by marking the A part or B part.

[@AlejandroVazquez75]

Nice

[@lurdescruz5474]

The Gary Humphrey is the best !!!! Strong but also smooth !!!!

[@ld7561]

I just got a tin whistle, made of plastic, that looks like wood- I'm trying to learn how to play, but the fingering is so awkward. Using a C-Key, at the moment. The D, was easier.. I don't know, if it's not playing because it's awful, or because I'm awful.. Really hard, to get the fingering right. It's a Woodi. These sound great, to me! I wish there was someone in Denver, who could test mine. 😬

[@whistletutor]

I did a review on Woodis a while ago and I was surprised that they sounded pretty good. Definitely stick to the D whistle, that's really the only one you need if you're playing Irish music.

[@LarryShone]

To be honest with you, for an amateur play at home whistler, the untweaked is fine. Penny whistles are meant to be cheap and cheerful.

[@andrewwigglesworth3030]

The unmolested, "untweaked", Generation whistle has been the mainstay of many a professional player.

[@mowzrascal2350]

We need a Whistle Smackdown!! Also, any idea if me freeman still makes his whistles?

[@fatheroblivion45]

www.bigwhistle.co.uk/freeman

[@FiddlingwithmyWhistle]

Freeman for me, or a realy old Generation

[@SusanJERitta]

I have a Freeman tweaked Sweettone and an OG Sweettone, and now I have no idea which is which anymore. Oops...

[@mikeregan3265]

I like the tweaked Freeman Gen sound best.

[@PhilOliveiraTv]

Hi! which song is play at the video intro?

[@dylanduke1075]

Could you do the same with low whistles?

[@whistletutor]

Comparing different low whistles you mean? I just did a review of a new PVC whistle on my channel but I really don't play low whistle (at least low D whistle) much myself since I play flute.

[@dylanduke1075]

whistletutor that is what I meant yep! Ah ok fair enough! I just assumed!

[@jog9657]

Id like to see a Freeman tweaked blackbird review please

[@mtbregardless3602]

Sweet career, go to the office, and test out whistles

[@whistletutor]

Much to the chagrin of my fellow employees - at least from time to time :)