I'm a total newbie and just ordered a Clarke Sweetone which I can't wait to try. It has a plastic fipple but I was wondering how it is different from the whistles with the wooden stop. Does one have a better sound or is easier to play?
I used to play a Sweetone myself and really enjoyed it. I used to have a standard Clarke and I couldn't stand it -- way too breathy for me. Some folks swear by them but it just was never very much fun to play, but the Sweetone was great.
Submitted by hi_whistler on Wed, 03/25/2009 - 22:20.
Oh, didn't know the ones with the wooden stops were considered "standard" - good to know. When you say "breathy" do you mean that they took more blowing effort to play?
Well, perhaps standard isn't the right choice of words. The wooden/tin whistles are the original Clarke and have been made for about 150 years. By breathy I do mean that it takes more air to play but also the tone itself is not nearly as crisp as the Sweetone or a Generation/Feadog style whistle. Some people prefer that sound, but it never did much for me.
Submitted by happybean98 on Sun, 04/05/2009 - 09:53.
My first whistle was a Clarke whistle, and I really liked it for a long time because I thought it sounded more "Irish" for some reason, I don't know why. Then my fingers wore all the little diamonds off of the pattern and the wooden part got loose and it's even softer sounding than when I first had it. I used to dip the mouthpiece in water, (I've heard Guiness is the best thing to dip it in though..), and the sound would be clearer for a while. Now I am playing a Feadog whistle, (plastic mouthpiece) and it takes much less air and has a purer tone. It's just a matter of preference. If you like a more breathy, soft sound, go for the Clarke. If you like a sweeter, more controlled sound go for the Generation/Feadog style whistle.
I used to play a Sweetone
I used to play a Sweetone myself and really enjoyed it. I used to have a standard Clarke and I couldn't stand it -- way too breathy for me. Some folks swear by them but it just was never very much fun to play, but the Sweetone was great.
Oh, didn't know the ones with
Oh, didn't know the ones with the wooden stops were considered "standard" - good to know. When you say "breathy" do you mean that they took more blowing effort to play?
Well, perhaps standard isn't
Well, perhaps standard isn't the right choice of words. The wooden/tin whistles are the original Clarke and have been made for about 150 years. By breathy I do mean that it takes more air to play but also the tone itself is not nearly as crisp as the Sweetone or a Generation/Feadog style whistle. Some people prefer that sound, but it never did much for me.
My first whistle was a Clarke
My first whistle was a Clarke whistle, and I really liked it for a long time because I thought it sounded more "Irish" for some reason, I don't know why. Then my fingers wore all the little diamonds off of the pattern and the wooden part got loose and it's even softer sounding than when I first had it. I used to dip the mouthpiece in water, (I've heard Guiness is the best thing to dip it in though..), and the sound would be clearer for a while. Now I am playing a Feadog whistle, (plastic mouthpiece) and it takes much less air and has a purer tone. It's just a matter of preference. If you like a more breathy, soft sound, go for the Clarke. If you like a sweeter, more controlled sound go for the Generation/Feadog style whistle.