Whistle key above high D?

[JackCampin]

I have G and F Generations but never play them. But I do have a bunch of other flute-family instruments higher than a high D whistle that sound a LOT better and which I do play:

- a couple of Bosnian and Serbian wooden whistles in F and E flat with the labium on the bottom - nicer tone by a long way than any high metal whistle I've heard

- plastic Aulos sopranino recorder (these are cheap and good value but I don't use mine much)

- Susato G sopranino recorder (not much use in the high register but great for doing concert-pitch Highland pipe tunes in a noisy setting)

- Hopf G sopranino recorder made for Michael Copley of the Cambridge Buskers (nice sound, plays more than 2 octaves)

- garklein recorder in C by Gyorgy Ban (bugger to play, but my fingers do just fit - doesn't go any higher than the Hopf though)

- metal ocarinas in A flat and B flat by Mathieu, about 100 years old, a bit rough but get people's attention

- soprano G ocarina ("sol-2") by Menaglio, tremendously powerful, has replaced the Susato as my nuclear-option instrument for playing pipe tunes

- soprano ocarina in C by Menaglio, will easily stand out over a roomful of accordions

- sopran0 ocarinas in G and C by Pacchioni, more refined sound than the Menaglios

- soprano ocarina in E by Pacchioni, useful for extreme sharp keys and for some Scottish fiddle tunes in A that fit its range

- soprano ocarina in C by Rotter, a bit like the Pacchioni in sound but with a different fingering system that works well for klezmer

- "doppia-semplice" double soprano ocarina in G by Pacchioni, range from F# to E, which I use for a few Scottish fiddle tunes and some klezmer, more limited range than the Hopf recorder but the tone is similar and it's much louder. The most complex and sophisticated high-register instrument I have.

So, think about other kinds of whistle-like instrument if you want to head up into that end of the spectrum.

One my cats loves all of these except the C ocarinas. She rolls over in ecstasy rubbing her head against my toes when I play them.

There are a few instruments higher than that. Pacchioni makes an ocarina in F an octave above the range of a sopranino recorder, and Frans Twaalfhoven used to make a "piccolino" recorder at the same pitch, with the fingerholes drilled at very strange angles to allow normal recorder fingering though your fingertips were in interlaced positions on opposite sides of the body. I have never seen or heard one and he retired a few years ago.

[Whistling Pops]

Pops, sometimes an Irish session can be right around the corner without even knowing about it, especially here in the USA. Perhaps if you shared your location on here and/or search the database at http://www.thesession.org you might hopefully find more local players than you realized existed.

Thanks for the link. I live about a half hour north of Nashville. I found several listed in my area that I will check out.

[Feadoggie]

Whistling Pops, here is a video of Cherish Ladies where Joanie Madden plays a Burke high E (AFAICT). I thought you might be interested in watching from 1:08 to 1:39 where Joanie solos on the whistle but the rest of the video is typical Cherish the Ladies. Good stuff! Enjoy.

Feadoggie

[Whistling Pops]

Feadoggie, thanks so much for the link. I had searched for it and couldn't find it. I am close to ordering my next Burke whistle but I'm still trying to decide between E and Eb. I'll probably go with E since I will soon have an Abell in Eb.. I attended a Cherish the Ladies concert about 5 or 6 years ago and enjoyed it very much. It was a small venue so I had the opportunity to chat with Joanie after the concert.

[Feadoggie]

I attended a Cherish the Ladies concert about 5 or 6 years ago and enjoyed it very much. It was a small venue so I had the opportunity to chat with Joanie after the concert.

I've often thought that the folks from the Guinness book of World Records should talk with Joanie about the number of people that she has hugged after concerts for all these years. I'm pretty sure no one else would come close to her numbers. She is the real deal.

Feadoggie

[RonKiley]

Amen Feadoggie.

[MTGuru]

the Guinness book of World Records should talk with Joanie about the number of people that she has hugged after concerts for all these years.

I foresee a ... bumper sticker.

[jkrazy52]

Whistling Pops, I enjoy playing a Gen hi G occasionally. It is a kick to see the look on some faces when you can actually make music on such a tiny whistle. I recorded the hi G along with a Reyburn mezzo G once. The combination/contrast worked very nicely.