Humphrey Whistle (again)
Posted: Fri Jul 30, 2004 8:50 pm
A few days ago I received a Humphrey narrow bore D whistle (yes, because of Peter Labin I had to try the just temperament!). I’m crazy about this whistle. After I opened up the package and played my first tune, my wife popped out of her office and asked what whistle I was playing. Usually, upon receipt of a new whistle I’m in for several hours of mockery and ridicule. However, instead of derision, she told me that she absolutely loved the sound (this coming from a harp player who is not a great fan of whistles).
What I particularly like about this instrument is how easy it is to play. The two registers are the most evenly matched of any whistle I’ve ever had and I can hop back and forth between octaves without the hint of a squeak It’s quite responsive and the ornaments seem to pop out quite easily. The tone has a beautiful presence that’s hard to describe.
To tell you where my ears are coming from, I prefer the more traditional, Generation type of sound. I’ll try to compare my Humphrey to three other whistles from my vast (only according to my wife) collection: Sindt, O’Briain and Generation (Freeman tweaked)---all whistles I like a lot. I find the O’Briain to have the brightest sound of the four, followed by the Humphrey, the Sindt and the Freeman/Generation. I love my O’Briain, but find I really have to think about my wind support and work the whistle as I play, particularly going from higher to lower octaves (so that I don’t split notes). The O’Briain takes very little air and is always a challenge to play well. I love the playability of my Sindt, but it does have a slightly duller sound than the O'Briain and Humphrey. It feels like a wonderful set of old shoes that I’ve worn for years. They’ll have to pry it out of my cold, dead hands before I give it up. My Freeman/Generation has the quietest sound of the four, but is very easy and enjoyable to play. From my perspective, the Humphrey, Sindt and Freeman/Generation all seem to have about equal back-pressure--- the O’Briain has the least.
I did notice small differences in the just temperament, but not a lot. Possibly I am unconsciously adjusting wind pressure etc. to produce the tuning that my ears are more used to (equal temperament). The f# seems flatter, but pleasantly so. I was tempted out of curiosity to order two tubes, one in each temperament, but my innate cheapness won out in the end. It feels beautifully in-tune, however and I wouldn’t hesitate for a second to buy another just like it. By the way, the C natural is comfortable both with the half hole and cross fingering.
It’s gonna be great fun to show this whistle to all my musician friends (Boston area). I'll can't wait to see what their reaction is. At any rate, I feel it’s a great whistle that will go right to the top of my collection. I can’t wait to buy a C whistle. That however, will have to come after we buy a new set of harp strings. Don’t even ask me how much those things cost! They make even whistle purchases seem rational.
What I particularly like about this instrument is how easy it is to play. The two registers are the most evenly matched of any whistle I’ve ever had and I can hop back and forth between octaves without the hint of a squeak It’s quite responsive and the ornaments seem to pop out quite easily. The tone has a beautiful presence that’s hard to describe.
To tell you where my ears are coming from, I prefer the more traditional, Generation type of sound. I’ll try to compare my Humphrey to three other whistles from my vast (only according to my wife) collection: Sindt, O’Briain and Generation (Freeman tweaked)---all whistles I like a lot. I find the O’Briain to have the brightest sound of the four, followed by the Humphrey, the Sindt and the Freeman/Generation. I love my O’Briain, but find I really have to think about my wind support and work the whistle as I play, particularly going from higher to lower octaves (so that I don’t split notes). The O’Briain takes very little air and is always a challenge to play well. I love the playability of my Sindt, but it does have a slightly duller sound than the O'Briain and Humphrey. It feels like a wonderful set of old shoes that I’ve worn for years. They’ll have to pry it out of my cold, dead hands before I give it up. My Freeman/Generation has the quietest sound of the four, but is very easy and enjoyable to play. From my perspective, the Humphrey, Sindt and Freeman/Generation all seem to have about equal back-pressure--- the O’Briain has the least.
I did notice small differences in the just temperament, but not a lot. Possibly I am unconsciously adjusting wind pressure etc. to produce the tuning that my ears are more used to (equal temperament). The f# seems flatter, but pleasantly so. I was tempted out of curiosity to order two tubes, one in each temperament, but my innate cheapness won out in the end. It feels beautifully in-tune, however and I wouldn’t hesitate for a second to buy another just like it. By the way, the C natural is comfortable both with the half hole and cross fingering.
It’s gonna be great fun to show this whistle to all my musician friends (Boston area). I'll can't wait to see what their reaction is. At any rate, I feel it’s a great whistle that will go right to the top of my collection. I can’t wait to buy a C whistle. That however, will have to come after we buy a new set of harp strings. Don’t even ask me how much those things cost! They make even whistle purchases seem rational.