I've wanted a high G whistle for a while and picked a Susato up on a half off sale. Anybody got any guidance on what you have to do to get the second octave on this puppy going without your ears popping? I'm a reasonably accomplished flutist and play a moderate tin whistle...I've even managed to play the fife without pain...but the second octave on this little guy is turning out to be a real challenge. Anybody with more experience with a high G got any guidance? Best AA
I have an "el-cheapo" model (Generation) and I have never had problems with the second octave (it's easier than my B flat.) The fife has always challenged me though...
I've played a lot of whistles over the years and I really don't like high G whistles at all. I can't even get my fingers on them to play them reliably. Actually I don't care for any of the higher-pitched Susatos, though I do like Susatos for coverage of low keys that I don't use often, and I have Susatos in Low C (the bent neck there), Low Eb, Low E, Low F#, Low Ab, etc. In general the higher-pitched Susatos seem to have screamy high notes. There's an "O-ring tweak" that tames the upper register of Susatos devised by "MT Guru" on Chiff&Fipple, and you can go there to read about it. You put an O-ring on the head near the opening and it mutes/sweetens the upper notes without harming the low notes. About intonation, each Susato seems to be a law unto itself. I've had to carve and tape all of my Susatos to get their scales in tune. They're all over the map: one will have a note a mile flat in the middle of the scale, one will have some note or notes a mile sharp, some have odd combinations of flat notes and sharp notes. There's no pattern to it. You can see some tape and evidence of carving on the Susatos in my photo there. I don't know if Burke makes a high G but if they do it will be a very reliable whistle with good tuning.
You may want to search for tweaking your whistle. There is some advice on how to calm the howling sounds.
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