I also close the last hole a bit but the upper part not the lower one, the result is that the sound quality is better because, being the last hole the smallest of the others, covering it in this way reduces the diameter less (the diameter too small worsens the sound). I don't use unsightly adhesive tape but I usually use trasparent nail polish or resins or glues and the result is perfect and you don't notice anything.
This is the same issue I have with my burke I just got. I love it. It's tuning is so fantastic, that it's hard to play it out of tune. The con with that is the cross fingering is sharp. Whistles that have a good cross fingering have a flat last hole(the last 3 are kinda flat and get more flat as it gets higher), so that you have to blow harder to make it in tune. Which is less nice than the perfect tuning like the burke. I've been trying out the thumb hole but I don't want to use it because other whistles don't use thumb holes. So I'll totally try this out. On my A, I primarily only play D songs that have a slightly lower needed range, so having a good cross fingering is pretty much required. Edit- No way, I just went and found a live clip of the band I liek who plays burkes........... And he has black electrical tape on his burke lol th-cam.com/video/5T7Hdx3jYw8/w-d-xo.html
You just save me a 100€ with a piece of rubber band! I just bought an optima cobre and forgot to try the c natural in the shop... As I am a 2 fingers type, the hole is almost half coverd, so the sound is not perfect but it's playable without learning a new fingering
I use a 23|12 fingering for some of my whistles and 23| on others for tuning reasons. Having to adjust fingerings per instrument is a bad solution. Thanks for the tip.
Next video: "How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Half-Holing" :-P Actually, that's not what I had to do. When I learnt to play as a young kid I half-holed the C natural. I wasn't even aware that there was another way to do it until much later when another whistle player commented on it. She wondered how I was doing certain ornaments and slurs. She thought it was an odd thing to do, but for me it was just natural. C natural in fact! Later again I've noticed some well known players seem to half-hole all the time, others possibly not, I've not investigated all that much. These days I do seem to cross-finger C natural sometimes, it depends upon the tune I suppose. Still, most of the time I half-hole the C natural.
Thank you for this informative video and the fine playing that brought home your point well along the way.
I also close the last hole a bit but the upper part not the lower one, the result is that the sound quality is better because, being the last hole the smallest of the others, covering it in this way reduces the diameter less (the diameter too small worsens the sound). I don't use unsightly adhesive tape but I usually use trasparent nail polish or resins or glues and the result is perfect and you don't notice anything.
Thank you! Will try to do it with my Killarney C.
This is the same issue I have with my burke I just got. I love it. It's tuning is so fantastic, that it's hard to play it out of tune. The con with that is the cross fingering is sharp. Whistles that have a good cross fingering have a flat last hole(the last 3 are kinda flat and get more flat as it gets higher), so that you have to blow harder to make it in tune. Which is less nice than the perfect tuning like the burke. I've been trying out the thumb hole but I don't want to use it because other whistles don't use thumb holes. So I'll totally try this out. On my A, I primarily only play D songs that have a slightly lower needed range, so having a good cross fingering is pretty much required.
Edit- No way, I just went and found a live clip of the band I liek who plays burkes........... And he has black electrical tape on his burke lol
th-cam.com/video/5T7Hdx3jYw8/w-d-xo.html
You just save me a 100€ with a piece of rubber band! I just bought an optima cobre and forgot to try the c natural in the shop... As I am a 2 fingers type, the hole is almost half coverd, so the sound is not perfect but it's playable without learning a new fingering
I use a 23|12 fingering for some of my whistles and 23| on others for tuning reasons. Having to adjust fingerings per instrument is a bad solution. Thanks for the tip.
Next video: "How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Half-Holing" :-P
Actually, that's not what I had to do. When I learnt to play as a young kid I half-holed the C natural. I wasn't even aware that there was another way to do it until much later when another whistle player commented on it. She wondered how I was doing certain ornaments and slurs. She thought it was an odd thing to do, but for me it was just natural. C natural in fact!
Later again I've noticed some well known players seem to half-hole all the time, others possibly not, I've not investigated all that much. These days I do seem to cross-finger C natural sometimes, it depends upon the tune I suppose. Still, most of the time I half-hole the C natural.
Mary Bergin half holes everything. I'm trying to get faster at it, but cross fingering remains the crispest.