Clarke Tin Whistles - Comparing the Original Clarke and the Sweetone
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- čas přidán 25. 07. 2024
- These two whistles are among the most played, according to those of you who responded in my unofficial, unscientific poll last month. The original Clarke has been produced since the mid 1800s, and the Sweetone was the first whistle I ever played that made me recognize the quality of the tone, intonation, and reliability. What do you think of these classics?
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![My Darling Asleep [Feat. Claire Shirey] Fiddle/Flute (and Tin Whistle)](/img/tr.png)
Clark Original 2:21
Clark Sweetone 6:54
I have both whistles. I just picked up this sport, as it were. I need a lot of practice. So, I practice a lot. The original Clark seems to be easier on my poor family’s hearing as I squeak and wobble through a tune. The air-ier sound helps soften the shrill edges of a tin whistle for the listeners of a learner. The cleaner, sharper, and louder sound of the sweet tone is harder on those listening to a learner learn. The cat left the room when I was attempting the sweet tone. Sigh.
Also I think the original Clark whistle distinctive sound is good for the misty morning or dawn of time kind of songs.
Anyway maybe that’s why the original has been so popular for so long, it’s the one the family and pets can tolerate hearing!
I have the Clarke original in D. I love the haunted breathy sound that you get out of it. I am also fascinated by the simplicity of it as you mentioned. Its a rolled piece of tin with a wood block in the end of it. Love it!
I have an original Clarke. This is my new quarantine hobby. 😂
I'm considering which to buy. Would you recommend it over the sweetone?
Five years I've had my Sweetone and I never knew you could just pull the mouthpiece off...
This is the great thing about CZcams! People sharing things like this!
Opinions and information like this would probably never be heard...
Great video 😁
I have the green sweettone with the celtic knot on it. Bought it 10 years ago when I became obsessed with the Irish Rovers. Played it a bit and got away for a while, but picked it back up a few years ago. I really enjoy it, and it has become my car whistle. I even broke the head where it connects to the body, so I taped it and still use it. I know they're cheap, but I can't just throw it out. Also, I've never really been bothered by the seam.
That was pretty much spot on my personal experience with those two whistles. I really like the Sweetone. It's really easy to play and sounds very nice for such a cheap whistle. I would recommend them for a starter whistle anytime.
At 65 I’ve decided to find a talent/hobby/skill to take into my old(er) age as my grandfather hit 97 and my Dad is still going strong at 98. That and I’m married to a beautiful Irish gal for 32+ years now. It has to be pretty simple, not overly expensive to get into and the opportunity to move up to better instruments (equipment). I’ve always loved Irish folk music, the history, the mythology and the mystery. I purchased both of these today to just dive in. (And not overthink it like I usually do) Thanks for all the content to use as reference. 👍
I own a vintage Clarke's C whistle ( All the first Clarke's whistles were in C. I believe the very first had a lead fipple too. ) that belonged to my grandfather and it was falling heir to this whistle that piqued my interest in playing tin whistle. ( I was a recorder player before learning whistle ) I loved the 'breathy' tone but found the air requirement a bit of push. I then purchased a Clarke's 'Celtic' whistle ( I believe the 'Celtic' is just a rehashed 'Sweetone' cept with a celtic logo instead of the sweetone one. ) It instantly became my whistle of choice as the air requirement was not at all demanding and the high notes much easier to reach. I'd recommend the 'Celtic' or 'Sweetone' as an excellent beginners whistle for ease of play and the cheap price. Nice review matey. Really enjoy your videos.
Loved the video, prompted me to go buy the Special Edition one just now. I’ve had the same original Clarke for twenty years now... love the tone! Thought I had ordered it straight from the company itself which I thought had offered a modification at the time which would eliminate some of the lesser desired qualities you had expressed. Couldn’t find the option when I placed my order just now. Some googling later I remembered I had ordered my original one from “The Whistle Shop” which offered a “Tweaked” version of the Original Clarke.
From their site: “Here's what we do to "tweak" a Clarke whistle (see the close-up pics below also):
Flatten the windway - this makes the whistle require much less air, and also softens the tone and takes away quite a bit of the "breathiness".
Two brass nails are then used to hold the fipple block in place.
The end of the mouthpiece is shaped for comfort, then sanded smooth.
The whistle is then individually voiced for the best possible tone
We feel that the mouthpiece is much more comfortable when it's shaped this way, and many people prefer the softer tone it produces.”
Regardless, thought you might enjoy the info if you wanted to pick one up and give it a try if not yet aware.
The original Clarke does indeed take a lot more air than I prefer, but I actually *love* the way it sounds. My only real complaint about it is that it's kind of hard on the lower lip if you play it for a long time at a stretch.
The original Clarke sometimes dries out my lower lip because of the wooden block. Otherwise I enjoy playing it. It’s not as difficult with the low octaves like the Sweetone.
I wish I could make my whistle sound as good as you can make yours sound. Amazing 👍
I saw a class offered in the SCDH workshop that's coming up next month. I thought about it and googled it. I was surprised to see that the fingerings on a D whistle is almost exactly like a clarinet upper register. So I thought I'd get one. I searched around and decided to get a Clarke Sweetone, I'm so glad I did. This video really confirmed I've made the right choice. It is supposed to be here on Friday, I can't wait to see how I do. I'm also going to take some whistle classes in QuaranTUNE 8.0. I'm excited!!
Thank you for comparison. I am just starting with whistle and now I know that sweetone is a decent starter medium for me.
Great content. Thank you for the upload.
Those cheap whistles have the original sound of a whistle. The more expensives ones are sometimes easier to play , but for the real sound, those cheapies are hard to beat.
I started out on a cranky, scratchy Feadog and then quickly moved to a Sweetone in March and it was definitely a good starter whistle to keep me occupied during lockdown. After about 3 months, I was ready to move on to a better whistle and get away from the breathiness. My Sweetone isn’t 100% in tune with itself either, although it is close, and it makes me cringe a little at times. I do think the breath control is much easier on the Sweetone than the Feadog, so I am glad I started on it. It is way easier to get the hang of how much you need to change the air flow for each note while learning, and it seems to be much more forgiving about it. Still, I’m glad I moved on to a sweet little aluminum whistle once I was comfortable on the Sweetone and felt like it was something I’d stick with enough to justify the money.
I have the Clarke original in D and C and a red Sweetone in D. I have the same problem with the Clarke, feeling like it's breathy and just hard to get a good sound out of. I'm hoping the Sweetone will be better. In all honesty, I've had these for years and never quite seem to stick with learning how to play. Hopefully with the help of your tutorials I'll get further on this attempt! Thanks for the great videos!
Really enjoying your videos, both the tuitional ones and the detail you put into your reviews. I have to say, it’s really interesting what you say about the Clarke design requiring more breath and that being a downside. Coming from being a flute player first and foremost, it was actually a relief to be able to breathe more when I got myself a Shaw (same design) because in almost a year I haven’t been able to get used to breathing less down a Generation or similar.
That's an interesting point, and one I've never heard before - cheers!
I agree some whistles I feel I darent breath in case it jumps the octave ,I prefer my Dave Shaw d whistle because of its breathiness
I don't know if my thinking's clear, but I like to use the original to get more difficult songs because if I can play using that much air, when I turn to my other whistles it'll get easier because I'll use less air to play it
That's an interesting take, and I bet you're right!
Reminds me of swimmers in High school . We swam with multiple suits, then at meets we would only wear one and you could swim faster !
I still play my Sweetones because as you just showed, they sound good, are relatively in tune, and I actually like the conical bore and the seam along the back. The Clarke Original I have only played a few times and it sits in the box I bought it in. I stupidly purchased a lot of other cheap whistles first that just didn't sound good to me. I started with a Feadog that was awful and I have a set of Generations that are mostly unplayable. A couple Waltons that are okay but could be better. The Sweetone just plays and sounds better than most other whistles in that price range. The fact that I still own 3 of them (and a Meg which is nearly identical) and still play them when I could be playing my fantastic Carbony whistle speaks to either how good these whistles are or at least how much I love them :D Some of the other cheap whistles can sound good if they're tweaked but if you want something that plays and sounds good right away the Sweetone is a pretty good bet.
I like the harsh teacher so having a clearer tone, the availability of tuning and needing less air makes the Sweetone the obvious winner. Told my wife I am pretty interested in a Sweetone D (wink wink, Christmas is coming).
Thanks for the video! I recently picked up the Original Clarke after, quite spontaneously, deciding to learn how to play - I used to have one of those red Sweetones in C lying around when I was a kid, which got quite rusty over the years, but never got around to use it. The Original Clarke was the only one my local music shop had in stock, so that's what I went with. I've really enjoyed learning so far, but struggled quite a bit with the amount of air needed to get to the high notes - glad to hear that it's not (completely) my fault! I also feel like the notes are not quite in tune among themselves, especially around the A and B, but I guess that's what you might get with a cheap whistle like that. Let's see how long it'll take until I upgrade to a different one :)
I have had both for 25 years and found out the exact same opinions 25 years ago
It's a matter of purpose I think, the Original is very pleasant sounding when played with slower music like Aires, whereas the Sweetones better at jigs and reels
-- and there it is, I love the slow tunes, so this might be the one I'll prefer. Will see when it arrives next week!
Seeing your videos and how you play makes me feel like I suck so bad. I am a beginner and when you mentioned how long you play, I'm as old as you have been playing so I guess I doesn't feel so bad now 😅
I got the Clark Sweetone and Woodi D and C el cheapo tin whistles. My finger has trouble covering the big hole on the C. The Woodi is amazing. The high notes are pure and the clarity and volume is amazing. Good pitch. The Clarke is airy and harder to blow. It came with a finger chart for those that need it. The seam down the back is weird. I was expecting a lot with the Clarke and am more impressed with the Woodi. I play flute and oboe and had an alto, tenor, and bass recorder. I only just got the tin whistles so these are first impressions.
I love the Clarke Original, the low volume is key. Most high Ds are to loud for me
The Dixon Cupro nickel , is another high d whistle with a quieter, very sweet sound. I also play a brass Bb flat Generation and an aluminum Dixon low D. My ears are fairly sensitive, so I love the lower tone. It might be inexperience or snootiness on my part but iprefer cheaper to the more expensive whistles.
Got an original Clark in C on the way if USPS will every actually deliver it to me. Timely video! I mostly bought it because it's the black one with gold accents but now I might have to get a sweetone as well. Also nice phone case... I have the same one!
I too find the seam at the back of my Sweetone distracting and my head cracked almost in half when I attempted to remove it (I did that before watching this :) I also find the small holes in the small tube to be harder than average to cover cleanly with my regular sized fingers...counter intuitive but there you have it. Finally, I don’t yet have enough breath control for the low notes. They are continuously popping up and wavering into the some space between the octaves. I know I might be able to learn to control that given time, but considering there are a lot easier whistles to play, I can’t see myself doing that. :) I do like the tone though.
Exactly the video i wanted to see!
I have two Clarke's Originals a C and a D and I love them more than my Walton because of the more mellow tone.
I really love my Clarke Original in D. They absolutely deserve their place as a favorite. I have some much more expensive whistles now but still appreciate my Clarke Original and am pleased every time I pick it up.
The Sweetone, not so. much. 😳
I keep trying again, thinking I'll suddenly like it ' this time' , but to me it is dull and plain sounding, without nuance Maybe it's me, I thought, so I sent my sister the when I offered to send an original, which she loves, but when I offered to send her a Sweetone I found out her husband has had for years but doesn't play it at all.
Neither of them like the Sweetone.
I’ve never owned a tin whislte, but I’ve always been curious about them. Thank you a lot for your comparison, it helped me a lot choosing the whistle that will probably better fit my taste.
I first thought that the original one would sound “better” (for my taste, I mean) simply because, at least in my country, is pricier and I assumed it would have an higher quality, but it’s simply a difference between whether you prefer the “historical” sound of this instrument vs a clearer one.
I may give the original a go. I've only been whistling for a few months but used to be a brass player - the thing I find most tricky to get used to is the miniscule amount of air needed to play a whistle compared to things I used to play.
i opened up a shaw retouched the airway, lengthened the labium and sharpened the leading edge and added epoxy to seal up the leaks around the plug, after all that it almost played it self
I had a sweetone in C but there was no difference between c# and c natural so I gave it away. I still use the original D because I love the breathy sound but I also have a Clarke's Meg which I love the sound of and it's a lot less effort to play breath wise. Having said that I'm now getting acquainted with the wild Irish D which is lovely and clear but I'm struggling to get the notes from high D upwards to sound clear without blowing a lot harder than I'm used to doing
I like very much sound of Original! I wanted to buy it, but it is difficult to play for novice. Now I have Celtic (Sweetone) and I learn to play. As for my mind, the sound of Original more bright and interesting. It is not loud. I would like to buy it in the future.
I’m wondering if Clarke whistles have the most prominent advertising capture when you broadly search for whistles online. That’s why I picked a couple up to start with, they were what I was most familiar with.
I don’t mind an airy sound, I enjoy playing around with that quality on other horns like clarinet and sax. I don’t like that it makes the originals harder to control and phrase with. I’d much rather take a clear tone and fuzz it up than struggle to clarify a fuzzy tone.
I think part of the appeal of the clark whistle is that is has remained mostly unchanged for so long it's got that classic appeal. It's literally like playing a piece of history and makes you think of all the great performers who have used this exact instrument in the past. It's also relatively inexpensive and It's a long tried and tested brand so you know your getting good quality for your money.
I’m thinking about getting the sweetone on eBay, I play trombone to connect with my Puerto Rican side, but I need a way to connect to my Irish side
Could you give your opinion on ABS whistles?
Great video. Just wondering if your blowing straight into it or blowing into it with the "too" as seems when saying too sounds more pronounced. I'm new to the tin whistle. So hope that I don't sound dumb on here. Thanks in advance!!
Hi! I’m no whistle expert, but you can do either of the options you mentioned depending on the sound you want. If you want notes to blend together smoothly without articulation, you just blow into it like you said. But if you want articulation, you can make a “too” sound for sharper sudden articulation, or more of a “doo” for a softer but still defined note :D
I love my Clarke penny whistle (with the seem) and being a real man, it doesn't phase me. Kidding! I bought my "C" Clarke with my Lee Oscar harmonicas. I have recorded many songs threw my guitar pedal for awesome effects. I paid $13 for my Clarke in 1995 and tonight I am plugging my mic into my Moog Matriarch and see how it sounds. I plugged my mic into my Boss ME-80 guitar pedal and I had a real orgasm...really...I did! I bought the one with the seam and the wood in the end. I was at the music studio and a gentleman dropped his whistle and broke the plastic mouth piece. I dropped mine 26 years ago after consuming bourbon and it got a little disfigured. That is what happens when you are all thumbs!
Great video! See you in the pub!
I always liked the original with the wooden block because it gives a warmer sound than other whistles and I like that it takes more air.I like the shaw whistle's as well in the lower keys. However I like playing the susato if I need more volume at a session.
Lazarus awaken!
Years later. The 'analog' sound of the classic Clark sounds IMO much sexier than the upgraded version.
thanks
I like the original. It has a woodier sound, though the conical bore Sweet Tone is not bad. The original is the sound of old England. The straight bores to me are almost another instrument. And, by the way, the original back in the 1970s were sold in the key of C. Clarke still sells them.
I have the sweet tone nice change to play occasionally.
Still my fave whistles, the Sweetone and now the Celtic by Clarke. I’ve also been using the Sweetones for decades. I got a few Sweetones and a Celtic last year (2022) directly from Clarke and both the finish and rolled seams are much improved. Celtic is a gussied up version of Sweetone with sparkly metallic finish like a high-end automobile. Both satiny finish and the seam is flatter with the finish helping to smooth it out under your thumbs. Got more Sweetones and a gold-plated original this year from winning a contest (upload a video, tag them, etc), still great! For anyone wanting to get a Sweetone or Celtic, order directly from Clarke, so you are sure to get fresh stock.
I might add, I am also not a fan of the non-tunable original. Has its place, but I gotta be able to play with others and my lung capacity has always been for shite… creative use of gasping, er, breathing is fun!
I got the sweet tone first, then the Clarke, and I thought it was broken at first. It takes so much more air. My sweet tone was like 10 bucks, and it's way better.
Cool... it was one of my first whistle too... it spends most of the time in the draw :(
Thank you
What app is that you’re using for tuning pal!?
Very nice video, this flute has problems with condensation ..... with hoarseness thanks
i have both these whistles, im a complete beginner, couple of weeks maybe, and i will say i do like the original clarke for that airy sound, not to mention its quiet so you can practice at home without fearing your neighbours are going to complain, but for a beginner it does seem harder to play as you are working on your breath control, it makes you light headed after a while, the sweetone is easier, but louder, but still an improvement over the basic cheap whistle.
haha I thought the same, 68. I can only practice when my cat is out. she jumps up and whacks my face.
ty
What's the name of that Reel? I wish to learn it. I'm new to tin whistle world but somewhat musically inclined.
It's called Dowd's #9: czcams.com/video/pZ4lpov3CDM/video.html
@@whistletutor Thank You! I appreciate it so much, and have a tutorial is awesome.
I cannot remove the plastic mouthpiece on my sweettone, I want to clean it.
I like the action on a Sweet Tone but i dislike the taste of plastic in my mouth after a while if playing it. Are there any wooden/metal tipped whistles that don't require so much air as the Clarke Original?
Not that I'm aware of - though there are some wonderful (and expensive) wooden whistles like Abell and O'Riordan.
Completely unrelated, but was that Frances Cunningham on bouzouki in your intro reel?
Yep!
@@whistletutor She’s awesome! I took a mandolin class from her at O’Flaherty retreat in Texas. 😃
love that breathy tone, not as big a fan of the "pure clean tone", too sterile
I always like the Clarke Original, but I always end up bending the metal blade a bit to make it less breathy.
Which flute I should buy, feadog D or Clarke sweetone D
Sweetone or Meg (they are the same, Meg is less expensive).
@@usernamemykel thanks ❤️
I grew up a trumpet player so the breath requirements too bad. It's fun to pull out and play sometimes for that unique ethereal sound. That said the Sweetone is incredible for the price and one of the best cheap whistles unless you want the Generation style sound.
Well have the original... but I can hear the Sweet tone is clearly purer in its sounding which might be nice.... But, overall as long as my whistle is playing still being a newbie... then its good for me!
Really I was thinking of getting a sweet tone because of the Color blue.
But overall my old one even damage here and there are still playing fine, and just painted it with some yellow color that I had to be able to find it.
But really would like a blie so it fit with my Biblical Style... in some sense.
I would like to play the intro song, does anyone know the name of it?
Is it his song?
Hoping for answers, thanks
Hi - not sure if you mean the background music in the first 25 seconds or my intro music. If you mean the beginning that's just a stock music track that I got from Epidemic Sound. Not much melody to be had there I suppose. If you mean my intro, it's a song my band wrote called Lily of the West and you can check it out here: czcams.com/video/gjGxcvoYPQs/video.html
@@whistletutor I appreciate your answer!
Thank you so much (one of those moments when you are subbed to someone, watching him all the time and admire the work, and once you need something, he's there for you)
Thumbs up
Oh, I thought it was pronounced "sweet one”
Duh. We speak MUSIC here.
Hahahaha
Clarke had LOW D WHISTLES??!!! Omg that is something I'd love to get my hands on!! Argh but I am pretty sure they don't sell them anymore.
I've even got one (well, a Shaw, which is the same thing) - it's made an appearance on my Tiktok lately if you really wanna torture yourself with some low octave breathiness
I have a Sweetone in C. (actually it was called Meg I think? but it's the same model). Well, it's ok for the price, butI don't like it's tone and it is just too quiet, you'll never be heard in a session. I had an original that I liked better but I did some experimentations on it ... rip
J ai démarré avec la Clark..super timbre mais trop fragile et trop gourmand en air
Je le garde en souvenir...
I hate the way I seem to run out of air on the OG Clarke. I end up shoving the whole mouthpiece in my mouth to try to avoid losing air. I definitely prefer my sweetones.
See I'm torn because I like the idea of owning a Clarke original because its quieter, and I play indoors, also its part of history. But I also like the idea of the Sweetone/Celtic because its quality, playable. I have a Feadóg and though its a good whistle it has this tendency to crack on the notes, worse than my Generation.
So get both! You're only looking at spending ~$30, after all.
@@aaronheiss9291 I got the Clarke Original. Its a nice soft sounding whistle
Is Clark original heavy?
To my ear the sweetone does not have nearly the air noise
You can tweak these. Look up Jerry Freeman.
I just bought a ClarkeD "The Original" and I don't know why....but the thing is virtually unplayable and I can barely get halfway through the second octave without almost passing out😅 is it just me?
Definitely not just you - I never understood the appeal of hyperventilating
Your crans are hard to beat.
Ahh thanks! Lots of mind numbing practice :)
Sweetie better to me- clearer , more definition, brighter tone....tuneable too!
I prefer the Clarke Celtic (which is pretty much the same as sweet ones just without the childish graphic).
I like the original, but the woodblock is glued and usually comes loose after six months to a year of playing.
Clarke is the best cheap whistle.
Generation B flat is great for lower notes... but for D and C Clarke is best.
You can find better whistles than Generation and Clarke, but not for under $200.
At the moment I do have a sweetone as my main d'' whistle and this was actually the case for most of the time since I play the whistles. The thing is, it's not very good, but good and I just don't see any good reason to buy something better. It's more then sufficient to play in an amplified setting or, non amplified, in a *ballad group*- like environment.
For sessions or to play tunes with guitar accompagniment, it's not ideal though. Not robust and loud enough by itself without help. A big strummed guitar is louder then a sweetone.
The Clarke original is almost unusable. The sweetone in c'' is actually not playable at all, it's intonation is pure evil.
Clarke never made a low D. You’re probably thinking of Shaw.
dude my clarke has a wooden mouth piece
Nice - better wood than asbestos or uranium or something :)
The C Clarke original is the best.
is it more original then the d?
well try the High notes on the Clarke and you get some real lung practice ;) Like you people complain about the low notes, try the high notes. Remember something for the ears as well.
Perm damage to $20 instrument too risky to permanently improve sound? Such Scaredy Folk also want to hold back life from 0.5% COVID risk. More like value add upgrade modification if know how to get it right. Super worth it at such low cost even for novice experiment.
Holy non-sequitur Batman
tuning... who cares about tuning :P I don't really wanna have anything to do with that - let me just play, I'm still a newbie.