Clarke Alto Saxophone (SBCC)

I am just learning to play this instrument, but having fun. I bought pennywhistles in keys of both C and D. It turns out that all the beginner music seems to be written for the D instrument, so I am not sure you need the C instrument at all. It might be good once you get more advanced. It is easy to get a clean note out of and fun to mess around with. I got it because I want something easy to play when I travel and it seems a little delicate, as in it might get bent in a back pack, so I will need to find some way to protect it. It is good playable instrument that is very inexpensive.

Well, it's a professional musical toy. I haven't spent much time on it, but it is what I expected. If I remember this correctly, it started out as a toy with some kind of candy about a hundred years ago. Of course, someone fine tuned it and made it into a legitimate instrument which can be played in a diatonic way. Unfortunately, most pennywhistles are in the Key of D, and apparently ALL method books are also. So, still waiting for a good instruction book for my C pennywhistle. Maybe Santa will write one?

The Clarke Pennywhistle in C unplayable even for a trained musician. Can't use it. I should have returned it but felt since I had blown on it I should probably keep it. I may try to see if I can make adjustments on the mouthpiece to make it work. Don't waste your money on this one. Very fast service though.

I bought this whistle to play in an upcoming concert. I'm a saxophonist and frequent tin whistle player, so I'm no stranger to playing woodwinds. This whistle has a very mellow and flute-like sound, but it is very airy and takes tons of air. I can barely get through two measures without breathing. I would not recommend this to a beginning wind player; go with an instrument like the Feadog which you can learn without getting light-headed. If you are a tuba player or flautist, go for it, it'll be no problem for you.I would also say that if you are wanting to play in a group, this instrument would not cut through the sound to be a descant. The timbre just isn't focused enough.

The sound on this thing is pretty good, but I did find it a little shrill. The included instruction book was helpful enough to start learning. The real problem I had with this is the part where it is supposed to be in the "key of C". Being a clarinetist who also dabbles with the flute and trumpet, I thought this meant that the fingerings would be the same as a C woodwind instrument for each note (minus the keys, of course). It turns out they are not. That would be the version in the "key of D". Key of C in this case means that the lowest note playable on it is a C, which is the fingering for a D on flute or clarinet. This makes a difference for me because I was hoping to play some music at church that was written for a tin whistle. My transposing skills are not quite what they should be, so this is a fatal flaw.It still sounds like a pennywhistle, has good instructions, and is cheap. It is just useless for me.

My only problem with this is that if you play it for too long and the reed starts to get too moist, the sound quality will go down until it's dried out. Other than that, it has a gorgeous, rich tone.

Using their key of C fingering the whistle plays in tune.It does take more air than my flute, alto, flute or piccolo.It is a little airy but I like it. I also have a Woodnote Key of C and it is easier to play, but it also stays in tune using the proper fingerings.

I love the breathy sound of the Clarke Pennywhistles. I have a D as well. The C takes a bit more air, but it is getting easier the more I play. The sound is warmer and not as shrill as other whistles can be.