Chiff and Fipple Forums

I have a pre-war Clarke in 'F' that is marked 'R. CLARKE' punched into the tin, no paint.

Generation Bb definietlly doesn't require a lot of air. So I think it's a good choice. Also, If you like the sharpness then go with nickel, not brass. Bb key is generally warm, but nickel gives a bit brightness to it. Agreed. If you keep your eye out for the vintage ones, with the standing seam on ...

The first Feadog whistles are consistently good in my experience. The heads are not glued, making for easy tuning. Also, they can be found new-in-box for $5 USD. The Susato Oriole is a good one if you prefer the more modern, loud, "fatter" sound.

While, I have no useful information on the location of your thumb-hole, I think that it's a great idea. You made the whistle tube and are still brainstorming solutions to a very complex problem. In a perfect world, the thumb hole would be where the thumb naturally rests. Happy Tinkering!

Jerry Freeman Bb whistles are available on eBay. I think that they are very good whistles. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Freeman-Whistl ... SwR0JUPHYb

I notice the name G. CLARK'S LONDON MAKE, however I have an old whistle in F that is stamped R. CLARKE. Who is G. Clarke? A brother, cousin?

There is some really interesting information in this thread. I do not want to get too off topic, however the flaviol (flabiol) is a Catalan type of fipple flute with a cylindrical bore and designed to be played with one hand. While not very useful for ITM, it may be one of the earlier examples of th...

Donncha Ó Briain's record https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARPDlRK ... ch2sIbD5Dm

To practice speed for the half-holing technique, try playing each note on the whistle to the half-holed G#: B>G#, A>G#, G>G#, F#>G#, E>G#, D>G#. Start slowly, focusing on getting a clear, in tune G# note to sound. Once you get comfortable, try it faster. After getting that down, try using the techni...

Both the O’Briain and the Blackbird that I have, both of which are very recent versions, are modified Feadog D whistles. The modifications are interesting to compare. Both have unaltered finger tubes, so the tubes are exactly the same. From speaking with Jerry in person, he makes his own tubes for ...

The 2nd octave A, B, C, C# can indeed require more push and/or air than the 1st octave. I have not experienced this characteristic with any of Jerry's whistles, however I have experienced it with many of my own make. I have also never owned nor played a Mellow Dog. One exercise that I could recommen...

Play the whistle,not the tuner. That way lies madness. It's all too easy to blow notes flat or sharp. If the whistle sounds good to you and it's good with other instruments you play along with, that is what it all comes down to. My bandmates would always tune their banjo's, guitars, and mandolins t...

I like them, they were my first whistles (the set you mentioned) after my cooperman died. They have rubber O-rings which act as gaskets that fit neatly into grooves on the body where it meets the head-joint, so no leaking issues. EDIT: I was mistaken per the gaskets, however no issues with leaks

I have an early Clarke, late 19th early 20th century high F whistle that I got for a few bucks on Ebay. It has been banged about a good bit and the fipple has shifted. I will copy it when time allows and make a half dozen or so until I get one that I like. I will keep you posted when I have one avai...

Per the OP: I started playing whistle 5 years ago, so I still think of myself as a beginner. Here goes: Questions 3 & 4: To my knowledge, the tin whistle was patented in 1843, though the instrument is not unique. Six-holed diatonic flageolets in the key of D were readily available long before th...