Greetings!
For a while I’ve had this low D Shaw whistle, I really love the feel of it due to its conical shape, but it has one major issue.
https://i.imgur.com/ERQYWbg.jpg
https://imgur.com/Bk76Cvn.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/cOVCts9.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/GNwZQ6m.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/Olba3t0.jpg
Whenever I try to play it, it requires a large amount of air, More than any other low whistle I’ve played, and it also sounds extremely airy. I understand some instruments are built to have that sound but it seems to me that it should not be this much to the extreme.
If anyone has any insight whether this instrument is just not that good or if this is a fixable problem than that would be great!
Thanks,
-Zac
Low D whistle is very very airy.
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pancelticpiper
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Re: Low D whistle is very very airy.
Shaws, like the old traditional Clarks, are great because you can alter the windway and blade.
The factors you're changing are the height of the windway, the shape of the top of the winday, the sides of the windway, and the position and shape of the blade.
The more you bring down the roof of the windway, making the windway narrower, the slower air travels through the windway. This increases the resistance or backpressure and increases the efficiency. The ideal is to make the roof flat and parallel to the floor, like an equal sign =
Then there's the shape and position of the blade. The blade can be flat ____ or have more of the curve that Clarkes usually come with. You can experiment and see what you prefer. IIRC the best tone is when the blade isn't centered in the middle of the windway opening, but lower, nearly in line with the floor of the windway.
Once everything is just so, the whistle can give a more pure tone and be much more air-efficient. The "airy" sound is wasted air escaping. The goal is to have as much air as possible directed at the blade, where the tone is created. The more focused the airstream is, the more pure the tone is.
The factors you're changing are the height of the windway, the shape of the top of the winday, the sides of the windway, and the position and shape of the blade.
The more you bring down the roof of the windway, making the windway narrower, the slower air travels through the windway. This increases the resistance or backpressure and increases the efficiency. The ideal is to make the roof flat and parallel to the floor, like an equal sign =
Then there's the shape and position of the blade. The blade can be flat ____ or have more of the curve that Clarkes usually come with. You can experiment and see what you prefer. IIRC the best tone is when the blade isn't centered in the middle of the windway opening, but lower, nearly in line with the floor of the windway.
Once everything is just so, the whistle can give a more pure tone and be much more air-efficient. The "airy" sound is wasted air escaping. The goal is to have as much air as possible directed at the blade, where the tone is created. The more focused the airstream is, the more pure the tone is.
Richard Cook
c1980 Quinn uilleann pipes
1945 Starck Highland pipes
Goldie Low D whistle
c1980 Quinn uilleann pipes
1945 Starck Highland pipes
Goldie Low D whistle
-
pancelticpiper
- Posts: 5309
- Joined: Mon Jul 10, 2006 7:25 am
- antispam: No
- Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
- Tell us something.: Playing Scottish and Irish music in California for 45 years.
These days many discussions are migrating to Facebook but I prefer the online chat forum format. - Location: WV to the OC
Re: Low D whistle is very very airy.
A picture is worth a thousand words, they say, and it's true with the photo showing the blowing-end of the windway, the low and parallel roof.
What it would be nice to have a photo of is looking down the interior of the windway from the blowing-end, so you can see where Jerry has placed the blade.
What it would be nice to have a photo of is looking down the interior of the windway from the blowing-end, so you can see where Jerry has placed the blade.
Richard Cook
c1980 Quinn uilleann pipes
1945 Starck Highland pipes
Goldie Low D whistle
c1980 Quinn uilleann pipes
1945 Starck Highland pipes
Goldie Low D whistle