Brewerpaul mentioned a whistlemaker's forum and I came up with an interesting idea!!
How about making a forum right here for whistle smith's? How about it Dale? Rich?
I mean, we've already got flutes, uillean pipes, and Clips and Snips, why not a makers' forum. It could even be for flute and pipe makers!!
Thanks
Nico
Whistle Smith Forum
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NicoMoreno
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Thomas-Hastay
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Here is a start
The speed of sound at sea level pressure and 70 degrees F is 13526.499 inches per second(34,357.307cm)or "S".
The formula for frequency wavelength is
S/F = W
example: ("A"440hz) 13526.499/440 = 30.742 inches<---this is the wavelength of the key of "A".
A whistle bore is approximately 1/2 the wavelength so...30.742/2 = 15.371 inches for a theoretical borelength for a whistle in "A".
A good average bore to length ratio is 1/32 or 32 times the bore diameter...15.371/32 = 0.48 inches,which is very close to 1/2 inch.
A good starting size for a whistle voicing is 1/2 the bore diameter....0.48/2 = .24 inches,which is close to 1/4 inch.
These are simplified measurements and each whistlesmith has their own personal "tweaks" they use to make their designs unique. How do you start your designing?
Thomas Hastay.
The speed of sound at sea level pressure and 70 degrees F is 13526.499 inches per second(34,357.307cm)or "S".
The formula for frequency wavelength is
S/F = W
example: ("A"440hz) 13526.499/440 = 30.742 inches<---this is the wavelength of the key of "A".
A whistle bore is approximately 1/2 the wavelength so...30.742/2 = 15.371 inches for a theoretical borelength for a whistle in "A".
A good average bore to length ratio is 1/32 or 32 times the bore diameter...15.371/32 = 0.48 inches,which is very close to 1/2 inch.
A good starting size for a whistle voicing is 1/2 the bore diameter....0.48/2 = .24 inches,which is close to 1/4 inch.
These are simplified measurements and each whistlesmith has their own personal "tweaks" they use to make their designs unique. How do you start your designing?
Thomas Hastay.
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FairEmma
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LOL!! I sense a point being made here.
All the same, I really do enjoy reading whistle-smithing threads, although I am probably not going to even think about trying to craft my own whistle soon, if ever.
I would be intrigued to learn, in slightly more lay terms than logarithms of wavelength type stuff, what it is that goes into making a whistle that plays easily in the upper registers. Some I own feel nearly (never completely) effortless ... and others feel ... well, you know ... not effortless.
Frankly, I find this stuff fascinating ... but I'd be far less likely to keep up with it if the exchanges were sequestered in their own forum.
FE
All the same, I really do enjoy reading whistle-smithing threads, although I am probably not going to even think about trying to craft my own whistle soon, if ever.
I would be intrigued to learn, in slightly more lay terms than logarithms of wavelength type stuff, what it is that goes into making a whistle that plays easily in the upper registers. Some I own feel nearly (never completely) effortless ... and others feel ... well, you know ... not effortless.
Frankly, I find this stuff fascinating ... but I'd be far less likely to keep up with it if the exchanges were sequestered in their own forum.
FE
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Thomas-Hastay
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Greetings FairEmma
I think I know what you mean.A whistle that is "effortless" would have one or more of the following traits...
1)A narrow bore that is 32 to 35 times the bore diameter in length for better acoustic power.
2)A narrow windway to reduce blowing fatigue of the player(if a fipple plug is designed with poly materials that reduce or eliminate condensation it will not clog)
3)A voicing window that is deep for stability,wide for clear tone and rounded upper and lower lips on the windway exit for reduced windsheet turbulance.
4)A labium ramp that is long for ease of octave "flip" and a slightly rounded leading edge for better oscillation.
Ther are,of course,infinite combinations. Thats why we have WhOA disorder! Each maker modifies her/his whistle to achieve the sound they can't find in other makers instruments.
I would like to here other examples from members on what they believe are the factors that constitute "Ease of Play".
Thomas Hastay.
I think I know what you mean.A whistle that is "effortless" would have one or more of the following traits...
1)A narrow bore that is 32 to 35 times the bore diameter in length for better acoustic power.
2)A narrow windway to reduce blowing fatigue of the player(if a fipple plug is designed with poly materials that reduce or eliminate condensation it will not clog)
3)A voicing window that is deep for stability,wide for clear tone and rounded upper and lower lips on the windway exit for reduced windsheet turbulance.
4)A labium ramp that is long for ease of octave "flip" and a slightly rounded leading edge for better oscillation.
Ther are,of course,infinite combinations. Thats why we have WhOA disorder! Each maker modifies her/his whistle to achieve the sound they can't find in other makers instruments.
I would like to here other examples from members on what they believe are the factors that constitute "Ease of Play".
Thomas Hastay.
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StevieJ
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Well Thomas the physics of it all is beyond me, but I have a theory about effortlessness, or rather the lack of it, particularly as regards the behaviour of whistles in the upper reaches (A and B) of the second octave. (There's a comment by Mick Woodruff about rolls on high A in the current "wooden whistles" thread that may bear out what I am going to say below.)On 2001-07-06 12:52, Thomas-Hastay wrote:
I would like to hear other examples from members on what they believe are the factors that constitute "Ease of Play".
Thomas Hastay.
My theory is half-baked (like a lot of my theories), so if anyone can refute it convincingly, I'd be quite pleased. It is this: whistles that give trouble in this area are often made by whistlesmiths who don't themselves play Irish music.
It seems to me that you can adjust all the factors Thomas mentioned to make a whistle that has considerable extra power in the lower octave, but the tradeoff invariably seems to be an intractable high A and B, which makes the whistle much more difficult to use, if not unusable, for Irish dance music, with all the cuts and graces that are required to shape the tunes in the traditional manner. If the whistlesmith doesn't play Irish music, the instrument's tendency to squawk and balk in this situation will not bother him/her, and he/she may possibly never be aware of it.
I base this opinion partly on conversations with a maker of very fine wooden whistles that suffer from squawky high notes, and partly on my (admittedly limited) experience of other "loud" brands.
The corollary of my theory is that it's difficult to make a whistle that is loud without compromising its usefulness for Irish music.
What do you think, Thomas? And everyone else?