Chiff and Fipple Forums

Greetings!

Love this forum. I have been a multi-instrumentalist for many years, but saxophone has been my longest player, and in the last couple years I have fallen in love with whistle and wood flute, primarily for Irish and Scottish tunes. I have a Dixon low D wood flute which I like, and recently I bought a hi D from John Sindt which I like very well, although the C is a bit stuffy. I habve been experimenting with different fingerings, and it's going ok. I have heard some say using a Feadog tube or a tube from another whistle may fix the issue. Any advice? I also find that as much as I love the Sindt, I think I might prefer a wood whistle, or something with a bit sweeter tone. I realize describing tone is so subjective! I'd love some advice on these subjects if anyone would be so kind. As an aside, my 12 year old daughter is getting quite good at the violin, and we are just beginning to do some playing together, (me on fiddle, whistle, voice and flute, and my wife on guitar, bodhran, and voice) and I am loving it! It's a slow and steady as she goes kind of affair....

Cheers to you all!

Peter.

Welcome to the forum Peter.

I'm a new comer to whistling and I'm having a great time learning more about my new hobby. I'm sure some of the old timers will come along and help you out with your questions.

Sounds like you have a nice little band started! Congrats!

If you are having trouble with a Sindt whistle you should contact him. He is very responsive and if there is something he can do, he will. I have a Sindt C and I do not find it stuffy at all. I use your basic oxxooo.

Welcome aboard, Peter!

If you are interested in a wood whistle, check out Whorfin Woods. Charlie offered to let me test out a couple of them for the cost of shipping, and I wound up buying both. They are easily played, and look and sound great.

Best of luck in your quest for the perfect whistle, and enjoy the journey!

Welcome!

Are you perhaps referring to playing a C natural on a D whistle? In that case, I've found the Sindt whistles to be weaker or to be sharp when using the usual cross-fingering (oxxooo). I have to add a finger or two (oxxxoo / oxxxxo) to correct the pitch, at which point the tone becomes harder to produce. So typically, instead, I will half-hole to get the C natural (or natural 7th of whatever key).

But if that's not what you meant, then, don't mind me.

As for swapping out the body, I'll leave that to somebody else to address!

Welcome, Peter. I play mostly Sindt whistles, and you are correct in your analysis concerning the C natural on John's D whistle. While, the C natural intonation can be tamed with standard forked fingering and careful breath control, I elected a whole lot of years ago, to go the other way. I simply began the half-hole technique, and never looked back. I find I even half hole D instruments from other makers. It is not a technique that is difficult to learn...

As for a wooden whistle, you might want to look into Paul Busman's instruments. I find them excellent.

I smiled when I read your end comment concerning your family. My own band is made up of former students, and a former recording studio client, all of whom have become excellent friends. Our band also began as a slow and steady as she goes kind of affair, and over the years has morphed into a group who perform many concerts a year. With the current state of live music, we are in hiatus, and are hoping things become safe enough in the next months, that we can safely work with each other, again. If you have thoughts of your family band going in that direction, I wish y'all the best.

Welcome aboard.

Animist wrote: I have a Dixon low D wood flute...

Interesting! I've not seen those. I know it's been several years now, but back when I visited his booth at the NAMM Show his things were either all-plastic, or plastic tops with metal tube bodies.

Animist wrote: I bought a high D from John Sindt which I like very well, although the C is a bit stuffy...I have heard some say using a tube from another whistle may fix the issue.

About stuffiness, I wouldn't know. But there are two basic approaches to the placement and/or size of Hole 1.

The first has been used for hundreds of years on wooden flutes, on Baroque flutes and the early and mid 19th century orchestra wood flutes that our modern "Irish flutes" are based on, and on Generation and other old-school whistles: Hole 1 is placed and sized so that crossfingered C natural works beautifully, and open C# is a hair flat to Equal Temperament and needs to be pushed a tad on whistle or rolled out for flute.

The second seems to be a recent one, and most seen with US makers: Hole 1 is raised further on the tube and/or enlarged so that open C# is in tune to Equal Temperament, which spoils the traditional crossfingered C natural. I've owned Sindts in D, B, Bb, and A and they were a bit like that.

In my opinion players should be able to use the traditional fingerings and not be required to invent new fingerings to compensate for oddly-made instruments.

But compensate I did! And when I was playing a Sindt D I was using a Generation tube in it.

Ditto the Killarney I still play, though for a different reason: the Killarney tube had been chopped too short at the bottom resulting in the bellnote (and its octave) being sharp.

Animist wrote: I might prefer a wood whistle, or something with a bit sweeter tone.

I know I've not played every wood whistle out there, but I've played several, and in my experience I have got sweeter tone from metal whistles than wood.

Thank you all for much to consider. I have been experimenting with half holes and different fingerings on my Sindt. Yes my Dixon is old and wood! I needed a new ferrule ring recently and Tony made me one no charge and mailed it off. I have much more to add, but we are off to the Ozarks for the week and need to get ready for camping!

Cheers,

Peter.

pancelticpiper wrote: I know I've not played every wood whistle out there, but I've played several, and in my experience I have got sweeter tone from metal whistles than wood.

I have wondered about this. Having played a wide range of instruments for many years and having worked in music retail for many years as well, sometimes the materials used end up producing a different tone then one might expect. Of course then there's the player, and there's what each person defines as "sweet" or whatever word we might use to describe a sound. Then there's the mouthpiece which is going to be responsible for the majority of what you hear.

pancelticpiper wrote: About stuffiness, I wouldn't know. But there are two basic approaches to the placement and/or size of Hole 1.

The first has been used for hundreds of years on wooden flutes, on Baroque flutes and the early and mid 19th century orchestra wood flutes that our modern "Irish flutes" are based on, and on Generation and other old-school whistles: Hole 1 is placed and sized so that crossfingered C natural works beautifully, and open C# is a hair flat to Equal Temperament and needs to be pushed a tad on whistle or rolled out for flute.

The second seems to be a recent one, and most seen with US makers: Hole 1 is raised further on the tube and/or enlarged so that open C# is in tune to Equal Temperament, which spoils the traditional crossfingered C natural. I've owned Sindts in D, B, Bb, and A and they were a bit like that.

In my opinion players should be able to use the traditional fingerings and not be required to invent new fingerings to compensate for oddly-made instruments.

But compensate I did! And when I was playing a Sindt D I was using a Generation tube in it.

Ditto the Killarney I still play, though for a different reason: the Killarney tube had been chopped too short at the bottom resulting in the bellnote (and its octave) being sharp.

Thank you Richard! This is excellent information to have and explains a lot. I really appreciate you taking the time to share this.

Welcome.

As already stated, mouthpiece has the most effect on tone (over body material). That said wooden ones could still have a tone you like, so could be worth looking into. The issue with wood to me is that it takes more upkeep. I have a wooden irish flute and love how it looks over delrin ones. But needing to oil it is kidna a con with limited benefits haha.

A feadog body could fix the cross fingering for c nat issue, but it could also make your general tuning worse. At least in my case, my feadog tuning is not good at all. Vs professional made whistles usually have spot on tuning.

Narzog wrote: my feadog tuning is not good at all. Vs professional made whistles usually have spot on tuning.

Which whistles, if I may ask?

pancelticpiper wrote:

Narzog wrote: my feadog tuning is not good at all. Vs professional made whistles usually have spot on tuning.

Which whistles, if I may ask?

My Tilbury tuning is spot on (my only one I can get away with calling professional haha). And to my knowledge I thought that Killarney, Burke, Goldie, MK, Chieftain, shearwater, Susato, ect usually come with very close to or spot on tuning. At least from what I've read.

VS the cheap factory whistles, which people usually say to go to your local store and try them all and pick the best one. Which is not a good sign for consistency.

Narzog wrote:usually come with very close to or spot on tuning. At least from what I've read.

They don't all.

VS the cheap factory whistles, which people usually say to go to your local store and try them all and pick the best one. Which is not a good sign for consistency.

But that's never been about consistency of tuning (whether good, bad or indifferent)!