Hello I'm mor, I'm a new whistler...

[mor.whistle]

Greetings to everyone, since I just joined this board I figured I should present myself.

My name is mor (the first three letters actually) and I'm from Italy. I recently started squeaking with a tin whistle and it really got me.

I once read that a tin whistle is the most popular souvenir gift from Ireland and guess guess, that's how I got mine.
It is a Walton's Irish Whistle in the key of D (the one currently miniaturized in my avatar) and my sister must have payed it less than 10 euros, but from what I have read so far, it doesn't necessarily mean it is bad. It'll be good for now anyway.

This little whistle sit in a drawer for the last two years or so but as of recently (less than two months) I just felt like starting practicing and I'm just so sorry I didn't do it before.
I have been collecting info about how to start playing it and eventually I ended here. I noticed a very attractive wit in the way things were presented in the website and even if I only read the sticky posts and announcements in the board so far, I have a hunch I'll have a good time here.

Bye and see you around (I have quite a few questions!).

[ghicken]

Welcome Mor! I'm new too. I can't get through the day without playing and I carry one everywhere.

Gary

[ytliek]

Hello from here. I'm new to the whistle also. Have fun

[MadmanWithaWhistle]

I've always got a whistle either in my pocket or up my sleeve. I like knowing I have music at all times. I think you'll enjoy this website too, there's a lot of very knowledgeable people and quite patient with answering questions. There's also a lot of people that view each thread as a stand-up act with their name on it. So the wit may wear thin after a couple weeks, but for the most part, it's an excellent connection to the larger Celtic community.

Welcome, and have fun!

[maki]

Welcome Mor.
A better whistle may help that squeak, but practice is the real answer.
Here's the rub though, a better, more forgiving whistle gets us to practice Mor.

Since your in Italia are you familiar with Guido Gonzato?
I have a whistle made by him that is very nice and I've made my own from his DIY instructions.
http://www.ggwhistles.com/

[Katharine]

Two tips on the Walton:

1. Use the waxed-dental-floss or dish soap trick. These things love to clog.

2. Remove the head by soaking in warm water and use the blu-tack tweak-- makes the second octave easier.

Okay, and a third tip:

3. Within a couple days the finish will start to peel off. Eventually it will stop when everything around the fingerholes is gone... or you can do as I did and gradually scrape it off the entire whistle with your fingernail (I just did a little bit every time I played and eventually it was all off).


Walton was my first whistle too and I love mine. Just wait until you want a Mellow Dog.

[mor.whistle]

Thanks everybody for the warm welcome!

A better whistle may help that squeak, but practice is the real answer.
Here's the rub though, a better, more forgiving whistle gets us to practice Mor.

I said "squeaking" because I didn't want to say I was playing it, it seemed too pretentious to say so at this stage.
I don't know yet if my whistle is squeaking in a "it is defective" kind of way or if it plays well enough for its value but I'm motivated enough anyway to practice regardless.

I know I'll need another one pretty soon if not for anything because I'll wear it out, but still what is important the most for me right know it to learn to move my fingers properly especially when going between distant notes.

Since your in Italia are you familiar with Guido Gonzato?
I have a whistle made by him that is very nice and I've made my own from his DIY instructions.
http://www.ggwhistles.com/

I'm not familiar with almost anything, I'm a total (well, almost by now) tin whistle virgin and with playing other instruments as well.
My last foray into playing some instrument dates back to middle school and I never took it seriously back then, so I'm new to pretty much anything.
I'll take a look at ggwhistles now, thanks.

1. Use the waxed-dental-floss or dish soap trick. These things love to clog.

I don't think I know this trick and from a quick googling I couldn't find anything whistle-related either (aside from a reference to the trick in this very forum but no explanation).
As for clogging, I assume you mean moisture, I have to say I don't think it is a big problem for me yet, most likely because I'm still doing the scales and simple short tunes, but I developed (well, developed is a big word, it's not like I invented anything) a system with a Chinese chopstick wrapped in a very fluffy and delicate cloth with which I wipe the whistle quite often.

2. Remove the head by soaking in warm water and use the blu-tack tweak-- makes the second octave easier.

I suppose the soap is just to avoid the tack from sticking too hardly on the mouthpiece right?
Anyway, I have tried a few of these methods but I did it only for the "silencing" purpose and I can't seem to understand in what way there's an advantage in playing the second (you mean higher right?) octave.
If anything I found it harder, more blowing for just a airy whisper with a hint of a note beneath it.

Okay, and a third tip:

3. Within a couple days the finish will start to peel off. Eventually it will stop when everything around the fingerholes is gone... or you can do as I did and gradually scrape it off the entire whistle with your fingernail (I just did a little bit every time I played and eventually it was all off).

So far there's not sign of peeling around the fingerholes, the only part that seem to be a little worn off is the tip where the mouthpieces goes but other than that it is still quite in shape. I'll remember your tip for when it'll does that.

Thank you all again for your help.

[kmarty]

At first, hello Mor and welcome. If I can say welcome, because I'm beginner too .

3. Within a couple days the finish will start to peel off. Eventually it will stop when everything around the fingerholes is gone... or you can do as I did and gradually scrape it off the entire whistle with your fingernail (I just did a little bit every time I played and eventually it was all off).

I didn't knew it when I bought mine. I abraded (what the hell is on that surface, it sticks my fingers...) and polished my Walton. It looked very nice. For few days.
After that, whistle becomes darker and darker and today (5 months later) it looks like this:

Click to larger. Shiny ring near green plastic reminds me how it looked after polishing - it is covered by transparent tape. Tape was try to show position where whistle is tuned. But it shows wrong position .

[mor.whistle]

Hi kmarty, my whistle is not yet like yours, although I think they are exactly the same model and mine will probably be like yours when the mileage is right. Still I think you probably accelerated the oxidation process by scraping off whatever protective film was on it.

Ciao

[kmarty]

I know, but that protective film was really ugly for fingers.

[Katharine]

I don't think I know this trick and from a quick googling I couldn't find anything whistle-related either (aside from a reference to the trick in this very forum but no explanation).
As for clogging, I assume you mean moisture, I have to say I don't think it is a big problem for me yet, most likely because I'm still doing the scales and simple short tunes, but I developed (well, developed is a big word, it's not like I invented anything) a system with a Chinese chopstick wrapped in a very fluffy and delicate cloth with which I wipe the whistle quite often.

I suppose I might've made life easier by posting some links... (the clogging problem is in the mouthpiece, not the tube, so swabbing won't help much).

Dental floss (used it on mine and it worked a treat): viewtopic.php?p=930845#p930845

Dish soap (you only need a tiny bit in water to rinse through!): viewtopic.php?f=1&t=64224&p=845988&hili ... ap#p845988

2. Remove the head by soaking in warm water and use the blu-tack tweak-- makes the second octave easier.

I suppose the soap is just to avoid the tack from sticking too hardly on the mouthpiece right?
Anyway, I have tried a few of these methods but I did it only for the "silencing" purpose and I can't seem to understand in what way there's an advantage in playing the second (you mean higher right?) octave.
If anything I found it harder, more blowing for just a airy whisper with a hint of a note beneath it.

You don't need soap on the outside, and I don't mean the blu-tack mute (that doesn't work for me either). You will put it inside the head. Like so:

http://www.chiffandfipple.com/tweak.html

Makes a big difference, or at least it did on mine. Second octave doesn't blow so hard, first octave doesn't want to cut in so much.

So far there's not sign of peeling around the fingerholes, the only part that seem to be a little worn off is the tip where the mouthpieces goes but other than that it is still quite in shape. I'll remember your tip for when it'll does that.

Mine only took a couple days, not even with that much handling. Mine is about a year old but not as dark as kmarty's... but definitely different wear around the holes/where my thumbs rest on the back than the rest of it. That's part of the charm. Shows it's well-loved.

[kmarty]

... but definitely different wear around the holes/where my thumbs rest on the back than the rest of it....

Like this?

It is shame, because it looked so nice (after removing the sticky finish and after polishing, it was much brighter than original - almost like gold), but I reconcile* with it. Appearance does not affect sound.

*) Google translate .


About wearing around holes - I don't know if I'm doing something wrong, but my first tin whistle (Clarke) looks very similar:

[mor.whistle]

Dental floss (used it on mine and it worked a treat): viewtopic.php?p=930845#p930845

Dish soap (you only need a tiny bit in water to rinse through!): viewtopic.php?f=1&t=64224&p=845988&hili ... ap#p845988

I'll give these two methods a try. Right now I swab the moisture from the small inside part of the mouthpiece with a silk-like flat ribbon about the size of the opening, while I use the other device for the wide part.
Hopefully I won't need to use it anymore.

How often am I supposed to repeat the soap-soaking or flossing?

... and I don't mean the blu-tack mute (that doesn't work for me either). You will put it inside the head. Like so:

http://www.chiffandfipple.com/tweak.html

Makes a big difference, or at least it did on mine. Second octave doesn't blow so hard, first octave doesn't want to cut in so much.

Well I didn't know about that.
Interesting trick, surely worth trying although I don't have any idea of how would the whistle fare when it is silenced (I use the tape method) since I prefer to use it muffled most of the times not to disturb the neighbors (especially until I master it! ).

But I will try it, I still have the tack I bought for silencing purposes.

Mine only took a couple days, not even with that much handling. Mine is about a year old but not as dark as kmarty's... but definitely different wear around the holes/where my thumbs rest on the back than the rest of it. That's part of the charm. Shows it's well-loved.

My whistle is definitely older than yours, but I've been using it consistently only in the last month or so and probably less than the average whistler beginner would (at least is less that I would have wanted, but time available is what it is).
When I have a moment I'll post a picture.

[mor.whistle]

And here is the picture.

As you can see there's not much deterioration so far.

[Katharine]

I flossed mine once a few months ago and it has not needed it since-- which is pretty good for me. As far as the poster putty in the head-- doesn't seem to affect muting at all.