Whistles (and flutes) resonate as if they are (mostly) open at both ends. Chanters (and other reed instruments) resonate as if they are (mostly) closed at the reed end and open at the other end. These animations from UNSW, and the standing wave diagrams above them on the same page, may help you visualize the difference. (The conical bore on the chanter produces a resonance at the second harmonic, but still acts as if it's closed at one end.)PB+J wrote:You have a tube with holes in it, or a conical bore tube with holes in it. I'm not understanding the physical differences here. The flute and the whistle are the same. A recorder has more holes for more notes, but has to labor under the same principles of physics under which all windy musical tubes labor.
The difference in the standing wave patterns are why the chanter has a much lower pitch than a whistle of the same length. These differences also make it harder to make closed fingerings and on-the-knee notes work on a whistle, particularly over a two-octave range. Maybe it is possible without impractically large or widely spaced holes, but I'm not yet convinced. Given the evidence of the Song of the Sea whistle-chanter, though, I should take a second look at how it might work.
