AuLoS303 wrote:T 123, B123 for whistle
T123,B1234 for recorder, plus TH for thumb hole. Interesting. I wonder if an octave hole at the back has been tried on tin whistle.
I'm more used to T(humb)-123-456-7, which covers (almost) everything. T1 and T2 can be confusing when you get to whistles like the sopilka or other keyless instruments like the rackett which have two thumb holes. But then again, the sopilka has eight finger holes, and the rackett has, in addition to two thumb holes and seven or eight finger holes, two more holes for the middle joints of the index fingers!
Brewerpaul wrote:Some makers including myself make an extra long D whistle with one extra hole to provide a low C note, C# if you half hole. In trad music though, those notes are not used very often at all.
I've always liked this feature!
I was a recorder player before I came to play and make whistles, so I tried a thumb hole to make octaves easier. It was no help at all. I've made a couple of custom order whistles with an extra hole on the back to allow an F natural without half holing, but I personally don't think it's worth it. Learning to half hole is extremely useful for many notes.
Sure, though the extra holes are a nice option. Particularly the low C/C# hole. Beats having to crook your pinky around the bottom of the whistle to get that note.