Chiff and Fipple Forums

Great thread. Ardal Powell’s excellent The Flute puts each of the types of flute being discussed here in its historical context and is well worth a read. http://www.flutehistory.com/TheBook/index.php3 A key (no pun intended) takeaway from the book is that no design is inherently superior to any othe...

Ardal Powell’s The Flute does an excellent job tracing the instrument’s evolution (specifically addressing question 5): http://www.flutehistory.com/TheBook/index.php3

Ardal Powell’s fantastic book The Flute is the instrument’s definitive history and the answer to your questions. http://www.flutehistory.com/TheBook/index.php3

I had a stint teaching whistle in an after school program, and it went reasonably well, although I’d be surprised if any of the kids are still playing. Shrillness aside (although it is an issue!), the kids liked that they were playing music quickly. With most instruments, one spends longer just lear...

I dig it. Thanks for sharing!

Sold

I think the weight of the brass heads scaled to lower keys would be a major issue. I have Killarney C and sindt B whistles that are, while perfectly manageable, are already fairly heavy. Think of the chunk of brass it will take to make a head that will drive, say, a low F. Yes, I had a Sindt A back...

I'm offering a lovely Clarke Original whistle in D. It's the nicest Clarke I've played, but I haven't played whistle in quite a while now, so this deserves to go where it can be enjoyed. The tweaking is as follows: The mouthpiece has been curved so it's more comfortable and thinner than the stock 45...

Vibes earplugs are very nice—good volume reduction and sound quality, inexpensive, unobtrusive, and comfy (they come with three different ear plug sizes for a more individualized fit). I’m very happy with them. Etymotic and EarPeace also have good offerings.

A Clarke Original C might be to your liking, too. Clarke Originals, on the whole, are pretty sweet and mellow with polite volume. Way back when I started playing whistle, I came from an classical/orchestral instrument background, too. And over the past 20-odd years, I've owned a couple dozen whistle...

A low D is, in some ways, a different instrument from a high D. Breath requirements (and thus, phrasing) is different, the grip is different, and the overall style of play is different. You may love it; you may not. I think Bb and A whistles are about perfect--they still handle more like high whistl...

I've referred to Bb the 'Goldilocks' whistle pitch: not too high, not too low. Exhibit A: Kitty Lie Over by Mick O’Brien And Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh.

When it comes to humidifying a flute, these are the bees knees (Model #1): https://humistat.com/
They also offer basic analog hygrometers.

I played a mopane flute for about 12 years, and I really liked the wood as a flute-making material. It was extremely stable, regardless of temperature or humidity conditions, developed a glassy-smooth bore (oiling seemed optional), and looked great (it darkened significantly over the years but retai...

A conical bore brings the octaves better into tune; that's why some makers, like Burke, add "bore perturbations" to cylindrical bores. Without such corrective measures, a cylindrical bore will have a flat second octave. Overall, my favorite whistle is the Clarke Original, and I think part ...