Chiff and Fipple Forums

I owned one 'thin weasel' that was a lovely whistle, and more than a few 'water weasels'. A high D that was white with a red plug, and was one of my all time favorites that I should have kept and didn't. I kept a gray bflat that's really very nice, too.

I'm glad to hear you are still amongst the living, Mack. I've said many times that a Mack Hoover small bore brass whistle will teach a person how to breathe and is a must-have! ---Reggie

I think there's been a lot of effort over the years to say that it doesn't matter what a wind instrument is made of, but it is, as someone said here, as much a part of the player's experience as the listener's. Organ pipes have been made of all manner of materials for a very long time, and it is sti...

I've worked with a few doppelflute sets over the years in organs, but don't recall any thinking about varying cut-up heights on the mouths. The windway, or flue, can be varied by filing either the block or the cap, but the block can't be moved as it's an integral part of the structure of the pipe. T...

I've owned several of David Boisvert's whistles over the years. They were all nice, some nicer than others of course, and of some interesting wood species, too. My favorite, and I wish I'd never sold it, was made of purple gidgee. Beautiful to look at and play. Good luck.

I feel a bit like an old-timer in liking O'Riordan whistles, which I don't think have been mentioned here. I started playing for my own enjoyment and later on a few weddings, etc., in 2006 I believe it was. I bought and sold many whistles over the years, and ended up with a collection of Pat's whist...

This is largely academic, but I’ve spent a lifetime in the pipe organ (which are largely whistles) business. I’ve had a few conversations with Pat O’Riordan and correspondence with Michael Copeland about organ pipes as they relate to whistles, and have done a quick and dirty analysis on an O’Riordan...

Loren mentioned O'Riordan whistles. They have a narrow blade that is flat, and a 'D' shaped windway that narrows in height as it reaches the opening, an isn't restrictive at all. The same construction was used by David Boisvert in his Greenwood whistles. Compared to the mouth of a Grinter that is qu...

The whole affair being closer to an organ pipe than anything else, although the parts have different names.

Having spent many years as a pipe organ builder/voicer, there are lots of details that determine how a whistle plays. Bore can be utilized for overall power or tone color, or both. Mouth width (window in whistle-speak) is as important, as is blade height (cutup in an organ pipe). Actually, for somet...

Patrick O'Riordan isn't on your list, but deserves to be. His obit mentions that he was an 'exhibitor and demonstrator' at the first Johnny Appleseed Festival in Ft. Wayne, IN, in 1975. I'm not sure when he stopped making whistles before his death in March, 2019. I have an early wooden set marked '6...

I'm a big Sindt cheerleader and have never really noticed the C natural issue. Maybe I and my other Sindt playiing friends just blow to compensate. I have a Copeland too which is always spot on. I've noticed it only because I wanted to. I never quite understood nitpicking tuning on a whistle when t...

You can't believe the incompetence of those in charge on the British side. It's amazing that we won the war. As I understand it, command was epically incompetent on both sides of the Burma Campaign, and the eventual outcome was pretty much a matter of sheer dumb happenstance. Perhaps embarrassment ...

Thought not really helpful in this situation, there was a mouthpiece called 'Eklute' that has long since been out of production. They used to show up
on eBay occasionally.

There are probably a few newer members here who haven't seen this little jewel, expertly executed by C/F members Eskin and MTGuru. It is a classic, IMHO.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMqefRi_pXE