I’ve been playing my way through Bill Ochs’s book, and just today decided that I really need to play along with the CD. I found, when I started doing that, that my Clarke Original D is just not in proper tune with the CD. I just turned on my guitar tuner, and the Clarke is decidedly flat. My Feadog D, however, is in tune. The difference is just bad enough to drive me nuts, though I don’t notice it if I’m not playing with the CD. I really like the sound of the Clarke, by the way, and it is in tune with itself, if that matters. Is there anything I can do about it?
Hi
Probably the answer should be “not much” since you can’t easily adjust the tuning on a Clarke Original, but I guess you could try one of the following.
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Rip the CD and use some fancy playback software to alter the pitch, or…
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See if Andrea is free and ask her to come over on her motorbike.
I know which I’d choose.
Missed you Mike…
Best wishes.
Steve
- Ask yourself (or Andrea) why Clarke would release an apparently flat whistle. Unless the problem is … not the whistle.
Try this: Turn on your tuner again, play a G, and see if you can blow hard enough to bring the note up to pitch. Voilà.
Remember that the Clarke has a fairly large air requirement compared to the Feadóg, and it will sound as much as a quarter tone flat if you don’t put enough air through it.
Put on the Ochs CD again, and try playing along at pitch. I’ll bet it can be done with your whistle.
For fun, after a while playing the Clarke with the CD, switch immediately back to the Feadóg. You may find that the Feadóg is now magically too sharp - if you’ve been underblowing it as well with the head pushed too far in.
If so … Pull the head out a bit, get in the early habit now, while you can, of good breath support to control the intonation, and you’ll live happily ever after with the Clarke, Feadóg, and any future whistles.
And let us know if this works!
Thank you! I’m going to try now. I sure do hope it is something I’m doing, because I can fix that. Thanks again.
“Hi Andrea. I’m good, thanks… Listen, the guy with the flat whistle problem… You’ve got your leathers on already? Well, that’s great, but now he thinks it’s his fault and he can fix it, so… I know, I know - just don’t take it too personally…” She hung up…
Aww thanks…
“Mike - I didn’t hang up…My mobile battery died. Call me back.”
Lucky whistle…
Thanks guys - guess I’ll have to save Andrea for another day. All is well, all is in tune. I LOVE this. Wish I had discovered it years ago - I might even be halfway good by now.