Clearing your whistle

desert_whistler · Post by **desert_whistler** » Thu Jul 24, 2003 10:50 pm

I've got a question about how often you find yourselves clearing your whistle (bear in mind I'm a newbie):

When my whistle starts to clog, I do the old "cover the end and blow into the windway" trick. That works fine for awhile, but I find that eventually, this doesn't return my whistle to it's normal clear tone. Then I resort to the "dishsoap" method (put a drop of dishsoap on a business card and rub it in the windway). This works great. My whistle sound nice and clear again. According to The Whistle Stop, this method "usually makes a big difference on how long you can play before your windway becomes clogged."

My question is, how often do you have to do this drastic "dishsoap" thing? I just did it last Saturday, and already, I'm finding my whistle is starting to clog, and not completely clearing when I blow in the windway. Is this normal (I ususally play 45 min to an hour a day)?

Silas · Post by **Silas** » Thu Jul 24, 2003 11:43 pm

Although Im not terribly experienced either; Ive been playing less than a year, I find varying clogging experiences depending on the whistle types. I have a dixon suprano tunable D which has never clogged. I have a few generations and an oak which clog about once per hour of play. When they do, I just cover the fipple's windway and all the toneholes and give a good huff, and these whistles are good for another hour or so. I also have a silkstone alloy D, which has a curved windway to supposedly slow clogging. Although I love the sound of this whistle dearly, it tends to clog every 10 minutes. Ive never tried the dishsoap method though. Hope this helps in atleast relating clogging problems if anything else.

Redwolf · Post by **Redwolf** » Fri Jul 25, 2003 12:12 am

The one whistle I have that I routinely soap is my O Briain improved. One soaping is good for about five days on that one, give or take.

Redwolf

slowair · Post by **slowair** » Fri Jul 25, 2003 6:19 am

When I started, I played a Susato and it NEVER clogged. So when I got a Sindt and found that it would clog, I adopted the habit of clearing the windway after every song. Now it's a habit and I almost never clog anymore.

And after each use I run a pipe cleaner throught the fipple to get any build up.

Better than messing around with soap and stuff.

Works for me.

Mike

McHaffie · Post by **McHaffie** » Fri Jul 25, 2003 6:48 am

I usually play the first song ok and I can just start to hear a difference, and if I need to I'll clear it, then I'm good for the rest of the session/practicing as far as I can tell... interesting topic. I hadn't really thought about it all that much before!! I'm assuming that the first song is warming the whistle up to the conditions wherever I'm playing, and since it's primarily a metal mouthpiece aside from the plug, it picks up moisture until it warms up maybe? Hmmmmmm... cool.

I have noticed though that after 30 min or so I will get a little condensation / saliva drip out of the bottom of my whistle

so I think that perhaps clearing in between each song might not be such a bad idea!!!

Take care all,
John

illuminatus99 · Post by **illuminatus99** » Fri Jul 25, 2003 9:35 am

it may sound kind of disgusting but I generally suck the spit up as I'm playing, I'll take a spot where I'd normally be taking a breath and slurp. works like a charm as long as you sneak in a big breath beforehand.

peeplj · Post by **peeplj** » Fri Jul 25, 2003 9:58 am

I have found that gently warming up a whistle can really help to prevent clogging and also helps the whistle to sound its best.

I have yet to encounter a whistle which sounds its best played cold.

--James

breedlovejumbo · Post by **breedlovejumbo** » Fri Jul 25, 2003 10:02 am

Just hold on tight and sling the moisture at a target. With practice, it should look more like a tight shotgun pattern than a tire spray pattern.

CHIFF FIPPLE · Post by **CHIFF FIPPLE** » Fri Jul 25, 2003 10:58 am

illuminatus99 wrote:it may sound kind of disgusting but I generally suck the spit up as I'm playing, I'll take a spot where I'd normally be taking a breath and slurp. works like a charm as long as you sneak in a big breath beforehand.

Stacey goe's away and throws up

Carrots why is there always carrots

Kar · Post by **Kar** » Fri Jul 25, 2003 10:59 am

I, too, will slurp a bit up as I play. It is sort of gross, but after all, it's my own spittle.

When my mom started playing the whistle recently, she asked me, "What do you do when it clogs up with spit?"

I said, "You suck it up."
"You mean you just live with it?"
"No, I mean you actually suck it up."

She finally got it.

CHIFF FIPPLE · Post by **CHIFF FIPPLE** » Fri Jul 25, 2003 11:20 am

If you had seen inside as many used windways a me you would think twice before {yer suck}
Ive always wanted ta say thaton C&F