Okay. I just add "keys" and "holes" to that list as well, because I find the underlying logic faulty. Whether it's keys, holes, forked fingering, shading, half-holing or overblowing (or underblowing), secondary vents or whatever: all of those are simply technologies and techniques applied to a simple tube with a notch in the top with the end purpose of getting notes out of it. How many notes one can get largely depends on one's musical culture. If one lives in a predominantly diatonic culture (which I gather is the case of ITM), then seven notes per octave in two maj / two min keys is all that's expected. If one lives in a predominantly chromatic culture (such as classical music), then twelve notes per octave in 12 maj / 12 min keys is what is expected. If one lives in a culture of quarter / microtonality, then perhaps they'll expect even more notes out of a whistle!NicoMoreno wrote:Right, what I mean is "the whistle can not be played chromatically without halfholing, and I take the position that halfholing invalidates chromaticity". Another way of putting it is "an instrument is chromatic when it can play all notes of the chromatic scale using a fingering that doesn't involve halfholing, bending, shading or similarly shaping notes".
I concur regarding pianos. I'd also concur regarding reed basses. Both are one key ~ one note instruments. (Flutes are not one key / hole one note instruments.)I acknowledge that forked fingering is a bit of a grey area. Piano is clearly a chromatic instrument - each note exists, there's one key to press to achieve it. Boehm flute is more or less the same way (although certainly some keys are harder than others). A baroque flute, technically can be played chromatically, with forked fingerings (no halfholing), but there's also clearly keys that are more challenging to achieve, plus there's the whole not being tuned to equal temperament issue. A keyless irish / modern flute is *not* designed to play with cross fingerings (same as a whistle) and hence is not a chromatic instrument.
I think we'd both agree that violins and trombones and slide whistles are perachromatic; instruments where every conceivable note is obtainable within the instrument's range. (They go beyond chromaticity.)
It's just my contention that any instrument that can play ONLY a diatonic scale (like a toy xylophone or a toy piano with painted on black keys) is "diatonic by nature". By nature meaning it CAN NOT do other than play a diatonic scale. Any instrument that can play the twelve notes of the chromatic scale, by any means and any technique and any technology available to the player, is "chromatic by nature". The instrument may not be used that way ordinarily, and I admit this is the case with the whistle! The evidence simply weighs in favour of the latter.