Chiff and Fipple Forums

for higher pitched whistles like alto G and higher.
Add 7th hole for bottom pinky, so it can play 3 semitones lower than previous tonic.
IE on a G whistle, the new 7th hole plays E

Seems very useful, has this been done before?

I've never heard of that being done.

There are 7-hole whistles that play one full tone below the tonic, on a D whistle it would be low C natural, which can be half-holed for C sharp.

There are Eastern European bagpipes where the little finger note is a 4th below the tonic, I believe, which on a D whistle would be low A.

There's actually a separate bore just for that note. In effect there are two parallel chanters: a chanter for six fingers and upper thumb (which plays the melody) and a chanter with a single fingerhole for the lower-hand little finger (which plays a drone, either the Tonic or Dominant).

Here, at 0:16 the chanter's parallel drone-bore operated by the lower-hand little finger can be heard switching from the tonic to the dominant

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0_sC_FeMaw

Shearwater makes an alto A with a low G hole. That's about the limit of a comfortable pinky reach for me.

Changing which low note happens when you put your little finger down on a 7th hole doesn't really change the location or size of that hole.

No matter which note happens when you put the little finger down, the note that's emitting from that hole, the note when the little finger is raised, is the same bellnote as usual (D on a D whistle).

The tubing is merely lengthened to get whatever low note you want. Depending on the length of the tubing the low note could be C#, C, B, A, G, or any other note I suppose.

pancelticpiper wrote: ↑Fri May 21, 2021 6:09 am Changing which low note happens when you put your little finger down on a 7th hole doesn't really change the location or size of that hole.

No matter which note happens when you put the little finger down, the note that's emitting from that hole, the note when the little finger is raised, is the same bellnote as usual (D on a D whistle).

The tubing is merely lengthened to get whatever low note you want. Depending on the length of the tubing the low note could be C#, C, B, A, G, or any other note I suppose.

That's all true, but it will affect how the tonic note sounds. On a D+ whistle the tonic sounds fine, but if you lengthen the tube to sound a B or Bflat, the pinky hole will have to be made awfully small, and the D will become very weak.