What's on your "Whistle Feature Wish List"?

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pancelticpiper
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Tell us something.: Playing Scottish and Irish music in California for 45 years.
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Re: What's on your "Whistle Feature Wish List"?

Post by pancelticpiper »

bookman46 wrote: Wed Jul 07, 2021 6:06 pm A less expensive Low D whistle, with more closely spaced holes...
Here are good-playing Low D's from several makers

Image

What does a comparison of the finger-hole placement and sizing tell us?

That in truth there's only one way to skin the cat.

Ideal performance dictates the holes have even (or nearly even) sizing, with every note fully vented (for example, a full-sized open F natural hole between the E hole and the F# hole) which would be impossible to finger. This conundrum led Boehm to create his fully keyed flute with evenly sized and spaced huge holes that no-one could finger if keyless.

Human anatomy dictates smallish holes spaced as the fingers are spaced. This leads to an instrument with numerous neutral intervals rather than any Western musical scale.

Low D Whistle makers are forced to compromise between these conflicting dictates, and trial and error have inevitably led them all to the same conclusion.

Make the holes smaller and closer together and the evenness of the voicing suffers- it cannot be avoided. It just depends on how poor a voicing is acceptable.

(The one solution is a conical bore, which brings the lower-hand holes closer together.)
Richard Cook
c1980 Quinn uilleann pipes
1945 Starck Highland pipes
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bruce.b
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Re: What's on your "Whistle Feature Wish List"?

Post by bruce.b »

My biggest problem with my Low D’s, the only whistles I currently play, is clogging. Make a pro level low D that never clogs and I’ll buy it today.
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Flexismart
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Re: What's on your "Whistle Feature Wish List"?

Post by Flexismart »

These are my 'Whistle Wishes":

1) Built in whistle warmer and drool dryer
2) Hidden auto tuner
3) Automatic hole covers to convert whistle to a beer straw
4) On board concealed ‘chick magnet’
5) Side airbags to keep distance from bodhran and banjo players
6) Laser attachment that shines on ceiling "Quiet! Whistle Solo!”
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