Chromatic High Whistle - Market for such a thing?

Daniel_Bingamon · Post by **Daniel_Bingamon** » Tue Aug 20, 2002 9:18 pm

I was curious about whether there would be a market for a chromatic high-D whistle - a piccolo whistle in other words.

And no, I have not built any. I wonder if it would be worth the time designing one.

I have ideas of how one could be built with about 4 keys. If such a thing existed what features should it have.
I've already thought about extra keys on the bottom (like a flute) to allow it to play C/C# but keyed in D.

Bloomfield · Post by **Bloomfield** » Tue Aug 20, 2002 9:22 pm

I think you could play some lovely Telemann on a whistle like that. :roll:

_________________
/bloomfield

[ This Message was edited by: Bloomfield on 2002-08-20 23:22 ]

scissors · Post by **scissors** » Tue Aug 20, 2002 10:04 pm

I think I would try some Dave Tarras or Naftule Brandtwine '20s klezmer on such a little beast. I'm thinking anyway about the "pocket" clarinet/sax at Lark in the Morning for such a purpose, anyway. I'd like to see a chromatic whistle attempted.

vaporlock · Post by **vaporlock** » Tue Aug 20, 2002 10:22 pm

I know that this may sound silly, but I can't see why you just couldn't make a whistle headjoint for a concert flute or piccolo. For the most part a flute can be fingered just as easily verticaly as horizontaly.

Maybe instead of making chromatic whistles maybe just whistle headjoints? Just a thought.

Eric

PS
I just tried this with a Yamaha flute and the head of my Burke AlPro low G. It worked extremely well!! I was able to get three octaves. The Burke head was about three inches too short so it was way out of tune. I'd upload an MP3 to clips-n-snips....but I don't know how to play the flute

[ This Message was edited by: vaporlock on 2002-08-21 00:40 ]

Goldie · Post by **Goldie** » Wed Aug 21, 2002 5:26 am

Funny this should come up as I have just made two 10-holed high Ds which can play the notes D, Eb, E, F, F#, G, G#, A, B, C, C#. It is not fully chromatic but the Bb can be cross fingered. The reason why I made the C hole rather than the Bb hole was because that is what the player asked for. I imagine you would have to get used to the fingering. I did see a Russian band in Cologne a couple of years ago playing a whistle similar to this. Here is a picture, not that great quality but gives an idea
http://www.overton.de/GRAFIK/SOP-10.JPG
Thought I mention it

Colin

edited for typo

[ This Message was edited by: Goldie on 2002-08-21 07:28 ]

brewerpaul · Post by **brewerpaul** » Wed Aug 21, 2002 5:34 am

Sounds like an interesting idea Dan. People who play only trad might not be interested, but those of us who like to experiment with other types of music should find such an instrument useful. I must point out though, that there already IS a fully chromatic instrument in the same range as a D whistle, readily available for very little money-- a soprano recorder. Flame away.....

scissors · Post by **scissors** » Wed Aug 21, 2002 6:19 am

How about just a regular style whistle but bored for different scales, like the klezmer I mentioned earlier, or melodic minor, or some of the middle eastern or Indian scales?

Mark_J · Post by **Mark_J** » Wed Aug 21, 2002 6:54 am

I can't believe that nobody has mentioned the Ralph Sweet Blackwood with 3 keys. C natural and B flat are crossfingered. There is a link with pictures from the expensive whistle page.

Also, Pat O'Riordan's wood whistles come with a sheet that shows cross fingerings for full chromatism. Pat says the aluminum whistles do not work like that. The walls are pretty thick on Pat's work (compared to weasels, at least) so that may be something. I couldn't get the D# to work and then promptly lost the info sheet.

peeplj · Post by **peeplj** » Wed Aug 21, 2002 7:41 am

You can occasionally find 6-key flageolets on auction sites. They seem to go for fairly respectable sums so I am assuming someone out there values a chromatic whistle!

Is there a market? I'd say yes--I'd likely buy one at some point. I have been wanting one of the Sweet keyed whistles for a long time, but since my wife is buying me a Hammilton keyed flute, this isn't a good time to beg^h^h^h ask for expensive whistles.

Is there a large market might be a better question, and I'm not qualified to even hazard a guess on that one.

--James
http://www.flutesite.com

ysgwd · Post by **ysgwd** » Wed Aug 21, 2002 8:51 am

On 2002-08-21 08:19, scissors wrote:
How about just a regular style whistle but bored for different scales, like the klezmer I mentioned earlier, or melodic minor, or some of the middle eastern or Indian scales?

I've seen the harmonic (for Klezmer, etc.) scaled whistles and others available on the Jubilee site.
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepage ... -metal.htm

And I believe that the seven holed Silkstone will produce the Lydian mode from the bell note like seven holed bansuri from India do. Please correct me if I'm wrong. (or should I have typed PCMIIW?)

Lisa

[ This Message was edited by: ysgwd on 2002-08-21 10:54 ]

colomon · Post by **colomon** » Wed Aug 21, 2002 9:26 am

And the reverse of the piccolo comment -- one of my mechanically-minded friends thinks it would be easy to build new bodies for the O'Riordan whistles. Seems like that would be a great way to experiment with different whistle styles.

[ This Message was edited by: colomon on 2002-08-21 13:08 ]

chas · Post by **chas** » Wed Aug 21, 2002 10:35 am

On 2002-08-21 09:41, peeplj wrote:
You can occasionally find 6-key flageolets on auction sites. They seem to go for fairly respectable sums so I am assuming someone out there values a chromatic whistle!

I have a ~100 year old flageolet, and it has a sharping lever. This thing works by partially covering the window with a cork. It sharps any note by a halftone. Too bad it's hopelessly out of tune with itself.

Charlie

Chuck_Clark · Post by **Chuck_Clark** » Wed Aug 21, 2002 11:01 am

Just when I begin to think that someday I might be able to proficiently handle six holes, you characters want to add levers or up to four more holes.

I think I'll just go curl up into a fetal ball and withdraw for a while.

fatveg · Post by **fatveg** » Wed Aug 21, 2002 11:44 am

I would be really, really interested in a chromatic whistle. And I'm struggling with why that isn't just a recorder (I have a little F sopranino that is really fun to play). But if something cheap comes up I'll be there. I'm playing on a cheap bamboo flute at the moment and that cross-fingers well (unlike my cheap whistles, which need half-holing).

Fatveg

Loren · Post by **Loren** » Wed Aug 21, 2002 1:06 pm

On 2002-08-21 07:26, Goldie wrote:
Funny this should come up as I have just made two 10-holed high Ds which can play the notes D, Eb, E, F, F#, G, G#, A, B, C, C#..... Here is a picture, not that great quality but gives an idea

http://www.overton.de/GRAFIK/SOP-10.JPG

Thought I mention it

Colin

Damn Colin, that's Cool!!!

Well folks, that whistle certainly won't sound like a recorder!

Loren