Playing Loud and Low

[electricmime]

How do I increase the volume of the low D and E without going to the middle octave? I figure I'm trying to blow lots of air (for volume) really slow (to keep the low octave), right? I'd prefer having the option of bringing the volume up to the level of the middle octave, rather than having to play the whistle at the volume of the lower octave in order to maintain balance.

So, any hints, or am I dreaming?

[MTGuru]

So, any hints, or am I dreaming?

Yes, sort of.

The tendency for the bell note to overblow easily to the next register is pretty much true of every whistle. Some whistles have a more robust, less finicky bell note than others, and this is one of the things people may look for. As you say, filling the whistle with a full breath but gentle pressure will give you the best results. But expecting the bell D to match the volume of the 2nd register is unrealistic. The volume difference is part of what makes a whistle a whistle. And whistles that are voiced to optimize the low notes may have problems with other notes. Voicing is always a compromise. So it's up to you, as the player, to negotiate your whistle's response.

[brewerpaul]

>And whistles that are voiced to optimize the low notes may have problems with other notes. Voicing is always a compromise.

Yeah, what he said. There's only just so much you can do voluntarily to make the lowest notes stronger. Experience with a given whistle will help some, but you can't make the whistle disobey the laws of physics and acoustics.

[hans]

You can't blow lots of air really slow. The air has to go through the whistle's windway, which is of a fixed dimension. If you want lots of air flow, you have to increase the speed, which you do by increasing the pressure you generate to push the air out of you.

The low note's maximum volume is part of the whistle's design criteria, it varies from whistle to whistle. Some whistles break quickly into the first octave when you increase the wind, others you can push more before breaking, giving you a louder note. It is a matter of breath control and knowing how hard you can push. But the maximum is set by the design.

Cleaning the tube can help too to achieve the maximum loudness. A buildup of dirt can seriously compromise a whistle's tone and achievable volume for individual notes.

[m31]

Amplification.

Or playing two at the same time.

[hoopy mike]

Or play a low A whistle for tunes in D. That way the low D will be achived without having to cover all the lower holes.

Also check that you're covering all the holes completely.

Oh and I think that blowing some air over the whistle helps (open a gap between the whistle and your top lip).

[walrii]

Drop your jaw, making your mouth cavity large. Think about how the size of your mouth cavity changes as you whistle high and low notes with your lips (no instrument). Make you mouth cavity a similar shape when you play high and low notes on the whistle. It works.

[Yuri]

You can see what MtGuru explained very clearly if you take a look at any pipe organ. You'll notice that the pipes progressively become thicker, and the mouth larger, as they go down in pitch. These days the normal flue pipes tend to use "optimal" dimensions, so you can actually size up the "optimal" low D, middle D and high D sizes. When you have just the one tube with just the one mouth, weeeell, you just can't have it all built in.
Life can be harsh...

[LorenzoFlute]

Get a piccolo/fife/flute...

[cavefish]

Amplification. play easy on the high /upper notes and than normal on the low------- the low note is typically the hardest one, if one had to be picked--- it needs to BE controlled or it will slip into the second octave- most whistles this is the case-------- this flow of air seems to be even harder to control on the flute------ it could be the whistle too, some whistles just plain suck , when blowing

[greenspiderweb]

...Cleaning the tube can help too to achieve the maximum loudness. A buildup of dirt can seriously compromise a whistle's tone and achievable volume for individual notes.

Same applies to keeping it dry and not playing it with a lot of moisture in it-that will affect the bottom notes greatly. So, treat the windway with a soapy solution of dishwashing liquid and water and let it dry (or even a dryer sheet run through the windway instead-or other methods mentioned here before too), and warm the whistle up before playing (under your arm). That will keep the condensation at a minimum (depending on your weather too), and let you get the most from the low end.

If you can get to a place that has great acoustics too-that will give you a thrill you never expected as well; a vacant building, stairwell, bathroom, etc. Then you will learn the true meaning of breath control-just like amplifying it without the equipment or cost!

Have fun!