New Member, New Whistler, Attempting to Tweak

[MinusHD]

Greetings from North Texas! I'm new to the forum and to the Tin Whistle, but I've been a bass player (pro/semi-pro) for more than 20 years.

I picked up a Feadog D whistle from a local music store a few weeks ago after getting more interested in Irish music, and for a little bit of a challenge.

Quickly realizing the whistle was 1/4 step sharp I looked for, and found some info on tweaking inexpensive tin whistles. I gave it a try and I'm not sure I acheived the result I wanted. It could be all in my head since I'm new, but my whistle seems less responsive overall, especially the low E & D, and more "airy" than I think it was originally... possibly an air leak somewhere? However, it is now "tunable", though the whistle has some tuning issues from note to note. I've done some searching here on the forum, but being a novice I don't follow all the suggestions very well.

At any rate, I'm happy to have found this forum and I'm sure I'll be learning a lot.

Cheers,
Minus

[Mr.Gumby]

I'd suggest maybe a beginner should not try alter a whistle before being able to play. Pull the head out a bit to tune the whistle to concert pitch but leave it at that, the whistle doesn't really need any alterations and you're likely to do more harm than good.

[MinusHD]

Thanks for the response. Not bad advice there. Had it not been so out of tune. I would had left it alone. But the head was glued on... The first thing I did was get the head off, but it wouldn't stay on very well after that. I also filled the gap with sticky tack... Not much difference for me with or without it. To play relatively in tune the head has too be pulled out quite a bit (it's annoying to play along with how-to videos 1/4 set sharp). Some tweak suggestions were to use candle wax or tuning slide grease to help with the head. The grease didn't help. I ultimately used plumbers tape, which got me back in business for the most part.

I promise not to tweak any more until I've learned a lot more... If I stick with it I may get a Freeman modified Generation and leave it at that.

[ytliek]

I picked up a Feadog D whistle from a local music store a few weeks ago after getting more interested in Irish music, and for a little bit of a challenge.

What I don't understand is why you wouldn't take an out of tune whistle back to the music store and have them replace it or fix it or refund your money. Yes, its only a less expensive whistle, but, why let the sales continue like this. If everyone returned their poor performing whistle to the store for refund or replacement the stores would have to eventually take some kind of action.

Return your bad whistles to the business that sold it. Its easy.

I've done some searching here on the forum, but being a novice I don't follow all the suggestions very well.

Perhaps you ought to follow the suggestions, just saying.

Welcome to the whistle forum. Enjoy your whistling.

[MinusHD]

Perhaps you ought to follow the suggestions, just saying.

Tough crowd... What I was trying to say is that I don't think I fully understand some of the suggestions, being a novice. I was not trying to say that I simply ingnore them. I probably just communicated it poorly.

[Mr.Gumby]

You know, the thing is, as a beginner, you have no way of assessing whether it's the instrument or your playing that's causing what you hear. The whistle is not a push button instrument that gives you a standard pitch, what you're doing is a bit like someone taking up the fiddle and within the first few weeks taking the hacksaw to the neck because the notes won't come out in tune when you try play it.

Give it a bit of time and practice and see what happens. You won't be playing with anyone else so it's not really too important if your A=440 but if you must have it there (and it will, in fairness, be close to the 'sweet' spot where the whole scale lines up best), move the head. Feadógs are consistent enough, concentrate on getting your scale right by finding something resembling the right way to blow the whistle. It doesn't take a lot of air, just breathe into it. It's a matter of doing first things first. Just ease yourself into it, baby steps first.

[Jerry Freeman]

Feadogs are well in tune if the mouthpiece is positioned correctly. In general, they're pretty consistent from one whistle to the next. Generations and Waltons are more variable.

Breath pressure has a big effect on pitch with whistles. If the whistle seems out of tune from note to note, you may be blowing some notes harder and making them play sharp and other notes less hard and making them play flat. When you've become really "grooved in" to playing whistles, playing the pitch you want becomes instinctive, much as it is for someone who has a good ear and naturally sings on pitch.

[Peter Duggan]

what you're doing is a bit like someone taking up the fiddle and within the first few weeks taking the hacksaw to the neck because the notes won't come out in tune when you try play it.

Yes, what is it with this forum and 'tweaking'? Just leave it alone and learn to play it first!

[Mr Ed]

what you're doing is a bit like someone taking up the fiddle and within the first few weeks taking the hacksaw to the neck because the notes won't come out in tune when you try play it.

Yes, what is it with this forum and 'tweaking'? Just leave it alone and learn to play it first!

I think part of it, speaking for myself, is that with stringed instruments (bass for me) you rarely get one out of the box that doesn't need some adjustments for personal playing style/preference. Some of that thinking carries over to the tin whistle. That said, I ended up tweaking what was probably a fine Waltons C whistle to death. Lesson learned the hard way. Thankfully it wasn't an expensive instrument.
Your question may have been a rhetorical one, but I couldn't help putting my two cents in.
Happy whistling!

[Feadoggie]

what you're doing is a bit like someone taking up the fiddle and within the first few weeks taking the hacksaw to the neck because the notes won't come out in tune when you try play it.

Yes, what is it with this forum and 'tweaking'? Just leave it alone and learn to play it first!

I think we have brougt this upon ourselves as an online community.

What's at the top of the topics list for this foum? Tweaks:The Thread. So to the n00b we may give off the impression that tweaking is the place to start. You know, go here first, no need to read further.

Dale started that thread. He named it. Now I know Dale is known for his hyperbole at times. I appreciate his sense of humour (Hope you had a Happy Birthday, Dale!). Some may not grasp that tidbit. So what they see is that "The Thread" is about tweaking. That may be taken by the novice as tweaking is all you have to know about whistles.

Might be nice if we started off by saying that most whistles do not need to be tweaked. Maybe having "Learn To Play: The Thread" at the top of the list might help. But then again, I don't like seeing a lot of stickies.

The fascination with tweaking eludes me. I'd rather take a stock whistle for what it has to offer. And if that whistle does not do what I want I can set it aside and pick up another. Or I can always make a whistle from scratch.

Feadoggie

[Steve Bliven]

[[This was in response to a magical, disappearing Gumby message. It's gone, but my memories and response remain. ]]

Keeping in mind, of course, that a basic whistle costs $10-20, while a bass costs, well, more.... You muck up a whistle, you keep the tube (you know you'll sit on it some day) and trash the head. Go out and buy another. Or call a tweaker (can you tweet a tweaker?).

I know the "old guys" didn't use blu-tack, but then they didn't have Home Depot either. Other than the "principle of the thing", isn't this a bit of a tempest in a tea pot?

Now for a real issue, help me sort out my tax forms....

Best wishes.

Steve

[Feadoggie]

I know the "old guys" didn't use blu-tack, but then they didn't have Home Depot either.

First off, I resemble that remark. Second, we didn't need Home Despot. We had beeswax or candle wax for that.

Feadoggie

[ggiles]

Tough crowd... What I was trying to say is that I don't think I fully understand some of the suggestions, being a novice. I was not trying to say that I simply ingnore them. I probably just communicated it poorly.

Really ... they are not a tough crowd. It's just that 99% of every new player that finds this page post the same thing ... what is up with this whistle??
I was in the same boat ... this whistle sounds like crap. I play it now and it's fine ... has a different voice from my other whistles but it's fine.
The only thing you want to do to a whistle is get the head off so you can tune it as you have done, and maybe fill the gap in the fipple, but as a new player you won't know if you need to do that. If you do know a whistle player have them give your whistle a toot.
The basic whistles are 10 - 20 bucks sometimes you are going to get a poor whistle ... but how is the new whistler to know?
Have a look at Jerry Freeman's whistles ... he is our resident professional tweeker!! I have a couple and they are great and about $40 for a whistle that you know is in tune or you can spend even more on a hand crafted whistle $$.
The rest of the problems are all your own and you know how to proceed... listening to whistle player, seek out a whistle player and practise.

[de Salier]

When I started, I "tweaked" my Feadog to death....and as Feadoggie mentioned, it was part due to all the big tweak promotion to be found on this site.

I still play the "tweaked" Feadog once in a while, but I am a lot happier with the untweaked version.

At the moment I am in love with my Dixon Trad D, which sounds brilliant after I received my new head from Tony (the first one had a production error). And it doesn't need any tweak.

In the end, all the strange noises my whistle made in the beginning and all the horrible out of tune notes, and which I thought were due to a bad and faulty whistle, turned out to be due to my inexperience....as every experienced player tried to tell me (but as a rookie you don't want to believe that )....no tweaking can fix inexperience....

Now I have a bit more experience I would stay away from "tweaking" altogether (Tweaks like Jerry Freeman's excluded of course, that is a different story altogether)

[MTGuru]

What's at the top of the topics list for this foum? Tweaks:The Thread. So to the n00b we may give off the impression that tweaking is the place to start. You know, go here first, no need to read further.

And the last major contribution to that thread is by some guy named Feadoggie.

But yes, maybe adding a disclaimer at the front of the thread might help to prevent new whistlers heading down the wrong path. We'll consider this.