How do you dry your whistle after playing?

Bothrops · Post by **Bothrops** » Mon Nov 12, 2007 5:06 pm

That's the question...
How do you dry it? I just use to cover the windway, blow hard into the mouthpiece and then shake it a few times.

What do you do?

Steamwalker · Post by **Steamwalker** » Mon Nov 12, 2007 5:13 pm

I normally take off the mouthpiece, pass a weighted cloth through the tube, and then use a large pipe cleaner thing to clean out the mouthpiece. They can both be purchased at a local music shop. I usually only do the blowing thing to clear out the moisture while playing.

MTGuru · Post by **MTGuru** » Mon Nov 12, 2007 5:30 pm

Bothrops wrote:What do you do?

The same as you. Sometimes I wipe the outside with a soft cloth. Sometimes I swab the bore using a recorder bore brush, or a cleaning rod with a piece of soft chamois.

With wood whistles you have to be careful about covering the windway with your hand or finger. Touching the blade/labium when it is wet can, over time, deform it. Recoder players remove the head, cover the bore end with the hand, then cover the window with the mouth and blow to expel moisture out through the windway.

But I disassemble my (metal) whistles as infrequently as possible. IMO, the risk of damage outweighs any advantage of constant cleaning.

Steamwalker · Post by **Steamwalker** » Mon Nov 12, 2007 5:34 pm

By the way, my method is based on wooden whistles, when I need to get all that moisture out definitively.

Brigitte · Post by **Brigitte** » Mon Nov 12, 2007 5:41 pm

Blow through but do not shake it if it is a tunable one, just in case the head gets loose.

Brigitte

MTGuru · Post by **MTGuru** » Mon Nov 12, 2007 5:48 pm

Simply hold it securely with your hand around the tuning joint before shaking it out. And watch where you're pointing!

Tootler · Post by **Tootler** » Mon Nov 12, 2007 5:50 pm

Stand them up on end and allow them to dry naturally.

I use a pen holder/desk tidy I bought from an office supplies shop to stand my whistles in.

Adrian · Post by **Adrian** » Mon Nov 12, 2007 6:26 pm

One hour in the tumble drier!

brewerpaul · Post by **brewerpaul** » Mon Nov 12, 2007 6:50 pm

Steamwalker wrote:By the way, my method is based on wooden whistles, when I need to get all that moisture out definitively.

Oh behalf of all the wooden whistle makers, I thank you!

I use a cotton bandanna rolled diagonally and twisted into the bore of the whistle. With no hard parts, there's no chance of damaging the blade as Guru wisely warns against.

Walden · Post by **Walden** » Mon Nov 12, 2007 6:55 pm

I have a one-piece maple low G. What's a good way to dry that?

DreamOgreen · Post by **DreamOgreen** » Mon Nov 12, 2007 8:45 pm

MT Guru wrote:

I dissasemble my (metal) whistles as infrequently as possible, IMO the risk of damage outweighs and advantage of constant cleaning

While I would agree that it is debatable weather a whistle needs frequent cleaning or not, I must respectfully disagree with that statement. (to a degree) I take apart my metal and plastic whistles after every extended practice session. I do it carefully, then wash out the fipple in soapy water, dry with a rolled up hankerchief and put back together with a bit of Susato's joint grease. After nearly two years of doing this almost daily, none of my whistles show any sign of wear or loosness in the fipple. the whole procedure takes me about five minutes per whistle and I know that I will always have a clean, nice playing (no gunk in windway) whistle every time....... Just my observation......

dyersituations · Post by **dyersituations** » Mon Nov 12, 2007 8:45 pm

I just shake it and let it dry outside of its case.

Lightheaded Mike · Post by **Lightheaded Mike** » Mon Nov 12, 2007 10:34 pm

I wait until the bodhran player is watching and then I pound the end of the whistle into my knee, leaving an unsightly dribble mark. The guy is like 6' 7", covered in tattoos, wears spurs to session (we don't have cowboys here) and has hair becoming to a Death Metal band. Every time he sees me do this he squeals "Eeeeewwww" in a voice higher than my six year old daughter's. Bleedin' priceless.

MTGuru · Post by **MTGuru** » Mon Nov 12, 2007 11:32 pm

ROFL ... Squirting tea through nose ...

Lightheaded Mike wrote:bodhran player ... 6' 7", covered in tattoos, wears spurs to session

Please Mr. Bodhrán Player, sir, sit right here. Pound away, oh please do. Have a biscuit. More cowbell, please, if you have one ...

Ceili_whistle_man · Post by **Ceili_whistle_man** » Wed Nov 14, 2007 9:10 pm

Lightheaded Mike, hit the nail on the head, turn towards bodhran player, grip whistle up near the mouthpiece, raise whistle above head and bring it down very fast in an arc to about knee height. This will ensure that all moisture in the whistle will go to a deserving benefactor, as in the said bodhran player. The beauty of doing this is that they will get used to you doing this and will in time move away to another part of the session and you won't be put off by their thumpity-thump that does nothing for your feel of the music.

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How do you dry your whistle after playing?

How do you dry your whistle after playing?

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