walrii wrote:The holes are all the same size AND evenly spaced which tells us the whistle maker made no attempt at creating a musical instrument - he made a toy as cheaply as possible. I've seen similar "whistles" at county fairs and such here in Texas for sale at US$1 or so. They are indeed horrible. Most are made in South America, probably by some poor Indian living in a cardboard box making a dollar a day cranking out wooden tubes with holes. Sad thing is, that Indian's grandfather may have made flutes with a magic tone that would sell for a year's salary at the Indian's current wages.
I think that's a bit harsh. I have a bamboo flute made in Sri Lanka. The holes aren't in a straight line, ane are evenly spaced, but it's nicely finished and has a good airy voice, which leads me to think there's some love and care involved in the manufacture. With the limited resources available, I'd struggle to make anything better. Actually, with the resources I have, I struggle to make good whistles.
Just because an instrument doesn't conform to the usual intonation doesn't mean it's a toy. I have a CD of said flute played along with drums and the overall effect is stunning. As has been pointed out before here, other cultures have different musical scales. There's no right answer.
Of course there are poor quality whistles out there, but please don't judge a whistle on the raw material or where it's manufactured or who made it.
And if you can tweak one of these bargain whistles into the pitch/scale you want, then you'll have a unique instrument, all for a dollar. I think tone is much more important than intonation - it's easier to fix the latter.
Stay hoopy,
Mike
