Mason wrote:What do professional players do whose whistle has been sitting on stage (presumably cold). Are they just that good?
I think they use the same techniques we all use. Most have been mentioned above. You don't have to watch too closely to see how they handle it. Most, if not all, will breath through the whistle to warm it up before they play, generally with a finger over the window. Some will keep the whistles wrapped in a cloth or towel when not being played. I've seen at least one heating pad used on stage to warm the little buggers. Some players use storage designed to insulate the whistles pretty well, I don't call myself a pro but, as an example, my whistle bags are made with a pocket for each whistle and lined with polar fleece to keep them warm. When an experienced pro plays you will see the occaisional movement away from the mic to clear a clog - some players suck, some players blow, some players shake it on out. But pros don't call attention to the act of clearing the condensation - they are
pros after all. It also depends on the type of whistle you are playing. I played the solid aluminum style whistles for a while and then moved to whistles with all plastic or polymer lined heads as years went on. I guess the venues I played at were all on the colder side of the thermometer. The plastics are not as finicky as the solid metal heads, they don't shed heat as fast as the aluminum so they don't cause the condensation to form as easily. But the aluminum does heat up more quickly than the plastics if they are coming in from the cold winter air. Take your pick! But when the air temperature is cool and you blow warm breath into a whistle the physics is somewhat inevitable - droplets of moisture will condense out of that air.
Feadoggie
I've proven who I am so many times, the magnetic strips worn thin.
And don't even think about shaking the whistle head out in the direction of your audience. They won't be impressed with the shower I am sure. Condensation is a fact of life with the whistle and you will learn to clear the clog silently and unobtrusively in time.
