How to Tweak a low cost whistle that jumps and Buzzes

[Whistler from Oz]

Hi all

I have a new Feadog standard D with a few issues:

1) Low D can be blown only very softly or it jumps to high D
2) There is buzzing on a few of the high octave notes

Does anyone know of any tweaking techniques I can enact on this whistle to make it behave??

Just for a balanced perspective, I own another Feadog standard D which "had" a phenomenal sound and rich tone quality until my 2 year old got a hold of it and used it as a percussion instrument.

Any suggestions, wives-tales or techinques of sound scientific basis greatly appreciated.

Best Regards

Troy

[MTGuru]

The putty tweak is pretty standard for taming the scratchy high G and above on a Feadóg. Might also strengthen the bell D for you, but that's mostly a matter of breath control.

[Whistler from Oz]

The putty tweak is pretty standard for taming the scratchy high G and above on a Feadóg. Might also strengthen the bell D for you, but that's mostly a matter of breath control.

Thanks for your response. Are you able to detail the putty tweak, as I've not done that before. Will Blue tack also work as putty??

Many thanks.

Troy

[MTGuru]

Will Blue tack also work as putty??

Yes, exactly so. Just fill in the cavity beneath the windway, and tamp it in with the flat end of a pencil or something similar. Voilà.

[Guyon]

Whistler from Oz, see here: http://www.chiffandfipple.com/tweak.html

Very informative link right here on this site.

I got a couple of Walton's Little Blacks in the mail the other day. One is "okayish" (a little buzzy); the other is unplayable. I'm about to embark on my first tweaks myself, but I've been meaning to PM Jerry Freeman and see if the Little Blacks respond well to tweaking.

[Jerry Freeman]

It depends on the whistle.

Waltons in general, and Little Blacks are typical, tend to vary quite a lot in the position of the soundblade relative to the height of the windway floor.

Remove the whistlehead (dip the whistlehead in near boiling water briefly, remove and quickly grasp firmly, twist and pull). Then sight into the beak. If you see only a sliver of daylight under the soundblade above the windway floor, that whistle will likely tweak very well. If there's more daylight under the soundblade, the whistle is less likely to tweak well.

Best wishes,
Jerry

[Mitch]

Hey Oz Whistler ..

My agent asked me to say (Tedious I know):

You going to The Turning Wave Fest?
If so - bring the little darling along to the tweaking workshop.

Otherwise do as Jerry said. I've met many of his protege's - never dissapointed

[Jerry Freeman]

Regarding Mellow Dogs vs Blackbirds, there are two things:

1. For many people, the subtle breath control and soft breath required to cleanly play a Blackbird don't match their playing style (e.g., Joanie Madden, Kevin Crawford) or skill (many beginners) and,

2. I've discovered that different whistles, even when played perfectly by an advanced player, SOUND different. I think this may be due to the acoustics of the person's mouth and head, similar to the way they would effect the timbre of a soprano's or tenor's singing voice. In any case, a Blackbird's timbre sounds too bright to the point of being strident when played by some, and the same Blackbird sounds sweet, pure and birdlike when played by others.

On the other hand, a Mellow Dog's timbre for some reason, sounds universally much more similar regardless of who is playing, and the breath requirement is comfortable for everyone.

I am always happy to accommodate whatever will help anyone make a decision. If you're interested in a Blackbird and then find it doesn't suit you, I'll be happy to make an exchange until you find exactly what you want.

Best wishes,
Jerry

[Whistler from Oz]

Hi all

I did the tweak on the Feadog today. Filled the cavity in the fipple with blue tac and the fast jumping octaves improved slightly, but I still can't lean on the bottom D very hard (which I like to do). The major improvement came when I lightly filed the inside of the mouthpiece / soundhole. Buzzing stopped at once and the whistle now has the familiar Feadog rich tone.

Thanks for the link to the major article by Dale and Jerry. That was great.

Best Regards

[Dulcimer Bill]

I recently bought a Feadog D and have the same problem.
I wonder if it is the way I'm playing it.
Got a lot of cheap whistles.
I've always had luck with a Clarke Sweetone. Don't have the Feadog problems.
Recently bought a Michael Burke Session D so I'm working on it.

[s1m0n]

How to Tweak a low cost whistle that jumps and Buzzes

If you can get it to jump and say 'ribbit', you'll have made your career in show business.

[Palimpsest]

How to Tweak a low cost whistle that jumps and Buzzes

If you can get it to jump and say 'ribbit', you'll have made your career in show business.

NO!!!