Susato has had a history of making one bore size for whistles from high E down to low A, about 7/16". As you might expect, the high E required too much push and was enormously loud and the low A was comparatively touchy and weak. The Kelishecks figured things out and started offering whistle keys in alternate bore sizes. D and Eb whstles are now available in the S-series as well as the V-series for example. You can still order one head and up to six bodies in different keys but they have to share the same bore size(and compromises will result).Tommy wrote:Susato makes several combo sets with up to around four or five tubes per head. I did notice they do not make the same head for a D,C as the A, G.
It's tempting for a whistle maker to make a single head fitted to bodies for several keys. As Hans pointed out, the physics can work for keys a half-step apart. And it's convenient/economical for a player to buy such sets of head and bodies. Only a few makers use a different bore size for each whistle key. But that's the way to go.
As for common keys, aside from high D being most common, I think times, locale and fashion dictate what other keys will be favored. For a few years I made batches whistles in amounts according to the demand of whistles in keys from the previous year. And each year another key (of which I didn't make enough) would emerge as a popular key. Maybe a "high volume" maker has other experience.
MTGuru, thank you for using the word "tessitura". That's a word I don't hear very often these days.
Feadoggie
Yes, it's a handy shorthand term for a handy concept: the best or most usual pitch range of an instrument.
