Chiff & Fipple Leaked to Robert Novak

Last month, I launched a campaign to honor President's Bush request to congress for $87,000,000,000 by asking Chiff & Fipple readers for 87 cents. I was kidding. But, as it turns out, I've raised about $250 in contributions of various denominations, ranging from 0.87 to 87.00. I haven't decided whether to donate the money to a good cause or combine it with the proceeds for the sale of my pet tiger and use it to work a deal with my housekeeper.

It also seems that my little request prompted a few people to unsubscribe, only to be replaced by new subscribers who I haven't had time to offend. Subscriptions have been holding steady in the 3300-3400 range for about a year. Offended people exit right and then naive people kinda wander in from the left.

If you care to contribute, you can the funds to me. Or you can just mail me a check or 87 cents in change. Dale Wisely; 1025 Montgomery Highway, Suite 200; Birmingham AL 35216.

Thanks.

I. Glenn Schulz THIN WEASEL Revisited

Glenn Schultz, Sr. sent me a wooden thin weasel with an improved tuning slide. This is only the second wooden weasel I've played--the first was a loaner from famed collector Loren Bookbinder.

It is SO much easier to review bad whistles than good. And it is easier to review good ones than perfect ones. I just don't know if I am up to it. The longer I write reviews, the shorter they get. The tone is ideal for me. One of the aspects of a whistle is the amount of breath/wind noise in the tone. I like a fairly pure tone, but I like just a touch of wind noise. So it is with this whistle.

The tuning is perfect and that is old news. Glenn would rather take a bullet than make a badly tuned instrument.

What I can never get over is how much this whistle stays solid and consistent across two octaves. If there is a whistle better balanced in this regard, I don't know that I've played it. Volume remains pretty much the same across the range. Very solid low end and an absolutely effortless high end. The flip from low-to-high octave is smooth. The tone if fuller and rounder than I remember being true of the other wooden Weasel I played.

Looks great. Dark wood with lovely metal trim. Very nice tuning slide: The wood on both the shaft and the mouthpiece flares out a bit as it approaches the slide. Good move.

Keys & Prices, according to Glenn's website:

High G down to D $290

C down to (Low A) $320

Ab down to Low G $350

Low F $380

Not cheap. High end whistles for serious players.

Contact Glenn though his website at http://www.thinweasel.com

II. Ben Franklin on The Whistle

In my opinion we might all draw more good from this world than we do, and suffer less evil, if we would take care not to give too much for whistles. For to me it seems that most of the unhappy people we meet with have become so by neglect of that caution.

You ask what I mean? You love stories, and will excuse my telling one of myself.

When I was a child of seven years old, my friends, on a holiday, filled my pocket with coppers. I went directly to a shop where they sold toys for children; and being charmed with the sound of a whistle, that I met by the way in the hands of another boy, I voluntarily offered and gave all my money for one. I then came home, and went whistling all over the house, much pleased with my whistle, but disturbing all the family. My brothers, and sisters, and cousins, understanding the bargain I had made, told me I had given four times as much for it as it was worth; put me in mind what good things I might have bought with the rest of the money; and laughed at me so much for my folly, that I cried with vexation; and the reflection gave me more chagrin than the whistle gave me pleasure.

This, however, was afterwards of use to me, the impression continuing on mind; so that often, when I was tempted to buy some unnecessary thing, I said to myself, “Don’t give too much for the whistle”; and I saved my money.

As I grew up, came into the world, and observed the actions of men, I thought I met with many, very many, who gave too much for the whistle.

When I saw one too ambitious of court favor, sacrificing his time in attendance on levees, his repose, his liberty, his virtue, and perhaps his friends, to attain it, I have said to myself, “This man gives too much for his whistle.”

If I knew a miser, who gave up every kind of comfortable living, all the pleasure of doing good to others, all the esteem of his fellow-citizens, and the joys of benevolent friendship, for the sake of accumulating wealth, “Poor man,” said I, “you pay too much for your whistle.”

When I met with a man of pleasure, sacrificing every laudable improvement of the mind, or of his fortune, to mere corporeal sensations, and ruining his health in their pursuit, “Mistaken man,” said I “you are providing pain for yourself instead of pleasure; you give too much for your whistle.”

If I see one fond of appearance, or fine clothes, fine houses, fine furniture, fine equipages, all above his fortune, for which he contracts debts, and ends his career in prison, “Alas,” say I, “he has paid dear, very dear, for his whistle.”

When I see a beautiful, sweet-tempered girl married to an ill-natured brute of a husband, “What a pity,” say I, “that she should pay so much for a whistle!”

In short, I conceive that great part of the miseries of mankind are brought upon them by the false estimates they have made of the value of things, and by their giving too much for their whistles.

The Wit and Wisdom of Benjamin Franklin

Barnes and Noble, Inc. 1995.

Thanks to long-time C&F contributor Phil Howard for sending this.

One of the classic whistle recordings has been tragically unavailable on CD since it's original 1989 release. Here comes Feadanista, by L.E. McCullough, on CD:

So, I've got my copy of Feadanista, which I had not heard prior to this CD re-release.

Feadanista is a ton of fun and the fusion concept works exceptionally well. L.E.'s mastery of the instrument is renown. It's not perfect: I can probably go awhile before hearing L.E. singing "The Teddy Bear's Picnic" again but, trust me, nobody, but nobody plays the whistle better than L.E. McCullough and nobody plays with a better sense of the musical possibilities of our humble instrument.

Let's have a contest! L.E. sent me a couple of extra copies. I can't remember if he sent two or three. They're out in the car. Hold on a minute.

Well, anyway, I have two or three extras. I'll mail these to the two (or three) people who email me with the best essays on the following topic:

Dale,

Hope all is well with you Whistle King!!! I'm just packing here in New York for a trip to Ireland tonight and wanted to drop you a line before I went.

I'm hoping you can help me in getting the word out in sending this message out to the Chiff and Fipple email list regarding the Green Linnet 5 (Cherish the Ladies, Altan, Eileen Ivers, myself and Mick Moloney) planned protest and mini-concert for Monday, Columbus day, October 13th at Green Linnet records in Bethel, CT (by Danbury) at 4:30. We're hoping for a great turnout and I'd love all of my fellow whistlers to come out and show their support for our cause.

As you are aware, Green Linnet has neglected to report all sales since 1999. Our lawyer estimates that approximately $450,000 is owed to us as a group. They have refused to pay us what they owe and have refused to account to us over the past four years. Their delays and actions have cost us many thousands of dollars so far and now we have been pushed to run a full fledge audit to try and get what is owed to us - an extremely expensive venture. At the present time, Green Linnet has refused us any access to the books.

Thanks for the help Dale! Hope to talk to you soon!

Joanie Madden
www.cherishtheladies.com

I received a Low D whistle from John of Calmont Music. John has sold these black polymer whistles mostly on ebay where, by the way, he enjoys a very high feedback rating.

This whistle is tunable with a nice slide. The window in the mouthpiece is round. The mouthpiece is unusual because it is absent a beak. This is a bit hard to describe. The top of the whistle is at right angles with the shaft and you play by blowing on the edge. It's really hard to describe. I've seen one other whistle designed this way, a Chinese instrument that Wendy Morrison sent me from the House of Musical Traditions. It turns out to be surprisingly comfortable.

Also unusual: The window faces one's breast (or breasts, depending upon the gender of the player).

The finger holes are smaller than typical of Low D and the spacing is closer together.

It's got a great tone. I must say, it belongs in the same as the Overton. Not as strong a tone, but with those breathy and mysterious undertones. Volume is solid with a good lower end. There's a lot of backpressure to this whistle, but I like that. You have to lean in a bit to play the high end, but it works.

He is good to work with, can give you more details, and can work with you on getting one of his whistles.

VII. This Month's "People Who, So Far As We Know, Don't Play the Whistle"^TM

Robert Doiel is a Chiff & Fipple Heroic Figure. For over 5 years, Robert, who works at the University of Southern California doing some kind of technical stuff I can't understand, has been doing the Chiff & Fipple Tune of the Month. It can be accessed through the main Chiff & Fipple page ( http://www.chiffandfipple.com/table2.html )or this link. He posts a new tune every month. The entire archive of 63 tunes posted since 1998 are right there on the page, which he hosts himself. (In addition, he is posted several months in advance so there is a, uh, future archive there. I'm thinking Robert is probably working on some kind of secret time machine program at USC).

Anyway, Robert is a Heroic Figure because he has made this steady contribution for years with little thanks and no fanfare. Give him some love.