Does anyone know if there is a brand of whistle which can consistently play well into the 3rd octave?
My whistles all seem to get to a max of “top four holes covered” but I cannot get one to sound properly with three or less holes covered in the 3rd octave.
I would like to learn this tune by Mike McGoldrick and I like the way around 1:25 he seems to o well into the 3rd octave. Looks like he is using a chieftan or overton or something? (Did he get lucky with the whistle or do they all do that?)
If you’re trying to play in the 3rd octave by just repeating the 1st and 2nd octave fingering patterns … that won’t really work. You need to use cross fingerings, which can get you up to G on most whistles if you’re lucky. There are fingering charts around, but IMO the best approach is discover the fingerings on your whistle by experimentation, since every whistle may behave differently up there. And earplugs recommended (seriously).
There was a thread about 3rd register fingerings between jemtheflute and me a while back. I’ll see if I can dig it up.
Most whistles will go up to A in the 3rd 8ve if you know/find the right cross fingerings. How in tune those notes are and how responsive/what kind of timbre they have rather depends (like everything else!) on the mouthpice configuration and the bore proportions. Some will sound quite sweet (if piercing) up there, others have to be harshly forced or just won’t go: some will give virtually a complete chromatic scale, others only a selection of notes, etc. The fingerings are vented harmonics of lower notes and if you want to get scientific about it you can work out what should work, but really that’s reinventing the wheel: that old thread MTGuru mentioned should give you enough. Check out fingering charts for baroque flutes too as they will be pretty similar.
Have fun and pass the ear plugs!
The tune is McGoldrick’s own The Trip to Herve’s on a low F whistle. When he plays the B part up an octave, it goes only as high as D in the 3rd octave, so not that far up at all. Any whistle should give a good high D. The usual basic cross-fingering is oxxooo, with some combination of other fingers down for good voicing and intonation, including possibly just overblowing vented oxxxxxx or unvented xxxxxx middle D. Depends on the whistle.
And if you want to get really good at 3rd octave stuff, learn to play the fife… the fingering is virtually identical to a whistle and most of their music is in the 2nd and 3rd octaves.
One not very good reason would be to be able to play John Corigliano’s Pied Piper Fantasy … the piece that prompted this question (in a different thread).
I can understand simply wanting the satisfaction of being able to play whatever the whistle is capable of, including up into the 3rd octave. Not every whistle is necessarily ear-splitting up there. Low whistles, for example; or in the context of a large space or a large group. Useful for non-ITM, and even for ITM when octave doubling or octave folding.
Not saying it was not obvious But for example, with low D Dixon, I found 3rd octave more easily reachable (in means of breath and fingering) than with any soprano I played.
Thanks for the link MT. In that thread you had the above quote. I thought people were saying use the earplugs ‘cos it sounds horrible’ but i’m getting an undertone that it might actually be bad for the ears?
Have tin whistles in high octaves been known to cause damage to the ear drums?
I go to those sorts of pitches occasionally both solo (practising) and in performance, on piccolo as well as high whistle. It doesn’t bother me nor have I noticed any ill effects, but I don’t do it constantly or even regularly. I’d think a professional orchestral piccolo player (and his/her desk neighbours) would need to consider protection - like most aural damage, it depends on frequency and intensity of exposure, I suspect, but that is not a properly informed or medical view, just my 2pennorth. Wearing attenuator type ear defender plugs is certainly recommended in many situations by the British MU - see their website. I doubt you need to worry about experimenting or playing the odd tune that goes there - just don’t overdo it.
