can someone tell me why flutes are louder than whistles? What’s the physical basis?
I know that’s it’s only got to do with the mouthpiece, a friend of mine has a dixon highD with exchangeable heads, one for whistle, one for flute.
Amazing volume difference.
Why is this so?
Oh why?
Maybe someone will correct me, and especially there may be other factors I’m not considering, but part of it, I think, lies in that one has greater control of how the air stream hits the edge on the transverse flute, whereas, tha air hits at a predetermined stream, in a whistle, so that one can adjust one’s embouchure for greater volume in a flute, than in a whistle.
I think Walden is exactly right; of course, some whistles are louder than others–I have a Michael Cronnolly whistle which I think is as loud as most flutes–but on the whole whistles are far less loud.
This has to do with two things involving air, the efficiency (as Walden pointed out) and also the amount.
In a whistle you don’t have the ability to control how much air the whistle will take on any given note. On a flute you have far wider options, you can use air efficiently and produce a good volume on just a bit of air, but then you can open up and really push air through as well while retaining an efficient embouchure, producing a huge ringing sound that I don’t think any fixed-windway whistle could match.
But a lot does depend on the flute and whistle we’re talking about. There is a large volume difference between an Oak and a Susato, for instance; and in the flute world there is also a vast volume difference between a Hamilton and a Hall pyrex flute.
–James
Definately has a lot to do with air control and embochure… with an adjustable windway… you can create a louder or softer whistle and with embochure on some whistles you can even create an ever so slight variance on the chiff just like on a flute, but flutes do have an advantage in the windway because hey… you ARE the windway so to speak.
I’ve done a lot of tweaking and experimenting in this area because of the fact I like the ability to play around with the windway and adjust it and be able to control the airstream a bit on my own, etc. and with a whistle it’s been a lot of fun and works well, but the flute will always be it’s own instrument just like the whistle will it’s own! 
what fun!!
And when it comes down to it… there are a few whistles that can compare in volume to flutes… take Alba for instance… I know that Stacey’s Low Ds even are known to keep up in sessions.. not just high Ds. Serpent makes a specific whistle designed for the purpose of being loud and I’m sure there are others as well that can keep up and beyond a flute… and necessity. lol
Take care,
John
There may be two variables in the equation.
- minor) Lots (too much?) emphasis put on the whistles’ “low breath requirements”, or backpressure.
Power is lost in favour of thin stream.
Some makers–Alba, Copeland, Le Coant (uncomplete, and in alphabetical order) typically for low whistles, or same Copeland, Sweet for high–don’t seem to give a shyte about this consideration. And all are really powerful…
Flutes are in your care for miserly focusing (for the best experienced players) or more generally for sound as one can get it, i.e. training one’s diaphragm, lungs to cope with quite high breath requirements. Flautist don’t think twice about taking an extra big breath: they just do it, and don’t think more about it than the screech of the guitarist’s fingers sliding along the strings.
Result? Flutes more often sound powerful, and low whistles meak. We ask too much from the whistle, instead of improving our lungs and diaphragm…
- MAJOR) Modulating all above: the whistle’s volume is a compromise between low and high octaves (= balance). More often than not, you have to sacrifice some efficiency, in order the higher register doesn’t get shriek, or sounds too unbalanced.
If you want more power down under, you’ll have to sacrifice the whistle’s ability to switch registers: the low one doesn’t ever get its full possible wind. Exception: the Overton style: boomin low, but calling to lean in the second register. May be not balanced, but powerful for sure.
The flautists change octaves in a different way (effective window height), and may keep “full throttle” in lower register without overblowing. In a related way, they go “up thar” but don’t necessarily need to make it shriek. So, when they get back down to the “sol” staff, you think you hear their lower register in a clearer way.
This not to mention the orchestral (boehmer…) flute, designed from the start to compete against the loudest instruments in an 80+ musicians’ setup… and succeeding so.
hm…I understand…think so anyway…
thanks alot guys.
