I just love whistles for their unbelievable durability. You can take these little miracles almost everywhere without much consideration. I mean how many instruments can you actually take with you to sauna? (Of course I prefer pvc and low ones in sauna, because metal pipe gets too hot so quickly and in a small room it is more comfy not to pierce your eardrums with a high G.)
Now here’s the story: last weekend I accidentally left my self-made low tech style pvc whistle on the roof of my car and drove off. Naturally the whistle fell, but luckily I found it on my way back. In the middle of the road. And just before I found the whistle there was a bus coming from that direction. So at least one car had driven over my precious whistle. I went to pick it up just to find the normally round bore slightly oval shaped and the top of the windway misplaced. I replaced the windway and played a bit and … tadaa! It was perfectly fine!
Later on I told my wife to stop me if I some day get too fixated on buying any expencive whistle! I already have a piano and a violin
BTW I see no point in buying too expencive whistles: I already have a sweetone and it is very hard to get a high whistle better than that (I have tried many and listened to sooo many clips played on high enders) and I can always build a low whistle on any key. I just don’t get why the cheapest lows are about 20 euros and cheapest highs are like 5 euros. The material is so cheap and the building procedure is similar so I think lows are far too expencive for what they are; whistles.
And please don’t get me wrong, I admire the beauty and craftmanship accosiated with high end whistles. I just happen to prefer the easy feeling I get when I can give the whistle I’m playing to my 2-year-old if he wants it not worrying about the whistle…
hehe. Nice story about the whistle on the road. I also like that about whistles. I also play recorder and as I use a plastic one, I know it won’t survive cars driving over it, but it certainly will survive if it splashes into water. You can take it anywhere as well.
My daughter has a silver flute. It stays in the case at home. It has to be carried in a little suitcase and assembled. The pads need maintenance and she has to wipe it out every time she uses it.
I keep my whistles in little knitted cases made by my wife and daughter. I stick one in my back pocket and walk around the property. Sometimes I even forget and sit on it! Then I take it out and play.
well, sometimes things just bend a bit. i left my pvc flute in my car in the back window during this heatwave we’re having. it plays fine but it’s bowed a bit. is there any simple way to fix that?
Only a whistler can understand why someone would value a piece of PVC so much. None of my friends understand why I paid $70 for my Water Weasel. But I agree with you to an extent on the cheap whistle thing. I love my Clarke D with all my heart and play it more then anything else I own.
Some of my friends might consider that a good thing! Actually, our current problem is heat. I no longer leave my “car whistle” in the vehicle for fear of finding the mouthpiece reduced to a puddle.
As for the tusks, two are just fine. The whistle fits nicely between them. I’m thinking of having them hollowed out on my next trip to the dentist and using them as drones while playing bagpipe tunes on the whistle.
