During the last two months I constructed quite a few whistles out of PVC pipe following Low-tech whistle instructions. I have achieved pretty good results with Soprano and even Tenor whistles, playing reasoneably well both registers and with decent tunning. However I am really struggling to get the Low-F whistle to play reasonably in tune on the upper registers (specially the last upper 4 notes). Do you have some advice on which notes/holes should I make sharper in the low register and an indication or rough clue of how much (cents) so the upper register does not sound completly out of tune (extreamely flat)? Do you have any strategy on this?
I based the two first prototypes on Guido’s hole distance percentages for Low F, but right now I am trying to follow the indications from the Bracker Whistles online calculator. The hole positions are really different between both, the Bracker one being much closer to the end of the flute. I run calculations using other tools getting quite different results. Do you have any preference on hole calculation tools?
I had good results with the “DIY flute”-app from google play. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=tarco.flute.diy&hl=de (don’t be afraid of the Chinese characters–when installed it is in English). I also used the “flutomat”: http://iotic.com/flutomat/
And the calculator on Chuck Tilbury’s homepage https://whistlemaker.com/calculator/. He has also turned it into code to install on your PC. But I’d have to look for the link.
One problem with all of these, as far as I can tell, is that they all optimize the tuning for the bottom bell note and not the middle note (in your case the F in the 2nd octave). Therefore the 2nd octave will be increasingly out of tune. To bring it better in tune, it should help if you tune the 1st octave slightly sharp. And increase the upper three holes in size. Sometimes it is also due to the bore of available PVC-tubes not being in the “goldilocks area” for a certain key. Try a thinner tube if possible. Larger diameter will make it more out of tune if it is too large. Smaller diameter could make it sound very weak however.
WIDesigner is the only calculator I know of that addresses notes in higher registers.
A low F will require a larger diameter tube, and the larger diameter tube will require larger toneholes, basically as large as you can make them and still seal them with your fingers. That might give you a chance of getting the upper octave in tune.
Ah, I gotta check out that tool. Thanks for the link!
Of course you need a larger tube but not too large. I once tried making a low D from a tube that was way too big in diameter. The whistle was horrible out of tune. On the other hand I made a low E from a tube with just 16mm inner diameter and it is perfectly in tune. But I made that with a quena-mouthpiece and from my experience, rim-blown flutes have less tuning issues anyway.
Thanks a lot! I will try WIDesigner and Flutomat.
For info I’ve finished the construction of a new Low F based on the Bracker Whistle calculator and tuning on both registers is really good. However the last hole is really far and makes it difficult to play (the one based on Guido’s design was really easy to play). I will try to modify the tuning of my first prototype following the same tuning indicated by the Bracker tool to see if upper register tuning improves.
Whistles that play the best (at least to my preferences, having a sweet high range yet full low range) have a length-to-bore ratio (or is it bore-to-length ratio?) around 24 to 24.5 depending on size of course.
Some of the ratios of whistles I have that I feel play at or close to my ideal:
Feadog D 23.3
Generation Bb 24.8
home-made A 24.5
Goldie Low D 24.6
I have a whistle at 22.3 that’s clearly too wide, and one at 25.9 that’s clearly too narrow. I knew they were too wide and too narrow by playing them, before I measured them.
I think around 18mm might be ideal (for me) for a Mezzo F.