I’ve made 2 whistles so far out of half inch PVC (low F and A) and when I try them against a tuner I find that I can blow the notes 30 to 40 cents sharp or flat by changing breath pressure. Each note can be hit dead on except for the top 3 of the second octave that always play a little flat. Is it normal to get that much tone variability with respect to pressure?
I must say that my respect for real whistle makers has gone up tremendously since I tried my hand at it. Fortunately, it is much cheaper than WHOA. I only have about $5 invested so far.
Yup…very common with PVC whistles to get that variation. I found it alot when I bought my susato first. The bottom of the lower register played sharp and the top flat. So I tuned it down so that the bottom played perfectly in tune and then I just had the force the top notes into place with a little extra wind!!!
P.S. Well done on getting it that close to perfect…I haven’t tried to make my own yet but I might have to give it a go!!!
Didn’t mean to make it sound like it came out perfect. I meant that I can hit the note dead on or 30 cents sharp or flat. There is a pressure that is right for each note. Maybe that is how good players can make a cheap whistle sound great.
