C# whistle

Whistle
1

Hello,
I’M looking for a whistle that plays about 25 cents flat of C# (where my C# uilleann pipes like to play).
I shortened a C Generation that I had lying around. The lower octave is in tune but the upper octave is flat. I don’t think it was ever properly in tune anyway even before I shortened it.

So I am looking for an alternative.
Susato makes a Tuneable C which I could probably shorten but they also make a Tuneable C#. Does anybody on here have one of these? Can it be tuned down by 25 cents or so with out modifying it?

Thanks
Liam

2

I have a couple of C# whistles, a Susato and a Sindt. I’ve never really moved the tuning slide much on them, as they aren’t in a very social key to begin with, but I will test it later when I get a chance. I wouldn’t think it would throw it off too terribly bad by a piper’s standards, but I’ll check.


Edit: Perhaps the most sure alternative would be to simply make an entirely new tube for a D or C whistle that you already own. It might take some tweaking to get the tuning just how you like, but wouldn’t be too much trouble.

3

That’s halfway between C and C#?

That should be very easy to do.

I made a B whistle out of a Generation Bb, and a C# out of a Generation C.

Of course you have to start out with a whistle that plays well, including in-tune octaves. Then it’s just these steps:

  1. Chop the top until the upperhand notes (the ones fingered G, A, and B) are in tune to the new target pitch.

  2. The bellnote and its octave will be flat, so chop the bottom until the bellnote and its octave are in tune to the new target pitch.

  3. Now just two notes need to be fixed, the ones fingered E and F#, those two holes have to be carved out to bring them up to match the rest.

If done right the result is a whistle right in tune.

4

To Pancelticpiper:

When you say," Now just two notes need to be fixed, the ones fingered E and F#.Those two holes have to be carved out to bring them up to match the rest."

Do you mean to carve out hole #6 (bottom hole) to fix the “E” and carve out hole #5 ( second from bottom) to fix the F# ?

A few weeks ago I followed Tommy’s instructions and changed a Bb to a B.Worked out pretty good except I had to tape one of the holes and cover about 1/3 of it to get it in tune.Can’t remember which hole and I don’t have the whistle here to check.

Thanks.

BTW I don’t understand logic !

5

Since you’re bringing a lower-pitched whistle up to a higher pitch, and taping a hole is going the opposite direction (making something that’s too high, lower) the only way you would end up having to tape something is if you went too far in one of the steps.

There’s a reason why I listed the steps in the order I did.

Step 1, chopping the top until Holes 2, 3, and 4 are in tune to the new pitch you want, leaves the bellnote and Holes 5 and 6 too flat. So every note is either at the pitch you want, or flatter than the pitch you want. There is no possibility of requiring any tape unless you chopped too much leaving Holes 2, 3, and 4 too sharp. (It’s why I don’t just hack a big chunk off, but go slowly, cutting off a little, testing it, then cutting off a little more. It takes time to do it this way, but you end up not going too far. I do it by stages and testing rather than by following somebody else’s measurements, which might or might not work with the particular whistle I’m using, because different Generation heads play differently.)

Step 2, chopping the bottom until the bellnote is in tune to the new pitch, means that Holes 2, 3, and 4 and the bellnote are now at the new pitch but Holes 5 and 6 are too flat. Once again, every note is either at the pitch you want, or flatter than the pitch you want, and there is no possibility of anything being too sharp and needing tape, unless you chopped too much off the top or too much off the bottom.

Step 3 is carving out Holes 5 and 6 to the new pitch, leaving every note in tune to the new target pitch. Still you won’t require tape on any note, unless you carved out Hole 5 and/or 6 too much, or chopped too much off the top or bottom. With carving a hole I do it a little at a time, checking against a tuner as I go.

I purposely didn’t mention Hole 1, because it’s a special case, being responsible for two different notes. I prefer leaving Hole 1 as it is, meaning that playing open (the sharp leading tone) it’s a bit flat, but it makes a nice in-tune crossfingered flat leading tone, on most Generation whistles.

Of course different heads play differently, and the body that’s right in tune with one head might need additional tweaks when played with another head, or might not work at all, being too short or too long at the top.

As for Tommy’s instructions, I don’t know about those.

6

Richard:

Thank you so much for your detailed information. My next attempt to raise a key by a semitone will be with more confidence and with more patience !

You are correct in that I simply chopped off the dimensions that Tommy suggested ( I found that in an old post) without too much concern.Going SLOWLY with patience is obviously the answer as suggested by you.I will have another go with another whistle.

I don’t think I’m ready to change my O’Riordan C to a C# just yet, don’t panic,just kidding.

I’ve noticed that so many members give so much of their experience and time on this forum and for that I say, “Thank You” to all.

While I’m at it and being the curious kind,I have read at different times that a whistle sounds “bland.”

Hmmn,“bland.” Wouldn’t playing with vibrato solve that ?

Tut tut tut,I come from a classical trumpeting background.

Thanks again.


All that wiggles and squirms is not vibrato.

21st Century Philospher

7

Richard:

Thank you so much for your detailed information. My next attempt to raise a key by a semitone will be with more confidence and with more patience !

You are correct in that I simply chopped off the dimensions that Tommy suggested ( I found that in an old post) without too much concern.Going SLOWLY with patience is obviously the answer as suggested by you.I will have another go with another whistle.

I don’t think I’m ready to change my O’Riordan C to a C# just yet, don’t panic,just kidding.

I’ve noticed that so many members give so much of their experience and time on this forum and for that I say, “Thank You” to all.

While I’m at it and being the curious kind,I have read at different times that a whistle sounds “bland.”

Hmmn,“bland.” Wouldn’t playing with vibrato solve that ?

Tut tut tut,I come from a classical trumpeting background.

Thanks again.


All that wiggles and squirms is not vibrato.

21st Century Philospher

8

Richard:

Thank you so much for your detailed information. My next attempt to raise a key by a semitone will be with more confidence and with more patience !

You are correct in that I simply chopped off the dimensions that Tommy suggested ( I found that in an old post) without too much concern.Going SLOWLY with patience is obviously the answer as suggested by you.I will have another go with another whistle.

I don’t think I’m ready to change my O’Riordan C to a C# just yet, don’t panic,just kidding.

I’ve noticed that so many members give so much of their experience and time on this forum and for that I say, “Thank You” to all.

While I’m at it and being the curious kind,I have read at different times that a whistle sounds “bland.”

Hmmn,“bland.” Wouldn’t playing with vibrato solve that ?

Tut tut tut,I come from a classical trumpeting background.

Thanks again.


All that wiggles and squirms is not vibrato.

21st Century Philospher

9

Richard:

Thank you so much for your detailed information. My next attempt to raise a key by a semitone will be with more confidence and with more patience !

You are correct in that I simply chopped off the dimensions that Tommy suggested ( I found that in an old post) without too much concern.Going SLOWLY with patience is obviously the answer as suggested by you.I will have another go with another whistle.

I don’t think I’m ready to change my O’Riordan C to a C# just yet, don’t panic,just kidding.

I’ve noticed that so many members give so much of their experience and time on this forum and for that I say, “Thank You” to all.

While I’m at it and being the curious kind,I have read at different times that a whistle sounds “bland.”

Hmmn,“bland.” Wouldn’t playing with vibrato solve that ?

Tut tut tut,I come from a classical trumpeting background.

Thanks again.


All that wiggles and squirms is not vibrato.

21st Century Philospher

10

Now,there’s a monumental screwup!Help !