On 2002-05-14 08:24, StevieJ wrote:
PS I think it’s funny reading things that amount to (sorry Jens), yes, I had to put tape over the hole, but why should John change anything? Yes I have to reboot my Windows PC three times a day, but why should Microsoft try to improve things?
That’s not what I am saying, and comparing John’s whistles with a crashing computer is hardly fair.
As far as I am concerned, please make John alter his whistle to facilitate cross-fingering - it will be a change for the better IMHO. What I don’t see is why it’s such a big deal: The fix can be done in seconds and it’s reversible, yet we have people writing that they don’t play their Sindts very much, or have refrained from buying one, simply because of the cross-fingering issue? That’s what I don’t understand… If you find that funny, good for you.
Well, for one thing Jens, I don’t necessarily need the “character” that the black electrical tape Feadan has wrapped around his Sindt lends. And if you are ingenious and thrifty enough, you can keep buying the orginal shafts and taping them while Steve, Freadan, and I will buy the new and improved oxxooo shafts!
The best thing about this thread (apart from better Sindts) is that I can now bare my soul in three words:
Macintosh, manual, oxxooo.
/bloomfield
[ This Message was edited by: Bloomfield on 2002-05-14 09:13 ]
On 2002-05-14 09:12, Bloomfield wrote:
And if you are ingenious and thrifty enough, you can keep buying the orginal shafts and taping them while Steve, Freadan, and I will buy the new and improved oxxooo shafts! >
Bloomfield, you’ve made me curious, what part of my statement
As far as I am concerned, please make John alter his whistle to facilitate cross-fingering - it will be a change for the better IMHO
did you not understand?
As for not liking the look of tape, may I suggest you take it off before hanging the whistle on the wall. Or glue a piece of engraved silver to the whistle instead of tape. indeed.
On 2002-05-14 09:31, Jens_Hoppe wrote:
As for not liking the look of tape, may I suggest you take it off before hanging the whistle on the wall. Or glue a piece of engraved silver to the whistle instead of tape. > > indeed.
Well…being the owner of said whistle with tape over the holes I would much prefer to have no tape and a whistle body suited to my fingering needs. Yeah, the tape works. Yeah, it is reversable but it’s quite ugly. I would rather have a whistle that didn’t look like it had to be “fixed” in order to play properly. Especially at it’s price.
Well…being the owner of said whistle with tape over the holes I would much prefer to have no tape and a whistle body suited to my fingering needs. Yeah, the tape works. Yeah, it is reversable but it’s quite ugly. I would rather have a whistle that didn’t look like it had to be “fixed” in order to play properly. Especially at it’s price.
On 2002-05-14 09:31, Jens_Hoppe wrote:
As for not liking the look of tape, may I suggest you take it off before hanging the whistle on the wall. Or glue a piece of engraved silver to the whistle instead of tape. > > indeed.
Cheers,
Jens
Do you think it would be expensive to get a leafy pattern engraved on my Sindt? Might be pretty, ivy and all that.
On 2002-05-14 10:11, Teri-K wrote:
Where are all the GHB players when you need them?
Teri
I am one Teri. Yes, most GHB players live with black electrician’s tape on a regular basis but it hides better on the blackwood (or Delrin). I have to say that I don’t much like having tape my chanter either but it does seem to be the nature of the beast.
David
[ This Message was edited by: Feadan on 2002-05-14 10:17 ]
As usual, I am responding to a thread as it starts its metamorphosis to something new, but what the hell! I don’t know why anyone would want to limit himself or herself to the two finger Cnat. fingering on a Sindt or any other whistle. I believe that Cnat. is the most beautiful and expressive note on the whistle, so why not give it the attention it deserves by using all kinds of fingering for different effects? Slide up or down into it with half holing. Use two fingers if you like for fast passages. And certainly use ( o x x x o x ) or my favorite ( o x x o x x ) when you want cuts or rolls on Cnat. I also found that my favorite fingering was the only way I could come close to getting the same effect Sean Potts gets on Cnat. in one particular slow Air. ( o x o x x x ) is another favorite for second octave D.
As far as the Sindt D, I have 3 of them so if John ever unfortunately makes changes that I don’t like, I am safe! The whistle is a real joy to play as is! I would be afraid that changes might compromise a winner. Now if he wanted to make a second model that emphasized perfect pitch for the 2 finger Cnat, that would be fine. But for the original D, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!”
I am one Teri. Yes, most GHB players live with black electrician’s tape on a regular basis but it hides better on the blackwood (or Delrin). I have to say that I don’t much like having tape my chanter either but it does seem to be the nature of the beast.
David
[ This Message was edited by: Feadan on 2002-05-14 10:17 ]
[/quote]
I’m an ex-GHB and current smallpipe player (thanks for posting the tape/GHB connection). Because of that tweaking history, I don’t find using tape, or wax in a windway, or whatever little trick is necessary to make an instrument play a bit better a problem. Of course, with a chanter there are other factors in play to make it not play in tune. Personally, I’ve never had a C nat problem with my Sindt. I do understand that some people find it annoying - to the point of not purchasing/playing one. That’s a shame, because I think they’re missing out on a good whistle over something so easily remedied. Honestly, I think most whistles have their qwirks. What one person thinks plays perfectly can be considered trash by another. Ah well, to each their own.
I seem to have no problem with the cnat on my sindt,I think I just got used to some breath control on it,you need to under blow.If I had to pick one complaint about my sindt D,it would have to be clogging.Does anyone else have a clogging problem?
Overall I think it is an awesome whistle.
I have found clogging to be a problem usually only if the whistle is cold so I put one finger over the sound hole and the other hand on the top three holes and breathe through the whistle several times until it is warm before I play. An occasional covering of the sound hole and blowing out the whistle discreetly away from those I care about usually is all that is later needed!
There seems to be a lot of hair splitting happening on this thread so can someone tell me please,without taping,is it possible to play C with the only remaining option that has not been mentioned(?)OXXXXO on a Sindt?The person who claims C to be the most expressive note on whistle may be right, but I cant see any valid reasoning for this claim considering the problems associated with it and multiple fingering options is not possible without comprimise to tuning and most whistles allow one or the other.If Sindt does not allow any acceptable cross fingered C then a serious flaw exists that should be remedied.Corrections to the positioning and size of the C# (top hole) seem to be in order as the venting through this hole is critical in good cross fingering.I think the Sindt is based too closely on the Gen formula to have realy good tuning but this may have been the original objective. Peace, Mike
On 2002-05-14 09:12, Bloomfield wrote:
The best thing about this thread (apart from better Sindts) is that I can now bare my soul in three words: >
Macintosh, manual, oxxooo.
Well, have you heard yet, Bloomfield? Apple has announced plans to produce a unique new whistle with just three holes (hellooooo, Thomas!).
Interesting, Mike. I think the main problem is not the C# hole but the F# hole, which is almost twice the size of the F# hole on a Generation. The C# is a little bigger.
Thinking about this, it would appear logical that covering this huge F# hole might help. So I just tried your fingering and it works - but not really. As on a Gen, the note is weak and unstable, meaning you still need to underblow it.
In fact, I am finding that if you first sound oxx-ooo and then add the first two fingers of the bottom hand, it works OK. But if in a tune you go straight to oxx-xxo the note is likely to crack and squeal, unless you underblow it so much that it’s barely audible. On my Sindt anyway. So I don’t see it as a solution.
Even if this fingering worked perfectly, I would still protest, because I dislike non-standard fingerings. Like Feadan. Except of course that he doesn’t know what they are.
BTW Michael and others, I don’t think I blow too hard as a rule. I can underblow oxx-ooo to bring it into tune. But the resulting volume drop is really excessive - like someone turnnig away from the microphone. I don’t find this acceptable.
On 2002-05-15 01:51, mike.r wrote:
There seems to be a lot of hair splitting happening on this thread so can someone tell me please,without taping,is it possible to play C with the only remaining option that has not been mentioned(?)OXXXXO on a Sindt?The person who claims C to be the most expressive note on whistle may be right, but I cant see any valid reasoning for this claim considering the problems associated with it and multiple fingering options is not possible without comprimise to tuning and most whistles allow one or the other.If Sindt does not allow any acceptable cross fingered C then a serious flaw exists that should be remedied.Corrections to the positioning and size of the C# (top hole) seem to be in order as the venting through this hole is critical in good cross fingering.I think the Sindt is based too closely on the Gen formula to have realy good tuning but this may have been the original objective. > > Peace, Mike
Steve,
what I meant and should have made clearer is that Sindt may have based his hole positioning on the Gen formula,and then did some tuning.The large F# hole mirrors that of my tuned Gens.The only hole that defies tuning without extreme modification is the top hole and any attempt to enlarge this to attain a more pleasing C# results in a sharp Cnat with all fingerings except OXXXXO which is so unstable as not to make it worthwhile although enlargeing the bottom E hole towards the bell helps things as it increases venting without altering the tuning.Placing tape over the bottom half of the top hole may reduce venting enough to at least make OXXXOX acceptable without de-tuning C#.Drilling the top hole slightly smaller and a few mm toward the fipple during production would be a solution.I,ve done this to my gens so I know it works(its a long story..another time) Peace,Mike
I find this GHB abbreviation a bit offputting - I tend to read it unconsciously as “grievously harmed body” - possibly because GBH is the standard English police abbreviation for grievous bodily harm, and perhaps because what you guys call the GHB is normally known as “the war pipes” among Irish uilleann pipers.
Sorry you have a negative association with GHB, Roger. It’s indeed the common abbreviation for Great Highland Bagpipe just like NSP=Northumbrian Smallpipe, SSP=Scottish Smallpipe, & UP=Uilleann Pipe. As a GHB player I am not real keen on the term “war pipes”. But the name is there and folks use it, alas.
On 2002-05-15 08:39, StevieJ wrote:
Even if this fingering worked perfectly, I would still protest, because I dislike non-standard fingerings. Like Feadan. Except of course that he doesn’t know what they are. >
Okay…I confess…it’s true (hangs head in shame). If you don’t believe it just ask Paul Hayward
Jef
