I wonder how this works without an airway? I assume it’s on the back, but that seems a little non-traditional ![]()
Pat
I wonder how this works without an airway? I assume it’s on the back, but that seems a little non-traditional ![]()
Pat
Maybe it’s a notchless end-blown flute?
Jason
This looks to me like a typical Balkan frula, including the decoration, not an Irish whistle. The fipple window is in the back, and the end of the whistle is round and blown on the lower edge. Can be quite comfortable to play. I have a stack of cheap Romanian high whistles similar to this.
It can be from anywhere in the Northern part of Eastern Europe. I’d guess Polish or Ukrainian. (from the carving style) The window is indeed on the back of these. If you notice, this is a low C one. Believe me, it is far more comfortable to blow from the back. In Renaissance times those reviled unmentionable whistles, called the re****er were sometimes made like that in tenor and lower sizes.
It could be frula or it could be kaval (because we cannot see the front of a whistle).
Basically, balkans’ frula is the same instrument as an irish whistle, except it has inversed fipple. ![]()
As MTGuru said, the window is on the back side and the windway too.
(btw, you can try it yourself, just rotate your whistle-head for 180 degrees. it helps with clogging, actually)
If it had an inverted window, that would make it good for playing outdoors. Inverted windows are less bothered by the wind.
But can be tricky with microphones. ![]()