This coming Sunday I will be playing 3 whistles and a guitar during a church service. (Not all at the same time… now that would be tallent )
My concern is how I will keep my whistles in tune. Ohio weather can be very strange this time of year. It could be brrrrrrr cold or spring like. And when it’s cold the church is cold… at least where the musicians play.
I will be playing my low G, High C and D and they are all aluminum alloy.
I cannot see me stuffing a low G up my sleave and the C and D in my socks. Not for a church service. Would not appear all that proper.
I am considering taking a heating pad with me and putting it on low setting. Hey that might work. Or it could over heat them.
Now I can see an invention coming out of this… You know those microwave heating pads for the kneck… perhaps some one could create a whistle warmer bag for those out-door gigs. (shoot someone may have already thought of it by now)
I already know of one whistle player who sits on her whistle to get it warmed up.
Unfortunately… I will not be sitting.
I already know of one whistle player who sits on her whistle to get it warmed up.
Unfortunately… I will not be sitting.
Laura
Well there goes my best idea! I tend to tuck one under my leg…how much time in between using one and the next will you have? You might be able to just give it a good rub, breathe into and on it for a few moments, then have at it.
I use a ‘heat lamp’ of sorts to keep whistles and harmonicas warm to reduce condensation.
I use an 8-inch parabolic reflector sold as a reptile warmer in pet stores. I use a 40-watt incadescant bulb in the reflector, but run it through a table lamp dimmer control. This is all suspended over a table area using a wire rack that is about 9x15 inches in size, with four legs about 6 inches long (or high as you prefer). This was purchased at Wal-Mart in the housewares department, and is called a Jumbo Storage Rack, made ‘I think’ to go in a cabinet. I use little alligator clips (Radio Shack) to hold the reflector in place. That is not really necessary, but it help keep the thing from sliding around on top of the rack if it is bumped.
With the dimmer control set at a bit under half way, a thermometer and things placed under the lamp reach a temperature of about 90-95 deg F. You can get very precise, and very safe I might add, temperature control.
You could do many variations on this, but I hope this is clear enough to give you the idea. For example, the reflector is made such that you could hang if from something, suspended over the things to be warmed.
That’s a good question. I have given some thought to that from time to time.
Even if you are a really talented whistle player (I’m not), it’s hard to pick up a cold whistle and make a decent sound from the beginning. That, coupled with one’s natural nervousness in playing in public, really puts the whistler at a disadvantage.
If your church has a kitchen, you might warm up a slightly damp towel in the microwave and wrap your whistles up in that. You might wrap the warm towel in a second one for additional insulation. Just be careful not to get the towel too hot. You don’t want to melt or warp something important.
I usually just hold the head of the whistle in my hand before playing. Within a couple of minutes it is warm enough to play. I find warming up the mouth piece - head area has the most affect on the tone and the warming reduces clogging from condensation. I have really warm hands, my dearly beloved has told me that it’s the main reason she married me, so if you are normal or get cold easily you might want to use and alternative.
Allow me to share the method that works best for me. Please note, this method works only with stronger whistles. I use an assortment of mostly Copeland and Overton whistles with a B nat Chieftain when a singer needs that key. I would think an Oak would hold up well, but the thinner metal (especially like the Clarke and Guinniss/Little Black) may become squashed or deformed, so use at your own risk as this will affect the tuning of your instrument.
I find the best way to keep metal whistles warm is to first get to be about 40 pounds overweight (beer and black puddings speed this process along admirably). Height/weight charts will show you what you should weigh for your specific height. Just look in the red zone marked obesity. Once you reach your target weight, your beer belly will convienently envelop your whistle if you place it on your lap just in front of your belt. I find that my thicker metal whistles stay quite warm using this method. It also doubles as a restraint system that keeps your whistles from rolling around during a performance.
From one Ohioan to another, I understand your plight. Especially about the weather, you what they say about Ohio weather, if you don’t like it, wait five minutes, it’ll change. Sunday where I’m at (N.E. Ohio just south of Akron) it’ll be upper 30’s to low 40’s. If your church has hot running water, take a hot water bottle. I play at church very regularly, and our church met in a camp gymnasium for a year. The musicians were by one of the doors, the one that didn’t close all the way. We had a quartz heater to keep warm. I set my whistles on a spare music stand about five feet from the heater. Any closer and they would be too hot. It worked for me. Get your whistles in the building as early as possible and out their cases and warmed up. Watch for condensation, if you don’t give them enough time to warm up and evaporate the moisture, you’ll really have a problem. In that case you can do what I always did, blamed it on my friend the bass player. Whatever care you give the guitar, give the whistles. I also play guitar and often in inclimate weather I’ll carry the whistles in my guitar case with the guitar. There’s room right alongside the neck and the lid holds them in place. You can wrap them in cloth if you’re worried about them scratching the guitar. Let me know if you find a better solution to the heat problem. Take care.
Scott
“There are three ways to get something done: do it yourself, hire someone, or forbid your kids to do it.” - Monta Crane
[ This Message was edited by: ScottStewart on 2002-02-07 23:06 ]
If you’re wearing a coat or blazer, the high C and D could fit in an inside pocket when not in use - do women’s coats have those?
You could also look around to see if there’s a warm air duct nearby and put the whistles over it.
You can usually warm up a cold whistle very quickly by simply reversing it and blowing in the bell end while covering the fingerholes. Maybe they’d just think you were clearing spit like on a trumpet.
When I used to play trumpet, there was a ring on the third valve slide which allowed me to push that slide out while playing low C#, which is a very sharp note. So why can’t there be a ring attached to the headjoint where you could use your thumb to push it in or out? Actually, all you have to do is cover all the holes and blow into the window for a couple of seconds. That’s what I did in college, when I was playing flute. If that doesn’t work, then just cradle the whistle for a few moments before playing. JP
I use a small electric heat blanket to keep my whistles and metal flutes warm at ceilidhs. It sits on top of the aluminium case I keep the whistles in - the whistles are put directly on the pad, and then I put the fake sheepskin pad cover over the top. Keeps them really warm and up to pitch, and cuts down on clogging.
I have a large Golden Retriever, which I keep my whistles tucked under… he feels loved and my whistles keep warm. I do, however, have the disturbing habit of hacking up hairballs after church.
Last night I had practice for this Sunday. I rolled up my heating pad, tied it off and slipped the whistles in it.
My fellow musicians got a kick out of me bringing a heating pad in.
It worked pretty well.
And I also learned something from this thread. I would always wonder why my low G would clog up after playing it for a few minutes. Condensation…cold whistle… hot breath… makes sence.
At the practice I did not have that problem.
Now that I got the tuning problem solved… all I have to worry about is not goofing up on Sunday.
Laura
Ps. Oh and tyghress…It was you I was refering to about sitting on your whistle.
I was shaking like a leaf for the opening song. “Gather Us In” I played my low G…
Have you heard of the Elvis disease? That’s when you are really nervous and your leg shakes…
There needs to be a name for when the fingers start to shake. I kept on telling myself. Now relax… Get into the music…Get into the praise… by the fourth verse, I was able to get into the swing of the song.
The G whistle did not clog up. I warmed them up in the heating pad a half hour before the service began. Turned off the pad and set the pad closer to where I was standing.
I was also able to keep them warm in between songs by sticking the whistle I planned on using up my sleeve…(I almost spilled the alter wine during communion cause of the whistle up my sleeve )
Oh well… I have a good sence of humor.
Some goof ups are ok…keeps us humble.
)
