very cool, Dan! What are you using for ‘mounting blocks’ for keys? Are you fabricating pillars (like on orchestral woodwinds) or using something else entirely? I like to use a ‘3 sided square’ (flat bottom U) channel shape. Gives good surface area for keeping the keys straight without extra guides, and is easy to adjust. Also, what material is the black one made of? Plastic? Ebony? Compacted coffee grounds?
On my earlier whistles, I used brass “U” channels but they were weak and experienced tear out from rough handling from the postal folks.
Now, I mill the channel in square brass rod stock. Think of it as a heavy-duty U channel. Yes, flat in the bottom. It keeps the keys from wiggling.
On later models though, I have put in extra key beds to keep the long keys aligned better
The black one is brass with T90 black metal flake paint.
My phone number is on my website, give me a call some time and I’ll give you some hints on improving the keys.
Thanks Dan! I’ll try to call sometime, I’m unusually busy this time of year (what with the local symphony, the local musical production, the local gigs…the locals in general). Any tips you could give me would be appreciated, I’m always looking to improve both playability and cosmetics. I’ve not got access to a miller, or too many things like that for custom stock fabrication; all my stock comes off the shelf (except for mounts).
General comment to all who care to take a peek:
do you think a chromatic beastie is worth dealing with, and mastering the alternate fingerings used for the levaithan, or do you prefer having a collection of the different keys needed for most practical playing?
I have also done a limited amount of work on a whistle in c that plays the d scale, having one extra 7th hole for note c (not unlike the chanter of a highland octopus, but in the wrong key). By adding the f nat key and g# key to this, you get a creature that can play comfortably in c, d and e!!
I’ve also accidentally made a creature that was supossed to have a ‘pop’ key to do shut offs for staccato, but my design went amiss, and I ended up with a d whistle that by pressing a key on the back, raises the pitch of all notes a whole step.
Any thoughts? I play whistle as an auxillary instrument to my primarys of violin, mandolin, tenor banjo and GHB, and any input from ‘primary whistlers’ as to improvements on the instrument (within context) would be great to hear. Believe it or not, most people don’t take me seriously as an irish musician, much less as a whistle maker. Bleed’n age barrior…
Thanks, that was super long!
S.H.
I made a chromatic whistle because I play music in various modes and keys, music like Klezmer needs extra notes.
Wow! I would be really interested in that as it makes two whistles in one a D and E.