least-prone to clogging low Ds

[Mikethebook]

Reading Stiofan’s last post, I realise the Davy Spillane video I posted may have have introduced a little confusion. Giving a quick blast of breathe through the whistle is not just about clearing condensation/clogging but perhaps more about rewarming the whistle head to actually prevent clogging in the playing to come, especially among professional players. In the video what we see is Spillane warming the head (which loses heat quickly) after perhaps 15-20 seconds of not playing and also clearing any condensation that may have formed during that time. You ask how he gets through those long moody pieces without doing much clearing out. From what Colin Goldie has told me, if you are playing a properly warmed-up whistle AND importantly you are playing it as it was intended to be played, then it should not clog. To take an example, Colin makes his whistles to be pushed hard with confidence. Blow them gently and you may well have problems.

So Spillane or McGoldrick will not need to clear a whistle during a piece whatever it is, so long as it is unbroken playing. However, the likes of Spillane will use any opportunity to rewarm the whistle if he has a break of more than a few seconds in a piece . . . even though he may not need to. As Davy is my main inspiration for playing low whistle I have been recently transcribing and learning some of those “long moody pieces,” playing my medium Goldie more like Colin intended it to be played for the first time and I rarely have any clogging problems (though the toothpaste treatment also helps). It’s not something that crosses my mind much . . . though I have formed the almost unconscious habit of rewarming the whistle if there is a break in the piece. I’ve also found that by playing hard the whistle clears itself through the window of any small amounts of condensation that might build up because the head isn’t quite warm enough.

To reply to pancelticpiper, on the DVD, Moving Hearts Live in Dublin, Davy plays a number of tunes on low whistle but the only one in which I see him clear/warm the windway mid-way through a piece, is May Morning Dew (probably on YouTube) which does have intervals lasting four or five seconds, enough time for him to want to rewarm the whistle and clear any condensation building up as the whistle cools.

As for Tommy’s question, in the past I’ve tried virtually every treatment mentioned in these forums, and I think toothpaste works better than any of the others. It is what Colin does to every whistle before he sends it out. I’m no scientist but I believe toothpaste works in two ways. It lays down a film of surfactant like duponol does but it also lightly polishes the inside of the windway removing any imperfections around which moisture may gather. I had a lot of problems to begin with but I think they have disappeared due to a combination of occasional treatment with toothpaste and learning to play the whistle as it was meant to be played.

[Lempriere]

As crude as this sounds, suck and swallow, job done.

[hans]

@ytliek

I realize Colin Farrell with The Elders is playing a Goldie low F, rather than low D, but the long playing without clearing the whistle he does well. I’ve seen Colin on a few occasions live and the whistle clogging doesn’t appear to be a problem even in the longer parts. He does blow it out on occasion just not too often, which appear to be more at a convenient time.

This is five plus minutes of Colin playing with a lot of camera time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4klmKr9t0HM

It does not like a Colin Goldie whistle to me, the head has not got flat sides. Looks more like a Chieftain, with its round sides and flat top at the head, but I am not sure if it is. Lovely paying, thanks for sharing!

May I add to the discussion that from my own experience and from player’s feedback, also confirmed from the low D whistle tour two years back, that Bracker whistles are pretty clog resistant. In general I think a design with a curved wind way helps, as does a more free blowing design with more height in the wind way, rather than a more restricted wind way, which need more blowing pressure. Total smoothness of the wind way is another factor, which helps stop condensation droplets from clinging on to the internal wind way surfaces. The toothpaste treatment is a method to achieve greater internal smoothness, as does using extra fine wet’n’dry metal sanding paper.

[brewerpaul]

Cold metal + warm moist breath > condensation.
Warm the metal and you’ll have a lot less condensation. I never tried toothpaste but I do use a mild soap solution to reduce clogging.
Instead of blowing more warm moist air into the whistle to unclog it, try sucking in sharply. C’mon, don’t be squeamish. It’s your own breath moisture you’re sucking in! You can even do this in the middle of a fast tune if necessary. Works like a charm on all of my whistles including a Colin Goldie A, which is the closest thing I have to your low D.