Hello, ya got the bear here. Short history on ole bear.
I’m 61 years old with advanced stages of emphysema. Doctor said learn to play a wind instrument to give my lungs a workout. I do not know much about music except I’m tone deaf. Anyway I have been having a lot of fun driving my wife nuts playing around with the harmonicas, recorders, and whistles I have bought so far. LOL
I have decided to try my hand at making a few whistles and have bought a couple different kinds to compare and use as a guide. But I’m really confused about the whistles. I have a ton of questions but will start with three for now.
1: First question is about the Clark whistles, I bought a regular Clark Tin Whistle (key of C) and learned several songs on it. Then I bought a Clark Meg Tin Whistle, with the plastic mouth piece (key of C). And the two are almost identical is size, shape, etc; except for the finger holes. The finger holes are the same untill the last note on the Meg whistle is about a half inch lower then on the regular Clark. Does anyone know why?
2: I really like the sound of a Tin Whistle but I like the fingering of a recorder better. Is there some reason one could not make a tin whistle with note holes like that on a recorder. I mean 7 finger holes and a thumb hole instead of the standard 6 note holes on a whistle.
3: For my last question (at least for now) does anyone know where I can buy plastic mouth pieces like those on a Clark whistle?
For anyone who will answer any of the above questions. Thank You, God bless you and have a super good day…
Are you sure you are tone deaf? I wouldn’t figure a tone deaf person would get much out of playing a whistle… but I could be wrong.
Regarding your questions…
Not having compared the two whistles directly, I have never noticed the difference between the two. However it should be noted that the note produced by a given hole is a function of both its position and its size. The designer of a whistle might adjust each to suit any of a number of design considerations.
Well from a technical perspective there is no real difference between a recorder and a whistle other than the way they are fingered. The difference in tone is generally due to the specific designs that are usually adopted for the instrument but are not crucial for the designation of the instrument itself. That being said, there are some whistle makers who provide alternate finger holes for their whistles so I see no reason not to do it, particularly if you are buying them for yourself.
If you want plastic mouth pieces just like those on the Clark meg, I doubt you will find a cheaper source than the Clark Meg
Hiya. I’ll second Liam on the price of the Clarke Meg head. You can buy a whole box of Megs for a little over twenty bucks. That said, making your own heads ain’t all that hard. There are several designs readily available on the Internet, and you can make entire whistles out of anything from solid chunks of wood, to PVC plumbing pipe, or chrome moly steel motorcycle frame tube.
Even though I’m a maker, I’m not trying to sell you anything. IMO, the Clarke Original (about 8 bucks) is the best bang for the buck of anything in the price range. Add to that the fact that it’s a pretty high-air whistle, and your lungs are going to get a good workout there.
The only reason to get a recorder, IMO, would be if you want a (kind of) chromatic instrument, and for the price of one decent recorder, you can get a whole handful of whistles in different keys.
Just an FYI - don’t get too many Meg heads if your purpose is to build your own whistles in a variety of keys. The Meg head is mostly good for C, D, and E-flat. Different whistle keys tend to take different heads to match the larger or smaller diameter tubes.
Enjoy whistling! Write me anytime.
Cheers,
serpent
Also, a Mollenhauer “Adri’s dream whistle”, i.e. their best-selling Renaissance recorder, may be close to your taste.
If you insist on building the hybrid yourself, Mollenhauer’s “school kit” (aka Prima Didakta) is an interesting source for both the plastic head and wooden tube. The plastic head is unassembled, leaving plenty of options for tweaks, while the tube is undrilled, though marked with both baroque and German hole patterns.
You know what, I’m a member of Boomspeed.com web hosting and hang out there on the forum boards because there is some of the nicest people I have met on the net there. From the responce and replies I got from my post here makes me believe that I have found another group of super nice people. Thank you guys for all the information and your answers.
Liam I;m not 100% tone deaf but I tried to take music lessons when I was about 15 or 16. And when the instructor was through laughing she told me to go away and never come back again because I would never be able to learn music. That made me mad to have someone tell me I cannot do something so I bought a harmonica and tried to teach myself to play it. I even learned about 20 or so songs on it. I have family members who are musicaly inclined. My younger brother has even made a couple of records and has his own band. (country & westeren) So I’m not completely ignorant when it comes to music, but I do know enough to know I’ll never be playing at the Grand Ole Opra… LOL However I can play well enough to amuse myself and drive my wife nuts. And I also know what sounds are pleasing to my ears. (Like the low C whistle)
I have herd it said if you can make a noise, any noise at all, on an instrument then your a “musician”, if you enjoy that noise then your a “good musician”, if others enjoy that noise then your a “great musician”. With that said I guess I’m a “Good Musician” LOL.
Now about the two different Clark whistles the reason I am confused about them is because the are (except for the location of the finger holes) identical. Same size and length, finger holes are all the same sizes, the distance from the sound hole lip to the end of the tub is the same. And at least to my ear the sounds are the same. But the location of the finger holes are different. Just trying to understand the whys of how and why whistles are made.
And the reason I am interested in making a tin whistle with a recorders finger holes is because I like the sounds that a metal whistle makes. And I really love the sound of the low C. But the fingering on a recorder, at least to get the higher notes is easier for me on a recorder. I have seen whistles made from wood with different fingering but to me they are not whistles. What sets a whistle apart from other instruments is that special sound you get from the metal tubs. You cannot get that from a piece of wood or plastic.
serpent, I checked out your website. Really cool. And I have to agree with you on the price of a good recorder. But the best recorders money can buy still do not produce the sounds one can get from a metal whistle. I would love to have a low C (tin or brass) whistle with the chromatic fingering. Thats one of the reasons I want to make some of them. I;m sure there is someone out there that would make one for me but being on Social Security Disability I do not have a lot of money to spend on the higher end instruments. Awe but I do have a tool box full of tools and I do know a little about metal working. Just need to learn al I can about whistle making (and music… LOL).
Zubivka, I really do thank you for the links and information. I have not had time to check them out yet but will soon. Again thank you my friend.
Welcome! Contrary to popular belief, musical ear can be developed. Don’t let the snotty music teacher who told you to go away and not come back influence your decision to make music; anyone who wants to play music should. Period. Just go at your own pace and do it for your own pleasure, and in your case, for your health. Sure, we’re not all professional material, but I’m not aiming to be a professional.
The Megs and Clarke Sweetones are wonderful to start out on. You’ll want to try others, and fortunately, whistles are inexpensive (relative to other musical addictions), so you can eventually sample different ones. There are numerous threads on the virtues and weaknesses of each make, cheap vs. expensive, recorders–love 'em or hate 'em, so you can find a wealth of information here and search the archives.
This is the best use of whistles, short of just lovin’ music, that I’ve ever heard of! Maybe therapeutic whistling should be introduced for any post-surgical or bedridden patients who otherwise would be stuck doing their deep breathing exercises without the nifty incentive of tunes. In fact, this could be an entirely new branch of nursing or allied health-care…whistle therapy.
So definitely…work hard and enjoy the process!
Hello CJ, as far as musical talent goes I know my limitations. But the truth is I’m happy with the amount of talent the good Lord has given me. I play well enough to amuse myself yet bad enough to give me something to work at improving. At least I’ll never get bord… LOL
As far as trying different types of whistles! Well you will not get me hooked. I have herd about this “WHOA” and I will not sercome to it. I have been checking whistles out for about 2 months now and am the proud owner of 9 whistles. That seems normal to me. Right? Right!
emmline, I dont know if you were just kidding about the whistle therapy or not but you may have something here my friend. I mean music touches one soul, not just their ears. It has been used to sooth and excit people from the beginning of time.
I have been learning how to do website designs and have made several websites. I’m working on a HTML tutorial web site at the moment. But I think I’ll try a music therapy website next. Cool, thank you very much for the idea my friend. Also I think I’ll just get me a box full of whistles and visit some of the old folks homes. Heck they takes dogs there to visit the elderly. But when they leave they take the dogs with them. At least I could leave a whistle with them to keep them company.
