New to the whistle and have a Susato 2-piece. Couple of newbie questions:
Mechanically, how do I tune the whistle? Do you just elongate/shorten the top piece as necessary, comparing to the target pitch? Do you wiggle the top piece clockwise/counter to move it, or just push/pull? Does it not matter as long as you somehow elongate the piece as necessary?
Assuming daily playing, how frequently does a tunable whistle typically need to be tweaked? Is it like a guitar that I have to tune every day (a bit) and even during a session? Or does an adjusted whistle stay tuned for quite some time?
Yes, lengthening it lowers the pitch, and shortening it raises the pitch. You should never need to adjust it at all unless you’re playing with other people. Then just use your ear to get as close as you can to what you hear coming out of their instruments. Have fun!
I prefer to use a gentle twisting motion. It allows me to make very tiny, precise movements. Remember to warm your whistle first. Woodwinds need to be up to temperature.
You don’t need to tune when playing alone. The instrument will be in tune with itself, although nearly every whistle has some notes than need to be ‘blown into tune’, that is, they need a little extra air pressure to get them in line. Some whistles require altered fingerings on certain notes, especially the C natural. That’s normal.
About the only time you need to worry about it is when getting into tune at a session with instruments that are themselves not easily tuned, like accordions and pianos. Most string players these days use electronic tuners. You can also run into tuning shifts when outdoors, but so will everyone else.
Most tunable whistles are designed to play at concert pitch when warmed up and with the slide pulled out a touch. This allows tuning sharp if you need to.
I keep a silicon pencil grip on my Susato Tunable where the joints meet. When I pull the whistle out of my instrument bag, it’s still in tune. Then, I don’t have to worry about the putting the whistle back in tune every time I play with other people. When I clean my whistle, I clean the silicon too.
I also keep a silicon pencil grip on my Clare 2-piece. From my lack of proper care, it used to leak, not no more.
On my brass whistles, I carefully scribe a circle around the tube where the bottom of the head sits at concert pitch. Then I have guide to see how far out I’ve pulled the head or to get it back to the starting point after removing the head for cleaning.
Tip #1: Tuning the Susato is easier if you apply Cork Grease, not Cork Wax to the tuning slide. This will also seal the joint for improved play.
Tip #2: Use a pencil (eraser first) to push out the fipple plug. Insert the pencil at the slide end and push up towards the Voicing. This feature is for cleaning, but it is wonderful for interior inspection. Inspect all the sharp edges and the voicing area for plastic Burrs. Carefully remove any by scraping with an Exacto Blade. Use your grease on the plug before reinsertion. This seals any air leaks an aides in future removal for swabbing.
Also be aware that as whistles warm up the pitch will change slightly and you may need to re-tune after a few songs. This isn’t as true with the polymer whistles like the Susatos but is particularly true of the metal rascals and even the wooden ones.