This is my first post (thanks for having me) and I have a few newbie questions regarding wooden whistle making which I hope some of the experts can help with.
Although I am completely unmusical I do like making instruments, mainly stringed, I am into lutes at the moment. I did make a folk flute and recorder at West Dean College about 12 years ago but do not have the gear to make turned instruments, so did not continue with it. Having seen the YT video on making an elder whistle from JJCH Workshop www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpYa4PV19cQ I thought I would have a go. I have made a couple but they both have similar issues which I hope you can help with.
My first whistle is 435mm long with an 8x5 window, 15mm bore and gave F4 before drilling the tuning holes. I drilled with a 6mm spur point bit and fine tuned by paring with a very sharp knife. The tuning holes, working from the bottom, give G4/5,A4/5,A#4(most of the time),C/C#5/C6,D5 E5. The problem is it is very difficult to control which octave they sound, often, especially with A# it seems to be giving both octaves at the same time. Is this just a matter of breath control or a construction problem?
Also all the notes seem a little sharper than when I first drilled and tuned them, any reason for this?
It could be that these problems are because I am not a player so not familiar with the nuances of whistles.I would be grateful for any advice.