The Burke aluminium “Viper” low D uses a 1" outer diameter tube, the bore is about 23mm, which is about 0.9" so just a little more than 7/8" (0.875"), because Burke uses thinner tubing than Overton and Chieftain whistles. So, yes, it is a little wider in bore, but not as much as you think.
Yes, and that might make the discussion a bit more complicated since the action differences you describe are highly effected by the geometry of the head components as well as the tone hole sizing. Hans has wisely alluded to that already.
It’s a dance of many variables.
Stanton, I like your thinking on EAR.
Feadoggie
Regards using some form of EAR - equivalent length to bore aspect ratio:
For whistles we should base it on some acceptable standard whistle length to bore ratio, not on a shakuhachi aspect ratio. Shakuhachis have significant thinner bores. But the scaling principles outlined on http://www.navaching.com/shaku/scaling.html are the same. Only the EAR formula would need a different factor.
A low G whistle with 400mm length from window exit to the end and 18mm bore has a length to bore ratio of 22.2. Optimal bore from my chart would be 18.1mm, and the hole calculator gives me 402mm for length, which gives also 22.2 for the aspect ratio. These figures correspond to my Burke low G and my own low G. From that we could scale up and down, low G being nicely placed in the middle of higher and lower whistles (see, I am trying to be on topic!), low G being a kind of Goldilocks whistle, not too high, not too low.
This would yield a factor of ca. 2.715 for the EAR formula (instead of 2.858 for shakuhachi):
EAR = 2.715 * Length^(5/6) / Bore
Now we could argue if 22.2 is a reasonable EAR value for whistles. Some might prefer their whistles a bit narrower, some a bit wider perhaps. Is it a Goldilocks EAR?
Instead of introducing EAR to my Whistle Calculator, I now have removed the length to bore ratio, as it is not too helpful, and added fields for optimum bore value and the difference in percent to the optimum bore value. That should be more meaningful to designers. And the percent deviance, minus or plus, gives a numerical indication of how much narrower or wider in bore a whistle is, independent of the key.
Too bad that I did a big whistle purge recently, and that I didn’t measure the bores of the various Low Ds I had (Susato, Burke, Reviol) before I sold them.
But I just measured what I have to hand:
MK D .843
Reyburn D .855
Burke Eb .89
Overton E .862
Regarding the OP there’s a locked thread over at thesession.org that can give you an idea.
Hi,
I use 25mm OD x 1.6mm wall for my Low C, D and Eb whistles and 22.2 x 1.42 wall for my Low E, F and G (and I made some A bodies from that too…but the high register is somewhat subdued…to big a bore I’d say)
hope that helps…
I find Aluminium tubing can vary quite a bit…and I am not sure if it’s worth to bother too much about those minor changes…after all, every mouth that plays a whistle is bound to be different too…
I remember typing the details of one of the whistles I make into one of those whistle calculators available on the net and the result suggested, that it shouldn’t be in tune…that was the point where I thought math is good to a certain point, then it’s better to actually get a drill and do it…before getting a math degree to determine that the note is sharp…
My five cents…and back to not only whistle making…
M.
To answer the OP: Jerry Freeman makes a very nice whistle in A. I think he starts with a tweaked Generation Bb head and makes a new tube. Wonderful whistle with good tone, easy reach, nice price and it’s in a “trad friendly” key. One of my favorite whistles.