In the part of the Chiff & Fipple Paddy Moloney interview where his Generation is being discussed, Paddy mentions something about the need to “reduce the aperture a bit so it takes less wind”.
I wish he had gotten a bit more technical, but unfortunately he left it at that.
Does anybody know what he meant by that statement?
Dale?
That one fascinates me, too. I should have followed up on that a bit. I would think that the “aperture” would have to be the windway. People have used various methods to reduce it a bit, including sliding in bits of toothpicks on both sides of the windway.
Dale
Must be the Irish in me but `reducing the appeture to take less wind´ can also mean the removal of the slightly fluted entrance to the airway which is internally wedge shaped,top and sides to the exit.Chopping off 1 mm or 2 does have a noticible affect on the sound.Do I get a prize? 
Cheers,Mike
[ This Message was edited by: mike.r on 2001-11-06 10:12 ]
Mike do you mean chopping a bit off the mouthpiece (the bit that goes in your kisser)?
A friend of mine who’s an excellent piper and whistle player also likes a quiet whistle. She told me she boils the heads of her Generations and then when they’re nice and soft squeezes them with pliers to narrow the windway.
I found this tends to produce cracks so I have abandoned the method. But a student of mine once had a whistle that looked as though the end of the mouthpiece had partially melted, narrowing the windway, and it had a lovely sound.
A few nights ago I decided to attempt to reproduce this by softening the plastic up over the electric stove – but in no time the plastic was molten, sealing the mouthpice shut! No more music out of that whistle… I’m going to try again sometime with a gentler heat source, maybe a light bulb.
Another avenue I’d like to explore giving the heat treatment is narrowing the OTHER end of the windway. The floor of the windway is very soft and floppy - I speculate that ramming blue-tack into the cavity actually raises this part fractionally.
I’ll let you know what happens… but in the meantime please clarify your chopping method.
S
Stevie,
If Paddy’s remark is interpreted literally than reducing of the apperture may well mean shortening the part that goes in the gob.The easiest way to do this is with a multi graded nail file,the synthetic type and file off the entrance until its squared off and the slightly fluted entrance typical of Gen fipples is removed.When you’ve finished the rough work use the finer grades for smoothing and polishing.The difference is subtle but the entrance is in effect slightly reduced which also means less air.Narrowing the cavity by filling might create more back pressure but in a way this can mean more air and a clogging risk.Of course I could be way off the mark but I think its worth consideration. Cheers,Mike 
I like the toothpick idea and it does no harm to the headjoint. Just sand down a couple of toothpicks so they slide down both sides of the airway. Then keep adjusting the amount of toothpick til the tone is right for you. If you sand a slight wedge they will fit tightly. When its just right slice off the part sticking out and you’ll be stylin’.
Ronaldo
I keep a wedge of cane in my Generation. It’s about the size of a toothpick, but tapered to form a more angled windway. To visualize, it is shaped like a right-angled triangle, with the right angle snug against the inside edge of the mouthpiece, running the length of the airway to the window. The result is a sweeter sound without sacrificing the chiff, and great second octave.
Teri
Hi all,
Terri and Ronaldo are most likely the solvers of this mystery and perhaps Stevies student the solvent as I have a memory of my model airplane failures as a child where misuse of some glues actually melted the plastic…modern glues are much better!I’ve used a bone insert(plastic would do just as well ) cut from an old classical guitar saddle which fills the left side of the entrance to a depth of approximately 1 cm and and is adhered to the side wall with a minute drop of super glue for stability followed by my sanding idea earlier described.I can vouch for Terri’s tonal description of the bamboo method as the same applies here…the sound and playabillity are much improved,subtlety doesnt apply here.For optimum results I do think it helps to do this on a fipple that is really good to begin with and the one I have used is a red Gen with no tweaking whatsoever except for the insert.We’ll all have to wait for the real answer from the master himself of course.Peace,Mike
[ This Message was edited by: mike.r on 2001-11-13 14:51 ]
Dear all
If anyone’s still atempting to soften the plastic headpiece of their Generation whistles in order to reshape the windway . . . try making a hardwood former to the shape and size of the windway that you desire (slightly tapered or wedge shaped) . . . then stick it into the original before you attempt to soften and squash the windway into its new shape.
Best of luck . . . Tony P