So, it seems a small (incredibly small) whistle part has worked its way into another concert I’m playing in. This time around it seems I can’t rely on a single whistle to cover the piece, either… Last time the whistle parts were exclusively in C major. This time they’re in D major, C major, and Db major… joy! I’ve got whistles to cover D and C, but I need to see about Db.
I’m open to suggestions. A preliminary look has yielded nothing but Susato for a Db whistle. Any other makers out there doing Db’s? I may end up getting a different D whistle, too. My preferred C is the Mellow Dog, which I also have a D body for, but I’d rather not be swapping heads around mid-song, especially due to tuning concerns. Alternatively, maybe I’ll pick up a new C and use the Mellow Dog D… or maybe I’ll just get another body for that one… I don’t know. Regardless, I have a great excuse to buy more whistles, and I plan to take every advantage I can.
It’s a song called “I’ll Give Him My Heart.” For an Easter pageant I’m playing in. It’s literally 5 measures scattered throughout the song, but it manages to find itself in these three different keys… And the measures are placed so strategically that I doubt I’ll get any violin playing in during the piece.
I don’t know any maker who makes a stock Db whistle; you might have to start with a whistle in C, push the head in by a semitone’s worth, and then tune each hole individually with tape.
where
v = speed of sound in air (1130 feet/second @ 70F)
v’ = speed of moving whistler
f = actual note frequency (D5 = 1175 Hz)
f’ = perceived note frequency (Db5 = 1109 Hz)
Solving for v’ gives:
v’ = v * (f - f’) / f’
Let’s assume you’re playing a second octave D, and you want the listeners to hear a Db.
So a compact motor scooter should do the trick, as long as it has instant acceleration to 46 mph. Just set up a 135-foot ramp from the front of the stage to the back, and play your whistle while driving the scooter backwards away from the audience. 135 feet gives you 2 seconds of playing time, or about 2 measures at typical reel or jig tempo, before you have to stop and wheel the bike back to the front of the stage for the next 2 measures.
Of course, audience members not exactly at center stage will hear a slightly sharp Db, according to the sine of their angle to you. But after all that trouble, it would be rude of them to complain.
I’ll let the conductor know that I need a motorcycle on which to play all my parts…
Edit: I’ve been looking for a Syn set and can’t find one anywhere… anyone have any leads on where I could pick one up? Also, the C#/Db Susato seems to be a special order. Anyone purchased one of these in the past and/or have any idea how long it would take to fill an order for one?
Especially if it’s just a short passage and for one-time use, you can try simply pulling out a Generation or Feadóg type D whistle down to Db. Use some teflon tape on the head end of the tube to keep the head tight, and insert a small ball of blue tack putty in the bell end to flatten the pitch. A bit of electrician’s tape on the tone holes as needed for intonation, and you might find you have a perfectly serviceable Db whistle. And if your whistle is miked, you’ll have some leeway in finessing the pitch without overblowing.
I keep converted Db Feadóg around to play along with the occasional Db/Gb recording, and it does fine. But I’ve never had to tune it to an orchestra …
The last time I bought a Generation C whistle, the head was positioned on the tube so that it was quite sharp, it sounded more like a D-flat whistle than a C anyway…because of the way a Gen is tuned, instead of taking a higher whistle and pulling it down to pitch, you might try using a Gen C and pushing it up to pitch. I think you might find the tuning would work pretty much ok.
I’ve thought of trying something like this… take one of my C whistles and see if I can tune it up to a C#. I just wonder if only the bell note would be in tune, then. I’ll have to just try it out and see how it sounds, I guess… Wouldn’t feed the WhOA quite as much, though…
