Hello everyone,
Wow, I am hesitant to jump into this discussion.
I try to keep a low profile, but my main concern is the person who started the thread getting what he wishes in a whistle. The whistle that he received obviously has a problem. I had a rather large consignment of whistles that were shipped to Song of the Sea, which took me several days to complete. I have been working between 9 and 12 hours a day at my regular job and was very tired
during the final check process. I do play each and every whistle before I sign it, but it is possible that something was missed on the transition response on this whistle. As to the tuning issue, I am curious to see what may have caused the problem that was described.
As Loren has explained, I use CNC (Computer Numeric Controlled Equipment to make the toneholes and most of the parts for the whistles I produce. This method is not the cheapest, but is the best way to produce very consistant whistles that have the potential to become great instruments. However, we spend a minimum of one hour of work on each and every instrument after the parts are made and I final voice and check them all. In this case I missed a problem in the jump to the top octave it sounds like. This is a voicing problem that can be fixed very easily. I am very sorry that this happens, but occasionally, because the most difficult and critical work is done by hand, not machines, we make mistakes. I have an apprentice that helps me tune and voice whistles. He is a fine craftsman who is a fine musician as well. His fine work allows me to concentrate on doing the very final checks and voicing adjusments, and therefore put out a very large number of whistles each year that we feel are the best we can make.
Getting back to tuning. It is not possible for one of my whistles to have a different tuning than another unless there was a problem with the machine that makes it, or the operator. We have had problems on rare occasions when the bores are loaded backwards, but that is pretty obvious. The choice of tuning intonement is a challenging question for a maker in the music.
I have struggled to satisfy as many people as I can with this. In Irish piping, for example, the tuning is a just intoned scale. This scale will have cause the tuning of the E note to be 4 cents sharp, the F# about 12 cents flat,
the G about 2 cents flat, the A two cents sharp, the B about 12 cents flat, and the C# about 14 cents flat. It also makes the Cnatural about 12-14 cents sharp. These comparisons are to what is called an equally tempered scale. The equally tempered scale actually would be a disaster for the bagpipes, because the notes would clash horribly with the drones. This scale is developed by starting with a particular note, for example, the note D we have as the lowest note on our
most common whistle. This note is approximately 587.2Hz, or 293.6Hz for the low
D. The scale we use increments by a factor of approximately 1.059 times the previous note for each half step to make up the equally tempered scale. This number is actually the twelvth root of the number 2 for those who like numbers. This scale is a compromise, as are all the scales that have been developed, and they are legion. There are people on this
forum who know far more about this than I do.
The point is that, depending on what you are use to listening to, you may perceive an interval to be short or long, though the Irish Piper will tell you that the Just scale is the onely one they will accept.
I have tried to make the F# on my whistles a tiny bit flat compared to the equally tempered scale that a tuner would indicate, and the other notes have been moved very slightly to that direction as well. The notes on a whistle are very flexible, however, and they can be easily blown on to play in perfect pitch, or overblown to make them play out of tune. I have played instruments made by most of the fine makers that I know, and all of them can be played out of tune or in tune, depending on
how they are blown. I have checked the tuning on the D Al Pro as well as all my whistles with some of the finest musicians in Irish Music as well as a host of studio musicians who play in all the kinds of music that whistles are played and recorded. Recording engineers love them because they say they are spot on tuning in all the many recordings that are made. This does not mean that a customer may not like the particular tuning however, nor does it mean that I am not willing to change the intonement to fit the needs of any and all of my customers. There is sometimes not a right or wrong answer to this question. My desire is to achieve perfect tuning, and nothing less. If your Burke whistle is not playing in tune, then I can make it play in tune for you, if I understand how you play it, and I can adjust the intonation to your ear, or type of music.
The debate over whether machine made parts or hand made parts are better can go on forever.
No matter how the parts are made, the whistle is only as good as the guy that voiced it on the day it was made and shipped. I think that
on this day, this one whistle had a problem, because I made a mistake. I feel bad about that and will do whatever is needed to fix it.
On the matter of the O’rings. It is very difficult to see a Polyurethane O’Ring in the slide, but with a small flashlight and a pointed object you can see them. I haven’t heard of any missing O’rings, and would be very surprised if there were any, but I will call Patty at Song of the Sea in the morning.
Patty and Anne and Eddie are wonderful people who really care about quality and their customers. That is why I sell to them. If you have a problem, however, no matter whether you got it from them or directly from me, please let me know. I apologize for being slow to answer letters lately. I try to keep up, but sometimes am slow because of my work load.
I stand behind my work, so even if you buy it used from another person, I will fix it for you and make sure you are satisfied with it.
I apologize also if this sounds too much like
self promotion. I try to avoid that, and anything that would make people feel uncomfortable about expressing their honest opinions. I hope this helps a little to explain some of the questions. Please contact me personally with any questions and problems.
I learn from complaints too,so please write and give me your ideas. I read this forum almost every day because I care and want to send you the finest instruments that we can make.
Thank all of you for your kindness and patience.
All the best
Mike
