Yesterday I was in a fair in Bosnia. So I wondered a bit and I saw a wooden wistles for sale. At first I fought (becouse they make it as a suvenir) it is out of key or something is wrong with it. And I started to play it a bit. But it is a normal wooden whistle in D.It is a bit diferent from the whistles I know, beacuse the hole you blow in is a bit narrow and smoller, and it is just on the one side of the stick. It s got a nub in the middle, and the other hole( who is near the hole you blow in) is in the back of the stick. I have a syn whistle in D and when i started to play it is was hard to accommodate to the shepherd whistle.
So to my surprise there is someone making whistle in my part of the world. After searching everywhere, going to all music shops I know, ordering form internet and messing with paypal, waiting for abouth a year for my whistle to come, I fought there is no one making whistle here. But there is.
Did you have any simular experience? How do the whistles in your country look? Do people still make tradicional instruments?
The frula in Croatia, Bosnia and Serbia is the wooden whistle. In rural traditional music it normally has six equidistant holes of the same size, though I have known players to add a seventh hole. The window can be either on the top or bottom. The smaller frulas have a restricted hole at the end which acts as a brake. The scale is adiatonic (not a normal western scale). Modern professional musicians generally seem to have thier frulas tuned to the normal western scale, but not all. I have met some very talented whistle players in Croatia and Serbia.
In Croatia I have only seen good frulas for sale in music shops in Zagreb in Ilica just down from Trg Bana Jelačića, but that was a few years ago.
Hrvat li ste? Ziveli sme u Hrvatskoj tri godina.
I have a luck to live in capital city - there are a few shops in Moscow that sell Clarkes, so when I decided to buy my first whistle, I just went to the shop and bought it. There is one shop in St. Petersburg also (it’s the former capital).
But if you live in some other part of Russia and ex-USSR, or want something different than Clarke - you’re in trouble 
he frula in Croatia, Bosnia and Serbia is the wooden whistle. In rural traditional music it normally has six equidistant holes of the same size, though I have known players to add a seventh hole. The window can be either on the top or bottom. The smaller frulas have a restricted hole at the end which acts as a brake. The scale is adiatonic (not a normal western scale). Modern professional musicians generally seem to have thier frulas tuned to the normal western scale, but not all. I have met some very talented whistle players in Croatia and Serbia.
In Croatia I have only seen good frulas for sale in music shops in Zagreb in Ilica just down from Trg Bana Jelačića, but that was a few years ago.
Hrvat li ste? Ziveli sme u Hrvatskoj tri godina.
Yes. Well when I decidet to play whistle or frula a year ago I went to every music shop I have seen in Zagreb and Karlovac too. In Maksimirska, Kušlanova, Novi Zagreb and there was no whistles. Shopmans even moked me, telling me to go to a children shop. Just recently a music shop in Preradovićeva got susato whistles. But I have never noticed the music shop in Ilica. Colud you tell me where it is accurately?
Da ja sam Hrvat. Inaće sam rođen u Karlovcu, ali sada sam petu godinu u Zagrebu gdje studiram. Vi ste živjeli tri godine u Hrvatskoj? U Zagrebu? Inaće ste Grk?
Da ja sam Hrvat. Inaće sam rođen u Karlovcu, ali sada sam petu godinu u Zagrebu gdje studiram. Vi ste živjeli tri godine u Hrvatskoj? U Zagrebu? Inaće ste Grk?
Wow, I can read Horvatian
There is a maker here in Australia who also makes these whistles as well as gaidas, zurnas and kavals. I have a few of his instruments.
The music to one of my favorite dances (U-sest… transliterated: ooh-shest) is often played on frula. I have a few friends here in SoCal that can play frula.
…john
breqwas wrote: Wow, I can read Horvatian
Yes I can understand russian when you are talking, but you talk too fast
Bok. Mi smo živeli u Zagrebu tri godine blizu Svetog Petrova. Ya sam Englez ali sada živem u Grčkoj. Možda trgovina u Ulici sa ye zatvorila. Slijedeća godina mi ćemo ići u Hrvatsku. Gdje je trgovina u Preradovićeva. Zaboravil sam hrvatski. Ciao.
I went today In Ilica seaching for the music shop but I haven t seen it. I guess they have closed or something. The music shop in Preradovićeva is not in Preradovićeva, it is in Massarykova.Sorry. I was in it today for the first time, friend told me abouth it. It is called Melody. They had wistles, but they don t have it any more. Bad luck.
So the olny place I have seen them seel whistles is in fair in Velika Kladuša.
Did it look similar to this…
I think this is a locally made recorder. I have seen recorders like this in Romania. The kid is great.
Funny, I can read Hrvatski too…well, guess that´s part of Slavic heritage.
One maker here, in Czech republic, makes them too - I ordered one…hell, I´ gonna review it as it sounds just awesome, it´s really a great instrument.
Carey: Did it look similar to this…
The kid is great!!!
It looks similary, but the nub in the middle is more naturale,
and it make a bit different sound