I have a new-ish Burke d whistle which I’ve been playing my d every day since receiving it a couple of weeks ago. I love this whistle, and it has replaced my Chieftain.
However, for past week or so, I’ve been getting ready for a gig, and playing for
lengthy periods of time. For the past couple of days, when the whistle has
been played for quite a while, it becomes unstable in the low d and e
(wants to over-blow into the second register). At first I thought it was a
moisture problem, but upon examination, it doesn’t appear to be. It feels
like a ‘leaky air’ sort of thing…Not really sure. We’ve cleaned the
airway, and made sure that the o ring is seated properly. We noticed when
it is played a lot, the second joint seems loose, but no air seems to be
escaping from it. There is also a brass ring ‘thingy’ that rests inside the tube near the top hole. This ring seems to be pulled away from the tube itself (not sure if it ever touched the tube).
I have a gig tomorrow, and I’m hoping someone has heard this sort of thing
before and can tell me how to fix it…
Is going back to your Chieftain for this gig an option? I’m not familiar with the Burke design, so I can’t give you any specific advice on that.
A couple suggestions, though: Check the wind-way for debris. Not to sound disgusting, but it’s possible that a bit of food (or a spider?) is stuck in there. It would take a very small amount to mess up the air flow.
OK, you probably already tried that. If you think you have a leak, see if you can find a piece of surgical tubing or something similar size. Then have someone else blow on your whistle. Hold one end of the tube to your ear, moving the other end up and down the whistle. This is a trick I sometimes use to find leaks/faulty pads in band instruments. Once you find the leak, you could, as a last resort, wrap the offending joint in electrical tape until a more permanent repair can be done.
I usually take ALL of my whistles to gigs, just for insurance against Murphy’s Law…
being the proud owner of a Burke pro myself, I’d have to side with ol’ Tom on this one. It SOUNDS like exactly what happens to me when I get a bit of moisture in the windway on that whistle.
The bras ring to note inside the tube around the top hole is Mike’s way of ‘pertubing the bore’ or whatever he calls it. It helps to keep everything in tune, though I don’t think it would affect the bell note, or overall volume.
Other than that, I would have to see it/play it to be any more sure.
If I had to, I’d look to take a trusty Generation, Oak, Walton, or Doolin along just in case!
The brass ring thing is a C shaped piece of brass that Mike fits by the “C” hole. It reduces the bore slightly to improve the C natural tuning. This piece should be tight against the tube wall.
Joe