I was poking around the Jubilee instrument site, and saw a link titled simply “bagwhistle”. It can’t be, I thought. It is.
Has anybody given these a try? I’m half-tempted to buy some, but I’d like to know how they sound and work first. If anybody has an actual recording, that’d be perfect.
I’ve seen those to. I’m also interested. It looks kinda cool.
In my experience, whistles take much more air than pipes but the air is under less pressure. With pipes, the air stream is smaller but the pipers arm on the bag allows his/her to maintain higher air pressure for extended periods of time.
Remove the reeded chanter and replace it by a whistle and you go back to something requiring more air at less pressure, which means that the bag is redundant …
It would be helpful to have soundfiles of this hybrid.
Its BAAAACK!!
Here’s my bellows blown bagwhistle, circa 2005ish, designed and built by moi. Also has a removable stock with 4 independantly switched drones (not pictured).
I’ve played one of the Jubilee bagwhistles. It does indeed take a lot of wind. Daniel told me it is a work in progress, and I think that he was considering going with a bellows-blown design.
Neat, lordofthestrings! Now give us some sound files!
Cool! Have you got any recordings?
I’ll look around for bagwhistle sound files.
You are right about the air requirements. The first bagwhistles were low-g’s and they took tons and tons of air. So later, I made a high-D bagwhistle. The air usage is tolerable with one or two drones, it gets very difficult with three. I put fipple closers on the drones so that they can be selectable.
I do put this disclaimer on bagwhistles - they are not bagpipes - they only play at tinwhistle volume levels. High Flow low pressure instruments do not use air the same way bagpipes do.
One of the ways to save the air and to make the drone notes more stable was to used close ended pipes. When the bottom of a whistle is closed, it plays about an octave lower and uses less air. However it does produce a different sound drone note, rich in odd harmonics, much like the tone of an ocarina.
Several bagwhistles have gone to England, I have not heard a thing as to what they’re playing on them or what.
They appearance of the bagwhistle is “cool” but if you want a whistle with a drone, the biwhistle is a better way to go.
I agree totally with Dan that they do have a huge air requirement, especially with drones going. They are pretty cool though, and I gig with mine occasionally to throw the audience off a bit. Playing it does force one to perfect finger articulations, as just with a ‘normal’ bagpipes, you can’t take a breath ot tongue.
As far as sound files go, well, it sounds like a whistle 
. The only difference you’d hear is the occasional screetch if there’s too much pressure in the lower octave, and some noise made by my bellows.
I should dig it up next time I’m home, but I built a mouth blown bagwhistle based on Dan’s about 2 years prior to the bellows one. Here’s a pic of me playing it at an outdoor arts festival back in the day (note how short my hair is, and I had bangs then 
)
I was thinking about making bag whistles before i even ran across this…it would be nice to have some sound files.
If I get a chance when I’m home this weekend, I’ll try to record them.
That’d be great! Thanks!
btw: You look very nice with your shorter hair & bangs. 
Did you ever get a chance to do any recording?
D’oh! I did, and I forgot. I can’t remember how to post clips (they are wav. files) Please pm me if you know how to put them up!
These whistle smiths / musicians / craftsmen are AMAZING! I’m in awe of you guys. 
These whistle smiths / musicians / craftsmen are AMAZING! I’m in awe of you guys.
Can’t really see why anyone would like to listen but …
There are some “plastic bag bagpipes” clips on youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ld0GRufqDmg
If I was forced to listen to a few sets with that recorder hybrid, I would probably end up carrying out a seppuku.
/M
Hey don’t knock that plastic bagrecorder monstrosity thing! I thought it was pretty cool!
Sounds freaken awful but two thumbs up for inventiveness!
I must say, that clip brings back memories. When I was espiramenting with bag sizes, I had started out with a black garbage bag with the whistle and blow pipe tied in. I rubber-banded off parts of the bag to adjust the capacity until I got it right. In the bellows blown model, I use a wine box bladder for the bag.
If I was forced to listen to a few sets with that recorder hybrid, I would probably end up carrying out a seppuku.
Though I have not ever see that bagwhistle, I know that guy. He attends our session in Moscow sometimes.
Should I tell him your words?