Please let it be known that I tend to treat my whistles like gold. But last night, after a session of phenomenal music, I found that yet another wooden whistle has cracked on me. It was like someone put a stake through my heart.
This is the third instance of a piece of wood nearly (I hope) deciding it didn’t want to be a musical instrument. Of course its the third time that a whistlesmith has stepped up to the plate and repaired, also.
Be that as it may, I’m off for Ireland tomorrow, and will bring a non-cracked whistle of some sort…of course that won’t preclude the possibility that I stop in to some shop somewhere and pick up a new whistle to make me feel better!
Don’t take a wood whistle with you, unless you want to risk another cracked instrument. An Abell should be find, since Chris seasons his wood unusually well, but otherwise I’d stick with metal or plastic.
Pick one of the metal whisltes that you have that you can live with for the trip. There are sessions in parts of Ireland that are known to hold a prejudice against Yanks with expensive wood whistles. Nothing nasty, just rolled eyes, a nudge to the neighbor - “here comes another one” :roll:
Tyghress
Enjoy your trip! You must be very excited.
Wood. Beautiful, beautiful wood. Nothing quite as stunning as well crafted wood, no matter what form it takes, but especially when it can sing it’s song. The downside to it’s beauty is…well…it’s beauty. I never travel with a wooden whistle because I’m so paranoid of something happening to it. All my most ‘zen’ whistle moments have been on backpacking/camping trips or adrift on a lake with my cheapest whistles.
I really don’t know why I’m posting this since I really don’t have anything interesting or informative to say on the subject, however, you do have my deepest sympathies over your loss.
Just out of curiosity, what types of wood have your split whistles been?
great news about your trip, though. please give a full report when you return! my wife and i are taking our son to the island the last part of may. its his high school graduation present from us. so, i want to know all the nitty gritty, like where to eat, where to stay, what to do, etc.
Did it crack while you were playing it? Do you care to say which one it is (if not I understand)? I only have one wooden whistle but I’m deathly afraid of it cracking because I don’t think I could have it repaired easily…
Okay…for all and sundry…the three whistles have been: rosewood Sweetheart prototype, repaired by Ralph and still lovely, a pink ivory Busman that drove Paul to distraction during its building (repaired during building and still holding itself together), and (deep sigh) Abell blackwood which is currently winging its way back to Chris for repair. Its not dead yet (and Chris said he’d make a new head if necessary) but it hurt to look at it.
I oil them religiously. I play them faithfully.
In re: not bringing a high-end whistle to play in Ireland…I really didn’t consider it. The LAST thing I want to do is stand out in session. Last time a two piece Feadog did me fine for the three tunes I played. This time I’ll probably bring an old Gen…but I do have a passing interest in the M&E that James mentioned. All I need is directions to the source
Five sessions lined up so far. . .two festivals. . .we’ll see what comes of it!
I wonder why wooden whistles seem so much more inclined to crack than other wooden instruments? Is it because they are so thin-walled? I have a maple recorder that’s been horribly neglected, but doesn’t even appear dry, let alone cracked, but it’s much thicker walled than a wooden whistle.
My condolences on your (hopefully temporary) loss, and (slightly envious) best wishes for your trip!
My condolences, Tygh. I was afraid it was maybe the warped one you got from me. I’m very surprised to hear it was an Abell. The sound of his whistles may not be consistent, but the quality of the wood is.
Redwolf, the thinness of the walls of a whistle certainly has something to do with their tendency to crack. Probably the biggest culprit, though is metal tuning slides. Flutes, which are much thicker-walled, often crack if they have tuning slides and/or metal-lined heads. I have an antique boxwood flutes, though, with no cracks. Box is one of the most notorious woods for creeping, and this one has a pretty noticeable warp but no slide.
Now I’m gonna run down to my wooden-whistle case and make sure none of them have done anything that will depress me.
Oh! That is so sad! Very sorry to hear about your whistle cracking. (looks at her own wooden whistle and cringes at the thought of it ever cracking) Hope it gets fixed up soon, and that you have a fantastic trip to Ireland!
How often are you talking about?
Perhaps you should stray from your faith a bit…
Tyghress, go to the home supply store and get some adhesive back woodgrained shelf liner paper. Wrap one of your metal whistles with the stuff (long grain and the seam on the bottom side) cutout the tone holes with a hobby knife. See… isn’t that better?
I agree with Tony Ty(except for that paper whistle crack).
You may be oiling “religiously” but if the oil isn’t penetrating the wood, it will just swell up with water all the time. Do you mix the oil with 1/2 alcohol in a cup set in hot water? The alcohol is a catalyst that allows the oil to penetrate deeper into the wood and the heat thins the oil to double this penetration. The alcohol evaporates leaving the oil behind.
New whistles require a “breaking in” period to allow the dry wood to slowly soak up moisture, but this can be speeded up by several “hot oil treatments” or a professional can seal it up with linseed oil(linseed treatment creates its own chemical heat).
Treatment with a wood sealer like a heated polyurethane/paint thinner would be a “sure thing”, though extreme. I have a friend who makes and sells bamboo flutes . He soakes his bamboo blanks overnight in boiling sesame oil!! I think this is realy EXTREME!
I’m green with envy about your trip! I’ll be soon "awa’ mesel’ " come next march when “the yella’s on the broom”. I wish you all the best Tyghress!
Thomas Hastay.
A metal sleeve in a wood whistle is usually turned to create pockets between the metal and wood to relieve expansion.
Depending on how the whistle is made, it might be a good idea to let it rest after playing in a disassembled state - do not leave the mouthpiece plugged in and any sockets and tenons should not be connected. Please verify this with the maker first!
We use to have a fantastic wooden whistle player in our band. He’d never play it without warming it up for about 10 min. or so, tucked under his arms, or against his skin. He claimed that just picking up wooden whistles (or flutes) and blowing into them, subjecting them to sudden (not gradual) temperature changes, is what cracked them, not the moisture from the breath, esp if they were oiled. None of his ever cracked, and he practiced sometimes 4-6 hrs p/day, for years.
Wooden whistles and flutes must be broken-in slowly and with limited playing time for a while too. Lots of cells have to adjust to a new environment and maybe a new size (microscopically speaking).
What is a reasonable schedule for oiling, assuming one is playing every day? I oil my recorder about once a month or so, when I’m playing it regularly…would more frequently be better? I play my whistles much more frequently than I have ever played my recorders.
http://www.irishflutes.net/ has driving directions and a map to M&E. Unfortunately, they seem to have server problems (or my connection is bad) right now, so I can’t provide a direct link. I hope the site will be back soon.
But go look at them, the have included pictures of every landmark and crossing you will see on the way
I have never had one so I don’t know what is involved in keeping them from cracking.
Have a great time!
