I found my tinwhistle last night. It had been missing for half-a-day. I had it at the computer, turned around and POOF! it was gone.
Well, I knew I was in trouble, because I found it in my two-year-old’s private stash of toys under our endtable. I picked it up and began to play. To my shock and horror, barely any sound came out.
Upon inspection, I found that my two-year-old had tightly stuffed it full of styrofoam. I can’t get it out. I now understand how stupid it is to leave my only source of stress relief within reach of children. Question is, how do I undo the damage?
[edited by me …]
[ This Message was edited by: littlejohngael on 2003-02-03 15:26 ]
I might try some warm, soapy water. The warm water might expand the metal (if the whistle is metal), and the soapy water would provide some lubrication.
I have a 20 month old who likes to play my whistles, and I was warned to be careful. Apparaently it is not uncommon for young ones who are walking and playing to trip and fall and get a serious injury to their pallatte (sp?).
Remove the head and use a chopstick to push the bits of foam out. Store it up high in the future. I have a 2-year-old and the thing that really improves his behavior is his little sister. He spends time telling her not to do things like play in the pet dishes that he used to play in. Gets loud sometimes, but then I can praise them both for staying out of the dog water.
Or get a new whistle. You know you wanted an excuse…
Ahhh, kids, aren’t they sweet? I feel for you - I have a 4 year old who covets any whistle left within his sight, but I now have him trained to leave my fav. Clarke original alone.
Anyway, I second the simply remove the head and push out the styrofoam. If the head is not removable, look at this:
If it’s a Clark or Shaw where you can’t remove the head/fipple, you’ll have to get wire and use the tone holes to push down the styrofoam one note at a time.
I have two Generation Ebs and a wooden recorder that my daughter did some serious teething on when she was about that age. Fortunately, they all still play, but they sure look like they’ve been through the wringer.
It’s true about the potential for soft palate injuries too. In our case, it wasn’t a whistle that was the culprit, but the wooden stick on a balloon…our daughter had a nasty, deep cut in her soft palate that scared us all half to death (fortunately no lasting injury, but it was a close thing).
Everyone wants an excuse for another whistle. I was going to buy a book on music, and it came out to less than the shipping. So what did I do? I bought another whistle. It really is a contagious disease
Well, okay, I WAS looking for a reason to get a new one, but I’ll try the removal of the fipple (it’s a Walton – one of my first whistles). I was afraid to try this for fear of never getting it back in tune. I’ll bite the bullet. … I’ve been wanting to try my hand at tweaking anyway.
On 2003-02-03 15:36, Patrick wrote:
I have a 2-year-old and the thing that really improves his behavior is his little sister. He spends time telling her not to do things like play in the pet dishes that he used to play in.
Or get a new whistle. You know you wanted an excuse…
-Patrick
Geeze, do they stop playing in the pet dishes that soon?
I agree, get the little tyke a Meg or something. My 1.5 year old has a couple of whistles of her own. Her taste, though, really tends toward the Water Weasels (esp. the A and Bb). On the one hand, they are pretty indestructible, on the other hand, they’re really not whistles that I want to lose for six months before finding them inside the sofabed or something.
Oh boy, do I hear you! Do yourself a favor, invest in your future mental health, and get a new one anyways!!! The nicer, the better, and give yourself a major case of WhOA! Tell your family we said so! My daughter keeps stealing every new one I get, the nicer the better…but I won’t let her touch the Dixon, since sometimes they’re used as a weapon against the brother, and she’s not real good about rinsing out her mouth.
Good luck on the whistle thing… my son completly dented the mouth piece of my first Clarke, whistle’s never been quite the same since. Thank heavens they eventually start to learn concepts like being careful and not getting into things without asking if it’s okay.
\
‘I wish it need not have happend in my time,’ said Frodo.
‘So do I,’ said Gandalf, ‘and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.’
-LOTR-
[ This Message was edited by: Sunnywindo on 2003-02-03 21:19 ]
Thank heavens they eventually start to learn concepts like being careful and not getting into things without asking if it’s okay. >
[ This Message was edited by: Sunnywindo on 2003-02-03 21:19 ]
When exactly does that happen? LOL! I caught my 6 year old cutting open the new package of sticky tack I bought, and there were suspicious strips of sandpaper on my desk–I think she was trying to tweak her Generation F after watching me work on my Little Black and Clare! She thinks all this whistle stuff is pretty cool…I can only hope she pursues it.
Oi, I have a two year old too, who is also obsessive about stealing my whistles. This is the longest I have gone without being able to find one of them though.
Wouldnt you know it, I bought an oak this weekend, got to play it long enough to realize what a difference it made over the other one… until I got the numb lips and that god awful taste in my mouth from the fipple.
-sigh- Wouldnt you know it, its my other playable, non poisonous, non-nauseating and safe whistle thats gone missing.
-Shay
-currently suffering from whistle withdrawal shakes-
Shay,
get an Acorn. I have found it to be almost identical to my Oak, only a brass tube (not Nickel (?) like the Oak) and NO NUMB NASTY tasting lips after playing Banish Misfortune on it
Tyghress I would have put that tape in, but the kid went and broke the VCR too!
-wonders if they sell Iron Chef episodes on DVD-
On the Acorn Im going to have to wait a bit on a new whistle, Im annoyed with the guy I got the Oak from, and that was the only whistle the guy had in the place.
Going to have to wait until our car stops doing whatever it is its doing, as it is you cant get downtown in it without having to pull over from it overheating. Then up to Winstead I’ll go to pick up a new whistle… or… thirteen.
(Dont ask me, I am more than willing to admit I am car stupid, and Im not the one who drives it lol)
Thank heavens they eventually start to learn concepts like being careful and not getting into things without asking if it’s okay. >
[ This Message was edited by: Sunnywindo on 2003-02-03 21:19 ]
When exactly does that happen? LOL! I caught my 6 year old cutting open the new package of sticky tack I bought, and there were suspicious strips of sandpaper on my desk–I think she was trying to tweak her Generation F after watching me work on my Little Black and Clare! She thinks all this whistle stuff is pretty cool…I can only hope she pursues it.
Well, at least I have him trained to stay out of my whistles. Course it’s helped since we got him one of his own. Yeah, one can hope they choose to pursue it…
Two year olds are quick, curios, and always keen on perusing new skills. Combine these abilities with persistency, endurance, an overload of energy, and foremost, the natural ability to disintegrate things of high material or affection value and you look at a perfected demolisher. Being a father of three (9 m, 2y, 4y) I know from self learned experience. Leaving woodwinds around the house is not a good idea, mostly because they can be quite hazardous. And even if one gets quite upset when the “precious” favourite whistle is turned into modern art it is the feeling of guilt that is the worst, “ I know I’m a bad parent”. Another interesting thing about whistles is that if not demolished, they tend to disappear for a few months just to turn up in the most peculiar places (not all which I can blame on my children). Having said this, I just wanted to ad a pic that I got from a co-worker last week.
He just popped out to get the phone for a minute or so ……
Least good to know that Im not alone
/MarcusR
[ This Message was edited by: MR on 2003-02-08 03:26 ]
