Hello,
I intend to purchase an alto G whistle.
Until that point I have never thought about the tuneable/non tuneable aspect of a whistle.
Except for the price, what are the differences between the two kind of whistles?
Merry Christmas to everyone…
Pascal.
I personally only look for tuneable whistles. When playing with other musicians its important to be able to adjust to match pitch with them. It’s not that non-tuneable whistles are out of tune, the people your playing with might be though. They will run you a bit more as you’ve already stated. Best of luck.
Tuneable. Just in case, like. It lets other musicians know you care.
I have whistles with tuning slides, and I play a lot
with other musicians, but, frankly, I never
use the slides. Nor do the musicians complain.
In my experience well made whistles are well
in tune as is. So are the other musicians, who
seem universally to have electronic tuners.
The only thing the slide can do is get me out
of tune.
Maybe if I was playing in venues with extreme
shifts in temperature. But I don’t wish to buy
whistles with slides any more. More expensive
and pointless, IMO.
Also I can blow sharp or flat pretty easily–though
that’s no issue either.
YMMV.
I think Jim covered it very well. It is my tunable whistles that I always have to check. And my non tuables are always right on with who I play with. It helps that they are Overtons. It is nice to just reach in the whistle bag and take out the right key, warm it, and play.
I prefer tunable whistles. I play with other musicians at Mass each week and find that I need to fine tune as the whistle warms up. This is especially important as I play with a flute player, and small differences stand out more.
Rogue.
Okay, Jim, Tommy, if you say so. I do not. Also past personal experience, and I anticipate more in future.
On the other hand maybe it doesn’t matter in the end as those with slides so often can’t hear when they’re off, anyway.
My experiences match Jim’s.
Some players are better at playing sharp/flat at will than others, and as pointed out, it depends too on the whistle you play. I can tell you, though, that higher-end doesn’t necessarily mean in-tune with others in and of itself.
If you don’t play in situations where the tuning will be flattish one time and sharper the next, then I suppose there’s little need. Trust me, especially when you’re dealing with pipes having a flat-of-A440 day or a box with that sharper Italian tuning, you need the slide. Or, at least, I do. To ask them to tune to me is unreasonable.
I have several non-tuneable, but am starting to really enjoy tuneables. I’d rather have it and not need it. And, as was mentioned, it is a nice gesture towards other musicians. Happy Holidays all.
Playing together with others tuneable is a must.
Espesially if you, like me, are playing together with accordians tuned A=443, then a whistle tuned A=440 does not sound good.
I have a Kerry, low D, plastic head, a wonderfull whistle that I enjoy playing alone at home, it’s nontunable, I’ve tryed to use it in the band, not a good idea, so there I’ll have to use high D, Susato, tunable and my Böehm Flute.
Peter Juul
There, there, Lamby. Cheer up. I just have a couple or so locals in mind. For all I know, you have a very good ear. Besides, I’ve had my own off days, too. What counts though, I think, is that one eventually hears what’s off and corrects it somehow, tuning slide/movable head or no.
Sooner better than later, but later better than not at all.
Its worse if you’re playing with a harmonium A448. And the singer playing that harmonium is famous and the strings are all tuned too his or her pitch and they ain’t going to change for yer.
All my whsitles are tunable.
It’d be different if were going to play with the same ol’ team for the next 40 years predictable music with predictable pitch.
That is a pretty anachronistic scenario, even by third world standards.
In India I bummed around and played music with
all sorts of people, harmoniums, you name it,
using a non-tunable Indian metal whistle.
Never had any problem. But I never played
with anybody famous!
You know, if people feel they need this,
that’s swell. I don’t, play in lots of different
venues, haven’t touched a tuning slide
in years. Played with accordians, too.
The one exception was playing whistle outside in the
winter, but I don’t do that anymore.
Can’t second guess your
experiences, though. If you find you need a tuning
slide, I’m sure you do.
Of course one benefit of a slideless whistle
is that you can pretend to be a pitch-pipe!
Phantom India comes to mind Jim.
Better than a SLIDE show eh what ol’ chap?
Yes, it was phantom india. That movie was very
close to what I saw, the film crew and I got
to the same mental space. India was like a long dream,
especially the first two years.
I wrote this in an earlier thread.
Some memories:
A long time ago, walking out of a train station in India,
I came upon two lower-caste boys, about 12 years old,
sitting cross-legged on the pavement. One of them was strumming a
zither that lay on the concrete before him, the other was drumming
on a large tin can. They were singing in Hindi, quite loud, a
religious chant.
It was beautiful beyond description. A thrill of recognition ran
through me and I thought: ‘This is the most beautiful
music I will ever hear in my life.’
For a long while I hitchhiked around India, sleeping on
the streets. I had a metal whistle I found, I think it was in the key
of G, and often when I came upon people singing
chants at shrines (the streets of India are full of music),
I would play with them, hours spent blissfully playing
music with folks with whom I could hardly speak.
It seems to me I learned something there, which I often
forget and need to recall. Music is prayer.
I’ve carefully read your posts, and finally decided to buy an Alba non tunable Low G whistle, which sounds quite good.
If I had it wrong, well… I will buy another one and add it to my collection!
Since I am a beginner and not playing in sessions yet, I don’t feel the need for a tunable instrument.
Moreover, according to the videos I’ve been watching, it seems that most (not all) players don’t seem to be using tunable low whistles, making them a not absolute requirement.
Thanks to all for your advices.
The first time (and last time until I get better) that I played with some musicians, I had to adjust my whistle quite a bit until I was in tune with them. They themselves, had to tune their instruments to the piano which was a bit out.
I would always recommend a tunable if you are going to play along with instruments like pianos, which take time and $$$ to tune.
Jim…
Thanks for the India notes. I play Low Whistles mainly as a meditation. Thus, I use both tunable and nontunable…doesn’t matter. Music can be beautiful, blissful, soulful, and yes, prayerful. High. Brilliant. Great!
Thanks again, for that reminder.