In another thread, Jessie provided a few comments on whistle dimensions and cited the Flutomat Calculator:
On 2002-09-19 15:14, JessieK wrote:
I want to mention that tuning whistles and flutes has to do with hole diameter and placement with regard to bore diameter and key of the instrument more than it does with “placement of the fipple block.” In other words, if you want the whistle to play in tune in both octaves, you need to put the holes in the right places. There is a program online…you type in the key of the instrument (figure this out before drilling holes and modify length if necessary), the inner diameter, wall thickness (if you are using thick tubing, like PVC, you want the instrument to play slightly - almost imperceptibly - flat before drilling the holes, but with thin metal tubing, this doesn’t apply), and the size of each hole you plan to drill, and it will tell you exactly where to put them. Here’s a link…
I have been considering trying my hand at a whistle, and I must admit that I got a little lost in the overall discussion in the other thread. I gather from Jessie’s comments that it is not particularly critical whether you are building a flute or a whistle with regard to the spacings associated with the whistle voicing vs the flute embochure. Did I understand this correctly, and, if not, how do you adjust the Flutomat’s dimensions to compensate for building a whistle instead of a flute? Would one place the ramp edge at the same place as the center of the flute embochure? Intuitavely, this would seem about right, but then, intuitavely, I don’t know how to account for the piece of flute tubing to the left of its embochure. Any comments would be welcome.
Edited for a bit more clarity, I hope…
[ This Message was edited by: CDon on 2002-09-19 21:56 ]
This calculator works for cylindrical flutes and whistles, not conical. Once you have made either the fipple or the embouchure, adjust the length of the instrument to get the bell note almost in tune (very slightly flat - how much depends on the wall thickness - the thicker the tube, the more flat you want it to me, and again…it should be VERY SLIGHTLY flat) and then the calculations will work for the D scale. You may need to experiment with various hole sizes to get an in tune cross-fingered (OXXOOO) C natural. Good luck.
Thanks Jessie… It sunk in this time. You adjust the overall length for a slightly flat bell note before drilling any holes. Good thing the tubing is not as thick as my skull tonight. When you say slightly flat, do you have some rough estimate in terms of cents? Just a ball park figure? I realize that it will take some iterations of the whole process to get it done proper.
And thank you for the ‘good luck’… A little of that will go a long way too
No clue in terms of cents. But it should be so that if you blow normally it is, as I have said, very slightly flat, but if you blow a little harder (push it almost to the octave break), it plays in tune.
I have the calculator in Excel spreadsheet form for (7?)8-hole flute, and I have never known what to do with the measurements for the extra holes when making whistles. But this spreadsheet appears to be more sophisticated than the online version and even factors in stuff like the room temp!
Question: is it really a better calculator (for what I’m doing, ie 6-hole whistles), or am I just making it more confusing for myself?
I remember entering the same figures into this spreasheet and the website calculator for 6-hole flutes, and getting very diff hole measurements. Looks like the extra holes make a big diff., tho I remember thinking from experiments (albeit not a lot) that the 6-hole calculator resulted in 1st octave tunings I wasn’t very happy with which is why I stuck with the 8-hole spreadsheet. Maybe I just hadn’t tinkered around enough with the 6-hole calculator, I dunno.
If the spreadsheet is better, is there one for 6-holes, or what must I do to modify the 8-hole spreadsheet to make it more accurate for 6-holes?
[ This Message was edited by: tuaz on 2002-09-20 00:33 ]
