Forgive me if this has already been asked and answered, but I didn’t find it on a search…
I just got my first whistle, a Clark (the conical black one with the diamonds) and I’m having a time trying to get a consistent sound out of it, especially in D and E (lower end of the range).
I’ve noticed that the problem increases when I’m getting warmed up (and the whistle is too). I noticed some gaps between the wooden plug and the sides of the flute, but plugging them doesn’t solve the problem. Could it be that as the wooden plug absorbs moisture, it swells, and shrinks the windway?
Additionally, I’ve found it to be quite fickle when responding to breath pressure - even though my airspeed is pretty consistent (as far as I can tel) the notes crawl all over the place.
Tj,
I never had a problem with my clark absorbing saliva.
There are ways of sealing the top of the plug though, some old timers
would heat a small knife or piece of metal and sear the wood.I think your problem may be something else though if the fipple plug is loose it will change the angle of flow across the blade and if it moves back or forth you will have problems in the upper or lower register depending on
which way the block moves.
P.S. Yes you could have a lemon. my clark was hand picked for me from a group of about twenty whistles the man who was selling the went through half of what he had to find a really good one.I trusted his judgement.His name is Michael Copeland he had a table set up at my
Club for an event in the fall
I have never had any problem with either of my Clarke Origonals (although only one has ever really seen any use, the other just sits in a box as a back up).
Let me ask, are you new to the tinwhistle? If so, perhaps the problem is just a matter of experience. Typically it is the high octave that gives beginners trouble, not the low, but the low D and E do require their own special breath requirments. Clarkes are notorious for their high breath requirment, but as you work your way down the scale (say from 1st octave B) it takes less and less air to hit the notes (the opposite is also true - it takes more and more as you go up). Also, make sure the pads of your fingers completely cover the holes - if they don’t you will not get a good sound - for the D all of the holes must be completly covered. Concentrate on a good seal - then lightly blow into the whistles and slightly increase the amount of air until a good sound is produced. See if this works.
Of course the problem could always be the whistle, but I would be patient with it before I went about modifying the whistle. There is always going to be some variation from whistle to whistle (as mentioned above), but Clarkes are typically among the most consistant of the cheaper whistles out there. If you are new to the whislte and you have a Clarke, my guess is it not the whistle.
Regarding the moisture, there will be some build up in the windway and on the blade if you play for a while. Juse cover the rectangular soundhole and blow hard to clear out the condensation - this will probably be all you need to do.
Yes, I am new, and I thought that it could be me - learning anything new requires a curve, but why, after it was warmed up, I can’t get a sound out of it bafffles me. I considered that perhaps some small muscles are tired, and I can’t get a proper seal, or the seal is improper, but I don’t seem to have problems with the higher notes. Even when it’s warmed up, I still don’t have problems with the higher notes. It only crawls down at the low end.
Typically, even when I’m starting out practicing, I have trouble getting the lower D and E to sound good - so I wonder if there is a problem with the plug and the angle of flow. As the gaps between the sides of the whistle and the plug go, they are small, but it’s conceivable that it moves around a little inside. I will also pay more attention to ensuring the holes are covered.
WRT breath requirements - Correct! especially with the higher notes I definitely move more air than say, when I sing with volume.
It could be that moisture of some sort of moisture (whether you believe it is spit or condensation) is getting built up in the windway. That happens to me a lot. If you blow through it to clear out the moisture, it might get better for a while. If clearing out the moisture does help, then you need the soap trick. (See the main C&F page.)
I thought about the angle of the plug, and whether or not it was the condensation, and whether my posture was off, and whether the planets were misaligned, and a whole lot of other things, and wouldn’t you know, but it just happened again as I was practicing. So, it couldn’t be too much condensation or a change in the plug because of the moisture. (VERY short practice session) I experimented with the angle the whistle was in relation to my mouth, and discovered that the sound would only return if I lifted it up like a trumpet.
So, it seemed seemly it might be the angle of the blade, and I just gently pushed it down a mite farther, and sho’nuff, the whistle has a less breathy sound, the notes sound cleaner, and stick where they ought to, instead of me trying to chase them down like wayward children.
he had a table set up at my