I am new here and new to the whistle … sort of. I picked up a whistle years ago (brand to remain nameless) and found I couldn’t get a single clear note - turned out the lip was cracked right from the vendor - so I recently picked up a Park’s CPVC whistle set (C, D, and E). They have lovely tone but …
I am ‘full of the juices of life’ and no matter what I do I drown the whistle within a minute or two of playing. I have done a search on the forum and follow all the advice on keeping the whistle dry but none of it works for very long. I also play The Pipes and had to install a canister system to handle the generous amounts of moisture so I know it’s just my physiology.
Beyond “the standard stuff”, what other ideas are there for keeping the whistle dry?
If you’re talking a plastic whistle, I have read that you can dunk it in a half glass of water with a drop or so of dish detergent in it. Let it dry and then when you play, the moisture will run right off. I’ve never tried it, but it was advice for plastic recorder players, and ought to apply to a plastic whistle. Try it, and let me know how it works.
If your problem is condensation (which sounds like the case), do Whistle Forum searches on “condensation”, “Duponol”, “detergent”, “floss”. You’ll turn up many threads about windway condensation and various possible solutions - including Duponol, detergent, waxed dental floss, warming up.
As another “almost newbie” with a similar problem … be assured the symptoms reduce with practice. I suspect, as mentioned by others, it’s a possible auto-reaction to having something in the mouth.
A couple of things that help for me :
Try holding the whistle just between the lips, as far out of the mouth as possible.
Fit the whistle head upside down if possible, ie with the window underneath. This may affect the volume slightly, but for practice purposes, on a couple of my (home-made) whistles, this increases the time between stops to blow the windway clear.
Try a side-blown head, like a fife or six-hole flute. No windway so no blockages, but the fingering is the same, so the practice holds you in good stead.
