I know it’s common to say that whistles have a two octave range. All mine do, too.
But are there any whistle that go beyond this; i.e. by chance or nature’s changing course actually produce stable tones reaching into the 3rd register to some extent?
I’m talking beyond the top D note, of course.
Eivind
Most of them will, to some extent. Obviously, on any whistle, the higher you go, the more breath control you’ll need and the greater your chance of sounding too shrill (or falling off the note, if your breathing isn’t just right), but most whistles CAN be played about halfway into the third register.
I haven’t done a comparison, but it seems likely that, the easier a whistle is to play (and listen to!) in the second octave, the more likely it is to have several good, stable notes in the third.
Currently, the only whistle I have that I’m really comfortable going that high on is my O Briain “Improved.”
Redwolf
Here are some fingerings you can try in the 3rd octave. (At your own risk, of course!) 
d = half-hole
o = open
x = closed
(x) = optional
D = (x)x x | x x x or
d x x | x x x
o x x | o o o
E = x x o | x x o or
x x o | o x x
F#= x o x | x x x
G = x o x | o o o
G#= o o x | o o o
A = o x x | x x o
There is also an ultra-high C-natural above that A, fingered
x o x | o x o
But I don’t think you’re gonna want to try that one without some serious hearing protection.
Good luck and best wishes,
–James
http://www.flutesite.com
[ This Message was edited by: peeplj on 2002-10-08 13:16 ]
Thanks for the fingerings.
Neat. Playing lower whistles,
these can be used
without shattering glass.
I have an LBW I play at bus stops, and often on windy days in San Francisco, I can’t get that first octave because of the wind. However, oddly I can usually easily get the second AND third octaves. (I wear earplugs and don’t play if others are around. Third ocatave on high D’s are quite shrill).
Anyway, next time there’s high wind where you live, you might try that third octave and see if you can get the feel of it and hear how it sounds on your whistle.
You know, I noticed the same thing when I lived in San Francisco. I used to sit down near Ghirardelli Square and play, and sometimes the first octave was d*mned near impossible, but the second was just fine. I also noticed my whistle seemed to clog more than normal, even though I warmed it up pretty thoroughly…all that damp salt air down by the Bay, perhaps?
Redwolf
On my WaterWeasel, 3d plays easily & not overly shrill. 3e plays, but not as easily and with some shrillness. I haven’t seriously tried beyond that, and probably wouldn’t play those notes even if I could. 3d is called for in some of the tunes in the Riverdance book if I recall correctly, and in only a very few jigs and reels that I’ve seen or heard.
I have a Hoover Narrow Bore Brass D that slips real easily into the third octave. The tradeoff, though, is that the lowest D and E can be problematical when playing quickly br=ecause they’re too easy to overblow.
Thanks for reposting peepleJ. I lost those and really want to screech a couple. There are a few tunes in which you only need one or two notes to play the whole thing an octave up. Probably good spectacle performing value too.
If you play a whistle that has a strong cross-fingered low G-sharp (like a Susato, or a Dixon), you can use the high E and play the Contradiction.
I’m still working on it, but I’ve heard it done, and it’s a jaw-dropper on the whistle.
Best,
–James
http://www.flutesite.com
I think the 3rd octave might be too shrill for the player (due to the obvious proximity), but may be for others.