I wonder if Dale has thought or if anyone else has thought about having a Forum section for Whistle Builders to exchange information about how to build whistles and how to resolve issues that cause problems to builders trying to produce a pure sounding instrument? A place where they can also share not only techniques but also tools used in making whistles whether the whistle is made of metal, wood, etc. Therefore, people desiring to build a whistle could have a group of people that they could pose questions to for assistance. I wonder if anyone else on the forum would like to have a forum of this type ?
Somewhere in the archives of links there is such a forum. I lost the link when my previous computer crashed.
There were many whistle makers there. I only remember it as ‘‘The Green Board’’. Perhaps someone else knows where it is?
We do get forum requests from time to time. I think our feeling is that we don’t want to subdivide things into whistle builders - not to mention flute builders, uilleann pipes builders, non-uilleann builders, etc. Instrument making is a specialized sub-interest, and we want to keep our instrument-centric forums of general relevance to everyone, including players, collectors, and makers.
We might consider a sticky topic on whistle building if there’s enough interest.
A bit tangental but what did you expect? Sometimes I ponder if whistle makers ever consider the marketing aspects of whistle making. There is a lot of discussion that goes on about what folks want in the sound of a whistle and that’s good. Some folks buy whistles on just how they look. A lot of medium and high end whistles out there that look classy. But what I always wondered about is why the gateway whistles that are available to the masses tend to look like children’s toys. I wonder if there were serious looking whistles among the gateway whistles if adults would buy the whistles for themselves. I also expect that there is a tradition of whistles looking like they do and maybe more folks like how whistles look. I rarely have my finger on the pulse of the general public.
That’s kinda harsh, don’t you think? I feel that some markers are doing a pretty good job considering the size of the potential “adult” market.
I don’t think that is universally the case for Clarke’s and Gens as examples. I saw what I thought were adults playing these things when I was young so they looked like “adult” instruments to me. Granted the painted Sweetones, Megs, Acorns, etc. have more of a youth appeal…
So what makes them look childish to you Mutepoint? Just wondering how you got to that thought not lookin’ for a quarrel or anything.
Gotta go, local festival still going on and I want to see some adults playing chidlren’s toys. Seamus Egan played a Bb Generation last evening, sounded real good.
I didn’t mean to sound harsh. So add some gentleness when reading my comments.
I never saw anyone playing these as a child. I never saw anyone playing these until I was an old man. I remember seeing the cards full of whistles in the local music store from the time I was a child. The cards looked old and dusty, like no one had touched them for ages. The colors of the fipples are what makes them look like children’s toys to me.
I never saw a Clarke for sale. At my local store, they’re tucked away very orderly in the corner of a display case and they’re in boxes. So unless a person knew what they were looking for, a person wouldn’t know they were there. There are also some whistles in a counter top box at my local music store. They’re a no name brand, they’re black, they’re shrink wrapped and they’re right next to the cash register saying buy me, buy me. More people will buy these no names than the other brands in the store. That’s what I’m talking about marketing.
I would love to see a sub-forum for whistle building. I have lots of questions and have also learned some tricks that I would be delighted to share. I’m afraid whistle building questions often get hijacked into another topic. Bring on the sub-forum - pretty please?
Why not add Whistle Making topics to the “Trad-Tech” page? All the talk of Mics/gadgets/etc. would fit right in with lathes/acoustics/designs/etc. of flute/whistle making. Tech is Tech after all, isn’t it? (I’ve posted a suggestion on the Trad-Tech board. chime in with your support?)
Ok, fair enough then. And I think I understand your perspective too. I do think it may come down to how and when an individual is initially introduced to the whistle. And I do agree that the factory makers have young ones in mind in their product distribution. Like the black and tan ones that say Guinness on them - that’s the Joe Camel marketing school of thought.
But I also see how makers market directly through whistle workshop instructors, music teachers and schools, CCE etc. too. That’s a model that’s been around for centuries.
So I just spent three days at a festival and your observation was in my mind today as I watched folks enjoying the music. A couple of things struck me. One is that in my experience, the whistle and Irish music are a social phenomena to me and a family thing too - a tradition passed down in the family. I was reminded of the realtionship between Irish music and family lineage all weekend long. Francis McPeak (the 4th), Aiden Burke, Maeve and Bernadette Flanagan, the Makem Brothers, etc. etc.. All were introduced to the music as kids and carry on the family tradition in their music.
I was aware of the music as a kid but my parents played “American” music so I had to find the Irish music myself. My grandparents helped me. And Tommy Makem was perhaps the first person I saw playing the whistle. Then as time went on I saw other Irish groups playing the music on the whistle. So I regarded playing whistle as a thing grown-ups played, like flutes, fiddles, boxes and banjos. And you really had to look to find a whistle in a music store. It would be interesting to see how others first came to the whistle and how they perceived it.
I think we’ve been through this before - several times. Remember WTT - Whistle Tech Topics? There’s nothing stopping folks from posting whistle making topics right here. And all topics are likely to get hijacked along the way.
Guitar/mandolin/bouzouki making and whistle/flute/fife making tools and methods differ quite a bit in my personal instrument making experience. I’d say leave the whistle making stuff here.
Or bring the Yahoo Whistlemakers forum back from its slumber.
Hmmmmmm…
Well Scottie if you would like a whistle maker to tell you how to make your ultimate whistle for less than a factory whistle without going through the learning curve, just ask.
I think a sticky for whistle making is a bad idea. There are just too many aspects of whistle making, each being discussed at lengths from time to time, usually under its own topic title.
I think it is good that this happens within the whistle forum, amongst reviews, recommendations, playing tips etc.
Tagging those topics would be good though. Since the software system does not support tags, perhaps “WM:” could be added to titles of whistle making topics.
As a builder, I’m happy to keep discussing whistle making issues right here. It gives our customers some insight into what goes into making a whistle and an easy chance to ask us questions.
I would certainly follow a builders forum if it were established, but I’m not sure it is necessary. Would/Do all the non-builders mind us cluttering up the whistle forum with posts about building the beasties?
Would/Do all the non-builders mind us cluttering up the whistle forum with posts about building the beasties?
You’re kidding right? I’d much prefer using the general whistle forum for this instead of a builders forum. I’d leave the sticky decision to the old pros. But, I’d be shocked if any of us didn’t welcome this kind of discussion. One thing I’ve learned about this forum is that folks will let you know if anything challenges them and we’re all interested in anything that will improve our playing. I personally love the tech articles since they often bring up care and maintenance items that are beneficial to know about our instruments. They also help me understand why a particular whistle has a characteristic. Since I often play specific whistles on specific tunes/songs, knowledge of their design helps me make this decision without as much trial and error. I learn as much from the makers as I do the players here.
