I’m curious as to what others think/have thought about tongue position with respect to the tone you get out of your whistles. Or, perhaps I should say, the way you perceive your whistle’s tone.
I’ve played with many a whistle and lately received a full set of Abells. I like them a lot, of course. I got them in pink ivory (timber, not pink tusks), which is a great timber with a density very close to cocus. Only negative, if you could call it that, is that the color is kind of loud. Anyway, I was looking through old posts on Abells and other whistles, and I noticed someone had complained that the bell note (bottom note) on the Abells was “weak.” Someone else mentioned that he felt like he needed to play his Abell (or some other make) horizontal, rather than pointing down, to get the tone he wanted.
I’ve noticed for years that depending on the way I hold my tongue, the tone is stronger or weaker, and the chiff is quite different. Keep in mind, I play piper-style, with lots of gracing and little tonguing. But if I keep my tongue back and have a more open buccal cavity, the whistle is chiffier but has a stronger tone. If I get to where my tongue would touch the beak of the whistle to tongue notes (like you might tongue an oboe), then I do notice weakness in certain parts of the scale.
Now, I haven’t recorded samples, so I don’t know if it’s just changing my perception of the sound, or if the difference is audible to folks listening to me play. Anyone else have thoughts on this?
Sturob,
I agree that keeping the tongue back makes for a better tone and emphasises the chiffiness.I have some recorder playing friends who seem to care little about about exploiting the virtue of a whistles chiff and actually subdue it by tongueing.I love the hint of a 2nd oct note at the beginning of 1st oct notes by sort of huffing with the tongue well back and this sounds great for punctuating accents in tunes such as drowsy Maggie.As very little is said of whistle embouchure this is sure to be an interesting discussion:)peace, Mike
I have been thinking alot about this lately.I agree that keeping the tongue out of the way gives a more full sound in the lower register,but I’ve also found that narrowing the air flow with your tongue gives a clearer,nicer tone in the upper octive.I tend to change with different tunes,I play slow tunes with a more open air concept,and reels with a narrow air concept.
If any of this makes any sense I don’t know,take it as you wish,maybe it will strike a new idea for you.
Intresting topic,hope we here from more.
Back a few months ago during a C&F chat, I had mentioned to someone that I thought I had ‘a new way of breathing’, and he asked me what it was. Being a relative beginner to his expert standing, I wasn’t ready to admit to what I was doing, especially when I realized that while it sounded and felt good in the low notes, I had no real control when I got to the upper register, or tried the trick playing on lower whistles.
I thought of it as ‘breathing from the back of my mouth’ but I think you’re describing it better. Regardless, it wasn’t something I stuck with. Too many other things to try to learn, unlearn, relearn and polish.
