I have a wonderful Burke brass D whistle that plays great for a few songs, then the airway gets obstructed as if it’s been clogged with something, and I can’t get a note out. I’ve cleaned it out, and it will do fine after a rest. Granted, I bought the whistle years ago and didn’t play for a long time, but it was sitting in its case indoors in climate control. Did something happen over time, or should I be cleaning it out with something special? If instructions came with it, it was so long and a house-move ago, so I no longer have them. Any help would be appreciated. The man in my life likes to play old-time clawhammer banjo, and that whistle sounds so sweet with it.Thanks.
Lots of threads on this - try the search function, but in a nutshell, try sucking to clear it mid-tune or for a longer-term solution, run some dental floss through the windway.
Ok thanks. I will try both the search and the floss. I assume it’s a clog but am not sure about that. It just gets to where some notes won’t play anymore.
That’s odd, as the windway is all delrin. Never had a condensation/clogging problem with a Burke.
Tell me more about the environment, and are you warming it up before playing?
Warming up is the key-- cold whistle + warm moist breath=condensation droplets.
Hold the head of the whistle, especially the windway area, in your hands for a minute or so before playing to warm it up. Some people recommend breathing gently through it to warm it up, but if ya think about it that only makes things worse.
You can also make an anti-clog solution from an ounce of water and a drop or two of dishwashing solution eg Dawn. Dribble a bit of this through the windway and shake out the excess. The detergent reduces the surface tension of the condensed moisture droplets and lets them clear even as you play.
You are correct-I probably don’t warm up like I should. Plus I’m a concert flute player and am probably tonguing (and therefore spitting) into the whistle too much. I’ll try the dishwashing liquid solution as well. I appreciate the pointers.
W/ my Dixon Trad, I flip it around and give a blow up the other end every few tunes. Clears the fipple and no dishpan hands …