As a beginner with small hands, I’d like to communicate precisely with makers who are willing to customize low whistles.
I’ve already figured out how to calculate the maximum center-to-center hole spacings possible for me using piper’s grip.
[[Spread your fingers as widely as you can on a photocopier such that you can drum your fingers without strain. Move the middle finger as far to the left as you can without strain and still be able to drum. Make a copy. Move the middle finger to the right. Make a copy. Draw a diagonal line on your copy that best lines up the centers of the pads: second pad for index and middle fingers and first pad for ring finger. Measure from the center of your pads. You need to measure total spread (index center to ring center) and index-middle and middle-ring spreads. After you combine all the measurements, you’ll be able to diagram the spread possible for each hand and the range within those spreads that the middle hole center can be located.]]
Now I need to specify maximum hole size for each pad. I have a deluxe drill guide at home. If I color the usable flesh of a pad with washable marker, the drill guide lets me see the largest hole that my pad can cover. This is the theoretical maximum. I did some experiments to see how much the pad spreads when lightly striking a surface. It easily flattens, but does not really spread. So, if the pad can cover a 15mm hole at rest, how much of a safety margin should be deducted to determine the maximum useful tone hole for a particular pad?
Hi TJ … Not to question the validity of wanting accurate data for customization … But it seems to me that you’re over-complicating things here.
The size and placement of toneholes on a whistle are a result of dozens of compromises among playability, intonation, tone, chiff, etc. The specific layout is much of what gives a particular whistle its characteristic sound. So fixing one of those factors to an arbitrary physical limit leads to compromises elsewhere.
The largest tonehole on my low D whistles is 15 mm in diameter, which is covered by the middle joint (not the pad) of the middle finger with piper’s grip. Even with my very skinny fingers, that joint spreads easily to 22 mm width. So with proper hand placement, there should be no problem covering those holes of any stock low D whistle or higher. The 2 holes T3 and B3 that are covered with finger pads are the smallest, and shouldn’t be a problem.
You say you’re a beginner. Which leads me to wonder if you’re not jumping the gun on customization. There are a number of different whistles and tonehole layouts available, many of which will probably suit you right out of the box. Makers and sellers are often happy to provide you with measurements to help you judge.
As for working with particular makers, I’d think you’d want to communicate directly with them and let them specify which physical measurements they require.
Of course, one way to experiment is to make your own whistles using, e.g., PVC and any of the plans and hole layouts available out there, such as Guido Gonzato’s.
Toneholes have to fit human hand and also sound good. Watching the cutoff frequency is very important. If you have holes that speak softer than others then it’s not a consistant sounding instrument.
OK, I actually did understand a lot of that from my readings here. But, your main point about getting too complicated is sadly true.
So, I’m going to try a different tack. You can read my “WTTB Middle A or Low G” post if you want to see the effects of good advice on an out-of-control rookie.
Well, I’d say an A or G whistle is a good choice for adapting to piper’s grip. One of the reasons the low F is particularly liked among so many players is its nice balance between comfort and size in a low pitched whistle.
BTW, you say in another thread that you’re able to handle down to a Bb whistle before changing to pipers’s grip. That sounds perfectly normal to me. Which suggests to me that you may not be as small-handed as you may think.
Do you know any teachers or skilled players in your area that you can consult? I suspect that a few minutes of hands-on instruction would have you going on the low D in no time and wondering why it was a problem.
