Has anybody tried quena type mouthpiece on a whistle? I built a low Eb with a notch (no fipple at all) and the results were positive. Hole positions remained the same and I was able to play two full octaves and the beast was LOUD from bottom to top. Of course I sometimes lost the notes totally due to bad embouchure, but that will improve in time, I hope. Another nice features were ability to bend/adjust notes by changing lip position and to do vibrato by (slightly) moving the instrument up and down.
Of course this is no real quena, they have different fingerings and hole configurations, but who cares as long as it works! The mouthpiece/notch is very easy to do and I tried it also with a plastic pipe fit on a Gen Bb body.
This is a nice alternative or inbetweener for whistle or flute. You can still hold the instrument vertically and have more dynamic range (if you only have what it takes). Whistlers/flautists with a tendency towards whistlesmithery, try this and tell us how you felt!
I’ve often wondered why whistlesmiths that made both transverse flute and whistle mouthpieces didn’t sometimes also make shakuhachi and quena style mouthpieces. That also begs the question what an instrument with a mouthpiece intermediate between the quena and shakuhachi would sound like.
I’ve made PVC Irish flutes in low D with a shakuhachi style mouthpiece before. Airs are fantastic on them, and anything fast and sprightly can get wonderfully off kilter.
Nice idea! I have another idea - why not making a whistle headjont for the flute. It would be a low whistle (and sond like one) with all the advantages of the Boehm flut an non of the low whistles drawbacks!
It really came out nice and is not hard to play. Although it has a thumbhole, you can ignore that and just finger it like a low G whistle for a full two octaves. If anyone is interested in trying their hand at making a wind instrument, this is just about the easiest one there is. Getting a good tone out of it takes a bit of practice but is worth it for the unique quena tone.
Falkbeer, have a look at Dan Bingamon’s website. You have to search a little, but I know that he makes a whistle head joint for the concert flute. I don’t know how well it works, but all the rest of Dan’s work that I have looked at has been excellent.