I have been a member for a while but haven’t posted before so, here goes, and no sniggering!!
Whistle warmers-is there such a thing? When i’m playing a gig or session and swapping from my high D overton to another whistle for a few tunes, the overton goes cold and we have had to swap the set around to accomodate this as much as possible. Someone suggested bringing along a hot water bottle for it the next time???!!! Is there such a thing as a whistle warmer-what does everyone else do?!
Yes … Apart from anatomical warming , past suggestions here have also included hot water bottles, heating pads, wheaties, and electric sock warmers / hand warmers.
In a session or gig, unless swapping instruments on tunes within sets, I find there’s always time between sets to warm up the instrument while chattering or announcing the next set. A minute or less in the hands … that is, really wrapping your warm hands around the tube … and a few long blows into the windway while covering the window, ought to do the trick. Even a thick-walled Overton D warms up pretty quickly that way, though I agree that Overtons seem happiest when they’re played fairly warm.
Of course, if you do a lot of switching, you might consider using a thinner walled whistle. Generations etc. are easy to warm up.
There has been a couple of threads on this subject, I copy one of my answers from the other threads here and hope this is helpful.
If you have access to power on stage, get yourself a little neck warming blanket, possibly 20 Dollars or so in price, set on the right temperatur and put the whistles on it, this will keep them in playing temperature. No power access then one of these plastic jelly bags for cooling or heating down might do the job, too they will just loose heat during the gig. A friend who often plays in churches has this little heating blanket inside a whistle case and it works well, Colin has bought himself one for this reason.
To warm up the head quickly like said before, put your finger over the vent hole and blow hard a few times, this will warm the head up, too. If you do this before you play and also when you stop playing to clear out any humidity caught in there, you should have little problems if any temperature related. With a high D being so small, it should be very quick warmed up with blowing through (no forget to put the finger over the vent when blowing hard)
Every Tin Whistler is born with 2 whistle warmers called arm pits. I don’t suggest holding your whistle between your legs because this makes it very difficult to walk. People will also assume you are doing “The Pee-Pee Dance”
Realistically…warm water for the plastic/metal models and any form of dry air heat (hair dryer?) for the wooden models.
When I was a small boy half a century ago, a favourite trick in my age-group was to grasp someone’s wrist with both hands, then move the grasping hands in opposite directions in a kind of pipe-wrench movement. The skin friction generated considerable heat, and this was known as giving someone a ‘Chinese burn’ (we were very politically incorrect back then).
I find the Chinese burn technique warms a whistle quite quickly - much quicker than a string player retuning, anyway. However my home-made whistles are almost all-metal (small wooden plug), pretty sturdy, and very low value. The technique might not improve a delicate, high-tech, or expensive whistle.
I too often swap instruments during sets. I find that slipping the unused whistle(s) slightly under my thigh keeps them warm enough and within easy reach. Having said this I do not recall ever seeing any of the “pro” whistle players I have seen do anything more than set their load-o-whistles somewhere that they will not go rolling off-stage
Never mind the “Chinese” part. Just keep a roaring hibachi on stage, and toss your whistles on the coals between sets. This is particularly effective in warming wooden whistles. And in the case of metal whistles, a few seconds after picking them up you will experience what is known in the tradition as “Hands of Flames”. Audiences accustomed to Flatley’s “Feet of Flames” will be most impressed and appreciative.
I always use a large heating pad to warm up my whistles. And you can keep it on during a set. My heating pad can accommodate about 8 whistles, up to low D. It costs about $25 to $30.
I have this problem for my low D, which will not fit where I warm my high D (handy little pocket in center of chest )
I’m seriously thinking of inserting a warming pocket into the lower leg of some good pants to try to remedy that.
I am flashing on an image of Ian Anderson [of Jethro Tull] pulling a flute out of those high-top boots he once wore. Ah Har! Matey, pirate boots for all.
Some people’s mid-chest warming facilities are more efficient than others’, I’m thinking..
I’d advise against heating pads or blow dryers for wooden whistles. Those might cause the whistle to crack or the blade, which is very thin at the edge, to deform. Really, body warmth is all that’s required. Just hold the head of the whistle in your hand until it no longer feels cool to the touch-- as soon as it
reaches body temperature, you’re good to go.
I like that, maybe I could make some native flutes like that. Put an end hole near the flame so that it dances around with music.
Maybe an insulated whistle case like a dewar flask (aka thermos bottle) to keep your whistle warm.
A long enough thermos could probably hold high whistles but they have to go in warm.
Here’s a low-tech selection. Use a kid. Granted, you got to get the right kid but the right kid, with the right instruction, can handle the responsibility with a brilliance that some adults just couldn’t ever achieve.
Many years ago, in our folk group at church, before I invented the matte board/music stand extender and before everyone owned a copier, we needed a page turner. My wife was the only person in the folk group with both hands free standing in the right place but, bless her heart, she is the worst page turner of all time. Do not, I repeat, do not, ever ever, use her as a page turner. She will mess it up. Every time. The saxaphonist’s little sister was maybe 8 years old at the time and was tiny and wouldn’t get in the line of sight of anyone. A little tap with my foot on her foot was the only signal she needed to turn the page. She was the most responsible page turner we ever had. She got so skilled, we could rely on her to turn pages forward and backward. She enjoyed and understood the responsibility.
Could you get a kid to keep your whistles warm? You may get a mention on their first album of how you inspired them.
, past suggestions here have also included hot water bottles, heating pads, wheaties, and electric sock warmers / hand warmers.
)