First off, I am a newbie to this board and whistles in general, though I do know a little 5 string banjo.
Now for my question (thanks for the replies in advance). Why bother with tunable whistles?
Now I can understand having a tuning slide on a brass, or some other metal, whistle due to the expansion and contraction of the metal due to temperature. You would need it if you were playing to penguins and the like, or in other areas of extreme temperatures.
But why would you need it on a PVC or some other plastic whistle? I am pretty sure that PVC is not very susceptible to temperature changes, and other plastics follow in the same march. Are tunable plastic whistles just a rip off, or are the manufacturing constraints on the things just that bad?
To sum it up, if I shell out the bucks for a low D Dixon, do I really need to pay the extra $20.00 on a tunable version?
Vilkas, the tuneability of a whistle is not for the material it is made of, but to adjust for changes in temperature and humidity that affect the speed of sound and thus the pitch of the instrument. If the maker tuned at 70 degress F and 60% relative humidity and it stayed at those figures all the time, then you’re correct that a tuning slide would be unneccessary.
But it doesn’t!!! So, in my opinion, a tuning slide is worth whatever it costs.
Ronaldo
Also sometimes you might want to play along with recordings that are flat or sharp. For example, I got a CD with about a hundred tunes from Geraldine Cutter and it’s very flat (recorded from a tape I guess), this is when you’re very happy to have a tunable whistle…
On 2002-04-23 20:22, MrTuffPaws wrote:
Now for my question (thanks for the replies in advance). Why bother with tunable whistles?
Now I can understand having a tuning slide on a brass, or some other metal, whistle due to the expansion and contraction of the metal due to temperature. You would need it if you were playing to penguins and the like, or in other areas of extreme temperatures.
Vilkas:
As you’ve no doubt already noted, sometimes you need a tunable whistle to play with people who are slightly out of tune. For instance, an accordian player or a piano player can’t just “tune up”..if they’re a bit out of tune, everyone else has to accomodate.
Bear in mind though, that you don’t need the extreme range of temperatures you allude to in your post to have an affect on your whistle. An outdoor gig in the sun, and an indoor gig in the air conditioning, can make all the difference in how I tune my whistle.
On 2002-04-23 20:22, MrTuffPaws wrote:
You would need it if you were playing to penguins and the like, or in other areas of extreme temperatures.
Vilkas, I take it you don’t live in an area where winter temperatures reach Antarctic levels (as they do in the frozen wastes of Quebec).
If you played a metal whistle to penguins at around -15 or -20 degrees C, your lips and tongue would probably freeze-bond to the head. The presence of a tuning slide would be the least of your concerns. Every winter up here a few children get their tongues stuck to metal railings of school yards.
Aside from the obvious concerns about the need for Canadian children to seek out healthier food (some of us rail at the thought of their present diet), I would like to also suggest that tunable whistles have the additional benefit of being able to prop up the ever-changing igloo roof. In our home, as spring advances and the roof begins to thin out, we simply adjust the tuning slide on the Goldie Overton to keep things just right. The concept is over the heads of some, but it really is a matter of practicality. Tunable is the way to go.
Vilkas,
as 5 string banjos are never in tune anyway I suggest conversion to a non-tuneable by fixing all moveable parts with epoxy,what do you think? Peace,Mike
I know what you mean! Ever since getting my tuneable bass A Chieftain, I have been able to get more head room than ever before in my igloo! The tame wolf/dog can now hold her head erect! My kids don’t walk funny any more! (well, they do, but just because they are kids, not from the constricted head space.) Even here in Fairbanks, the summers get hot enough to make the roof droop pretty severely…
Just kidding, y’all. Alaskans and Canookians all probably have some great stories about how wierd our lives are. And the stories are bunk. But fun.
ONe other advantage to a tuneable whistle is that it allows the whistle to be taken apart into 2 smaller, more easily transportable pieces. I agree with all the other responses too. Spend the coupla extra bucks.
Re. Tunable Whistles-A quick way to check the advisability of having a tuneable whistle: Download or stream a few Mp3
recordings of trad music and play along;
a tuneable will let you get beaucoup practice time in and improve play-by-ear skills as well, while a non-tuneable
may not if the other musicians are off a quarter step or so.- Neither Ted Kaczynski, Major Tom or Robinson Crusoe needed a tuneable whistle, but you will appreciate one.
