Sliders are for Everyone!

If you have read the article on Kevin's Whistle you will remember I have been working on a slide whistle for my nephew Kevin for a three year period of time. This is not only an excellent instrument for folks with missing and broken fingers and limbs, arthiritis, and disabilities, but an instrument that is enjoyable for a variety of musical applications. Most people relagate the slide whistle to a novelty sound effects instrument, but the "Slider" has a long history of musical applications and many compositions have been written for slide whistle.

After playing the prototype whistle for an extended period it became apparent that a flute version would be more appropriate for most applications. The flute is a bit more mellow, has more horizontal length for the attachment of clips and attachment devices, and is easier to hear over other instruments. A snap on clip is available for the whistle that allows you to rivit the clip to a velcro watch band. This allows you to place the whistle on you wrist if necessary to play the instrument. The clip can be modified to attach to a variety of appliances and head braces (harmonica brace works well) for playing using one hand.

Making the original Kevin's Whistle pointed in the direction of certain musical areas that everyone is familiar with. Hawaiian music, steel guitar arrangements, Traditional and Folk Songs and Country and Western music are easily played.

Finding the highest note in a song and using your thumb as a marker appears to be the key to playing a song quickly. Most people with no experience could play a tune that they could hum outloud in a few minutes. Players that played other instruments, especially wind instruments had no trouble in playing more complex music after a short practice. Most beginning players want to play everything as a slide, but as soon as they discover individual notes are easily played, they begin to make quick progress with figuring out the slide positions. The slide has a good feel in the hand if held between the right thumb and forefinger and moved like a violin bow.

The more you play, the easier the Slide Flute plays. A breakin period of about an hour is required to make everything slide smoothly and there are no problems with jamming of the slide. The poly plug on the slide is very durable, easily replaced if ever necessary and does not absorb moisture so the flute works with no maintenance and comes completely apart for cleaning.

I have modified the mouthpiece slide on the automatic flute design to make it easier to blow and give the flute increased sound and volume. Next, I replaced the original plunger shaft with a fiberglass rod to give more weight and feel to the instrument (just like the bow on a violin). A pin on the end of the plunger was cut to to go completely through the poly plug seal and make it easily replaceable if necessary.

A new version of the Whistlesmith logo with the wording "Slide Flute" underneath has been designed for the instrument. Initially, the instrument will come only in basic black, using the white and natural tan of the body material as accent colors. The white fiberglass rod can be dotted with a marker to show note positions if the player finds it useful and the marks can be removed easily with alcohol if necessary. pPlayers will find the Slide Flute to be a fun instrument that has a mellow, pleasant sound and can be played with a variety of other instruments. Children can do sound effects with the whistle right out of the box and of course, the second octave is handy for birdcall enthusiasts.

WhistleSmith Fife and Pail Corp.

I personally feel that the Auto fife is perfect to get young players involved in fife and drum activities . This is a very easy instrument to start out on and is a one time investment in getting young folks involved in an excellent outdoor activity. I have been talking all winter to individuals about the idea of starting a FIFE AND PAIL CORP to participate in parades and events in our local area. A five gallon poly-pail is an excellent drum with the addtion of a strap (dog leashes work fine, they even have a swivel on one end). A pair of drumsticks and you have you rhythm section completely outfitted. I would be pleased to talk to individuals from any group interested in using my fifes to start a group. I currently have 100 Hi-D fifes completed and available for this project. E-mail us to find out details and how to qualify to do a FIFE AND PAIL project. I will keep the project open until all the fife inventory is gone and plan on repeating the project next year on a larger scale if possible.

E-mail Excerpts

Condensed Comments via E-Mail:

A couple of excerpts from a nice letter from Roy Mayhugh were:

"You've clearly marked the key of the whistle right on the mouth-piece. That will make picking up the right whistle really easy when I want to play."

"The fingering charts are going to be really handy in helping me read music. What's more, they are almost exactly the size of an 8 1/2 by 11 inch piece of notebook paper when folded in half. That means I can put them in my three ring binder folded in half and fold them out on my music stand when I'm using them."

"Received my Low D whistle this week and I was amazed at the tone. I was really expecting a plastic sounding tone and this instrument sounds very woody just as you described it" - J. Winston

"I am playing the Hi D fife you furnished for our group to try out and it does exactly what you said. I have played it in all kinds of weather and it is bulletproof. This fife is perfect to get our kids to get playing in short order" Thank you, J. Hershel

"When you wrote that your mouthpiece was adjustable and you could "sweeten the top octave" to make the flute play better, I thought Yeh, I bet! I have played my G Auto flute for a week now and all I can say is "How sweet it is!" Thanks, Paul

"I was able to play it straight out of the box. At last I have a Low D which I can finger without my fingers and wrists getting very sore." - G. Terry

"I thought my Low D whistle had lost it's voice as it had a loss of volume after about 30 minutes of playing. I read the instructions and dried the bore and gave it a shot of silicon spray. What a difference, the more your play and clean it, the better the volume gets. Your directions on playing the Low D have been Spot On." - J. Deschesne

"I purchased a Bb fife and have played it for several weeks. I have taken it camping and played around the fire at night several times. No problem! it will play in any kind of weather and the night cold doesn't bother it at all..." excerpt from long letter from H.C. in Minnesota.

"The Hi-D fife I purchased came today and I have played all afternoon. It is hard to believe how easy it is to play. I thought it would be shrill, but it is not and I really like the sound." Thanks, Franco, Spain

COLLECTING WHISTLES

Last week, I had some folks drop into the shop to purchase two whistles for their collection. They pointed out some things I would not have thought about if I were purchasing a whistle to be a collectible. Here are some of the items I wrote down in my daily notes that seem like good ideas.

1. Try and make a visit to the whistlesmith of your choice and see what is available and do a little inquiring about projects and future instruments that are in the works. Prototypes and unfinished items that relate to your collection might be available if you seem interested. Out of inventory instruments that are no longer being made are another possibility for the collector. One of my "collaborator kids" has every sample whistle and mouthpiece I ever made for him to try in a box and keeps them with his collection.

2. Take some notes about the maker and keep them with your instrument. Collectors like insight into who and where the collections were made.

3. Keep the bill of sale, auction printouts, posted information on the web about the instrument, and record the instrument number if it is available.

4. Keep the box, instruction sheets, fingering charts and music in a folder that is marked to identify it and the instrument it pertains to.

5. Take down some written notes on playing the instrument. Sound, feel, if you play it a lot, if it is enjoyable to play and how it plays best, would be some categories you might consider making an entry on.

6. Ask for a signature on the bill of sale or letter from the maker and date it to validated when you made the purchase.

7. Take photos of your visit and include them with your paperwork and the instrument to make a nice bundle of information.

8. Base you collection on whistles that have value ( whistles that are no longer made, custom whistles from small makers, unique designs and materials, etc.) are all good areas to look into. Mass produced whistles made over a long period and altered instruments are not good collectables unless done by Stradivarius or other famous persons. Authentic James Galway instruments would seem to be a good idea even if they have been scratched up a bit by the player.

I think the above items are good advice and will make your whistle purchases much more interesting and valuable.

Oh, I forgot some personal Whistlesmith advice!

1. Pick a really old Whistlesmith so your collectable whistle will be worth a lot in a shorter period of time.

2. Only buy whistles you want to play right now. It takes patience and a lot of time to become a collector and you might want to play a tune while they are becoming valuable.

3. You might want to buy a duplicate whistle to play and another to collect providing the price is right.

4. Become a dealer and buy all your whistles at wholesale pricing.