What People Say and Play !

I recently had a question that I think is so tantalizing scientific that it must be shared.

"Why does my whistle get wet when I practice, but not when I play in church?"

I can remember having to play my battered old trumpet in front of the congregation when I was a kid. I could barely wet my lips because my mouth was so dry! Playing at home is comfortable and lots of things might make you salivate, like an anticipation of lunch. In church or in front of a group, plain old stage fright will make you so dry you have no saliva left at all. So...probably church is the best place to play a whistle.

I received this note from a very nice lady in Vancouver, Canada who took the time to send me a special card. I couldn't wait to add it to What People Say! because what she says is so special.

"My husband gave me one of your low D whistles last year for my birthday. I just wanted you to know what a nice whistle I think it is. I love its voice and play it nearly every day." T. Cannon

Several folks e-mailed and wanted to know why all the whistles and flutes cost $39.95and the Low D costs $69.95?

Well.........It's bigger, fancier, comes in colors , weighs more, plays lower and has more parts. Oh, I forgot! Its the hardest whistle to make.

It's always interesting to hear what kind of music people are playing on the whistle.

Dear Mr. Brewer, I have a low G whistle that was a present from a friend and I use it to play New Orleans style jazz. When my buddy that plays clarinet got the flu and couldn't play, I filled in on the whistle and it was just great! I am working on more tunes and after seeing the special of Woody Allen playing his clarinet on tour in Europe, I think I might have found what I want to do, at least for a while. I will be ordering an A in a few days to fill in the gaps in my whistle collection. S. Boyd

Tips for Weatherizing your Wicked Good Whistle!

When you receive your whistle or flute it will be easier to play if you warm the instrument up first. Winter shipping makes for some pretty cold temperatures inside the box and a good warmup will prevent the instrument from holding onto all the moisture you are blowing inside the bore. If you do not warm up the instrument, it will respond by bogging down and not having the volume or tone that it should have. The only remedy is to clean the whistle and dry it out even though it is brand new. I have noticed several makers have started specifying a warm up for their whistles before playing.

 

If you are playing in a room or outdoors and it is colder than 65 degrees, use some method to keep your whistle warm between sets.

Putting your whistle in your sleeve is one method that works well. When playing outdoors in cold weather, I have a dress coat with a long pocket sewed into the sleeve that will hold up to a Low D size whistle. My neighbor made the alteration to the coat for me and it works just great. I think a pocket that used velcro and could be removed would be a great idea.

If you blow the whistle backward from the bottom, the barrel will warm up and the moisture if any will be in the very bottom of the instrument where gravity will make it go away naturally.

I have recommended turning the mouthpiece upside down when playing in windy or cold conditions in several tips articles. Finally, several e-mails have been received telling me what a help this technique is! The amazing thing about inverting the mouthpiece is that the whistle does not know the mouthpiece is upside down and may even sound better! The mouthpiece does not feel funny when turned over and several people have said that it feels more comfortable than the regular position. An added benefit in inverting the mouthpiece is moisture gets pushed by your breath and pulled by gravity out the sound hole and your whistle plays much drier.

Wicked Important DiVinci Code Whistle Info

Things have been busy this winter at The WhistleSmith with lots of changes and revisions. You have perhaps noticed the Website has been newly refurbished with whistle pictures and descriptions. The type in the blog is now posting up with larger size type for better reading.

There are new categories at the top of the blog to help you find your way around and older articles have been archived to make everything neater and easier to find. Due to the nature of the blog format, be sure to scroll all the way down to find all the entries and pictures in each category. Suggestions from readers on additional information on the whistle and flutes is being added. Here are several new items that should be helpful.

Stock Whistle Colors:

Available stock whistle colors are Jet Black, Dark Brown, Dark Green, Deep Maroon and Dark Navy Blue. The color swatches may appear differently on some computer video and are posted for reference only. These vinyl colors are airbrushed on the whistle and contrast nicely with the silver striping. The Low D now has a band of silver stippling on the tone body to accent the whistle.

TUNING LENGTHS for Whistles & Flutes:

Measurements are made from the bottom of the sound hole to the absolute end of the whistle. Measurement must be made with a precise ruler such as an engineers scale. Hi-D=10.25", Hi-C=11.7", Bb=13.7", Low A=14", Low G=15.6", Low F=17.75", Low D=21" These measurements will put your instrument within five cents of tune (plus or minus on each note). You must use the correct fingering on the whistle chart that comes packed with all WhistleSmith instruments. Moving the slide the width of a piece of paper will change pitch Up when shortening the instrument and pitch Down when lengthening the instrument. These measurements are printed on the fingering chart that comes with your instrument on the bottom right side.

How to fix BREATHY SOUND and LACK OF VOLUME on your whistle!

Clean the Whistle! using the instructions that came with your instrument. A whistle bore that is full of moisture absorbs sound and will make the instrument lose its volume. If the bottom two notes on your whistle go flat or sound drops off, you must clean the whistle. Tongue the whistle on every individual note while playing the scale until you play sharp, clear notes. Breathy notes come from lack of air and the only correction on your whistle or flute is to tongue the whistle properly. You should play the scale from top to bottom and repeat until you can tongue correctly. See article on playing with confidence

Penny Whistle Auto Slide Flute

Buy Direct from The WhistleSmith Shop and $ave!

The Penny Whistle Auto Slide Flute with special silver and black hand painted finish is a new Wicked Good product from The WhistleSmith!

The Penny Whistle Auto Slide Flute is a great way to learn to play music by ear. This new instrument lets you play two plus octaves of great sounding music using only the slide and has an automatic mouthpiece that blows like a whistle. You get a clear flute sound, plus the ability to play real slides with ease. The flute position is perfect for a great natural feel to move the slide from note to note.

Instrument is made from Bristol white and tan pipe, and the color coat is pure vinyl. Slide flute measures 14 inches and is fabricated using custom cut components to produce a nice traveling size instrument with good volume and sound characteristics.

A sturdy fiberglass slide rod moves just like the bow on a violin. Mouthpiece slides apart for easy cleaning and the entire flute disassembles for easy maintenance. This is a light weight, comfortable instrument to play for a long period of time.

Flute is packed with two extra poly plug replacements for the slide and a complete diagram of the flute, tips on playing and instructions on maintaining your instrument.

Penny Whistle Auto Slide Flute comes in black body with pewter silver stippling, dazzle silver stripes and decal.

The Penny Whistle Auto Slide Flute is the perfect instrument for folks with arthritis, hand or arm dysfunctions or missing digits. Read my article on "Kevin's Whistle" and you can find out more about the slide flute and why it is an important new development for many people who would like to play music.

Priced at $39.95

Shipping Calculated at checkout

Add your Slide Flute to Your Cart

Note: International orders will be charged an additional $12 to cover shipping and insurance to destination outside the US. Please check out with your current order and we will send an invoice for the additional $12.

Ultra HI-D Whistle

 

Whistle measures twelve inches long. The instrument is well balanced and feels substantial in your hand.

This is a Limited Edition whistle using precise tuning and handwork to make a very precise whistle. The Ultra Hi-D incorporates hours of development and feedback from folks all over the globe.

Tuning starts with a steel template and laser drilling of the finger holes. The foot of the whistle is bored larger to make octave shifts easy and precise while eliminating air turbulence in the bore.

The mouthpiece contains no wood or metal and the top cap slides completely off for cleaning.

The mouthpiece can be adjusted to best playing position on the top and bottom octaves.

Using light, precise tonguing will give clean, clear notes and runs. Breath requirements are minimal.

The Ultra Hi-D lets you play in the Keys of D, G and Em without having to learn any tricky cross fingering. The Ultra Hi-D will play indoors at a session or outside in cold and windy conditions. This is a very handy whistle to add to your collection.

Straight Shot mouthpiece cap is made of Bristol white polymer with a top bevel for lip comfort. The mouthpiece utilizes a dark gray poly plug from IMG plastics. The Ultra Hi-D has a rich, full sound you'll enjoy, with balanced high and low octaves. There is plenty of volume for any type of playing and octave shifts are easy and precise.

The Ultra Hi-D is here! A great Hi-D that plays the way WhistleSmith buyers said they wanted it made. Hundreds of feedbacks and players have had their say and The Ultra Hi-D fits the bill with all these features:

• Easy clean features a take apart Straight Shot mouthpiece.

• Copper external slide for easy tuning and best bore finish and sound.

• Precise hand tuning for best tonal qualities.

• Plays in cold conditions and extreme wind.

• Priced a great price direct from the WhistleSmith.

Whistle comes with color coded fingering chart and whistle tips and instructions sheet. A quality handmade cleaning rod and beeswax tablet are included to clean and maintain your new instrument.

Priced at $39.95

Shipping Calculated at checkout

Please Pick a Whistle Color and Add it to Your Cart Whistle Color BlueBlackMaroonGreenMagentaBrownselected="selected"

Wicked Good Thumb rings now available! Order your thumb ring with your WhistleSmith whistle or flute and we will ship it for free!

Why do you need a Thumb Ring? If you ever dropped your car keys, you know the answer to this question. Don't drop your whistle! Get a grip on your whistle that doesn't slip and play with all fingers open with confidence!

Note: International orders will be charged an additional $12 to cover shipping and insurance to destination outside the US. Please check out with your current order and we will send an invoice for the additional $12.

Low F Whistle

 

When folks in Maine decide that something is exceptional, they generally say "It's Wicked Good" .

Not only is it a really nice whistle that matches the Low A and Low G WhistleSmith instruments, but it is also the same price! This is an unheard of price for a Low F whistle with all these special features!

If you play your whistle outdoors then the Low F is for you! You can play this whistle in a gale force wind and it will not miss a note. The Low F will stay in tune in cold weather and the mouthpiece can be easily rotated to the bottom of whistle for playing in the wind. This is a great whistle to take camping, hiking or playing around the fire. I have played this whistle from Northern Maine to Florida and everywhere in between this year and people have been impressed with the sound of the Low F everywhere I’ve gone.

I have improved the Straight Shot mouthpiece in shape and it feels silky smooth against your lip. The mouthpiece has a bevel on the top to fit your lip when the whistle is played in a variety of positions. The tuning slide is made of copper for strength and slides efficiently without sticking. There are no rubber O rings to break and lubricating the slide is optional.

The tuning slide clip is slotted on the back so you can see the amount of adjustment in the slide when tuning to another whistle. It also strengthens the slide and keeps the whistle aligned when rotating the mouthpiece to the down position. If you do not wish to use the tuning slide clip, it is easily removed.

Whistle is nineteen inches long and made for small hands fingering (ladies small glove size), Folks with large hands will find the fingering distances to be extra comfortable and uncrowded between fingers.

The tone body has been relief bored on the foot to give the bottom notes on the lower octave louder volume and better balance to the instrument. The Low F lets you play in the Keys of F and Bb and Gm without having to learn any tricky cross fingering. This is a very handy whistle to add to your collection.

Whistle comes apart for easy cleaning at the slide and breaks down into two pieces for travel. Straight Shot mouthpiece is made of Bristol white polymer and has a grey plastic plug from IMG plastics. The mouthpiece contains no wood or metal and the top slides completely off for cleaning and can be adjusted to best playing position on the top and bottom octaves.

The Low F has a rich, full sound you'll enjoy, with balanced high and low octaves. There is plenty of volume for any type of playing. The finger holes on this whistle are offset on the bottom hole and make playing the instrument very comfortable. Whistle comes with a color coded fingering chart, whistle tips and instruction sheet. A custom made cleaning rod and beeswax to maintain your whistle are included.

Whistle is white with silver striping as shown in photo.

Whistles are for RIGHT HANDED players only. (Right hand bottom, left hand top position).

Allow four working days for shipping after Buying it Now!

Consider purchasing a Whistlesmith Thumb Ring and get a grip on your whistle. Made to fit your whistle and ships free when you buy this instrument.

Priced at $39.95

Shipping calculated at checkout.

Whistle Color white

Note: International orders will be charged an additional $12 to cover shipping and insurance to destination outside the US. Please check out with your current order and we will send an invoice for the additional $12.

 

Low D Whistle

 

 

The Original WhistleSmith Low D Whistle made for Small Hands

When something is extra good, Folks in Maine say it is Wicked Good!

WhistleSmith whistles and flutes are available only on line & offer you direct pricing

When I first started working on the Low whistle, I was attempting to make a very large whistle that my eleven year old grand daughter Marilyn could play with her small hands. I had purchased two Low D whistles for her only to find out how big they were and how far apart the finger holes were spaced. Everyone selling a low whistle, encouraged me to purchase this or that model and she would be able to play using "bag piper fingering". Well she couldn't reach the holes so she just sat down and cried. Being a good Grandfather, I told her I could make her a whistle she could play...and that's how I got started making this line of low whistles.

The Low D whistle I make today looks much like the first whistles I made for Marilyn. However, ten years and 1500 whistles later, they play much better. I never supposed that so many people for so many reasons would want a whistle with Small Hands fingering.

If you have small hands, arthritis, stiff joints, carpel tunnel problems, or problems gripping a whistle because you have limited strength in your hands, you will enjoy playing this low D whistle right out of the box. Folks with large hands will find this instrument to be as comfortable as a small whistle for them to play.

This is the Low D whistle that plays with less breath, less reach, and more volume. All fingering is exactly the same as a regular D whistle except for the top two notes. The fingering for the 2nd octave A & B notes are played with the third finger down to give you perfect pitch, which makes an easy fingering set to accomplish.

Articles are posted on the WhistleSmith website on how to play Low whistles and if followed will make your initial playing experience a good one.

Low D whistle is 22 inches long and takes down at the tuning slide to seventeen inches Mouthpiece is the new Straight Shot model with improved volume. Mouthpiece is made from Bristol white polymer pipe with a high density dark grey poly plug. Tone body is coated with acrylic color coat and has stippled silver accent ring and dazzle silver striping.

Whistle is easily cleaned, plays with minimum air requirement, is fully tuneable and has fingering for small hands.You can play this Low D right out of the box with no difficulty! Fingering for small hands is very easy to play and is extra comfortable for people with large hands. Maximum hand reach is 2.5 inches from tip of pointer finger to tip of ring finger using enough pressure to seal the finger holes. Both hands have offset finger holes for the ring finger positions. Sound is rich and full with balanced high and low octaves.

Whistles are for RIGHT HANDED players (right hand bottom...left hand top), due to offset fingering holes!

Cost is $69.95

Customer after customer is amazed at how easy the Ultra Low D whistle is to play. Customers purchasing this whistle remark it is the "easiest Low D whistle I have ever played."

Whistle comes with color coded fingering chart and whistle tips and instructions sheet. A quality cleaning rod and beeswax tablet are included to help you maintain your new whistle.

Consider purchasing a Whistlesmith Thumb Ring and get a grip on your whistle. Made to fit your whistle and ships free when you buy this instrument.

Shipping calculated at checkout

Whistle Color BlueBlackMaroonGreenBrownselected="selected"

Note: International orders will be charged an additional $12 to cover shipping and insurance to destination outside the US. Please check out with your current order and we will send an invoice for the additional $12.

Low G Auto Flute

 

Auto Flute is available only from the Whistlesmith. Auto Flute has a tuning slide and body rotates for best finger and playing position. The Auto Flute is easily played by anyone familiar with the whistle, fife, or flute.

Blow into the mouthpiece and your breath is directed sideways over the sound hole for perfect tone and clarity. No em brochure is required to play this instrument. In minutes, you will be playing the Auto Flute like a Pro!

Auto Flute plays in cold weather and heavy wind.

Head is hollow with poly plugs to increase volume and clarity of sound.

Sound hole faces your right ear to let you hear over loud instruments.

Every Auto Flute is hand tuned and electronically checked.

Side Shooter mouthpiece is easily cleared when playing.

Auto flute is made from plastic from IMG with airbrushed vinyl color coat.

All joints are self tapers, all edges are beveled, and the bore is completely unpainted for best sound.

Finger holes are offset and designed for small hands playing.

Flute is for right hand players, inform us if you need a left handed finger holes.

The mouthpiece slides completely apart and interior wind way is accessible for cleaning.

Auto Flute comes with color coded fingering chart and instructions for care and playing. A quality cleaning rod and beeswax tablet are included to clean and maintain your whistle

Priced at $39.95

Shipping Calculated at checkout

Please Pick a Flute Color and Add it to Your Cart

Whistle Color BlueBlackMaroonGreenBrownselected="selected"

Note: International orders will be charged an additional $12 to cover shipping and insurance to destination outside the US. Please check out with your current order and we will send an invoice for the additional $12.

Wicked Good Thumb rings now available! Order your thumb ring with your WhistleSmith whistle or flute and we will ship it for free!

Why do you need a Thumb Ring? If you ever dropped your car keys, you know the answer to this question. Don't drop your whistle! Get a grip on your whistle that doesn't slip and play with all fingers open with confidence!