Sub-Contrabass Whistle Profundo

The Ultimate On-Line Whistle Community. If you find one more ultimater, let us know.
Post Reply
User avatar
Charles
Posts: 10
Joined: Fri Oct 05, 2001 6:00 pm
Please enter the next number in sequence: 1
Location: Boston-ish MA USA
Contact:

Sub-Contrabass Whistle Profundo

Post by Charles »

Just a question: has anyone made a really, REALLY low whistle? I'm thinking of something very long, probably mitered, made out of PVC drain pipe, and with holes so big you'd need garden gloves with rubber disks glued on them to play. Or, I suppose it could be keyed. :wink:

C'mon, I'm serious! What's the lowest whistle you've seen/heard? Most importantly did it make that HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!! sound?

No, really, I'm serious. How come no one takes me seriously? Is it because I talk to myself? I don't think so, do you? Well, I don't know, maybe...
User avatar
raindog1970
Posts: 1175
Joined: Tue Jun 26, 2001 6:00 pm
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 12
Location: Sparta, Tennessee

Re: Sub-Contrabass Whistle Profundo

Post by raindog1970 »

Mike Burke made one an octave below low D... biggest one I've ever seen.
Image
Regards,
Gary Humphrey

♪♣♫Humphrey Whistles♫♣♪

[Raindogs] The ones you see wanderin' around after a rain. Ones that can't find their way back home. See the rain washes off the scent off all the mail boxes and the lamposts, fire hydrants. – Tom Waits
User avatar
Rod Sprague
Posts: 614
Joined: Sat Apr 13, 2002 6:00 pm
Please enter the next number in sequence: 1
Location: Moscow Idaho

Post by Rod Sprague »

I am a bass freak myself. The instrument I played that satisfied that best for me was the baritone sax, but I would love to play an even lower instrument. The lowest fipple flutes I know of are these; http://www.contrabass.com/pages/big-recorders.html but there are some of us at basswhistle-subscribe@yahoogroups.com that are exploring the low end of the pennywhistle fingering style instruments. This is one of the results; http://jubileeinstruments.messianic-web ... /bthrm.htm .

Rod
User avatar
chas
Posts: 7697
Joined: Wed Oct 10, 2001 6:00 pm
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 10
Location: East Coast US

Post by chas »

Rod, do you realize that the original saxophone made by M. Saxe was a bass? He initially didn't even consider the higher keys.

I believe on page 1 of the current board there's a link to a pic of a subcontrabass recorder. I just don't know how one of those can be played -- My wife has difficulty getting much more than 1.5 octaves out of a bass or a full 2 out of a tenor, although I know our Dr. Busman can. (Hey, Paul, how many more whistles you gotta sell before getting one of Adri's subcontrabasses? When you do, tell me, because my wife's REALLY interested in trying one.)
Charlie
Whorfin Woods
"Our work puts heavy metal where it belongs -- as a music genre and not a pollutant in drinking water." -- Prof Ali Miserez.
User avatar
Thomas-Hastay
Posts: 839
Joined: Tue Jun 26, 2001 6:00 pm
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Location: Between my Ears or in "Nord" East MN
Contact:

Post by Thomas-Hastay »

Adriana Brueknik's Sub-contrabass Recorder
http://members.tripod.com/~Goddess_Isis ... rabass.JPG

The Paetzold Square Contrabass Recorder
http://lachesis.caltech.edu/jayeaston/g ... etzold.gif
"The difference between Genius and stupidity, is that Genius has its limits" (Albert Einstein)
thomashastay@yahoo.com
User avatar
Jerry Freeman
Posts: 6074
Joined: Mon Dec 30, 2002 6:00 pm
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Location: Now playing in Northeastern Connecticut
Contact:

Post by Jerry Freeman »

Wow.

Look at those keys! I especially like the right pinky keys.

I'm going to guess, you can get away with a square contrabass recorder because the air velocity is slow enough, whereas with a square whistle in existing keys, the air velocity is much higher, so the air in the corners of a square bore whistle would remain relatively still, creating an effective bore that's smaller than the actual bore.
User avatar
Daniel_Bingamon
Posts: 2227
Joined: Wed Jun 27, 2001 6:00 pm
antispam: No
Location: Kings Mills, OH
Contact:

Post by Daniel_Bingamon »

This is my Octave below Low-C whistle:
Image

Toneholes are around 0.75 to 1 inch diameter.

I'm currently designing a Low-Low-D that will be fully chromatic. The new one has a folded mouthpiece kind of like a bass flute (or also Paetzold Recorder) has only it uses a fipple.
User avatar
Tak_the_whistler
Posts: 568
Joined: Sun Feb 02, 2003 6:00 pm
Please enter the next number in sequence: 1
Location: Japan

Not a Sub-Contrabass, but

Post by Tak_the_whistler »

a bit OT, I think. Anyway, I looked up and saw that Colin makes Low B whistle. I think the range is almost in the field of 'Bass' but I was wondering if anyone can possibly play (with their bare hands, of course, without the help of keys, crystal people etc.) the Low B ? Has anyone tried one of those? I can manage a C chanter on a set of pipes, so I guess I can handle (well, with difficulty) the Low C's he makes... not sure about the one one key lower than that, however, I'd love to be able to play a Low B whistle.
<><
Tak
---------------------------------------
<b>"Nothing can be yours by nature."</b>
--- Lewis
User avatar
Daniel_Bingamon
Posts: 2227
Joined: Wed Jun 27, 2001 6:00 pm
antispam: No
Location: Kings Mills, OH
Contact:

Post by Daniel_Bingamon »

I've made A below Low-C and it's playable. I've made a few of them with staggered hole and where the bottom tonehole of each hand is rotatable so that you can adjust it to your reach. With this and a little extra stretch it works.
User avatar
raindog1970
Posts: 1175
Joined: Tue Jun 26, 2001 6:00 pm
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 12
Location: Sparta, Tennessee

Post by raindog1970 »

Daniel_Bingamon wrote:This is my Octave below Low-C whistle...
Dan, that's the most intimidating looking whistle I've ever laid eyes on!
I'm guessing from the looks of the bottom end, that you stand this whistle on the floor to play it... any chance of getting you to record a tune on it?
Regards,
Gary Humphrey

♪♣♫Humphrey Whistles♫♣♪

[Raindogs] The ones you see wanderin' around after a rain. Ones that can't find their way back home. See the rain washes off the scent off all the mail boxes and the lamposts, fire hydrants. – Tom Waits
User avatar
Easily_Deluded_Fool
Posts: 485
Joined: Sat Mar 02, 2002 6:00 pm
Please enter the next number in sequence: 1
Location: The space between thoughts.

Post by Easily_Deluded_Fool »

[quote="Daniel_Bingamon"]This is my Octave below Low-C whistle:
Image

That is one scary whistle!
Did you have to get a licence to pilot it :)
No whistles were harmed in the transmission of this communication.
User avatar
Easily_Deluded_Fool
Posts: 485
Joined: Sat Mar 02, 2002 6:00 pm
Please enter the next number in sequence: 1
Location: The space between thoughts.

Re: Not a Sub-Contrabass, but

Post by Easily_Deluded_Fool »

Tak_the_whistler wrote:a bit OT, I think. Anyway, I looked up and saw that Colin makes Low B whistle. I think the range is almost in the field of 'Bass' but I was wondering if anyone can possibly play (with their bare hands, of course, without the help of keys, crystal people etc.) the Low B ? Has anyone tried one of those? snip.
Alba make a Low Bb, which is (obviously) lower than Low B.
I have medium sized hands, with fingers approx the same size as
my palm length. Using pipers grip the Low Bb was a slight stretch when I first got it.
Now it's not, but it is on the limit of what I could play without keys.
Also, with the Low Bb, I find that I have to have a break every say 5 tunes, and fast reels are ... not as fast.
This is because of hand size, somebody with bigger hands would manage it better.
I like things that are simple, with nothing to wear out/break/bend etc,
which is partly why I like whistles and flutes.
No whistles were harmed in the transmission of this communication.
corinthia
Posts: 95
Joined: Wed Aug 06, 2003 6:09 am
Please enter the next number in sequence: 1

Post by corinthia »

I'm fascinated by the whole concept of a bass whistle, but isn't it SO hard to breathe that incredibly softly?!
User avatar
Charles
Posts: 10
Joined: Fri Oct 05, 2001 6:00 pm
Please enter the next number in sequence: 1
Location: Boston-ish MA USA
Contact:

Overton Bass G!

Post by Charles »

Thanks for all the great answers! I wish I had the time, tools, and talent to roll my own foghorn whistle. However, I just noticed on the Overton page, they list prices for whistles as low as "Bass G." :o Okay, it's not as low as the Burke Bass D, but what amazes me is that it's listed as orderable! I'd love to hear that one... 8)
Post Reply