Chiff and Fipple Forums

Syn Whistles: Lamp and candle stick makers have been using metal spinning techniques for almost a century now. If you don't have the patience to do your own research on this subject then that suits me. Guys like you are always taking short cuts by using the hard earned work of others for your own g...

Thank you all for your comments and views I feel the same way and my intention was to inspire amateur instrument makers to continue their craft! The world needs more Musicians, but we need more Instrument Luthiers too!

A different direction? Try changing the bore diameter (if possible) towards the smaller side. it helps a lot with Acoustic Impedence and results in a more responsive instrument.

http://www.whistlemaker.com/pages/flute ... ulator.php
http://11wall-west.com/~ph_kosel/flutomat.html

Paetzold and others have made square bore woodwinds. They have a bad reputation for flatness in the upper registers. The increase of internal air pressure "pushes" into the corners of the bore and this increases the total cubic volume, resulting in poor intonation. http://www.vonhuene.com/...

A picture is worth a thousand words. here are 2 diagrams that may help. I recommend that you blunt not only the leading edge of the labium lip, but also the exit lips of the windway. You can see this in every Recorder voicing design. I greatly reduces turbulence in the window area and improves reson...

Yes I have "worn one out". The salt acid from my fingers, over time, corroded the metal making the tone holes larger and resulted in a poorly performing instrument.

You do not need wealth and status to Make and Play musical instruments.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6rgkCUstaE

Very nice Daniel. Have you solved the "Flat Pitch" problem caused by internal air pressure pushing the aircolumn into the bore corners? Epoxy filler to make the bore more cylindrical? A Dolmetsch "echo key"? More details please! were are HUNGRY!

Cylindrical bore whistles are prone to shrieking in the upper notes/registers. Creating backpressure between the top tonehole and the voicing helps a great deal with this but must be done by a whistlesmith. An easy "tweak" to help with this is reducing the bore end hole diameter with putty...

Please dont give up the Violin because of neck problems. I play Medievil "Rebec" -off-the-knee. This position is comfortable and easy for a violin player to convert too. Here is a video of Loreena Mckennitt's "All Souls Night" with close-ups of this style. enjoy! http://www.youtu...

I make Parlor Pipes, Small Bagpipes and reed pipes with Stabilized Wood and Acrylic myself. I love to use this material on the Lathe and I dont have to cure blanks for 2 years before making an instrument. Using a brass liner helps with sound production too.

To remove the lettering and make all sanding,tonehole interiors and the labium ramp smooth and glossy use "Fingernail Polish Remover", otherwise known as Actone. Use a cotton rag for cleaning/polishing and Q-Tips for small areas like toneholes. Keep these wet all the time or they will stic...

Try this simple tweak: use a piece of tape to cover 1/3rd to 1/2 of the bore end hole. This will provide more backpressure and allow second octave access with lower breath pressure. It will reduce shrillness because of lower windway velocity. Covering the bottom 2 or 3 toneholes when playing the Upp...

A narrow bore whistle with a small voicing and small toneholes will provide the "best results" for a quiet whistle with the greatst range. You will have to compromise on timbre. These whistles will sound "reedy" instead of "flutey". Conical bores will help, but they wil...

Why don't you make your own from PVC using TWJcalc, the whistle calculator program designed by our own "Dr Phill"

http://sourceforge.net/projects/twjcalc