As I'm waiting for my tweaked Mellow Dog to arrive from Jerry Freeman, I thought I try to improve the playability of my Walton Little Black D and my Generation Folk. I found the information on how to do it here: http://www.chiffandfipple.com/tweak.html
The results weren't half bad for a first go. I used 800 grit sandpaper and poster tack rather than wax to backfill the mouthpiece. It took about 15-20 minutes to do the pair.
The Walton is now quite a bit easier to play and isn't breaking so easily on the low d and e notes. The Generation is still a bit hard to control on the low notes but it's much better than it was, although I'm noticing that there's a very slight loss of volumn on the low e note and I have no idea why that should have happened. As I'm thinking about it, it may have been there all along but because those notes were so difficult to hold without breaking high on that whistle, I may not have noticed it before.
With the bell and 2nd notes (low octave D and E), you can improve their volume and stability by ading a slight bevil to the windway exit floor.
Use some sharp straight ended tool that is small enough to fit into the windway ans carefully scrape a very even bevil. I use a sharpened flat profile jewlers screwdriver (2mm blade).
Be careful to not touch the windway exit roof.
The best angle for the bevil is 45 degrees. It should not be a round profile but a clean straight bevil. Make sure to totally remove any scrapings.
Too much bevil will totally kill the bottom notes - so be careful to take very small scrapes and test each time ;)
If you view the beak from the end you blow into, the floor of the windway is the bottom surface of the flat rectangular hole that forms the windway. The roof being the top. The entrance is where the wind goes in, the exit is where it comes out before it hits the sound blade edge.
If you examine your Jerry Freeman whistle, you will probably see the bevil at the windway exit just above the gap-fill. He does not always do this mod - only when it's needed.
... and I am excited at the prospect of having a go at tweaking my 35+ year old Generation, then, if/when I can play it, I think I'd like an Oz Whistle. They sound really impressive ... and made of native timbers. Lovely.
Howdy CD, don't yuh think you should just sip and not gulp that? Reeds are the invention of the devil, not fiddles...
Hey CD, what's an Oz Whistle? There's no way I'm going anywhere near my old whistle with a sharp edge. It makes me wince just thinking about it. Maybe Freeman is an experienced rabbi, that's why he's such a whiz at it...
My Freeman tweaked Mellow Dog arrived today. It's slightly better than what I'm using but not much better than my Walton is since I tweaked it yesterday.
Clear Drops, I agree... the Oz whistles do sound pretty incredible from what I can tell. So much so that I just placed an order for a Gidgee Oz. It should be ready around August.
Ceolachan, you can check them out here... http://www.ozwhistles.com/shop/Sozwhistles.php
The videos on that page blew me away. August should be a fun month as I'm expecting a bouzouki from Paddy Burgin in New Zealand to arrive about the same time.
Just tweaked my first whistles
Just tweaked my first whistles
As I'm waiting for my tweaked Mellow Dog to arrive from Jerry Freeman, I thought I try to improve the playability of my Walton Little Black D and my Generation Folk. I found the information on how to do it here:
http://www.chiffandfipple.com/tweak.html
The results weren't half bad for a first go. I used 800 grit sandpaper and poster tack rather than wax to backfill the mouthpiece. It took about 15-20 minutes to do the pair.
The Walton is now quite a bit easier to play and isn't breaking so easily on the low d and e notes. The Generation is still a bit hard to control on the low notes but it's much better than it was, although I'm noticing that there's a very slight loss of volumn on the low e note and I have no idea why that should have happened. As I'm thinking about it, it may have been there all along but because those notes were so difficult to hold without breaking high on that whistle, I may not have noticed it before.
# Posted on March 9th 2009 by JTC111
Re: Just tweaked my first whistles
With the bell and 2nd notes (low octave D and E), you can improve their volume and stability by ading a slight bevil to the windway exit floor.
Use some sharp straight ended tool that is small enough to fit into the windway ans carefully scrape a very even bevil. I use a sharpened flat profile jewlers screwdriver (2mm blade).
Be careful to not touch the windway exit roof.
The best angle for the bevil is 45 degrees. It should not be a round profile but a clean straight bevil. Make sure to totally remove any scrapings.
Too much bevil will totally kill the bottom notes - so be careful to take very small scrapes and test each time ;)
# Posted on March 9th 2009 by Mozle
Re: Just tweaked my first whistles
I don't know what you're calling a door and a floor. Is there an online diagram you can direct me too?
# Posted on March 9th 2009 by JTC111
Re: Just tweaked my first whistles
If you view the beak from the end you blow into, the floor of the windway is the bottom surface of the flat rectangular hole that forms the windway. The roof being the top. The entrance is where the wind goes in, the exit is where it comes out before it hits the sound blade edge.
If you examine your Jerry Freeman whistle, you will probably see the bevil at the windway exit just above the gap-fill. He does not always do this mod - only when it's needed.
# Posted on March 9th 2009 by Mozle
Re: Just tweaked my first whistles
And there was I thinking that adjusting a fiddle sound post was one of the most difficult adjustments to make to a musical instrument
# Posted on March 9th 2009 by Trevor Jennings
Re: Just tweaked my first whistles
Whistlers, fiddlers, fluters, box and banjo players, we've all got it easy. Those poor pipers and their reeds, now they're the ones who have it tough.
# Posted on March 9th 2009 by SWFL Fiddler
Re: Just tweaked my first whistles
I used to be an oboe player aeons ago - trying to adjust the reeds killed any enjoyment of the instrument.
# Posted on March 9th 2009 by Bredna
Re: Just tweaked my first whistles
... and I am excited at the prospect of having a go at tweaking my 35+ year old Generation, then, if/when I can play it, I think I'd like an Oz Whistle. They sound really impressive ... and made of native timbers. Lovely.
# Posted on March 9th 2009 by Clear Drops
Re: Just tweaked my first whistles
Howdy CD, don't yuh think you should just sip and not gulp that? Reeds are the invention of the devil, not fiddles...
Hey CD, what's an Oz Whistle? There's no way I'm going anywhere near my old whistle with a sharp edge. It makes me wince just thinking about it. Maybe Freeman is an experienced rabbi, that's why he's such a whiz at it...
# Posted on March 9th 2009 by ceolachan
Re: Just tweaked my first whistles
Mozie, are you saying the bevel should be where the 'A' is in this picture?
http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/5575/fipplecopy.jpg
# Posted on March 9th 2009 by JTC111
Re: Just tweaked my first whistles
My Freeman tweaked Mellow Dog arrived today. It's slightly better than what I'm using but not much better than my Walton is since I tweaked it yesterday.
Clear Drops, I agree... the Oz whistles do sound pretty incredible from what I can tell. So much so that I just placed an order for a Gidgee Oz. It should be ready around August.
Ceolachan, you can check them out here...
http://www.ozwhistles.com/shop/Sozwhistles.php
The videos on that page blew me away. August should be a fun month as I'm expecting a bouzouki from Paddy Burgin in New Zealand to arrive about the same time.
# Posted on March 10th 2009 by JTC111