I make low D Irish whistles out of one inch copper plumbing pipe. They're a little on the heavy side, but still easy to handle. Obviously, construction of the fipple is significantly more complex, but I've learned to make fipples that produce good clean sound, make a whistle that's easy to play, and have a nice clean look. It took a LOT of experimentation before I came up with a method that resulted in a proper fipple, but it was worth it. I know a one inch bore sounds huge, but the whistles I've built have a beautiful, rich sound. I started making them long before the days of CZcams, and so pretty much had to learn by doing. Anyway, this was an interesting video -- thanks for making and posting it.
I loved your video, thank you! Are you able now to make an Alto low F whistle that stays in tune and doesnt go flat in the upper octave. And if so...do you sell your whistles. I have been trying to find a low F whistle. I don't know why, it is a great key andwould be great to have. I live in Ireland and play whistle in the music ministry at church. Our worship sounds very Irish indeed. We run into all kinds of songs in different keys and I like to have all the whistle I need. My hubby is on violin. But I have found that the only whistle maker I have found so far is a outrageously expensive, because they are one of high end whistle makers. If you solved the high octave going flat issue, do sell your whistles? If so how much would you ask for a Alto F ? Accept for high Eb, F and G, all my whistles are tuneable aluminium whistles and one lovely alto A brass, aswell as low A aluminium, and low G, are made by Tony Dixon. I cannot find any Alto F by him. I don't have any plastic whistles at all and your F sounded gorgeous! How much would it cost to have one of your Ato F whistles?? And where are you? Are you located. Are you in Europe? God bless you! So sorry for the long message!😊✝️🕊☘
Hats off for showing your whole process. Personally, I prefer to have the fipple block movable, since it allows some degree of volume and tone control, which is especially nice for a practice whistle. Also I know the alternate fingering would drive me crazy… To avoid this, I tend to shape the uppermost finger hole as small as I can afford to. Possibly this is a dubious decision on my part, as my understanding is hole position is important in terms of hitting the non vibrating part of the standing wave in the second octave… but, it seems fine to my ears😅 But, anyway, your whistle sounds great and seems very robust!
Actually, looking at my Dixon flute and generation whistle, the top holes are nowhere near where the standing wave node would be, I’m probably thinking of a different instrument😂😂, the whole sizes are also very different proportions in each case.😅 but I still seem to have more success with smaller topmost tone holes
Pros and cons of my fipple/finger hole design is that: yes it sounds pretty fine throughout the range and the playabiluty is good but I've sacrificed a lot of back pressure. It sounds very balanced but the higher octave is a bit flat unless I blow harder than I'd like to. However, I've recently corrected these defects.
Jonyan3034 - there are sites that explain the spacing. A cheat is to pinpoint the hole centres of a flute and copy this to paper. Then copy these points to a length of narrow elastic belt. 5mm. Then stretch the elastic from fipple hole to the end of the pipe and mark up the centres. These will be your drill hole centres. The next time I produce a flute making video I will elaborate the making of each hole. I also do not do 'in line holes' but stagger them according to the curvature of my hand. So right and left hand holes have a curvature that is opposite to each other because playing with a pipers grip requires that the holes should not be in a straight line but should be customised according to the hands and fingers of the individual pipe player.
I have been following your amazing work lately ...thanks a lot for the effort ...after reading a comment of yours, I understood the concept of narrow and wider bore upon sound...can you please also share your experience regarding my following questions 1. What is the effect of the position of first hole (fipple hole) from the start mouth end of the flute ?... mean to say that what will happen to the sound if the fipple hole is closer or farther from the start (mouth) end of the flute ? 2. What will be the effect upon sound if the fipple hole is closer or farther from the end (opposite to mouth) of the flute I am asking these questions whether the fipple hole location changes the flute scale (A,B,C, etc) or the subsequent 6 holes ?
My understanding is that if the fipple windway is longer (if the fipple hole is further away from mouth) the sound is more clear, if it's closer to mouth it's more chiffy and airy and the instrument is more responsive. Fipple hole location does not change the scale. The lenght of the flute changes the scale.
Nice one, it's hard to judge from a video but I think I prefer the sound of your whistle to the chieftain. The first octave D especially has a nice tone (something about the xxx ooo always sounds so good with whistles in general)
Thank you! I do like the chieftain thunderbird a lot. It irritates me that I didn't buy TB low-d when they were for sale. But I'm quite happy with the whistle I made. It's good that it has different sound, now I have two very different kind of F's.
@@osflutes5141 Regarding the sound, do you think there are any specific characteristics that narrow or wide bore causes generally speaking or is the timbre affected more by the fipple design? From the videos of various whistles I've seen, the narrow ones seem to have somehow more delicate, thinner sound (hard to explain, I'm not talking about just volume) but I'm not sure if the bore was the cause.
@@Tremendouz Well, first I'd say there is no simple answer. I know what you mean by "thinner sound", the bore size does affect the sound at least a little. It's hard to compare because first I'd have to make two completely identical fipples to different sized pipes. Having said that my experience is that narrow bore gives you kind of sharper, more distinct tone (more like vocal sound ah/eh) and wide bore does the opposite (as vocal sound that would be more like oh/oo). It also changes volume balance and playability. As I've done experimenting during my years of flute making it seems to me that the fipple design and fipple materials have huge affect on sound. For instance if I change pom-c synthetic fipple block to a wooden one it changes the sound totally. Another example: I had a tony dixon alto g whistle with polymer fipple and brass body, it obviously sounded like dixon. I took the fipple, made pvc body for it, it still sounds like dixon. So it seems to be that fipple and it's materials are something like 80% of the character of the sound and the body is the rest.
When watching a lengthy 'paint drying' type video like this i like to see and hear the finished product early in the video so i can decide whether i want to waste time watching the whole thing to the end. Its all about video editing. If the boring bits are labouriously dragged out and the more intetesting bits speeded up I get two sensations . 1. "yo dude ! Speed it up" and 2. "yo dude slow it down" I wanted to get my head around the positioning of the holes and the methodology But it seems like you didnt want to share that juicy bit. I was almost concinced to have a go making a flute. But now i am put off the idea
Sounds great!
I make low D Irish whistles out of one inch copper plumbing pipe. They're a little on the heavy side, but still easy to handle. Obviously, construction of the fipple is significantly more complex, but I've learned to make fipples that produce good clean sound, make a whistle that's easy to play, and have a nice clean look. It took a LOT of experimentation before I came up with a method that resulted in a proper fipple, but it was worth it. I know a one inch bore sounds huge, but the whistles I've built have a beautiful, rich sound. I started making them long before the days of CZcams, and so pretty much had to learn by doing. Anyway, this was an interesting video -- thanks for making and posting it.
Thanks! Nowadays I make zen flutes out of copper and alumium.
Using the vacuum to suck up the dust while you work is pretty smart.
Yeah I try to prevent dust from spreading all over my house. Pvc-dust is annoying, with metal this is all easier.
I loved your video, thank you! Are you able now to make an Alto low F whistle that stays in tune and doesnt go flat in the upper octave. And if so...do you sell your whistles. I have been trying to find a low F whistle. I don't know why, it is a great key andwould be great to have. I live in Ireland and play whistle in the music ministry at church. Our worship sounds very Irish indeed. We run into all kinds of songs in different keys and I like to have all the whistle I need. My hubby is on violin. But I have found that the only whistle maker I have found so far is a outrageously expensive, because they are one of high end whistle makers. If you solved the high octave going flat issue, do sell your whistles? If so how much would you ask for a Alto F ?
Accept for high Eb, F and G, all my whistles are tuneable aluminium whistles and one lovely alto A brass, aswell as low A aluminium, and low G, are made by Tony Dixon. I cannot find any Alto F by him. I don't have any plastic whistles at all and your F sounded gorgeous! How much would it cost to have one of your Ato F whistles?? And where are you? Are you located. Are you in Europe? God bless you! So sorry for the long message!😊✝️🕊☘
To gerard mcglinchey: fipple block is pom-c.
Hats off for showing your whole process.
Personally, I prefer to have the fipple block movable, since it allows some degree of volume and tone control, which is especially nice for a practice whistle.
Also I know the alternate fingering would drive me crazy…
To avoid this, I tend to shape the uppermost finger hole as small as I can afford to. Possibly this is a dubious decision on my part, as my understanding is hole position is important in terms of hitting the non vibrating part of the standing wave in the second octave… but, it seems fine to my ears😅
But, anyway, your whistle sounds great and seems very robust!
Actually, looking at my Dixon flute and generation whistle, the top holes are nowhere near where the standing wave node would be, I’m probably thinking of a different instrument😂😂, the whole sizes are also very different proportions in each case.😅 but I still seem to have more success with smaller topmost tone holes
Pros and cons of my fipple/finger hole design is that: yes it sounds pretty fine throughout the range and the playabiluty is good but I've sacrificed a lot of back pressure. It sounds very balanced but the higher octave is a bit flat unless I blow harder than I'd like to. However, I've recently corrected these defects.
sir, I want to make a Bb whistle for playing the intro of "my heart will go on", have you this dimensions? thx!
What is the size of the pipe you have? Inside diameter and wallthickness?
Jonyan3034 - there are sites that explain the spacing.
A cheat is to pinpoint the hole centres of a flute and copy this to paper. Then copy these points to a length of narrow elastic belt. 5mm.
Then stretch the elastic from fipple hole to the end of the pipe and mark up the centres.
These will be your drill hole centres.
The next time I produce a flute making video I will elaborate the making of each hole.
I also do not do 'in line holes' but stagger them according to the curvature of my hand. So right and left hand holes have a curvature that is opposite to each other because playing with a pipers grip requires that the holes should not be in a straight line but should be customised according to the hands and fingers of the individual pipe player.
I have been following your amazing work lately ...thanks a lot for the effort ...after reading a comment of yours, I understood the concept of narrow and wider bore upon sound...can you please also share your experience regarding my following questions
1. What is the effect of the position of first hole (fipple hole) from the start mouth end of the flute ?... mean to say that what will happen to the sound if the fipple hole is closer or farther from the start (mouth) end of the flute ?
2. What will be the effect upon sound if the fipple hole is closer or farther from the end (opposite to mouth) of the flute
I am asking these questions whether the fipple hole location changes the flute scale (A,B,C, etc) or the subsequent 6 holes ?
My understanding is that if the fipple windway is longer (if the fipple hole is further away from mouth) the sound is more clear, if it's closer to mouth it's more chiffy and airy and the instrument is more responsive.
Fipple hole location does not change the scale. The lenght of the flute changes the scale.
Nice one, it's hard to judge from a video but I think I prefer the sound of your whistle to the chieftain. The first octave D especially has a nice tone (something about the xxx ooo always sounds so good with whistles in general)
Thank you! I do like the chieftain thunderbird a lot. It irritates me that I didn't buy TB low-d when they were for sale. But I'm quite happy with the whistle I made. It's good that it has different sound, now I have two very different kind of F's.
@@osflutes5141 Regarding the sound, do you think there are any specific characteristics that narrow or wide bore causes generally speaking or is the timbre affected more by the fipple design? From the videos of various whistles I've seen, the narrow ones seem to have somehow more delicate, thinner sound (hard to explain, I'm not talking about just volume) but I'm not sure if the bore was the cause.
@@Tremendouz Well, first I'd say there is no simple answer. I know what you mean by "thinner sound", the bore size does affect the sound at least a little. It's hard to compare because first I'd have to make two completely identical fipples to different sized pipes. Having said that my experience is that narrow bore gives you kind of sharper, more distinct tone (more like vocal sound ah/eh) and wide bore does the opposite (as vocal sound that would be more like oh/oo). It also changes volume balance and playability. As I've done experimenting during my years of flute making it seems to me that the fipple design and fipple materials have huge affect on sound. For instance if I change pom-c synthetic fipple block to a wooden one it changes the sound totally. Another example: I had a tony dixon alto g whistle with polymer fipple and brass body, it obviously sounded like dixon. I took the fipple, made pvc body for it, it still sounds like dixon. So it seems to be that fipple and it's materials are something like 80% of the character of the sound and the body is the rest.
@@osflutes5141 Interesting, thanks for the reply
@@osflutes5141 that's great knowledge...thanks a lot 😍...
Why F? I'm using 3/4" CPVC (11/16" I.D.) for an F flute and 3/4" PVC (13/16" I.D.) for a D flute. Haven't done a fipple yet.
I was asked if I could make a video of making an f-whistle so that's why I made F :)
When watching a lengthy 'paint drying' type video like this i like to see and hear the finished product early in the video so i can decide whether i want to waste time watching the whole thing to the end.
Its all about video editing.
If the boring bits are labouriously dragged out and the more intetesting bits speeded up I get two sensations .
1. "yo dude ! Speed it up" and
2. "yo dude slow it down"
I wanted to get my head around the positioning of the holes and the methodology
But it seems like you didnt want to share that juicy bit.
I was almost concinced to have a go making a flute.
But now i am put off the idea
Fair enough...
where is the measurement
At the very end of the video.
Mundschutz ganz wichtig 😂😂😂
Ja :)