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There are new categories at the top of the blog to help you find your way around and older articles have been archived to make everything neater and easier to find.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