Copper Whistles

[saintninian]

I recently purchased a copper whistle, and I'm looking for input from people who have played copper whistles, concerning what their playing characteristics are. Do they take a long time to warm up? Do they have more or less chiff than whistles made of other materials? That sort of thing. Any wisdom you could give me from your experience would be greatly appreciated.

[MTGuru]

I've played Sandy Jasper's Elf Song "Jasper" whistles, which are solid copper (painted) tubes with plastic heads. And my main impression is that they are very heavy. Apart from that, the playing characteristics are a function of the design and very little due to the tube material, IMO.

[Feadoggie]

I recently purchased a copper whistle, and I'm looking for input from people who have played copper whistles, concerning what their playing characteristics are. Do they take a long time to warm up? Do they have more or less chiff than whistles made of other materials? That sort of thing. Any wisdom you could give me from your experience would be greatly appreciated.

Ok. Like MTGuru, I am one of those guys in " the material does not make the tone" camp. I happen to think that tone is a matter of whistle design, craftsmanship and how you play. Copper can be used to make a whistle as nice any whistle out there.

In so much as different materials can be effectively fashioned into different dimensions then certain materials may provide different results than others might. As an example a brass or copper tube can be made with a thinner wall thickness than a wooden tube. So various materials offer various design advantages which might result in different tones.

Copper is a decent material for making a whistle. Many of us who make whistles started with copper or tried it soon after trying CPVC/PVC. Different materials have different thermal conductivity characteristics. A whistle with an all copper head might be prone to condensation build-up since copper is a good thermal conductor. It warms quickly but it also cools quickly. A copper body with a head made from a material that does not conduct as well might be a better choice.

What is your whistle? Who's the maker?

Feadoggie

[OBrien]

A copper mouthpiece warms up faster, which should cause less clogging due to condensation. Liquid droplets form more readily when hot moist air encounters cold metal.

[saintninian]

Feadoggie, the whistle was made by Flootsie Flutes and Whistles, which appears to only have a site on Facebook. I had never owned a copper whistle, nor even played one. However, the sound clips sounded good, and the testimonials were encouraging, so I thought I would give them a try. They advertise themselves as having "instruments and cases handmade by a master craftsman & a musician".

[Tommy]

Feadoggie, the whistle was made by Flootsie Flutes and Whistles, which appears to only have a site on Facebook.

They are here http://www.chessspy.com/FLOOTSIE/Overview%20page.pdf and there is also a link there to a face book account that does not require membership https://www.facebook.com/MACwhistles

[David Parkhurst]

I think I may have a little experience with copper whistles to impart. The amount of "chiff" as well as a great deal of the tone is a product of HOW it's made, as much as the material it's made of. I have made both very warm and very edgy sounding whistles from copper, it just depends on how the mouthpiece turns out. Copper does need to be warmed up, and the fipple plug material will either prolong the warming period (ie: metal) or shorten it (ie: plastics). I find that no matter what I do, I turn into a slobbery mess playing all-metal mouthpieces.... but I'm a wet blower.

As far as materials go, wood versus metal versus plastics has raged in threads for years. I tend to think that wood has a warm tone to it, others would say it makes little difference. Remember, the C&F community has some of the most knowledgeable whistlers on the planet as members.... consider asking before you buy, unless you just want to see what a particular whistle sounds like and don't care about dropping a little change. If you haven't seen a particular brand mentioned in the threads here, be cautious.

Dave Parkhurst

[AvienMael]

I think that in many cases, wall thickness is influencing tone, and some people mistakenly equate that difference with material. So, by extension, if one uses the term "material" in a way that is either inclusive of, or irrespective of the normal wall characteristics inherent to that material, then yes, material does make a difference.

I have a crudely made tapered brass tube that I made for a Sweetone plastic fipple, patterned from an older Copeland. Same fipple, two very different bodies, two very different tones. However, the wall thickness of the brass tube is @ 3X that of the original painted tin body. The tone is much warmer and full. The whistle isn't much to look at, but it sounds amazing - especially compared to the original body. One thing is certain, even with the same fipple, they are two completely different sounding whistles.

I've also made entire whistles with bodies of different material for the same whistle head, using identical tubing size, thickness, and hole spacing. With these I have noticed some minor differences in tone, but only minor. Titanium seems to give the most pronounced difference from other materials - that I honestly think I could pick it out in a blind taste test. As for the rest, probably not.

But if I've learned anything from making whistles, it's that once you understand how bore, wall, spacing, voicing, window size, and angle all work together, you can make a whistle out of just about anything that sounds just about any way you want it to. So does material make a difference? I suppose the answer is that it does - and then again, it doesn't. The maker makes the difference. It's learning to make a whistle that sounds exactly the same as every other one before it - that's where the real challenge is.

[ytliek]

Remember, the C&F community has some of the most knowledgeable whistlers on the planet as members.... consider asking before you buy, unless you just want to see what a particular whistle sounds like and don't care about dropping a little change. If you haven't seen a particular brand mentioned in the threads here, be cautious.

A brand just being mentioned hardly seems adequate to qualify a purchase. I would include with the brand mention a thorough whistle review either here on C&F, or thru a reliable source. One such source can be found here:

http://tinwhistler.com/reviews.aspx

Trying a whistle out prior to purchase is best, but, with custom made whistles that's sometimes not possible so a good "return" policy is another issue to look for.

There are other whistle websites that provide review(s) so seek them out. Some website reviews need to be updated. New makers, new designs, new materials, new methods evolving. (some old too)

Keep it fun!

[Tommy]

Remember, the C&F community has some of the most knowledgeable whistlers on the planet as members.... consider asking before you buy, unless you just want to see what a particular whistle sounds like and don't care about dropping a little change. If you haven't seen a particular brand mentioned in the threads here, be cautious.

A brand just being mentioned hardly seems adequate to qualify a purchase. I would include with the brand mention a thorough whistle review either here on C&F, or thru a reliable source.

Keep it fun!

Don't forget about the ever popular exciting (Search) feature on the greatest whistle forum. Chiff & Fipple.
Here is a link to the ''David Parkhurst'' copper whistle reviews.
search.php?keywords=parkhurst+copper+wh ... mit=Search

And a link to the ''David Parkhust'' copper whistle web site.
http://www.geocities.ws/parkhurstwhistles/whistles.htm

And more reviews here found with the C&F ''Search'' feature found at the top right hand of your screen.http://www.flutesite.com/whistles.htm

[walrii]

A copper mouthpiece warms up faster, which should cause less clogging due to condensation. Liquid droplets form more readily when hot moist air encounters cold metal.

I have one of David's three-piece copper whistles. It is a very fine whistle with an even volume across both octaves and a nice tone. If the room is cold, warming the whistle takes a bit longer than traditional brass whistles because the copper whistle has more material to warm up. Copper pipe is heavier than brass tubing but not objectionably so in a soprano D. I taped a thumb rest on mine and that got rid of any weight issues. As noted above, material has less to do with how the whistle plays than the other parameters of the design. The most important thing is to play your whistle! All whistles have their advantages, disadvantages and idiosyncrasies. Playing makes you "one with the whistle." Enjoy!