3/12/2017 The "Low-Tech" Whistle: How to make a PVC whistle

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The"LowTech"Whistle:HowtoMakeaPVCWhistle

Introduction
Make One Yourself
Materials and Tools
How to Get Your
Favourite Sound
The Art of Tuning
Whistle Plans
Roll Up Your Sleeves
Rigging the Fipple
Make It Tuneable
Tips and Tricks
Troubleshooting + FAQ
Let's Play It
Final Words

Versioneitaliana

APDFversionofthisguideisavailablehere.

Braziliantranslationhere,thankstoAdrianoSorianoCaetano.

Spanishtranslationhere,thankstoGermnGarca

Sticky.Ihavetoolittletimeandtoomanythingstodo.Sorry,butIhavedecidednottoreplytoemail
regardingwhistlemakinganymore.AllIknowisinthisguide,andIthinkthisguideisclearenough:-)Updates
(ifany)willonlycoverneworupdatedwhistleplans.Ifyouneedhelp,pleasegotoChiffandFipple.Sorryfolks,
butI'moverwhelmed!

Sticky:Mr.RichardCooperreportsthathe'llmakeandsellLowTechwhistlestoraisefundsforSifraHomes.

Introduction
IattendedmyfirsttinwhistleworkshoponSt.Patrick'sDayFestival2004,whereInisFail'sLucaCrespitaught
methegoldenrule:itmustnotbeplayedlikearecorder...

Likemanybeginners,IsufferedfromWhistleObsessiveAcquisitionDisorder.Theproblemwas,Icouldn'tfinda
whistleIreallyfeltcomfortablewith.Howcanyoupossiblyplayaninstrumentyoudon'tlike?

Inmyview,thereasonforWOADistwofold.Firstofall,thepoorqualityofmanylowcostwhistles:you're
forcedtotryoutseveralwhistlesuntilyou'reluckyenoughtofindagoodone.Secondly,Ifoundoutthatwhistles
arenotlikerecorders,whichmoreorlessshareasimilarsound.ASusatoKildare,aDixonpolymerandaClarke
Sweetonearecompletelydifferentinstruments,eachwithitsowncharacterandpeculiarities.

AnotherproblemisthatIhaveagoodmusicalear,andIcan'tstandbadlytunedinstruments.Thisisoftenan
issuewithlowcostwhistles.

IliveinasmallishtowninnorthernItaly,Verona(ringabell?Shakespeare,RomeoandJuliet,theTwo
Gentlemen...),wherethetinwhistleisvirtuallyunknown.EvenGenerationsaredifficulttofind.WhenIeventually
stumbledacrossone,itwasahorriblyoutoftune,shrill,squeakythingthatputmeoff.IbrutalisedituntilImade
itplayable,butIwantedsomethingbetter.

Iwasforcedtoordermywhistlesabroad,withoutachancetotrythemoutbeforehand.Veryannoying.

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MakeOneYourself
I'llsaveyouthesadstoryofayearspenttryingtogetawhistleIliked.Attheendofthatyear,Iwasnearly
satisfiedwithaDixonPolymer,aSusatoKildare,aClarkeSweetoneandaMeg.

TheDixonhasalovelytonebut,inmyhumbleopinion,isabittooquietinthefirstoctave.TheSusatoisloud,
butitsoundstoomuchlikearecorder!(Iactuallyloverecorders,butthat'sanotherstory.)Botharereasonablyin
tune,buttheycouldbebetter.Ididn'tlikethesoundoftheSweetonebackthennowIdo,buttuningisstillan
issue.

IwantedawhistlethatwassweetandeasytoplaylikeaDixon,butlouderandcheap.Unfortunately,Icouldn't
findit.(Yes,I'mafussykindofperson...)

A recent addition to my collection is the Dixon Trad. What a fantastic whistle! Had it been available back then, I
probably wouldn't have tried to make my own. Read on, though...

Drivenbyfrustration,IdecidedI'dtryandmakeawhistlemyself.However,Ihadnopowertoolslikeadrill,a
benchvise,alatheandwhathaveyou.Besides,mostwhistlemakingtutorialsassumethatyouusecopperpipe:
hardluck,withoutpropertools!PVCiswidelyavailablethough,soIdecidedI'dgiveitatry.

Aftersomeexperiments(allofwhich,amazingly,producedplayablewhistles),Icameupwithadesignthatis
easytoreproduceandworksverywell.Icallitthe`LowTechWhistle'becauseIonlyuseverysimpletoolsand
materials.

Lowtechnology,buthighqualitysound!LowTechWhistlesinthekeyofDboastthefollowingfeatures:

areveryeasytoplay

haveasweettone,verysimilartothatofaDixonPolymerbutyoucanmakeitbreathyifyouwish

thevolumecanbemadeconstantbetweenthetwooctaves

requirelittleairIestimateatleast25%lessthanotherwhistles

thenotesinthesecondoctavedon'tneedtonguingbutofcourseyoumaytongueifyouprefer

Cnaturalcanbeobtainedwithbothoxxoooandoxxxox

inadditiontoDandG,canalsoplayinAwithouthalfholing:G#canbeobtainedwithxxoxxx(firstoctave)
andxxoxox(secondoctave).Besides,Bbcanbeobtainedwithxoxxxo(firstoctave)andxoxooo(second
octave)

arealmostunbreakable:won'tbendorcrackevenifsatonorsteppedon

unlikemetalwhistles,thetuningislesssensitivetotemperaturechanges

areridiculouslyinexpensive,andfuntomake!

Ofcourse,therearedefects,too:

thegrayishorwhiteishcolourofPVCisnotparticularlyattractive,andblackpipeisnoteasytofind

ifwoodenpartsareused,thewhistlecouldbecloggedbymoisture.There'sawaytopreventthisproblem,
though.

Ifyou'redissatisfiedwithcheapwhistles,trytomakeaLowTechwhistle.I'mconfidenttosaythatyou'llgeta
veryniceinstrument.Furthermore,thedesignisveryforgiving:it'salmostimpossibletofail.

Soundstoogoodtobetrue?Don'ttakemywordforit,tryityourself!

The great thing about making your very own whistle is that you can get it exactly how you like it. You can
customise everything to suit your needs: hole placement, loudness, type of sound, tuning. Moreover, you can't
imagine the feeling when you realise that you've built an instrument that sounds better than several you nd in
shops!

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MaterialsandTools

HereisthelistofmaterialsandtoolsyouwillneedforaLowTechwhistleinthekeyofD:

about40cmofPVCpipe.Optimally,thebore(=internaldiameter)shouldmeasurebetween9and13mm.
Thepipethicknessmustnotexceed1.52mm.Athreemetrelengthcostme2Euros.

awoodenorplasticstickthathasthesamediameterastheboreofyourPVCpipe,orslightlymore.Plasticis
highlypreferable,asit'simpervioustomoisture.A1metrebeechwoodstickcostme0.5Euro.

scissors,oranotherpointedobject.1Euro.

mediumand/orfinegrainedsandpaper.1Euro.

acutter,oraverysharpsmallknife.1Euro.

ahacksaw,onebladeformetaland,ifpossible,oneforwood.Alternatively,akitchenjaggedknife.1Euro.

arulerthatmeasuresincmandmm.1Euro.

apencil.0.2Euro.

(optional)whiteglueandadhesivetape.1Euroforboth.

(optional)asmallfile.3Euro.

(recommended)awelltunedmusicalinstrumenttotuneyourwhistleagainstgoodmusicalear,orafriend
whohas.Ifyou'reaperfectionist(Iam),achromaticelectronictuner(around20Euro)oratunerprogram
forasmartphone.

Inadditiontothematerials,youwillneed:

averylittleamountofcraftsmanship.I'musuallyawkwardwhenitcomestomakingthings:ifIcanmakeit,
everybodycanmakeit!

atleastonehourofyourtime,andnorushing.Hastemakeswaste,badwhistles,andevenbleedingfingers.

Alloftheseitemsarecheapandcommonlyavailableathardwarestores.Craftsmanshipandpatiencearewithin
yourreachifyou're,say,12orolder.

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The PVC pipe I use has external diameter (e.d.) = 16 mm, bore = 13 mm, wall thickness <= 1.5 mm. It is used
for electrical conduits. I suggest that you do not use pipe with bore larger than 13--14 mm, unless you want to make
alto or low whistles.

It doesn't matter if you use different pipe: just make sure that you use thin (less than 2 mm) and stiff pipe. In
fact:

the wall thickness denes the quality of sound. More than, say, 1.7 mm will make the whistle too breathy;
soft or rubbery plastic will dampen the vibrations. As a result, the whistle will be too quiet or will sound dull.

I once thought that the material did not count that much, but evidence made me change my mind. Not all PVC
pipes are created equal. I obtain consistently better sounding whistles using one brand, but you'll get reasonably
good results with any brand of thin and stiff pipe.

Schedule 40 half-inch PVC pipe, commonly available in the U.S.A., might be too thick. Whistles made of this
pipe are playable, but very breathy. Luckily, there's a solution; please see Dealing with Thick Pipe. Schedule 200
irrigation pipe is probably a better choice. Thanks to Floyd Brigdon for this information.

People also reported that CPVC pipe, used for hot water plumbing, works well. It's available at Home Depot
and Lowe's stores.

In my opinion, using aluminium or copper pipe isn't worth the effort. They're much harder to work with, and you
basically can't make a whistle unless you have power tools. Besides, I was given a couple of ne home-made
aluminium whistles, and they sound exactly the same as my PVC whistles. (I expected them to be louder.)

Nowyou'rereadytotrythisathomebetter,inthegardenorwhereveritdoesn'tmatterifyoumakeabitofa
messwithPVCscrapsandsawdust.But,beware:

Hacksaws, scissors and cutters have sharp blades. If you don't pay attention, you may slice
your ngers: it hurts like hell. Take care, mind your ngers, wear protective gloves. And if you don't
believe me, then ask my left thumb.

Also, do not breathe wood and PVC sawdust: I'm pretty sure it's not healthy.

PVCHealthIssues

YoushouldbeawarethatPVCmightbedangerousforyourhealth.PleasehavealookattheWikipediapageon
PVC.

However,Italkedtoachemistfriendofmineandaskedforhisopiniononthematter.HesaidthatallPVC
pipessoldinItalyarechemicallyinert.Theymustbeextremelystable,astheymustlastdecadesembeddedin
walls.Therefore,it'sveryunlikelythatawhistlemadewiththisPVCwillreleasenastychemicals.

So,IassumethatusingPVCforwhistlesisprettysafe.Besides,allPVC,ABSandingeneralplasticwhistleson
themarketdon'tshipwithahealthcertificate,dothey?

HowtoGetyourFavouriteSound

Thefollowingfigureshowsthenamesofwhistleparts:

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Themostimportantpartofawhistleisthemouthpiece.Itsdimensionsdefinethesoundofthewhistle:

ashortmouthpiece(e.g.20mm)makesforahighlyresponsivewhistle,butconsumesslightlymoreair

alongmouthpiece(e.g.30mm)providessomebackpressureandneedslessair,butmakesthewhistleless
responsive

awidewindway(e.g.10mm)makesthewhistlelouder,thesoundbecomesabitbreathy,andmoreairis
needed

anarrowwindway(e.g.7mm)makesthewhistlequiet,thesoundbecomessweetandclear,andlessairis
used

ashortwindow(e.g.3mm)makesnotesinthesecondoctaveeasiertoplay,whilemakingfirstoctavenotes
softer

alongwindow(e.g.5mm)makesnotesinthefirstoctavemoresolid,butnotesinthesecondoctaveneed
somepush

tinyvariationsinthewindwayheighttenthofamm!haveadramaticeffectonthesound:thehigher,the
breathier.

Takethisinformationintoaccountwhenyoudecidewhatyourwhistlewillsoundlike.

Otherfactorsinfluencethewhistlevolume.Bigholesmakethewhistleloud,smallholesmakeitquiet.A
whistlewithasmallwindowandbigholeswillsoundlouderandsweeterthanawhistlewithabigwindowandsmall
holes.Blowingharderalsoincreasesthevolumeandsharpensthepitch!Whenyoutunethewhistle(seebelow),
you'llhavetodecidehowhardtoblowit.

Foranygivenpipebore,thelowerthekey(thatis,thelongerthepipe),thequieterthewhistle.Insteadofjust
enlargingthewindway,youshouldexperimentonthewidthtolengthratioofthewindow.Forexample,onaC
whistlean8x5mmwindowproducesamuchbettersoundthana10x4mmwindow.

MyfavouritesDwhistleshavea20mmlongmouthpieceanda7.5x4mmwindow.Thetoneissweet,the
volumeisfairlyloud,andthetwooctavesarewellbalanced.

TheArtofTuning

LetmestartthissectionwithawittyremarkbywhistleteacherBrotherSteve:

...in general, people with perfect pitch do not take up the tin whistle!

Thesameconceptisstresseduponbyarenownedflutemaker,DougTipple,whowritesinhisflutepages:

I believe that some people have unreasonable expectations about pitch

and intonation. They think that their $20 electronic tuner set to
equal-temperment is the gold standard and that any variation from
``dead-on'' pitch accuracy is not acceptable. To the contrary, my

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attitude with regard to flute performance is to lay perfectionism
aside and accept some variations in intonation as inescapable and
perhaps even a good thing.

Iquotethesewisewordscompletely.Infact:

Due to the physics of the instrument and the way it's played, cylindrical whistles cannot be exactly in tune. And
don't complain: uncorrected cylindrical utes are even worse, not to talk of bagpipes.

Firstofall,theplayer'sblowingpressurecanalterthepitchofanotebyathirdofatone,orevenmore.
Secondly,withcylindricalwhistlesthesecondoctaveisslightlyflatterthanthefirstoctave.Third,thewholetuning
isaffectedbyairtemperature.

Fourth,andthismaysoundstrangetoyou:afewnotesshouldbetunedpurposedlyflatterthantheir"right"
pitch(GandCsharponDwhistles,forinstance).Thiswaytheywillsoundbetter.It'sacomplexsubjectcalled
temperament.

Allthisblurbtosupportmyopinion:checkingeachnoteonachromatictunerisnotagreatdeal.Isuggestthat
youusethetunerforonlyonenote:thekeynoteofthewhistleinthesecondoctave.Forexample,thesecondDon
whistlesinthekeyofDyou'lltunetheothernotesbyear.Trustyourears!Takeyourfavouriteblowingpressure
intoconsideration,andwarmupthewhistleforatleast20secondsbeforehand.

Finally,bearinmindthathighpitchednotesstandoutmuchmorethanlowerpitchednotes.Whileflathigh
notessoundreallyhorrible,sharplownotesmaygonearlyunnoticed.Keepingallthisinmind,youmaywantto
tunethesecondoctaveD(ortheequivalentbasenote)justabitsharp,e.g.\5cents.Thesecondoctavewillsound
intune,thefirstoctavewillsoundslightlysharp.

WhistlePlans

Afirstapproximationoftheholepositionsisgivenbythefollowingtable.Itspecifiestheholepositionsasa
percentageoftheliptofootlength,calculatedfromseveralsopranoDwhistlesImade.Forexample,thefirstvalue
(42%)iscalculatedas:

distanceoffirstholefromthelip/liptofootdistance.

top hole 42-43%

2nd hole 50-51%
3rd hole 58-59%
4th hole 67-68%
5th hole 72-75%
bottom hole 83-84%

Thistableisjustaroughapproximation!Actualholepositionsmaydifferbyseveralmillimeters!Besides,
differenttablesapplyforsoprano,tenorandlowwhistles.AsfarasIknow,thereisno"perfect"formulaasthere
aremanyfactorsinvolved.

Inthefollowingplans,allmeasurementswerecalculatedforwhistleswhosecentralnoteisexactlyonpitch.
Unitismillimeters.ClickontheimagestodownloadaPDFversionoftheplan.

Ifyouwantasessiongradewhistleyoucanblowharder,add2mmtoeachfigure.Thatis,add2mm
tothewhistlelengthand2mmtothedistanceofeachholefromthelip.

Here'sammtoincheschart,kindlyprovidedbyStuartWier:

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Byrequest,hereisa"whistlechanter"inBb.Itisdesignedtobeplayedusingthesameclosedfingeringasa
GHBchanter:

(itsoundsawful:don'teventhinkaboutreplacingarealchanterwiththisuglything.)

ThesewhistlesinthekeyofDprovideanadditionalbottomholeforplayingCsharporCnatural.Beware:the
bottomDisweakerthaninastandardwhistle!

StartingfromthekeyofC,youwillwanttousepipeofwiderbore(Iswitchto20mme.d.pipe).
Conventionally,whistlesinthekeyofBbdowntoGarecalled"Altowhistles".Widerborewhistlesarelouderand
haveamuchstrongerbottomnote,ifyourigthefippleasexplainedinSectionRiggingtheFipple:

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StillwiderboreisrequiredforLowwhistles,whichconventionallystartfromthekeyofFdowntolowCoreven
Bb.Moreover,thewindowshouldbeenlargedabit.Iuse25mme.d.pipe.

Thefollowingtableprovidestheholepositionsforlowwhistles,asobtainedfrommylowD:

top hole 45%

2nd hole 52%
3rd hole 59%
4th hole 69%
5th hole 75%

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bottom hole 83%

ThispictureshowsalowC,alowD,andasopranoDwhistle:

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ThisisthefingeringchartforthemodelinthekeyofD(PDFversionhere):

Thesemeasurementsarenotcarvedinstone.Otherfactorsmayinfluencethetuning,suchaspipe
thickness,typeofPVC,windowsize.Pleasetakethemwithapinchofsalt.Inparticular:iftheboreofyourpipeis
lessthan13mm,thewhistlewillbeafewmillimeterslongerandviceversa.

Tosomeextent,theholepositionsanddiametersmayvary.I'llgiveyouthemeasurementsIchoseformyown
convenience,butfeelfreetoexperiment.Thebasicruleis:ifyoumoveaholeupwards(i.e.closertothe
mouthpiece),you'llhavetoreduceitsdiameterandviceversa.Thisruleallowsyoutoadjusttheholes'positionsin
ordertomakethewhistlemorecomfortabletoyourhands.Besides,ifyoumakeamistakepositioningaholeyou'll
beabletocorrectitbyvaryingitsdiameter.

Havealookatthesetwowhistles.Theyaretunedexactlythesame,butonehasasmallwindow,smallholes
andisevenshorterthantheother.It'saquietwhistle,andIcallitthe`lager'asopposedtothe`stout',thatisa
louderwhistle.Noticethattheholesareplaceddifferentlyineachwhistle.

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Lastly:yourfirstwhistlewillprobablytakemoretimetomakethanthesecond.Don'tworry,don'trush.Have
fun.

RollUpYourSleeves

ThefollowinginstructionsassumethatyouaregoingtomakeastandardwhistleinD,witha3cmlong
mouthpiece.Ifyouwanttomakeawhistleinadifferentkey,theonlydifferenceisthelengthoftheinitialPVC
piece.Forinstance,ifyouwanttomakeaCwhistle,thepipewillbe3.5cmlonger.

Pleasebearinmindthatboringtheholesistheeasiestpartofthejob.Thetrickypartismakingthe
mouthpiece!Also,donottakemeasurementsfromthepicturesusethedrawingsabove.

I suggest that you read all the instructions before you start. All pictures were taken during the actual
construction of a whistle.

Firstofall,youwillwanttomakesquarecuts.It'sfairlysimple:

1.Markthedistancewhereyouwillcutthepipe.

2.Rollsometapearoundthepipe,closetothemark.Makesurethetapeendsoverlapperfectly.Thetapewill
actasaguideline.

3.Startcuttingalongthetape,rollthepipeforwardabit,cutsomemore,andsoon.

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Andnow,goahead!

1.sawoffa30.5cmlongpieceofPVCpipe,a3cmlongpieceoutofthewoodenstick,anda3cmlongpiece
ofPVCpipe.Thesepieceswillbecomethewhistlebody,thefippleblock,andthewindwaytop.Whensawing
thefippleblockandthewindwaytop,makeoneendatanangleofapproximately45degreesorless.(Just
aimat45degrees,theangledoesn'treallymatter.)

AftersawingthePVCpiecestomeasure,makeallends,edgesandsidessmoothandwellpolished.

2.Usingthefileorthesandpaper,adjustthediameterofthefippleblockuntilitfitsperfectlyandwithverylittle
resistanceintooneendofthewhistlebody.Putspecialcareintomakingthefippleblockperfectlycylindrical!
Optionally,thetopcouldbeshapedasshowninthefigurebelow.Asindicated,donotbevelthefippleedge!
Thiswouldalterthesoundinahardtocontrolway.Bevellingthefippleisrequiredforaltoandlowwhistles,
notsopranos.Remember,thefippleblockisthemostimportantpieceofyourwhistle:thesoundquality
dependsonhowaccuratelyyoushapeit.Ifyoumakeitwrong,nevermind:tossitawayandmakeanother.

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Youmaymakethefippleblocktopparalleltothebottom,butifyoumakeittaperedasshownbythe
greenlineinthedrawingsomeBernoullieffectwilloccur.Thatis,theairflowwillacceleratenearthelip,
increasingthewhistleresponsivenessandloweringairrequirements.Itwillproducesomebackpressure,too.
Takecarenottobluntthefippleend!

3.Drawthewhistleaxis,i.e.alinefromoneendofthewhistlebodytotheother.Tryandmaketheaxis
perfectlyparalleltothesidesofthepipe.

4.Measure30mmfromoneendofthewhistlebodyalongtheaxis,andmarkthisdistancethendrawtwo
parallellines8mmor10mmapart.Sawoffa30x8mm(or30x10mm)section.Thisslotwillbecomethe
windwaytheshorterside(whichissomehowtrickytocut)willbecomethelip.It'sveryimportantthatthe
slotsidesbestraight.Donotexceedthesedimensions.

I'll remind you again here. 8 mm wide windway = small window = less air required, quieter and pure
sound; 10 mm wide windway = big window = more air required, louder and very slightly breathy sound. Your
choice.

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Again,makealledgesperfectlyclean.Itisessentialthatyoumaketheloweredgeofthelipaperfectly
cleanandevenarc.IfyouwishtoapplytheBernoullieffect,thesectiontocutoutshouldmeasure10(mouth
end)x8(lip)mm.

5.Cutoutasmallsectionoutoftheshortersideofthewindwaytop.Insertthefippleblocksothatitsendstays
45mmfromthelip.Snapthewindwaytopintoplace,makingsureitsendisexactlyabovethefippleblock
endoralittlemoreadvanced.Themouthpieceisnowreadytomakeasound.

Peekthroughthewindway:ifthefippleblockhasthecorrectsize,youshouldseeahairlinespacejust
belowthelipsay,thethicknessoftwoorthreesheetsofpaper.Ifyoudon'tseethislittlespace,the

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soundwillbeweaksandthetopofthefippleblockasneeded.Bewarenottosandtoomuch,orthewhistle
willconsumemoreairandthesecondoctavewillsoundharsh.Aslittleas1mmmaybetoomuch!

6.BlowgentlyandyouwillhearafeebleD.Blowharderandyou'llgetaflattishDoneoctavehigher.Sandthe
upperedgeofthelip:thewhistlesoundwillgrowcleanerandlouder.Thelowertheangle,thebettertryto
aimat30degreesorless.Therighttoolisatinyfilemadewithrolledupsandpaper.Donottouchthelower
edgeofthelip,whichshouldnotbecomesharp.

7.Adjustthewindowsizebymovingthefippleblockupordown.

8.It'snowtimetotunethewhistleatthisstageitshouldbeproducingaslightlyflatD.Coverthewindowwith
yourfingerandblowfor2030secondstowarmupthewhistle.Nowshortenituntilyoublowacorrect
secondoctaveD,cuttingoff1mmatatimefromthefoot.AsIexplainedabove,youmaywanttotunethis
note10centssharp.

9.Alongtheaxis,markthepositionsoftheholesatthedistancesindicatedinthefigureabove.

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10.Boretheholes,startingfromthebottomofthewhistle.Usethescissors'tip,twistingitinordertoremove
smallamountsofPVC.Workslowly.BlowandcheckeverynoteuntilitsoundsOKremembertocheckthe
notesonbothoctaves.Theelectronictunerhelpsalothere.You'llhavetomakeatradeoffbetweenthefirst
andthesecondoctaveEifthefirstisperfectlyintune,thesecondwillbeflat.Workoutanacceptablehole
diameter.

If you bore only the bottom three holes, and move the third hole to the back, you make a tabor pipe.

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11.Whenyouborethelasthole(theBhole),youhavethechancetochoosethefingeringforCnatural.Makethe
Bholeabitsmallerandyou'llgetCnaturalwithoxxoooenlargeitandCnaturalwillbeobtainedwithoxxxox.
Makeitrightandyou'llgetagoodCnaturalwithbothfingerings!

12.Sandthelowersideofthemouthpiecetomakeitevenandsmooth.

13.Thewhistleisalmostfinished.Now,giveitthefinishingtouches:makeallholesperfectlysmooth,sandthe
mouthpiecebottomside,andmakesurethereisnosawdustandPVCbitsleftinthemouthpiece.Ifyourpipe
isglossyandslippery,youmaywanttosanditusingextrafinegrainedsandpaper.

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14.You'vemadeit!Congratulations!Now,cleanupthemessandgoplayyourwhistleforawhile.Youmightfind
minortuningimperfectionsthatyoucancorrectlateron.

Youmaywanttomaketwowhistleswithdifferentsounds,whichIcallthe`stout'andthe`lager'.The`stout'
whistleisloud(windowdimensions:8x5mm),hassomebackpressureandisgoodforoutdoorsorsessionplaying.
The`lager'whistlehasamoredelicatesound(windowdimensions:7x3mm)anditgivesitsbestatplayingairs.

Togetahintoftheirvolumes,my`lager'isapproximatelyasloudasaSweetone,whilemy`stout'isalmost
asloudasaSusato.Butitstillsoundslikeawhistle...

Surely,nowyouwanttohearwhattheLowTechWhistlesoundslike.Thereyouareafewsoundclipsplease
don'texpectdazzlingvirtuosity,I'mjustabeginnerandIrecordedtheseinahurry...InsomecasesIskipped
repeats:

SiBheagSiMhor(160k),O'Carolantune,playedonthe"lager"whistle

BrosnaSlide(116k),slide

TheSwallowtail(76k),jig

TrippingUpTheStairs(72k),jig

ManoftheHouse(84k),reel

YaketyWhistle(140k)nothingoftheabove;-)

Branledel'Official(184k)(T.Arbeau),Cwhistle

PollHa'Penny,(212k)hornpipe,Bbwhistle

WillYeGoToFlanders,(400k)song,wideboreBbwhistle

TheFoggyDew,(384k)song,Awhistle

Inisheer,(240k)waltz,lowD

Noaudioeffectswereadded.

DealingwithThickPipe

AsIstatedabove,whenthepipeismorethan1.7mmthick,thesoundwillbecometoobreathy.Onepossible
solutionistomakethewindwaythinner.Thiscaneasilybedonebyglueingabitofplasticsheetunderthewindway
cap.Ifoundthatplasticobtainedfromnotebookcoversworksbest.

Cutoutarectanglethatisaswideasthecurvedwindway.Itcanbeaslongasthewindwaycap,butIsuggest
thatitbeshortertoproducesomeBernoullieffect.Trimthepartthatwouldextendoverthewindow.Ifyouneedto
finetunethewindwayheight,Teflontapeisrecommended.

Asimplerbutmoreeffectivesolutionismakethewindowsmaller,say6x5mm.ThankstoPhilHatmakerfor
thistrick.

AcompletelydifferentfippledesignisoutlinedbyR.JayGoosinhispage:http://rjaysplace.com/exofipple

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GroovedHoles

Inhisexcellent(flutepages,agentlemancalledRickMillersuggestsatechniqueforimprovingthefeelofaPVC
fluteunderone'sfingers.Histechniqueconsissinchamfering,i.e.groovingtheholes.

Itriedthistechinqueonmywhistles,withinterestingresults.Asshowninthepicture,Irolledsomefine
grainedsandpaperaroundalengthofpipe.ThenIusedthisroundfiletosandagroovecenteredaroundeachhole.
Thefingerpadsrestmorecomfortablyagainstthegroovedholes.

Asawelcomesideeffect,thetoneseemstoimproveabitduetosmootherholes.Tuningisnotaffected.

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RiggingtheFipple
Whenyoumakeanaltoorlowwhistle,thefippleandlipneedanimportantmodification:

youmaysharpentheloweredgeofthelip,too,tomakethesoundlessbreathy

thistimeyoumaybevelthefippleblock(seefigure)tomakethebottomnotesstronger.Thebevelingshould
notexceed1.52mmforaltos,23mmforlows.

ThesetrickswerekindlyprovidedbyJemHammond.Thanks!

MakeitTuneable
Makingawhistletunableisstraightforward.ThereareseveralwaysIuse:aquickanddirtyhack,andtwo
``professional''methods.Othermethodsinvolvehotairgunsorboilingwater,whichmayworkonsomepipes.It
didn'tworkonthePVCpipesItried,butyoumightbeluckier.HereiswhatIdo:

UsingPosterPutty

Thismethodisonlyeffectiveifyourwhistleisslightlysharptobeginwith.

WhileplayingaG,slowlyslideyourfingeroverthewhistlewindow.Thesoundwillgoflat,thenthevolumewill
starttodecrease.Modifyingthewindowsizeisthesimplestwaytotuneawhistle.

Usingasmallballofposterputtytopartlycoverthewindowwilldothetrick:

UsingaTunerPipe

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Withabitofluck,youshouldbeabletofindsomeplasticpipewithboreequaltotheouterdiameterofyour
whistle.Cutouta3or4cmlongpiece,whichweshallcallthetunerpipe.Thenhighlytraumaticmoment!saw
yourwhistleintwoparts,halfwaybetweenthelipandtheuppermosthole.Insertthetwowhistlepartsinthe
tuner:iftheyfittightly,you'redoneotherwise,rollsomeadhesivetapearoundthewhistleends.Iactuallyglue
theupperpartandtapeonlythelowerpartforbetterstability.

Pipeconnectorsareusuallyavailableforanypipesize.ItriedwiththeonesavailableinItalybuttheydidn't
workwellforme,becausetheyhaveslightlyconicalbore.Again,youmightbeluckierthanme.

UsingAcetone

ApieceofPVCpipecanbesoftenedandexpandedbysoakingitinacetone.A1litrecanofacetonecosts
around5Euro.

Acetone is a nasty solvent! Usual safety rules apply. Don't breathe it and keep it away from
ames.

Afterhalfanhourormoreinacetone,PVCturnstosoftrubberandexpands.Whenthepipehasexpanded
enough,washitunderrunningwater,thenfitanotherpieceofpipeintheexpandedsection.Irecommendthatyou
applysomecorkgreaseand/orwrapsomepaperaroundthepipe.

IttakesseveralhoursforPVCtohardenandshrinkbackabit,possiblyuptotwodaysorevenmore.Atthe
endoftheprocess,youwillgetatightfitbetweenthetwoparts.Oneofthemwillbecomethewhistlehead,the
otherthewhistlebody.Neverleavethetwopartsseparatedforlong,becausetheexpandedsectionmayshrinktoo
much.

Applysomecorkgreaseagain,andenjoyyourtunablewhistle.Also,bearinmindthatacetoneremoves
plumbingmarksquiteeasily.

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TipsandTricks
ReducingBuildingTime
Ispendmostofthetimeshapingthefippleblock.Ifyoumanagetofindwooden(orplastic)sticksthathave
thesamediameterasthebore,you'llsaveyourselfalotofwork.Youmayaskacarpenterwhohasaturninglathe.

Furthermore:ifyouhaveadrillpressandtherightbitsforwood,boringtheholeswillbeamatterofminutes.
Theslowerthedrill,thebettertheholes.

ToGlueorNottoGlue
Themouthpieceholdstogetherevenifyoudonotgluethefippleblockandthewindwaytop.Onceyou've
playedthewhistleforawhileandaresatisfiedwithitssound,youmaygluethefippleblockintoplacebutifyou
don't,you'llbeabletoadjustthefippleblockpositionasneeded.

Istronglysuggestthatyoudonotgluethewindwaytop.Bymovingitclosertothelip,you'llbeabletomake
thewhistlequietermovingitfartherwillmakethesoundbreathy.

PreventingCondensationBuildUp
Thecurvedwindwayis,bydesign,lessaffectedbythewellknownmoistureeffect.Ihaveneverhadoneofmy
whistlescloggedbycondensation,butthewoodenfippleblockdoesabsorbsomemoisture.Asaresult,thespace
underthelipspacereducesandthewhistlesloosesvolume.

Theproblemiseasilysolvedifyouapplysomecorkgreaseonthefippleblocktop.Corkgrease,commonly
usedforwoodwinds,ischeapandisavailableatanymusicstore.Removethewindwaytop,greasethefippleblock,
thenputthewindwaytopbackon.

Abettermethodisboilingthefippleblockinmeltedcandlewaxforafewminutes.Airandhumiditywillbe
replacedbythewax,whichisimpervioustomoisture.Ifyouchoosethismethod,beware:sometypesofwoodwill
shrink!Thiscanbeanadvantageandsaveyousomesanding.

OneHead,TwoWhistles
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Thesamemouthpiececanbeusedfortwowhistles,oneinDandoneinC:

Troubleshooting+FAQ
AlthoughIbetyourfirstwhistlewillbeaperfectlyplayableinstrument,errorsmightoccuroryoumaywantto
makesomeimprovements.Thesearethemostcommoncases.

Thesoundistooweak

Mostlikely,thereisnotenoughspaceunderthelip.Pleasecheckiffippleblockhasthecorrectsizeasshown
inthisfigure.

Perhapsthewindowistoosmall?Donotmakethelipnarrowerthan6mm,unlessyouwantawhistlefor
playingatnightwhilepeoplesleep.

Istheboreatleast9mm?

Didyousharpenthelipright?Ifyousharpenedtheloweredgeofthelip,you'llhavetobluntitslightlywith
finegrainedsandpaper.

DidyoublowsawdustandPVCbitsoutofthewindway?

Loweroctavenotesflipintothesecondoctavetooeasily

Thefippleblockistooclosetothelip.Movethefippleblockandthewindwaytopabitfartheraway.

Secondoctavenotesareshrillandflipintothefirstoctave

Mostlikely,thefippleblockistoofarfromthelip.Movethefippleblockandthewindwaytopclosertothelip.

Therecouldbetoomuchspaceunderthelip.Checkitoutifitisthecase,replacethefippleblock.

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SecondoctaveDandEtendtoflipafifthhigher

Mostlikely,thefippleblockistooclosetothelip.Eitheradjustthedistancebetweentherfippleblockandthe
lip,oremploysomebreathcontrol.

Thelipmightbetoosharp.Tryandbluntitabit.

ThewhistleisOK,butthebottomDistooquietandabitflat

Youneedtoenlargethefootasshowninthefigurebelow:

Removejustalittle,checkthebottomnote,andrepeatifneeded.Youmayliketocutthefootsothatits
sectionbecomesanellipseinsteadofacircle.

Thewhistleistunedabitflat

Shortenthewhistleuntilthebottomnotesoundsright,thenenlargetheholesasneededtoadjustthetuning.
Startfromthebottomholes.Asasideeffect,thewhistlewillalsobecomelouder.

AllnotesareOK,butthefirstoctaveEistooquiet

Thebottomholeistoosmall.I'mafraidthisistheonlymistakethatmayforceyoutomakeanotherwhistle.
Ifyouenlargethehole,you'llincreasethevolumeoftheEnotebutalsoaffectthetuning.

HowdoIcutthe45angleforthefipple/pipe/cap?

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IwishIcouldget1Euroeachtimepeopleaskme.

Simpleanswer:justtry.Goodol'trialanderror.There'snotrick!

Mypipeisthicker/wider/narrower
Ifyoucan'tfindPVCpipehavingtheverysamegeometryasmine,don'tworry:

whistlesmadewiththickerpipewillsoundveryslightlyflat.Enlargethefingerholes,ormovethem
downwards

whistlesmadewithwiderpipewillbeshorterthanindicatedintheplans.Findouttherightlength,then
recalculatetheholepositions

whistlesmadewithnarrowerpipewillbelongerthanindicatedintheplans.Findouttherightlength,then
recalculatetheholepositions.

Whataboutathumbhole?
Inmyopinion,it'sadumbidea.

Athumbholeisusedinrecorderstogetnotesinthehighregister,butwhistlesaresmarterinthisrespect:just
blowharder.Athumbholeiscompletelyredundantinawhistle.So,whybother?

Itsoundsabitlikearecorder
Excellent!Aren'tyouhappy?

Seriously,ifyourwhistlehasarecorderishsound,allyouhavetodoisslightlybluntthelip.

Couldyouexplainbetterhowto...
Sorry,Ican't.

ItriedtowritetheinstructionsasclearlyasIcould,butIhaveonlyalimitedcommandoftheEnglish
language,andI'mafraidIcan'texplainhowtomakeawhistleanybetterthanIdid.(Cometothinkofit,Icouldn't
writebetterexplanationsinmynativelanguage(Italian),either.)

Toputitbluntly:ifyoudon'tunderstandsomething,tough!Youshouldseekhelpfromwhistleforums,suchas
aChiffandFipple.Besides,thepurposeofthisguideistoencourageeveryonetoexperiment,nottoencourage
everyonetoaskme...

CanImakeafluteusingyourwhistleplans?
Sureyoucanbutyouwillgetaverypoorflute.UnlessitiscorrectedusingaspecialdevicecalledtheFajardo
wedge,cylindricalpipeisnotgoodfortransverseflutesorfifesthesecondoctavesoundstooflat.

Goodmanual,butIstillhaveaquestion
Everynowandthen,peopleaskmehowtomakeawhistlethatplaysintheGyzragyanorPutzyculianscaleor
howtoimplementalternativefippledesignoraboutverylongorthickpipe,hyperbasswhistles,alternative
materials,whistlelikeinstruments,ortosolveweirdproblems,andsoonsoforth.

Ifit'snotalreadyexplainedinthisguide,I'mafraidI'mtotallyhelpless!Pleasedon'texpectmetobeaguru
withtheultimatequestiontoeveryaspectofinstrumentmaking.I'mjustapoorladwhohappenedtowritea
simplehowtoguide,butthat'sall.:-)

Whyareyougivingawayyourinstructions?
Or,assomepeopleputit:``Excellentinstructions,whydidn'tyoupatentyourbuildingmethod?''

Patentingthewhistle?Areyoukidding?

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Ibelievethatsharingisoneofthethingsthatmakethisworldalessfilthyplace.Ihaveasteadyjobthanksto
allthosegenerousgeniuseswhowroteGNU/Linuxandfreesoftwareingeneral(I'masystemmanager)andshared
itonthenet.IjustgavebackalittlefractionofwhatIreceived.

Theveryideaofpatentingthewhistlemakesmesickwithlaughter!

Let'sPlayIt
Nowthatyouhaveawhistle,it'stimetoplaysomemusic.Beingabeginner,IturnedtotheInternetfor
tutorialsandcollections.Therearelotsofsitesdedicatedtothewhistle!

Ifoundthefollowingtutorialsveryuseful:

BrotherSteve'stinwhistlepages

TinWhistleLessonsbyRyanDuns

Next,Idownloadedexcellenttunecollectionsfromthesesites:

SlowPlayers

TheSession

MosttunecollectionsarewritteninABC.IfyouwanttoknowmoreabouttheABCmusicnotation,pleaserefer
totheseofficialsites:

theabcmusicalnotationlanguage

TheABCMusicproject

TheABCPlusproject

Imaintainthelattersite,whereyoucanfindreadytousesoftwareanddocumentation.

FinalWords
SinceIpublishedthisguideonthenet,Ihavereceivedalotoffeedback.Itlookslikemyinstructionswork!
HereiswhatKyleStuartfromCaliforniawroteme:

Guido: I just want to thank you for posting the directions on making the low
tech whistles. On my third try, I was able to produce a magic whistle in the
key of soprano D. This whistle cost less than a dollars worth of materials
and is far superior to ANY whistle I have ever purchaced. And I have bought
quite a few.

(Reproducedbykindpermission.Thanks!)

IhadnodoubtsaboutthequalityofthesoundoftheLTW,butnowIhaveaconfirmation.Pleasereadthe
reviewavailableathttp://www.tinwhistler.com/music/reviews/srcreview.asp?keyword=lotech.Manythankstothe
WanderingWhistlerforthereview.

AreviewofmyLowTechLowDwaspublishedonChiffandFipple.

Also,IwasflatteredwhenKeithandSandrafromCanadawrotethefollowing:

I'm *shocked* at your suggestion I should tell my friends I'm playing

"a piece of electrical conduit". They and I already refer to your
progeny as "The White Lady of Verona". She is never far from my lips.
She is so shapely, light and responsive; even more so after a few
minutes of warming up... She loves to play and has captured my heart
and mind. I can't keep my hands off her...

(Reproducedbykindpermission.Thanks!)

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Pleaseletmeknowwhatyouthinkofthistutorialsuggestionsarealwaysmorethanwelcome.Andifyou
makeawhistleyoulike,I'llbegladtohearit!

Alltheinformationinthisguidemaybefreelyusedforanypurpose.Ifyousellwhistlesyoumakeusingmy
directions,goodforyou!ButIaskyoutoplayfairandgivemepropercredit.Pleasepointyourcustomerstothis
page...andsendmeoneofyourwhistlesformycollection.

MissionAccomplished!(Forreal!)
WayneHubinfromWatertown,Minnesota,wrotemesomeofthemostrewardingfeedbackIcouldhopefor:

I'm sending this note to thank you for the whistle design and detailed
and comprehensive instructions provided on your web site. I work with orphan
children in Russia with a team of Americans that I lead each year. We do
many things with the children and this year one of the projects I wanted to
do was whistles for the kids (65). Imagine my delight when I came across
your web site. In short, I ended up making 80 whistles (4 models) and had
the children complete and decorate them at the orphanage. Trust me it was
quite a chorus. I also made 6 different models for my own use as well.
Thank you for making this project possible.

DravenBlazefromKentuckymovedmetotearsashewrote:

Thank you so much for being so generous as to go through the though and
effort to learn how to make the LTW and then give the instructions away.you
have given this disabled Veteran an activity that i can do with my kids
where I'm unable to others.Words can't say how much you have made me happy.

ThisistheultimaterewardIcouldeverdreamof!

Whistlemakingatthe"GrandkidsWeek".BykindpermissionofJimBerry,theprettygirls,andtheirmoms.

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WhistlemakingatAuriville,India".BykindpermissionofJuliusSchretzmann.

Tocontactme,dropmeanemail:guido.gonzato (at) gmail.com

FiguresweredrawnwithXFig.

ProofreadingkindlyprovidedbySimonBidlakecorser.

ThisdocumentisreleasedunderCCBYNCND3.0license,

Lastupdated:October3,2016

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