The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #99836   Message #1995025
Posted By: Rowan
12-Mar-07 - 11:53 PM
Thread Name: Plug That Trad Instrument In!
Subject: RE: Plug That Trad Instrument In!
There is also a transducer that can be used on whistles; Barb Scott had one of her whistles fitted with one when playing with Flying Pieman. Although it amplified the whistle quite a lot (so she wasn't drowned out by fiddles with pickups and concertinas with mics etc) I couldn't say it did much for the tone; some might say a D Generation wouldn't have enough tone to notice any difference, but I'll let the whistlers argue over that.

The same sort of transducer could be fitted into the head joint of flutes and clarinets, I guess, but my experience of players is they'd regard such fitting as a travesty and not countenance it on any instrument worth playing. Some might go to the extent of getting a new head joint made so that it could be fitted with such a transducer; others would regard the original head joint as such an integral part of the instrument's tone that it would defeat their purpose.

And some instruments are one-offs not just in the timbral sense but also in the mechanical; I've not yet met any players of the pipes and the older Irish flutes who'd give you tuppence for the notion of modifying their instrument.

Some "Trad Intruments" are just not part of the electronic age.

Cheers, Rowan