The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #38954 Message #649260
Posted By: JohnInKansas
13-Feb-02 - 02:10 PM
Thread Name: I have a pennywhistle
Subject: RE: I have a pennywhistle
bet,
I've "played with" p-whistles some, and have my own "crackpot" theory that lots of the instruction books just don't understand how they work.
The length of the instrument - which you control by how many holes are tightly covered, makes the instrument "want to" sound a certain note. You can also force it to sound any harmonic of that note - which is how you get the upper octave.
Most books say that you "blow harder" to get the upper register. This will usually work, but there is a better way.
If you can control your "mouth volume" so that (without the p-whistle) you would "whistle" the note you want, you can guide the instrument into the harmonic you are trying to play, without significantly altering how hard you blow.
It does take a little more pressure to play the high notes, since a higher frequency sound simply "contains" more energy at the same loudness - but that's unnecessary physics.
Especially on the low D, it may take a conscious effort to "open up" the mouth space enough to avoid breaking into a harmonic. If the low D is below the lowest note you can "whistle" you may find it somewhat tough to get into, but with practice it will come.
Using the secondary "mouth resonance" is not too essential if the note you are trying to play is at a higher pitch than your "whistle tone," but if it is at a lower pitch, the coupled pitch of the mouth will "try" to make the pipe pitch break to a higher harmonic.
Note: musicians (clarinet, saxophone, flute, oboe etc) have been touting this theory for centuries. Physicists mostly say it's nonsense - but those are the ones who don't play instruments.
John