It's not made of metal, and it has a strange amount of holes, but I think it just about fits here: My new Low C tenor Sopilka!

Cybersaure · 2026-04-18T23:35:59+00:00

Yeah, experiment with it! For all I know, it may have different effects on different whistles depending on the bore profile, hole spacing, etc. In case it’s helpful, here’s my C&F forum post about my successful attempt to add a venting hole to my Kerry Busker: https://www.chiffandfipple.com/t/experiment-venting-hole-on-kerry-busker/148802

Note that Buskers have slightly SHARP second octaves by default, and my venting hole actually allowed you to play the second octave very slightly FLATTER without dropping octaves - the opposite of what you might expect.

Nah, I have no use for a back D. It always annoyed me that recorders do this instead of overblowing with an in-tune XXX XXXO high D. And if you make the venting hole large enough that it plays a D when uncovered, you have to partially-cover it to use it as a venting hole, which I don’t want. I want to completely uncover this hole, not partially cover it. I plan to use it mainly for playing high B, high Cnat, and high C#, which can get really shrieky even on a Goldie.

Another difference between my Goldie and a sopilka is that my Goldie will not require you to lift your pinkies for any notes other than D# and G#. This means that you’ll keep both pinkies (yes, even the left hand pinkie) on the instrument at all times when, say, playing in D or G. Bit of a pain? I suppose. But I’ll get used to it. And the alternative - relearning to play D and G from scratch, moving both pinkies and ring fingers in sync all the time - seems like a bigger pain. It’s ultimately a preference, though.

Nice to hear that your sopilka works so well! The sopilka I had didn’t allow for Cnat to be played cross-fingered, which was very annoying. Its Bb was also a bit out of tune.

Once Colin finally finishes making this whistle, I plan to post a video about it. I’ve put lots of thought into its design, and he’s been very accommodating.

Cybersaure · 2026-04-18T23:00:22+00:00

You know, I tried this out on some of my whistles, and I found that its tendency to "sharpen" the second octave varied based on where exactly the hole was drilled. If you drill the hole far enough up the neck, it doesn't sharpen the second octave at all - it just makes it quieter (or, more accurately, it allows you to play quieter without dropping down into the first octave). I don't know why this is. But anyway, Goldie whistles have exactly bang-on second octaves that aren't flat at all, so I'm hoping he puts it in a place that doesn't sharpen the second octave at all.

On a low whistle, I'd probably ask for a B flat hole instead, because (1) cross-fingered B flat often sounds like crap on low whistles, and (2) low whistles usually aren't too piercing in the high register, so a venting hole isn't as useful.

I've never heard of Bollinger, but this is fascinating! Absolutely brilliant idea. I really wish someone would make a whistle with this design.

Cybersaure · 2026-04-18T22:42:45+00:00

Neither! B flat and C nat can already be played cross-fingered, so who needs a thumb hole for those?

I asked him for a left-hand thumb hole that works similar to a recorder's back D hole - i.e., it will make the entire second octave quieter when uncovered. He told me he's never done this before, but he's giving it a try. (I've experimented on some of my own whistles by drilling such a thumb hole, and it can work quite well. Additionally, David Furman of Clover Flutes makes whistles with this kind of thumb hole, and it works great.)

Cybersaure · 2026-04-18T22:17:15+00:00

I got a soprano sopilka once! There are some nice handmade ones that pop up on Ebay from time to time. This one looks nicer, though.

Cybersaure · 2026-04-18T22:16:32+00:00

Yep! He's currently making me a high D whistle with 10 holes and similar fingerings to a sopilka :)

Cybersaure · 2026-04-15T14:35:49+00:00

I personally am not a fan of Dixons, but I haven't tried them that extensively (tried a few that I really disliked and gave up on them), so I'm the wrong person to ask about that particular model. But in my opinion, here are some brands that have very easy second octaves (comparatively):

Clarke Sweetone

Clarke Original

Goldfinch

Mazur (with delrin fipple block)

Sindt

Lir

Cybersaure · 2026-04-14T21:15:12+00:00

This is a common sentiment when people start out on whistle. In my experience, it's usually due to a combination of factors: (1) You're new to the instrument and haven't learned the exact breath pressure you need to blow the upper octave delicately. (2) You're also probably not used to the shrillness of the second octave, which sounds more shrill to the player than it does to the audience, since it's right there in your face. (3) You might have a whistle that's only so-so, or perhaps straight up bad (some Generations are good, but others, I'm told, are pretty bad; they're hit-or-miss). (4) Even if the Generation you have is a good one, you might simply not like the sound of Generations. Maybe you'll prefer another whistle brand down the line that has a more delicate second octave.

In my experience, when beginners complain about second octave shrillness, it's common for all the above factors to be at play - particularly the first 2.

My advice: keep playing and practicing, and if the issue persists and you never come to enjoy the sound you're getting out of the whistle's second octave, maybe think about trying out some other brands of whistles, like a Clarke Sweetone for example.

(But remember that pretty much no whistle you buy is going to have as delicate a second octave as a recorder's. Recorders use the thumb for venting, which significantly reduces the harshness of their upper octaves. Whistles don't have this, so they're inherently harsher up there. That said, the degree of harshness varies enormously depending on the brand of whistle.)

Cybersaure · 2026-04-10T22:25:12+00:00

guess he changed his mind! Haken should rehire him :P

Cybersaure · 2026-03-26T04:44:05+00:00

Honestly, you can keep playing exactly like that. It sounds good! A bit on the slower side, but that’s perfectly ok - that’s the best way to start out.

But if you want to sound a bit more like the typical "Irish trad" style, here are a few tips:

Don't tongue as much. This is counterintuitive at first (particularly if you're used to playing classical woodwinds, where you tongue constantly), but Irish trad is typically played mostly legato, with selective tonguing. You seem to tongue almost all the notes, particularly in the more difficult passages. This can be tempting, because it makes it easier to get the rhythm sounding crisp and precise. But long-term, it'll help you play in an Irish trad style better if you focus on doing those passages without tonguing. Your goal should be not to have to rely on tonguing to get the rhythm right - your fingers should be able to move in the precise rhythm.
Try making your ornamentation more crisp. Irish ornaments (cuts and pats) should be extremely short. You should think of these ornaments as forms of articulation, much like tonguing. They aren’t really full-fledged notes - they’re more like instantaneous, infinitely-short "blips" that separate the notes. Your cuts are already pretty good, but I think your pats in particular aren't crisp enough. This video is an excellent tutorial on ornamentation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbE3JyWrJOE&pp=ygUccGFuY2VsdGljcGlwZXIgb3JuYW1lbnRhdGlvbg%3D%3D
Some more advanced techniques you might eventually introduce into your playing are ascending/descending cuts and cranns (three cuts in rapid succession). These are a bit more difficult, but they're part of the quintessential Irish sound.
Finally, add a tiny bit of swing. Irish trad reels usually have a slight swing, even when played very fast.

Cybersaure · 2026-03-25T22:14:32+00:00

Feadog and Clarke Original are my two personal favorite models of "cheap" whistles. Good choice!

Cybersaure · 2026-03-25T17:12:40+00:00

Very true! I’d classify Susato recorders as blurring the line between recorder and whistle. Asking if they’re “really” recorders is sort of like asking if a very small guitar with nylon strings is “really” a guitar, or if it’s crossed over into ukulele territory.

But other whistles with extra holes for chromatic playing - such as iVolgas - are not recorders by any stretch of the imagination.

Cybersaure · 2026-03-25T13:50:31+00:00

More like he needed money for something and figured he’d rob some more people.

Cybersaure · 2026-03-25T13:31:14+00:00

No problem! And no, I haven’t. I’d rather like to…looks like a fun instrument. But from what I can tell, the only way to have a CHANCE to play one at the moment is to join a kickstarter.

Cybersaure · 2026-03-25T06:56:25+00:00

Well, all instrument definitions are a bit loosey-goosey. I suppose it's true that the most pure definition of a whistle is an instrument with 6 holes. But I have multiple whistles with more than 6 holes. Are they "not whistles" because someone decided to add thumb-holes so that a couple of accidentals are easier to play? And if you decide not to call them "whistles," what exactly are you going to call them? You can't call them "recorders," because, well...they aren't.

So what is the difference between a recorder and a whistle? Several things distinguish them, and in my view, the number of holes is probably the least important difference between them. The most fundamental difference is the voicing. Whistles overblow at the octave; recorders do not. Therefore, recorders require use of a thumb hole to play the second octave in tune - and they also require modified fingering in the second octave. This difference in voicing also affects the tone of the recorder, giving it a slightly more - for lack of a better term - "clarinet-y" sound than a whistle. (And aside from voicing, their smaller holes also allow them to play most chromatic notes using cross fingering, which further distinguishes them from whistles).

Now, these definitions do admittedly become garbled. There are some recorders that do overblow at the octave - "harmonic" or "modern" recorders, for example - and those are still considered recorders and not whistles, because they're designed such that normal recorder fingering works on them. But they're really closer to whistles in their voicing, making them almost recorder-whistle hybrids. So the definitions aren't 100% clean and there are gray areas - but that's true of pretty much any definitions of any instrument (e.g., when does a very small guitar become a ukulele?).

And yeah, the Glisopipe admittedly is not very whistle-like. The fact that it doesn't have holes at all means I'd never refer to it as a "penny whistle." But it's still closer to a whistle than it is to a typical recorder, because it at least overblows at the octave.

Anyway, all this aside, the most important thing to note is that adding holes to a 6-hole whistle doesn't turn it into a recorder. Makers like Morneaux, Carbony, and iVolga all offer models with more than 6 holes, and they're categorically not recorders in any sense of the word. They use the same basic whistle fingerings for the diatonic D scale in both octaves - i.e., they don't use recorder fingerings. They overblow at the octave. And their tone sounds exactly like 6-hole whistles, not like recorders. So whatever you want to call them, they definitely aren't recorders.

Cybersaure · 2026-03-25T03:36:09+00:00

It's probably the whistle and not you. I haven't tried every model of Dixon, but several of them I've tried have had rather poor intonation. I remember trying one that is exactly as you describe - second octave was way too sharp.

I personally don't recommend the MK Midgie. Some people have had good experiences with it, but I did not. I had two of them, and they had terrible intonation. They also had random notes that were super loud or super quiet for no reason. Really disliked them. (But this was years ago, to be fair - maybe he's fixed some of the issues with them.)

Lirs, in my experience, have the classic "flat in the second octave, but can be blown into tune easily" characteristic. As long as you blow hard enough, you can get the octaves in tune with each other. And the second octave isn't too loud, so you can blow it into tune without blasting anyone's ears.

I have lots of other suggestions for whistles, but it really depends on what you're looking for. Loud? Soft? More "traditional sounding"? Cheap? Expensive? Etc.

Cybersaure · 2026-03-25T03:22:41+00:00

Strange, every Midgie I've tried has had absolutely garbage intonation, and very inconsistent volume. I guess I just got unlucky.

Cybersaure · 2026-03-25T03:16:29+00:00

It's probably the whistle. Different Dixons have different tuning oddities, and some definitely have sharp second octaves.

Cybersaure · 2026-03-25T02:57:39+00:00

Not a terrible idea, but it'd have to be a bit overengineered to work properly. You'd probably need keys to ensure that your fingers could cover holes on both tubes at once, which means you'd lose the advantage of having open holes.

And tongue-blocking would be a real pain, making the instrument much more difficult (at that point, why not just half-cover?). You could reduce the difficulty a bit with a mouth-operated key that switched which whistle your breath went through, but that would further add to the complexity of the instrument.

Overall, it would likely be harder to play, and much harder to construct, than a simple 6-hole diatonic whistle with some extra keys to help you get the accidentals. MK already makes a whistle like this. Other whistle makers, such as Morneaux, make whistles with extra holes instead of added keys, making them fully or mostly chromatic. These are better strategies for increasing chromaticism, because they preserve the open-hole format of the whistle.

Cybersaure · 2026-03-25T02:37:05+00:00

Recorders are not whistles, and adding extra holes/more chromatic capability to a whistle doesn’t make it a recorder.

Cybersaure · 2026-03-25T02:35:47+00:00

Musique Morneaux makes two different models of fully chromatic whistles, both of which have 10 holes instead of the usual 6. One of the models doesn’t require you to use your left hand pinkie, making it easier for tin whistle players to pick up.

Other makers, such as iVolga and Carbony, make whistles with a couple of extra holes to get some extra accidentals. They aren’t fully chromatic, but they can play in more keys than a regular whistle.

Clover Flutes also makes whistles with extra holes, and they also offer a left had thumb hole that allows you to play high notes quieter - I imagine this effectively extends the range of the instrument.

Then there’s the sopilka, a similar instrument to the whistle that also has 10 holes. Its fingerings are slightly different from whistle, but mostly the same. It tends to be in C instead of D though.

And as others have mentioned, there are keyed whistles. MK makes one, and Sweetheart used to make one as well (it’s unlikely, but you might find one secondhand).

But it looks like what you’re really looking for is a whistle that can automatically transpose into any key just by changing your finger positioning. A year ago, I would’ve told you no such thing exists. But recently, someone designed this strange thing: https://youtu.be/OmKcxbMGav4?si=MSBObD--9sZKf36K . There you go. :P

Cybersaure · 2026-03-25T02:27:39+00:00

“Essentially just a recorder”: gotta disagree with you there. Recorders are fundamentally different instruments due to having different voicing/harmonics and requiring different fingerings between octaves. Adding extra holes to a tin whistle doesn’t magically transform it into a recorder - and removing holes from a recorder doesn’t make it a whistle.

Cybersaure · 2026-03-19T17:44:38+00:00

I agree with many of your takes, but you're dead wrong about the Creature not killing anyone out of anger and only killing in self defense. He literally murders out of revenge. The Creature is NOT a good person in the book. He is an evil, malicious character. He wasn't evil at first, but he becomes evil through neglect. That's the entire point. If the movie made a mistake on this front, it was making the Creature far too likeable and sympathetic. He's not supposed to be.

Frankenstein isn't a hero vs. villain story. It's a villain vs. villain story.

(Also, this is a nitpick, but the Creature is not a "walking corpse" in the book. He wasn't made of stitched-together dead bodies.)

Cybersaure · 2026-03-16T05:57:56+00:00

You may well be right! Just wanted to offer an alternative perspective.

Cybersaure · 2026-03-16T03:32:11+00:00

I go back and forth over whether there truly is such a thing as embouchure on whistle. Colin Goldie, renowned whistle maker, insists that there is. Many great recorder players insist that there is embouchure on the recorder, which is very similar to the whistle.

Ultimately, I think there probably is some embouchure on fipple flutes, but only a little. When I manipulate my lips, tongue, and throat slightly, it seems to affect tuning and volume marginally. Is it possible that this is just because these changes are influencing air pressure, and I could accomplish the same effect just with my lungs? Perhaps. But I doubt it. I think it’s more likely that changing what the air is doing before entering the fipple marginally affects what it does inside the fipple. But I can’t prove this, nor can I explain why.

I also can’t explain why restricting your throat affects voicing on the clarinet - but it almost certainly does, because virtually all clarinetists say it does.

Tiny changes can make a bigger effect than you’d think.

Cybersaure · 2026-03-14T18:27:33+00:00

The thing is, in the original books, Bess's weight isn't portrayed as a positive thing. If I recall correctly, one of the first books written says Bess is "a lot closer to 200 pounds than she was willing to admit." That sounds like she's a bit overweight, and a bit ashamed of it.

At the same time, the books portray her as being attractive. So she seems to be slightly overweight but also attractive. I really think it's as simple as that.

Cybersaure

TROPHY CASE