How to Tweak your Tin Whistle / Pennywhistle Part 1 - Blu Tack on The Mouthpiece

The first of my series of tweaking videos. This is Part 1 : Blu Tack on The Mouthpiece
COMING SOON
Part 2 : Wrapping the bore with metal wire
Part 3 : Shortening the bore
Part 4 (maybe) : Weighting the mouthpiece
Part 5 (maybe) : Tuning the toneholes
This channel is all about playing blues and blues based styles on the tin whistle / penny whistle. It's my firm belief that the whistle has been overlooked as blues instrument and it's time to make that right! Subscribe to this channel for more performances and tuition videos.
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[@cheshirebowman4465]

You are an absolute goddess. I had a Bb whistle that I just could not get right on one note in particular. I packed the whistle as you said and with slight adjustment it now plays like a dream. In fact I haven't put it down since I adjusted it. Top lady, thank you so much. Look forward to your other videos. 👍

[@peterdewit7638]

Nice.

[@Sydella3]

This video is so helpful!! Your a genius!! Thank you!!

[@BluesTinWhistle]

Great. Hope you got a good result.

[@sabrinaohagan2480]

You’re a genius. Thank you for showing me this amazing trick.

[@BluesTinWhistle]

Happy to help! I'm so glad it's made a difference to you

[@joedee1863]

Have you ever tried modeling clay that sets hard like ceramic ? It can be filed very smooth. I have thought about making a complete flute and fipple with modern self- curing modelling clay. If you did it i would buy them from you. I'm just so busy doing other stuff these days. Love your channel, please play more blues and jazz. I would love to jam with you some time as some of my pieces require 2 flute players. I am working on compisitions for a whole band of 20 flutes to sound like a fairground organ. With drums, cymbals the whole shebang. Imagine Radetsky marches straight into St. Louie Blues , then Bob Marleys ONE LOVE, then ska numbers like 'ONE SHOT and 'SAMMY DEADO' Finish with 'MONKEY MAN' These are popular numbers played at Massive live festivals all over Europe. That would take flute playing to another level.

[@bbbernier]

Thank you!!

[@BluesTinWhistle]

You are so welcome

[@RasvetDushi]

Friends! Maybe someone has already done this) Found a good way to remove plastic whistles from whistles. This method is suitable when it is impossible to remove the whistle at all by holding it in hot water and twisting with your hands. Sometimes twisting can break the whistle. I had the whistle glued firmly and nothing helped...I just took two bearings...One is slightly larger than the diameter of the whistle tube and the second one is bigger and heavier...I put a soft cloth between the plastic of the whistle and the bearing so as not to scratch and began to throw off the large bearing by force down towards the whistle...And voila, he easily took off...It is better to do it on a soft litter...It is also better to heat the whistle in hot water

[@BluesTinWhistle]

Good to know. I've never had the kettle method fail, but if a mouthpiece were really stuck, I'd try your trick. Cheers.

[@SeekerLancer]

I'm always torn on this. On one hand it removes some of the character of the old-fashioned cheap tin whistles and makes them sound more similar to small recorders but on the other hand the sound improvement is very nice. What's important is that the instrument is what you want and is an extension of yourself so it's cool to see people modify their instruments to make them more personal.

[@BluesTinWhistle]

Yes I agree, personal modifications are really important to build a relationship with the instrument. I have started taking the Blu-Tack off at the moment and filing the mouthpiece instead, which I’m preferring but it’s quite risky.

[@wadefite]

Amazing. I tried it but did not cover the fipple.

[@BluesTinWhistle]

Oh cool. Did it work out for you?

[@BluesTinWhistle]

I’ve actually started taking the Blu-Tack off recently and being really brave and filing the labium instead, which is irreversible but I’ve had some success that I’m really pleased with

[@joedee1863]

​​@@BluesTinWhistle- filing your labium sounds a bit painful but you might consider designing fipples on 3D CAD and make them in batches of 80 per cycle at Ten pound each there's a good mark up there. It would help to pay some of your costs. Your fipples could go world wide. Get some helpers and I bet you could do a thousand fipples in a month. I am surprised the Chinese haven't thought of this, they usually think of everything. You could even have them made in India to keep costs even lower. I'm looking at other places to have flutes made. These are poor people who love flutes and play really well and earn about a dollar a day. I'd like to help them earn more, and support their families without them feeling that they are some Charity case or beggars in the street.