Life is short.
Life is too short to half-hole.
It’s not that I have anything against half-holing. Some of my best friends are half-holers. And I, too, will throw in the odd f-natural, I admit it. It’s the c-natural where I draw the line. My life is too short to half-hole the c-natural. I am busy learning the Longford Collector, the Kylebrack Rambler, and the Wet Fish. Then there is the Salamanca, the Galway Hornpipe, the Drunken Landlady, and the Teetotaler. Not to mention the Hag With the Money, the Bag of Spuds, or the Cow That Ate The Piper... You get the picture.
All this is old hat, and wouldn’t be worth running a spell-check on, if it weren’t for the Sindt high D. As sweet a little whistle as ever there was. The sound is pure but not too pure, the design beautiful (and now available in sterling silver).
But I am not here to talk up John Sindt and his whistles. Nor am I going to argue about the whole c-natural thing. It’s all well known: John half-holes, as does Mary Bergin. John's D-whistles are built for half-holers, and the cross-fingered c-natural is sharp, whether you use oxxooo or oxxxox. Some don't notice it, others deny it, some regard it as a wonderful artistic opportunity. Some months ago StevieJ emailed John Sindt, saying that it would be nice to have a Sindt whistle that would work with traditional cross (forked) fingering. John thought about for a while; then said he would not design a new shaft. (Turns out he was busy making the silver whistle for Mary Bergin.)
That was a disappointment for some of us who had hoped to get more use out of our Sindts. Some shrugged, some sold their Sindts, and some (I guess) sat down to learn to half-hole.
But my Sindt was gathering dust. I wasn't ready to sell it. Nor did I quite know what to do with it. Then there was this thread on Chiff & Fipple: Sindt/Feadóg Hybrid.
In it raindog1970 wrote:
I'm sure everyone who owns a Sindt has at one time or another tried to slide it's head onto the shaft of another whistle... only to discover that it doesn't quite fit. The reason is that John uses 1/2" brass tubing to make his shafts, and the cheap English and Irish made whistles use 13mm tubing which is ever-so-slightly larger.
The solution: carefully sand down a 7/8" section of the top end of your preferred shaft and use a turn of teflon tape to snug it up in the Sindt head afterwards.
I chose a brass Feadóg shaft because they are very well in tune and have a brushed finish just like a Sindt shaft. I couldn't be happier with the resulting hybrid whistle, and I suggest this simple operation to anyone who is troubled by their Sindt's inability to cross-finger C natural.
While I used an electric sander and a simple jig for greater accuracy, I see no reason why it couldn't be done by hand.
Mmmmmhhh… no reason why it couldn't be done by hand… here was a plan.
So, one day, I set about assembling everything that I would need in addition to my Sindt high D: a cheap brass whistle, sand paper, some time, and of course: whiskey. I picked up a brass red-top Generation D that same weekend, but for weeks I couldn't start because they were out of whiskey down at the store. Finally, I had everything together:
As you can see, I used very fine sandpaper, but very cheap whiskey. (You wouldn't want to ruin a good whistle and a good drop on the same day, now would you?)
First order of business was removing the heads of the whistles. Easy for the Sindt; a bit harder with the Generation. Following Dale's instructions, however, I brewed some herb tea and eventually got the head off. I will spare you details of the procedure, but as soon as I was back from the Emergency Room I continued with my little project.
I took my sandpaper, wrapped it around the top of the Generation shaft, took a deep breath and started sanding. And I sanded. And sanded. It took several swigs of whiskey before I started noticing a difference. I was making slow but steady progress. That, and another swig, gave me hope.
I won't deny that it took a bit of time. I kept sanding, changing the spot on the sandpaper, and switching hands. To make sure that the fit would be snug, I always wrapped the sandpaper around the shaft and sanded in a turning motion, which quickly became annoying.
And so it went. After a while my glass was empty and the Sindt head almost fit on the Generation shaft. I kept at it a little more, wondering if I should pour another glass. Then, finally, the Sindt head fit on the sanded-down Generation shaft. Aaaahhh...
After I got the Sindt head onto the Generation body for the first time, I still had to do a bit of adjusting and trying before I was happy with the fit. The fit is snug, and no teflon tape is necessary. When I don't move it for a while, the joint seizes up a bit, but will loosen again with a good determined tug. This is what my finished GenSindt Hybrid looks like:
I realize that people are going to wonder what the new GenSindt Hybrid sounds like. I've recorded a few little clips in the hope that those at least who will master the convulsive fits of laughter will get an idea. First, to help compare tunings, there are two G-major scales (with a c-natural), the first one done on the GenSindt Hybrid, and the second one done on the Sindt (Sindt head, Sindt shaft). Next, to compare sounds, I've recorded the jig Brian O'Lynn on the GenSindt Hybrid, Junior Crehan's Favorite on the Sindt (Sindt head & Sindt shaft), and a little march on a tweaked Generation. (Everyone always plays this march after O'Neill's Cavalcade, but no one can tell me the name. Anyone out there know?)
Update (July 20, 2003):
I have in the meantime constructed a Sindog, a Feadog brass D shaft for my Sindt head. I like it and use it exclusively now (I sold the Generation shaft when someone offered me a good deal for it). Take a look at the Sindog, and listen to me play the Pipe on the Hob on it, if you dare.
Bloomfield denies allegations that the GenSindt Hybrid Tin Whistle is a collaboration between Bloomfield and 3Fisch Productions. They hardly helped at all. Well, maybe they sanded a little bit. But Bloomfield drank the whiskey. And it's not true that he took the money---he, um, inherited. By the way, the intern slept in the guest room. Really, it's a whistle. That bit about the "first proto-type for a CP-approved drinking straw-design for special food" (query: Are those six holes helpful/necessary?) shouldn't have gotten out: Just a joke the intern told at the holiday-party. She has in the meantime been reassigned to the Alabama head quarters (basement). Dale is handling the situation, and we are insured. Finally, about those 3Fish stock options: If they don't show up on the tax return, Bloomfield can't very well have gotten them, right?