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Saturday, June 15, 2019

233 . THE MAGIC OVERTONE WHISTLE FOR IMPROVISATIONAL MEDITATIVE CHEERING UP. : DIATONIC AND CHROMATIC OVERTONE WHISTLES WITH HALF OCTAVE ONLY HOLES (3 DIATONIC 5 CHROMATIC)


(see also post 199) 
THE ENCHANTED OVERTONE WHISTLE  THE  DIATONIC OVERTONE WHISTLES (48< Length / bore ID ratio<80  ) FOR CHORD ARPEGGIOS AT EACH HOLE.
These whistles are relatively unknown and i am not aware of any traditional flute in this category. The closest traditional flutes are the overtone flutes but they do not have usually but 1 or 2 only  holes to play a diatonic or other scale. The  flutes I suggest here have the peculiar characteristic that they are so long and with thin tupe (L/B ratio above 48) that when blowing or even under-blowing they cannot lay the 1str harmonic registry (octave). The only play with the 2nd or higher harmonics. They have more than 8 harmonics that sound easily with blowing softer or stronger. These flutes are a combination of the traditional overtone flutes and the standard diatonic flutes like irish whistlesAs far as it is  concerned the acoustics relevant to the L/B ratio (which is between 48 and 80  ) , they are in between the trumpet acoustics with ratio around 125 and classical flutes and whistles with ratio between 16 to 48.  They play with less than half action  "horizontally" with their holes as diatonic scale (e.g. 2 octaves) and more than half action  "vertically" at each hole more than 8 overtones (3 ,4 octaves) that are essentially arpeggios of major chords (up to the 7nth harmonic). Up to the 10 harmonic, the overtones of each hole belong to the scale (with the exception of the 7nth harmonic which makes the arpeggio , that of a major chord with  7nth). The playing is best when it is improvisational. It is nice to play a melodic theme and be able to play also over each note of it the arpeggio of  power-chord or major chord. The overall range of such flute is considerably larger than the standard whistles. The fipple sound hole is preferably smaller than the usual to help the higher overtones. Such winds are so much so as to read an existing  written melody from musical notes and play but a melody inside you to improvise and meditate .

The fujaras that are known if they have large bore inner diameter and thus length/bore ratio less than 80 will also belong to the acoustic and musical effect described here if made by smaller size bore and thus also shorter length (thus maybe not bass flutes). The fujaras use to have only 3 holes at the diatonic 4-chord in semitones 2-2-1. E.g. if the root is C3, then the holes give the notes D3-E3-F3 but at the 3rd harmonic G4 they will give the notes  A , B , C  thus eventually all the diatonic scale. Similarly if we open 5 holes chromatically in semitones 1-1-1-1 as in the style of valves of trumpet,  for the first harmonic it would be C#3-D3-D#3-E3-F3, the 3rd harmonic will give on the same holes G#, A , Bb, B, C , thus eventually all the 12-note chromatic scale
Examples of Fujaras
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8Wzb3tLPCs

See also

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzOLO5YHL9Q


If we want less than 7 notes "horizontally" for such an overtone flute, then the next best choice of the 7-notes diatonic scale is  the  is the maximal harmonic pentatonic scale (see post 117) I, iii, V, vi, vii 

The general rule to make an overtone whistle say in X base tone (e.g. C5, G4, D4, C4 etc) is to utilize the same bore inner diameter size with the ordinary whistle but about double the length. This is expected in general to give the Length/Bore ratio between 48 and 80. The resulting whistle is an overtone whistle that the basic tone (one octave lower than the corresponding whistle tone) cannot be played in the instrument , but the next octave (2nd Harmonic) is playable which is the original whistles root note.  Furthermore if we want a diatonic overtone whistle we utilize only 3 holes (the  lower pitch 3 holes if it would be an ordinary whistle) If the length is very long (for alto or low whistles) we "coil" the tube with turns and rounds as in t he brass wind instruments.  If we want a chromatic such overtone whistle we simple fill-up the gaps of the 3-holes of the diatonic overtones whistle as above with all their sharps or flats getting so 5 holes in the same area each one semitone away from the next , which is about the lower 1/3 of the tupe. In this way with the 2nd and 3rd overtones we have all the 7-notes diatonic scale or all the 12-notes chromatic scale. 

In the next picture I made from 16 mm bore  (inner diameter 12 mm) PVC and sweet tone Clarke whistles mouthpieces (fipples of D5 and C5 ) two such "magical" diatonic overtone whistles in D5 and C5 (although the length is as if of Low D4 and C4). The have respectively L/B ratios the D5 57/1.2=47.5 and the C5 64cm/1.2cm=53.33
They have 6+1 holes, but if we seal with a tape all except the highest 3, as in Fujara, we still have with the 1st and 3rd harmonic all the 7 notes of the diatonic scale.



In the next C5 and F5 overtone diatonic whistles only 3 holes are opened and suffice for a full 7-notes diatonic scale even only with the 2nd and 3rd harmonic.


Here is a bass in Bb3 diatonic from PVC of 32mm external diameter ,  of length about 148.2 cm (the same length with a Bb4 trumpet) , again with only 3 holes. In semitone intervals 2-2-1 or in notes Bb3 C4  D4 Eb4 . That is all it is necessary for a 7notes scale because it already starts with the 2n harmonic (due to the double than normal length)   and the 3rd harmonic gives in the same octave and on the same 3 holes  the the notes  F4-G4-A4-Bb4 thus all the Bb3 7-notes major scale. As it is a bass one, it falls in the category of Fujara. The high pitch ones I call overtone whistles. By changing the last part of the coil-tubes with another of appropriate length and holing we may have more roots on the same upper body.



In the next  photo we see a  C5 full chromatic overtone  whistle  that utilizes the 2nd and 3rd harmonic and with the 6 holes to give the chromatic half octave [C5]   C5# D5 D#5 E5 F5 F#5 with the 2nd harmonic and with the 3rd harmonic to give on the same holes the [G5]  G#5 A5 A#5 B5 C5 C#5 gives thus a full chromatic 12 notes octave. The 1s tharmonic  is not possible to play as it is an overtone whistle with Length/bore ratio L/B= 57  It is made again by PVC tube of external diameter 16 mm and internal 12 mm.  The idea is the same with the trumpet and the valves that produce 5 notes each a semitone away from the previous. Actually the whistle would be as well in Bb4 till F5 instead of C5 to G5  to be in accordance with the Bb scale of the trumpet.Or it could be in Eb5 to Bb5 .
We see 6 holes in the front (there is not thump hole) These 5 notes that divide a 5th (also a 4th) give the concept of ancient Greek 4-chords and 5-chords as basic building block for an octave scale. Compared to the full chromatic Ney in C5 in post 247, it has many more overtones than just the 2nd and 3rd because of the considerably larger Length/bore ratio. The chromatic Ney in post 247 is just an upper registry whistle while this here is a chromatic  overtone whistle. It has also an ordinary fipple (from a sweet tone clarke C5 whistle) and not a fipple with membrane as the Ney in post 257.