Whistles, Flutes, and Fifes! Oh My! – Melanie Jones

Whistles, flutes and fifes are all members of the simple system six-hole flute family. They are tuned so that when all holes are covered, the lowest playable pitch is heard-the first scale note of the key. They have all been used in a variety of traditional and folk music settings for centuries because of the beautiful tones they can create through various materials and keys to which they can be tuned.

In all of these instruments, the sound comes from a stream of air that is split by a sharp edge and resonated through the tube of the instrument. However, the difference between the whistle and the flute/fife is in the way the air stream is controlled. A mouthpiece of fixed shape determines the air stream of the whistle, whereas the flute or fife player’s embouchure, or lip shape, controls it.

The whistle originated in ancient China around 500 years ago. It originally had four finger holes and two thumbholes. It eventually came to Europe and began to be made with a six finger hole arrangement that is still used today. Robert Clarke made the first tinwhistle in England in 1843. Many styles of whistles can be found today, made from many different materials and with different bore shapes. Some examples of well-known whistle makers are Clarke, Generation, Susato and Walton’s.

The most common key for whistles is D. It can therefore be played in the key of D and G with easy fingerings. To avoid cross fingerings while playing music of a different key, it is preferable to use a whistle tuned to that particular key. Naturally, the lower the key, the bigger the instrument becomes. This led to the creation of the low D whistle, introduced by Bernard Overton about 25 years ago.

Simple system flutes (including fifes) are played in the same way as the whistle where fingering is concerned. However, rather than blowing into a mouthpiece and holding the instrument straight out from the body, the flute is held to the side (thus the term transverse flute) and the air stream is blown across an embouchure hole. The player’s lips control the direction and pressure of the air as it moves across the hole of the flute or fife.

The flute is tuned in the same way that a whistle is tuned, but may have metal keys mounted to it, often on wooden blocks. This makes it possible to play pitches that would otherwise require difficult fingerings or simply be impossible to produce in a certain key. Four keys are necessary for a fully chromatic flute. They are short F, G#, Bb and Eb. Four more keys may be added to extend the instrument’s range and further facilitate fingering.

George Rudall (1781-1871) was one of the most important makers of Irish flutes, forming partnerships with John Mitchell Rose and Richard Carte. Rudall’s legacy of flute making ranged from 1820-1955 under several company names with Rose and Carte, and was finally bought out by Boosey & Hawkes Ltd. in 1955.

The fife, also a simple system flute instrument, became associated with military music in the 16th century in Switzerland. It was used along with drums to give commands during battle. Its popularity spread throughout Europe and later to America. It became a historical symbol in America on December 16, 1773 with the Boston Tea Party as the sound of the fife was heard while participants marched home.

Early American fifes were made with burned, rather than drilled, holes. The length of the fife varied between about 15 and 17 inches. There was no standard of quality of craftsmanship, and no standard of key and pitch. George Washington had them sorted according to pitch so they could be played together in tune.

Whistles, flutes and fifes can be found tuned to a variety of keys and made from wood, metal or plastic, or a combination of these, and with either a conical or cylindrical shaft. This makes them popular instruments in traditional music because of the different tones they can produce, giving players a broad capacity of expression.