DUAL SLIDE WHISTLE

Freed of its slapstick associations, the tone of a slidewhistle can be moody or sweet, and very expressive. To make a more easily played instrument, I added a calibration stick to a store-bought slide whistle, extending out as far as the slide’s farthest reach, and I marked the pitch locations on it. Then I added a flexible blow tube so that the whistle can be positioned on the lap or a table, allowing the player to see the stick. To enrich the tone, I added a second whistle. With the particular tone of the whistles and their capacity for subtle differences in pitch, the chorusing effects between the two can be enchanting.

In the audio clip, a slidewhistle is accompanied by a rattled rumba box and a triple-chambered ocarina from the legendary maker of globular flutes, Sharon Rowell.