Christmas carols from hell

[ver tum]

It's a single chamber steam whistle that is capable of changing it's tone by a mechanism inside that changes the cavity's length. That is why there is a transition between each note and not a sharp change.

Thanks Adam, for explaining how it works. How is it played though? Is there a keyboard that someone is playing, or is there some kind of slider that controls the pitch?

[holler]

Another vid of this steam whistle, same song, just filmed right across the street from it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qtIGa1ndPI

[JasonC]

This is a Mockingbird whistle located in York, PA. It has a variable length bell chamber controlled by a pull cord (yes, someone is standing there playing all of those notes by hand). These whistles were used back in the day as fire whistles as their distinct tone made them different from other factory and mill whistles in the area. Here is a video of one I posted last year of White Christmas:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGGLQck0 ... re=related

Warming up:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsePqvjA ... re=related

[JasonC]

Sweet, there's more!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEGfTH06R0E

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVCqaHmx7xg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxXce43tzB8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-kItxM7tSU

[kanazo]

Speaking of steam whistles... reminds me of this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1u0dz7WQ1N4

I have been to Gastown before but never seen it failed like this...

[ver tum]

Now that I understand how it's played, I really admire the person with the pull cord, for getting the notes out of it that they did. That would be very difficult to do.