Creating a Clay Whistle

This no-frills production combining history, music theory, and ceramics, teaches viewers how to design and create a working whistle from clay. Sitting at a worktable, musician/artist Luis Perez points out materials and demonstrates techniques for building a sound chamber—in this case, a pinch pot—while influencing the flow of air to produce sound. Along the way, Perez offers detailed step-by-step instruction, making numerous small changes while the clay is wet, and blowing the whistle repeatedly until a clear tone is found. Perez displays ornate and complex examples of the instrument—each a distinct work of art—but the basics of construction for all of them stem from the method he walks viewers through here. Recommended. Aud: J, H, C, P. (H. Seggel)