Michael Grinter
whistles
A Report from the
Chiff & Fipple Australian Bureau
I received this report via
email from Mark Walstrom in August 1999.
Hi Dale,
I got a new high-end whistle
I want to tell you about. I include some photos too. First of all, I am
not qualified to do a real review of it since my wife and I have been playing
Irish music on Generation whistles for many years (actually, a combined 35
years-yikes!) and have limited experience with expensive whistles. . Up until
this week my best whistle was a Generation Bb shortened to a B by
pipe-maker,Geoff Wooff ( to play in pitch with my pipes). This new whistle was
built by Michael Grinter in Australia. http://www.castlemaine.net.au/~grinter/
He is a first-rate recorder and flute
maker who has begun making whistles. As far as I know,he has only made a
few, pitched in low F but has plans to make more in other pitches. Kevin
Crawford and Sean Smyth in the band,Lunasa, play these F whistles. I bought the
whistle from my friend Paul Groff at Groff's Music in Cambridge,MA
(617) 499-9928. He has established a relationship with Grinter and sells
his instruments here in the US. Paul has 3 of Grinter's wooden flutes
(also first-rate) at present, but no whistles. He does have more whistles
on order. This beautiful 2-piece whistle is made of 
Kingwood,
a type of rosewood, although he uses many kinds of wood. It has brass rings and
a brass tuning slide. The wood is turned very thin so the whistle feels light
as a feather. The craftsmanship is impeccable. The mouthpiece is similar in shape
to a Susato but all wood, with a cedar plug pinned in with a brass pin. The tone holes are pretty large and the
lowest hole is set very low so one must have fairly big fingers and hands to do
it justice. I can play it without using piper fingering. My wife's small
hands won't do the job and she is looking forward to a smaller,higher pitched
whistle like it. The whistle is loud
and easy to blow but requires a fair bit of air, especially in the upper
octave. The intonation is excellent across both octaves. The low D is easy to
hit and cran. The sound is more like an Irish flute than any whistle I've
played. Playing fast, it has the woody chiff that can give the
'bark' some flute players use. The thing in really alive, you can
feel the vibrations in your hands as you play. The big round tone
sounds wonderful playing airs. It is a great whistle and Grinter is sure to
rank among the top makers.
Mark Walstrom
More photos below:
