MT wrote: Hi Keith, nice to see you back
MT -
Been out of the parsonage for two months for renovations. Picked up my doctorate of ministry. Took a sabbatical. Lonnnnnng summer. Good to be back! Now to begin to learn to play my Overton low D…
Peace
Keith
I’ll second Trixie’s and Doc’s (third?) thoughts that more info on this subject would be appreciated. Interesting thread - thanks Doc for kicking it off.
Deisman
If you like reading…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fipple#Embouchure
And see 6th paragraph of:
http://www.recorderhomepage.net/torture3.html
Thanks for digging John. Good stuff.
Doc
Check out this Joanie Madden video and watch how she’s placing the mouthpiece…resting on her lower lip and barely holding it in place against her upper lip. The mouthpiece is never “inserted” into her mouth at all. It just rests there in nearly flute-like fashion. You can see it clearly in the close-ups as she takes a breath and begins blowing again. This is exactly how Brigitte Goldie suggested I play my Overton sop D and has made a world of difference in my overall playing with all my whistles. This is the same technique the Goldies passed on to Doc, and here’s a great example of it.
I’ve been messing with a Overton Low D this summer. A modified piper’s grip seems to work the reach OK, but there are times when I blow the LowD and E in the first octave and nothing comes out or it is the second octave - Could this be an embrochure issue, or just my newbiness?
I do note that to blow higher in the second octave that I do pinch my lips tighter, rather than howe Joanie does it in the video. Maybe I am breathing wrong - like through my eyes or something. 
Blessings
Keith
I don’t play low whistles, so my experience with this “relaxed” technique is limited to high whistles. Those who have experience with Overton low Ds could be of help here, but from your description of the low notes, as with any whistle, I’d imagine it’s a matter of getting used to the whistle and air requirements. On the high end, especially with whistles that require a lot of push, many good players tend to focus the air flow more as they approach the higher notes and gradually form a tighter “O” with their mouth.
Regarding getting nothing out of the low D and E notes, I can’t speak for your Overton low D but I experienced the same thing when I first got my Overton sop D. Mine isn’t what I’d call a hard-blower but definitely takes more air than any of my other whistles (including my Chieftain sop D), and takes more push to sound a good solid low D. So the first time I pulled it out at a session to do a quick tuning check with the other instruments, nothing came out. A bit more push and there it was. For many years, I’ve just been used to my easy-blowing Burkes and Sindts. This Overton sop D can take a lot of push on the low end but the low D/E will break if pushed too hard. As was suggested to me by the Goldies, you just have to get used to the air requirements and have a bit of a different mind set with Overtons. But once you get it… ah, yes.
Keep in mind, we’re all different and any suggestion of embrochure and technique is only a basis on which to develop your own technique that best suits you. We all have different physiology, natural breathing habits (some blow from their gut and some from their throats), etc. I think the relaxed technique the Goldies present is a great starting point, but may not apply to everyone. Experiment. Try changing the position of the mouthpiece. Many players do better with the mouthpiece placed off to one side or the other from the center of their mouth, myself being one.
The biggest thing is to just keep at it.
Hello Keith, I’m a beginning player myself so what I say may be not quite right, but I also own a Low D Overton and my own personal experience with sounding the low D or E notes usually comes from either not having a proper seal on one or more of the holes or trying to play too quietly. Sometimes clogging is the problem but that too can be from trying to play too quietly.
I have also found that I sometimes shift my fingers (usually B2) whilst moving up and down the whistle notes and then on the return I don’t get a seal on E, which makes it sound high or not at all on E and D.
Just my own personal experience, mate, it may not be the case with you. Best of luck with your playing.
Mick
Thanks, Mate. I’l pay more attention to closing the holes. Sometimes my fingers don’t do what I tell them to 
Blessings
Keith
Glad to be of any help. Hope it helped solve your problem.
Mick
Hi Trixie,
Just found this. I think it’s a great wxample of how to mouth the tooter. Notice how loose it is. I believe he’s playing a Susato, and doing a heck of a job I might add.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-pLklK-GCc
Doc
Interesting. I wonder if there is any air flow over the top of the whistle as well as through the mouthpiece.
I’ve also noted that many players favour one side of the mouth (as in that clip) rather than having the instrument pointing straight. Sorta reminds me of old Satchmo, but I’m not sure he ventured on to the whistle. I play cornet with a similar embouchure (although not 10% as well) mainly because I learnt to play at an age where I had no front teeth. I tend to play the whistle straighter though.
Stay hoopy,
Mike
Actually, deliberately venting a bit of air at the mouthpiece is one way of increasing breath pressure / velocity without increasing the volume of air going in. Useful especially for controlling those high notes that need a push but pop out too loudly on some whistles.
Yeah. I gave this a go with my Shaw and it seemed to help with hitting the high notes…