Howdy,
I have been playing generation tin whistles (high) for about 20 years now..and I have always wanted to try moving to low whistles…
I have smaller hands than most people, and suffer from asthma so may not have as much breathing power as other people…
so I am looking for recommendations on which low whistle to try…
cheers
Eoin
Dixon. Get an A, a G and a Low D, and work your way down in stages. Breath requirement is not too great on any, they all have a lovely tone, and the price can’t be beat. They won’t stand out in a big crowded session though.
Hey efwren,
I’m somewhat asthmatic too (i.e., mine doesn’t act up a lot, so I’m not on an inhaler). Anyway, I recently got a Kerry Low D. It’s very nice, but does take a bit of air. I sometimes can’t finish a song. BUT, I have noticed that in the month-and-a-half that I’ve had it, I can now finish some songs that before had me huffing and puffing by the end. Hope that helps.
Little John
Dixon!
Get the tuneable if you change buildings or play with other musicians.
Low breath requirements, and has a lovely sound.
It’s a quiet whistle, loud enough for home or quiet sessions etc.
Also it’s cheap - as in price - not as in quality.
HTH
G is a nice way to ease into low whistledom and is a useful key. The rest depends on what you want to spend and what volume level and tonal qualities you want. There are some really fine Low G whistles out there - Copeland is great but a bit expensive and you might want to start with a Copeland soprano D anyway; O’Riordan is great, but currently unattainable, unless second-hand; Overton is great, but requires specific tastes and approach; there are others less expensive also that have been mentioned. I can’t speak for water weasel G specifically, but my A is exceptional and I’ve heard great things about the G as well. Now that’s a really fine whistle that’s affordable. Again, it’s taste - it’s fairly loud with strong tone at both ends, but some hate and some love the plain plumbing pipe look of it. I love mine.
Good luck.
Philo
I’d recommend Dixon too.I have an ‘F’- easy stretch, nice mellow sound,very enjoyable to play,not very loud.I imagine a ‘G’ would be an even easier introduction to low whistling,and the low ‘D’ gets consistant recommendations.Dixons are also GREAT value ! 
I got a Dixon low D for christmas and I love it. I think you’ll find that very few people disagree with the dixon as a good first low whistle.
A.J.
PS: Welcome to the board!
I have owned both low- d Dizon and a Low-D laughing whistle. I think the Laughing whistle requires less air than any whistle on earth but both are very quiet and not suitable in my opinion for playing with others.
I’ve also owned a Copeland and an Overton. THe Copeland requires much more air. The Overton requires a lot of air pressure but not necessarily a lot of air volume.
The only low D whistle I still own is an offset hole just-tuned Reyburn. Best low-D whistle on Earth. Does require some air though. I eventually gave up on Low Ds because of the volume issues (lots of fiddlers in my clan) and switched to flute…tons more volume but more air requirement than most low-D whistles. I couldn’t part with the Reyburn and play a lot with it but only solos or small groups. The Reyburn sound is just astonishing and, in my opinion superior to all other low-Ds.
Seems like a lot of other Low-D whistles are flute wanna-bes but the Reyburn has such a unique tone and still preserves the essence of what made me fall in love with whistles in the first place.
Anyway, to sum up…for zero air requirement and small hands I’d say the Laughing whistle would be tops and has a really delightful tone but it’s really quiet. I bet Beth (avanutria) could email you or post a clip of one if there’s not one on clips and snips.
Doc
Thanks for all the advice..
I think will go for the Dixon…
I will be travelling to London this weekend so will see if I can find one there, otherwise I’ll order one from the website…
Thanks again
Efwren,
If you’re looking for a Dixon Low D in London, the only place to look is Hobgoblin, or possibly (pushing it) Macari’s on the Charing Cross Road. They’ll certainly have Low Ds in Gobby’s, and they’ll let you try them. Whether they have a Dixon in will be pot luck.
You can e-mail Hobgoblin to ask them if they have one in stock:
check the website at: http://www.hobgoblin.com/local/home.htm
If you have no luck and it must be a Dixon, the best bet is to order one direct from Tony Dixon’s site.
My only low whistle is a G. I have very little hands myself and find the G challenging, so I would not recomend a D.
Well my DIxon Low D arrived yesterday…
and I was pretty much able to play it straight away…and it sounds great.
thanks for all the advice everybody
Eoin