it starts to itch…now I have learned to love instead of hate my dixon soprano D and my favorite tunes to play are slow airs…
I get more and more curious about what the dixon low G, F or D are like.
How are they to play, I have small hands, and what are breath requirements.
WHICH one should I get and WHY?
berti
While others are preparing their answers to you,
what, may I ask, are the slow airs that you like to play.
Could you please name five of em for me?
Thanks.
yeah…tunes you love will be the best measure, then the stretch, then the breath requirment.
I’ve been using on Slow Airs (Mel Bay) and found out low D is a nice thing to have. but it sounds like the reach is the issure then it won’t do much harm to go for low F (which has a nice tonal colour to the chord itself) or G (sorry, can’t comment on this one as I’ve never tried it). Or if you’re still unsure, go for Jubilee practice Low D (for $18) and see if you can manage the length. Even when it turns out you can’t play a low D comfortably, all you’d have to do then is to “transpose” the song to the key of the whistle you have.
I have a Dixon low E coming up but before I post a weird review of it I’m sure someone here can post a thought or two on the breath requirments, may’em be for Low F, G or D.
Also, a good book to have will be the Low Whistle Book; comes with fingerings (piper’s grip), basic trainings, tunes, and does come with a CD. Highly recommended. “transposition” bit is explained in this excellent tutor too. Worth the purchase.
hope this helps
I have both a Dixon G and a Dixon A, and strangely enough, they are as different as night and day.
The G has fairly low breath requirements, so it has a very sensitive bell note, takes a three-fingered “C natural” (actually F natural), and is fairly easy in the second octave. I would compare it to an Oak C or a Gen Bb.
The A has high breath requirements (and with it a breathy tone), a loud bell note, takes a two-fingered (or even one-fingered) “C natural” (actually G natural), and you must really lean into the second octave with tight cheeks (the ones in your face), or it falls back into the first octave. I would compare it to a wde-bore Susato, except that the Susato is more reverb-y than breathy.
I don’t know what the low D and F are like, but I would assume that they’re more like the G, and that the change in character comes between the G and the A. I play a Kerry low D myself, and it’s much like the wide-bore Susato (especially the two-fingered C natural), but with a better sound.
Hopefully this helps.
I have the low ‘F’. Easy stretch for small hands,very pleasant,mellow sound (I esp. like to play hornpipes on mine for some reason!) and great value.
I imagine that if you like the D,then you will love the lower Dixon whistles.
Of the low D’s I’ve tried, admittedly a small sampling, the Dixon is the easiest to play. ANY low D demands a lot more air than a high D, but this one seems a little les demanding than the Overton and a lot less demandng than a Susato. I also have smallish hands and the finger stretch is easy with a piper’s grip and possible but uncomfortable with the sort of scrunched-up fingerpad grip someone here has been recommending (senior moment - can’t recall who…). Holes are cleanly cut and seal easily. Its also relatively cheap, I’d definitely recommend it as a beginner’s low D.
thanks! I sure will get a low dixon…once I have decided WHICH.
oh how do I decide…
birthday is next month…hmmmmmmmmmm
greetings
berti
Berti, you said slow airs.
If you learn from ITM recordings, take the leap–get a low D.
You’ll feel sore during the few first weeks, but it’s worth getting through it.
Of course, an F will make it much easier, but you’ll play “transposed” which you may like, or not. It still sounds "low-whistlich"Lots of F with Lunasa, as you probably know, and J-M Veillon’s fluting too.
Then there’s G, one of the most versatile keys for all-round trad musics (i.e. not only ITM), though often overlooked. Easy stretch, easy balance, easy breath, easy haul ( 
)and not that shriek high whistles sound. If I had to keep but one whistle, it might be a G.
I have an A which has a wonderful rich sound and I now have a Low d combo. It was the tenor tuneable flute but due to an index finger problem I couldn’t play it well. I had bought it from e-bay but Talked to Tony about it. He’s been a great help and very good to me with sorting out tweaks to suit my disability. He made a Low D head to fit on the flute so I can now play it as a Low D whistle. The stretch isn’t that bad and it suits low airs.