Futes are most definitely louder. So are fifes (compared to a high D whistle). I’m sure there is a scientific reason, but I’m just speaking from personal experience. I think any low D stands a good chance of getting lost in a session or performance situation.
My philosophy is different. If you are playing along with a fiddler (in unison) why would you want to stand out? You are both playing the same part and the goal is to compliment each other. If you’ve got a solo, they can back off. If it is more of a balance thing, and you are playing more than just a small room, you’re going to be mic’d anyway so pick the whistle that plays best for you and let the sound guys do their job. They can compensate for solos, etc.
That said, the Susato is loud. You may also wish to try an Overton (high and low). My Overton (currently loaned out) has the best low end of any whistle that I own. The Chieftain is probably next, though I prefer the Overton high end to the Chieftain high end.
My philosophy goes for sessions, too. While everyone likes to be heard, sometimes being heard isn’t the best thing for the overall sound. (And with my playing abilities, this is more the truth than you know )
For the high whistle, nothing I’ve heard yet can compare with the new Alba SE high-D. Definitely louder than a Susato. I doubt you’d have any trouble being heard over multiple fiddles.
Low is a harder problem. Frankly, if it’s a serious issue, you’d best look at a flute. And if you really need volume, my experience is that a decent Boehm-system (concert) flute puts out significantly more volume than most wooden/polymer flutes. All them keys take some getting used to though.
I completely understand your philosophy, but thing is the fiddler tend to get excited and give it more and more guts as we play - eventually, I get lost Also, this can be a problem to the extent that I get to little direct sound from my own instrument while playing live - so I tend to produce less accurate fingering. Don’t know if anybody else has this problem, but having played the low whistle less than a year, I still feel I need to have very much attention to the response in the low while playing. Also, monitor speakers tend to confuse me.
Bottom line is, I feel I need more direct sound from my instrument.
My LowD is an Overton, bought this january - and I love it So, for the high case; Perhaps I would try to get an Overton High D, then?
But in the low domain the problem remains. I have a question related to this reply about flutes:
Low is a harder problem. Frankly, if it’s a serious issue, you’d best look at a flute. And if you really need volume, my experience is that a decent Boehm-system (concert) flute puts out significantly more volume than most wooden/polymer flutes. All them keys take some getting used to though.
I dont know what Boehm-system means, and wonder why it cannot be a wooden flute? I thought perhaps Boehm was a specific key-system, that would fit on any flute?
I am considering moving to the flute as well, but I am not sure yet, how accustomed to the Low whistle I should feel before doing so, how to know when the time is ‘right’
I don’t know if this is any help, but at our latest dance out, I happened to chat with a low whistler from a different Morris team. He had a Chieftain low D, and he said that he’d chosen it specifically because, of all the low whistles he’d tried, it had the best volume for playing out of doors with other instruments (he was playing mostly with concertina players). His high D was a Susato Kildare, which is also what I play for Morris (I used to play my Dublin, but bought a Kildare on the off chance that we get more instrumentalists that I might need to tune to).
Another thing to consider…try asking people in the audience if THEY can hear you. Sometimes, even if you can’t hear yourself, the audience can hear you just fine. If that’s the case, something as simple as wearing a hat could help…it would channel some of your sound back to you, so you can hear yourself.
I got the idea from someone else here (can’t remember who…it was before the board crash. I can’t even remember the exact topic of the discussion…just that I read that and said “you know, that makes a lot of sense”). I’ve tried it with the Morris Dancers (who make a lot of noise with those bells and sticks, even when there aren’t other instruments to contend with) and it really does seem to help.
You’re right in that the Boehm system refers to the key system. And yes, there have been many wooden Boehm-system flutes. I don’t know of anyone making them in modern times though (other than headjoints). Antiques pop up all the time on Ebay, but they usually go for quite a bit of money. (I really want one, but can’t afford it.) Even so, I would expect them to be more quiet than their silver counterparts. I like the sound of wooden flutes better, but silver flutes put out more volume.
I’m not sure I’d worry about getting accustomed to low whistle before learning flute. While they are similar, the flute has a steeper learning curve. If you learn the flute, the whistle will be easy. Whereas, IMO, learning low whistle will only be of marginal help in learning flute.
One other bit to keep in mind though. General wisdom is that for learning flute, it’s really best to learn from someone.
Though I previously knew a few tunes on whistle, I learned low whistle and flute at the same time and they really are very different. Though you can play mostly the same tunes on both I find they are different enough where they are not mutually beneficial. When learning flute the main benefit of whistles is memorising tunes without worrying about embouchure and breathing/phrasing but as I progress I find out that those are just as important to playing the flute as the tune itself.
And a teacher is crucial; I wish I had one. Luckily there is Scoiltrad for those who are isolated.
You might want to take this a step further and try a variation of the singers’ trick of putting a hand over one ear. Now this trick will have a detrimental effect on your playing if you try it in the pure form. My suggestion: use one ear plug.
That aside, you speak of a band. If you have a band you should be using amplification. If you do, you can play the quietest whistle and still be heard. BTW, an Overton high D would be a very good choice. But if you use a mic, the volume of the whistle isn’t an issue: just choose the one you like best when playing solo or the one that blends best with the fiddle when you aren’t.
Thats a good one, but I realize you are absolutely right!
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