A few months ago I acquired a MK Whistles Kelpie low D, and my friends and family immediately christened it my best whistle. I also fell in love with its husky, deep sound. I can play it forever even with my sensitive ears!
However, a couple of friends made comments like “…sounds like India!” These were meant as compliments (and meaning absolutely no disrespect for the Indian people) but I want to sound Irish, not Indian!
Has this happened to you?
Do I have to go back to higher whistles to “sound” Irish?
Somebody help me!
a couple of friends made comments like “…sounds like India!” > > These were meant as compliments (and meaning absolutely no disrespect for the Indian people) but I want to sound Irish, not Indian!
Has this happened to you?
I want to sound like Flutio McCoy too but guess what…
No this has not happened to me. One neighbor loves my playing but says my MK low D sounds “zenlike”. My wife thinks I sound better on the Burke composite than the MK but she also thinks I sound like I’m trying too hard. My friend, who accompanies me on fiddle, thinks I’m getting close to sounding the way I need to sound but prefers that I stick with high or alto whistles (nothing lower than F) for now.
So I do what I enjoy and play them all.
So should you. Play them all. It’s the only way you’ll get to what YOU want to sound like.
I’ve had many people say that when I play a Low D it sounds like a Native American flute.
I was visiting my Grandfather back in West Virginia, at the cabin he built in the 1920s on the banks of the Greenbriar River, and when I played an Irish air on by Burke Low D he said “that sounds Injun”.
Are your friends thinking of the “filmi” music played in some Indian restaurants? It may be the only time they hear a flute outside of a classical context.
I have both a MK Pro and a Sweetheart Resonance low D. I know what you mean about the sound from the MK. Mine has a very metallic sound with a good amount of chiff- it can sound nasal-ish (Far-east-ish) at times, especially if not played with a lot of Irish ornamentation. My Sweetheart has a very nice wooden sound but is much harder to play due to the wind requirement. But I actually like the Sweetheart sound much better.
Are you sure they don’t mean “Indian” as in Native American?
That seems like it would make more sense coming from an
American listener.
That’d be my guess too, as I’ve seen people mess that up. (“My Heart Will Go On,” anyone? Can’t recall the number of times I heard people wonder about the Native American instrument in that song back when it was popular)
Although, I have to say-- certain notes on my Walton high D sound quite “reedy” for an Celtic whistle (most notably the 2nd-octave D). I personally love it, but I suppose some people might find that weird or “un-Irish” (though to me it seems slightly reminiscent of bagpipes, so maybe not).
These were meant as compliments (and meaning absolutely no disrespect for the Indian people) but I want to sound Irish, not Indian!
