I’ve read the criticism/comparison of wanting to know what is a “good car”, so I’ll try to help you out in describing a bit what I am looking for:
easy to play
e.g. relatively easy fingering/not requiring major finger distortions
relatively low breath requirement, i.e. lower chance I’ll run out of breath
lower price preferred. The whistle has to be “good”, but doesn’t have to be “best”. If I really get into it I can always spring for a more expensive one later, once I’ve developed more of an appreciation of the nuances of the different brands.
low weight may be a bonus (to take on overnight backpacking trips)
It sure is relatively inexpensive, and seems to be available in Canada. Plastic would be lighter to carry on backpacking trips, but would it be durable or would I have to worry about it breaking? Do you advise against plastic?
Two reviewers said “holes are a challenge to reach”, not sure if that means this particular whistle or low D’s in general.
So, in order of priority the most important traits are:
#1: easy to play and learn, though with minimum bar being good sound, though not necessarily the “best”
#2 would be price, but only if requirements of #1 have been met
Any comments on the Dixon or any other brand you may recommend would be greatly appreciated!
A Ferrari is a good car. So is a Subaru. Depends on what you want to do with the car. The Rolex24 at Daytona is over for this year. It’s snowing today. I’ll stick with the Subaru today.
As for “inexpensive”, “easy to play”, “low breath”, “low weight”, “good sound”, it is all relative. Relative to what? Your preferences and experience. What is inexpensive, light, easy and sounds good to me may not be your cup of tea. I normally suggest you go out to where music is played and hear/try a few whistles yourself. It is the best way to go about it. Otherwise you end up buying whistles until you find one you can bond with. This board is full of flowery affadavits on one low D or another by a poster followed a few months later by a “for sale” posting and another flowery affadavit on their latest purchase.
It is the nature of the beast. Physics dictate the position of the holes within certain variables. Good whistles will be as close as spit from one to another. Search the board on “super duper EZ grip” or “Piper’s Grip”. That’ll get you past that review. That along with patience, practice and persistence.
I like the Dixon low D as a beginner instrument. I recommend it frequently. Get the tapered bore model.
I would also recommend the Kerry Optima for the beginner. Sometimes Phil Hardy has a few on sale.
Otherwise get a Burke, a Goldie or an MK and don’t look back. Those are whistles for the long haul. I’d prefer the Burke in the snow though.
Susato is another possibility. I’ve heard some good tunes out of them.
Not sure how they’d be for a beginner though. Hopefully, someone with more experience with them will chime in. I think that Panceltic Piper (aka Richard Cook) might have a test of one on You Tube.
The Shaw is another with a tapered bore, well actually the whole thing is tapered, and the raised tone holes are easy to find and not too far apart. Of course, it’s non-tuneable if that’s an issue for you.
I would not recommend the Susato low D for a beginner. Yes, I like the whistle. I played one as my primary low D for a number of years. But since “it’s all relative” let’s break it down.
The Susato will use a lot more air than many low D’s. It has a large, open, free-blowing windway. And to perform at its peak the Susato has to have a lot of air going into it.
The Susato has one of the biggest BH2 holes in the world. Fiat 500s frequently fall into that hole and are not seen again. That along with the low D stretch make it a hand-full for beginner.
I did have one for a short time a very long time ago, but then, I’ve got pretty big hands. Think I did lose a Saint Bernard down the BH2 hole once thinking back on it.
Feadoggie has it right about the Susato low D, I can stick the finger that is supposed to cover the BH2 hole right into it.
He is also right about the Dixon. Get the tunable version - the TB012D rather than the one piece. Burke and MK (get a plug in for my local maker) are also lovely instruments for the slimmer fingered player.
I have fat stumpy fingers and started out on a Dixon low D with very little difficulty, so while I haven’t much else to compare it to I’d say it works for a beginner.
With all this talk of brands, there is one other thing I would say, as an aside: if you’re a beginner with whistle (as opposed to someone moving from high D to low D), I think it’s better to start with a high D whistle and get the basics of that first.
Yes I think that the Dixon is exactly what would fit your preferences best.
I have a couple of the two-piece conical-bore Dixon Low Ds and they are by far the most ergonomic comfortable Low D to play, due to the combination of closer-set holes, narrower tube, and lighter weight than other Low Ds. The tapering of the bottom of the bore allows the lower-hand fingerholes to be placed closer together. The diameter of the tube, for me, makes a big difference in comfort. And the Dixon is amazingly light. Just wonderful in the hands, the Dixon.
The tone is pleasant, though a bit on the quiet side. My Dixons also play a bit more like a flute than most other Low Ds, in ways that are hard to put into words. I think it’s because of the small fingerholes and conical bore, both of which are shared by the Irish flute. A very easy Low D to play.
With a two-piece Dixon you can break it down for easy backpacking.
I have one - I was given it by Tony, so I may be biased but I think it is the easiest low D that I have played. I have not tried all the others though. I have tried and passed on: Goldie, Chieftain, Onyx, Shaw, and the Dixon three-piece. I have kept the Dixon two piece, Bleazey and Copeland. WhOAD free now for several years (sorry lads ).
The Bleazey is my favourite tone-wise but can be a little hard to play. Copelands are, well, superb. The Dixon is my car-whistle. Good enough to be a pleasure to play. Robust enough to live in the car (in a pouch) with the boots and dogs and stuff.
As for ‘start on a high D’, well yes it would have been easier if I had liked the pitch. I did not and so that undermined my motivation. I took the harder route of learning on a low D. It would have been a lot easier with the Dixon. (Story of my life). So Ben is right in general, but possibly wrong in some (peculiar?) cases.
I’ve also tried a couple and prefer the Onyx. Tapered bore for finger spacing not requiring piper’s fingering, mellow tone, but not whisper quiet, nice bell note (but admittedly not quite as booming as a Burke Viper), and a tuning slide. Might be a little out of your price range if your preference is for the Dixon.
I’ll have to try a newer Onyx. I’ve tried a few Sweet low whistles over the years, most recently maybe five years ago, and the tone hasn’t been strong enough for my liking.
If I was going to go into the $300+ price range I’d suggest a Reyburn. The big solid machined delrin head is going to be able to take some abuse, and the whistle has great volume, tone, tuning, everything one might want, a high-end Low Whistle that’s not delicate. The finger-spread on my delrin-head Reyburn Low D is good, but it’s in the typical range of cylindrical big-bore Low D’s. It won’t have the combination of skinny tube, close-set small holes, and extremely light weight that the Dixon conical-bore Low D has.
It’s horses for courses, and ALL the previous recommendations are good ones…well, except maybe the price of some…and this thread is for starting out…SO…twenty years ago I bought two low whistles…couldn’t hack it…put them away…forgot where they were…found them…put them away… forgot where…etc…twenty years of that…
Then I decided I was going to play Low whistle come hell or the other stuff…but I didn’t know where they were…
SO…I deliberately bought a Phil Hardy Chieftain V4 because the B3 was nearer B2 than any other whistle, and while I was at it I bought Phil’s “how to” DVD…and Cormac Breatnach has nothing to fear from me…BUT, it’s all coming along a treat…PLUS…I found my twenty year old whistles and get on with them as well…even trying to kid myself that one of them is an Overton, and if so, what was all the fuss about…Luv it !..
I have a Dixon one piece. I have taken it backpacking. It’s pretty light but it’s also pretty big. My tiny F whistle is easier to take backpacking. The Dixon easy enough to play. The right hand is a little bit of a stretch for me but I’m a woman and I have small hands. Still, I can play it with piper’s grip. It has bendy notes, which I guess is the draw of low whistles for a lot of people. In the hands of a good whistle player it sounds great. Believe me because I let a good whistle player play it and he liked it and made it sound awesome. In my hands, well, it sounds adequate. The bendy notes are hard for me to control. You can’t beat the price. It’s a durable piece of aluminum pipe with a giant fipple head on it.
Another vote for the dixon. I have the one piece and it’s very light, has a good reach, good tone, and a solid bell D. Also a fan of the Albas but maybe not for a beginner – bigger reach and they take a lot more air in the second register.
