Hey folks, Duncan was kind enough to give me a hornpipe last week to try out so I could comment on it, so here we go.
This ain’t yer daddy’s whistle obviously, she’s big, loud (if you want) and has something called a “reed” 
On his website, http://www.highlandhornpipe.com Duncan suggests a whistle player will be able to take up the hornpipe in about an hour. This is pretty much true. Making sounds is certainly tougher than a whistle, but not as hard as, say, a flute. Of course if you already have experience with reed instruments I imagine you would have no problem whatsoever, but for whistle players I think biting down fairly hard on the mouthpiece takes some time to get used to. After a weekend of playing for maybe half an hour or so a day, I’m starting to get an idea of what the instrument can do with embouchure and air adjustments… which is quite a bit. As for the thumb hole, I think I’m starting to get used to it, it is not too much of a change, just an extra hole to remember.
There is an incredible range of sound that can come out of the hornpipe, from an incredibly loud, low bark of a hard D to a middle D that is unbelievably quiet for how the instrument looks. Once you get used to it you can modify your sound and volume to a remarkable degree. Tightening around the mouthpiece will give a pure tone, loosening will make it much more reedy, a sound I love, it is somewhere between a whistle, flute and pipe. You can modify the sound as you play, very effective at giving emphasis to some notes. Every time I pick it up I’m amazed at what sounds come out, very satisfying instrument to learn.
The second octave is a tad hard to hit, Duncan suggested that the reed really needs to be warmed up before you go for it. I still have not been able to hit it on mine, but Duncan played his for me and it is certainly there. I like the sound from what I heard. Third register is there too, but probably not something you want to do too often 
Fingering in the first octave is all the same, except for the thumb hole, as a whistle. One thing that I really like is the crispness of the instrument. Ornaments come through really well on the hornpipe, I especially enjoy crans on it. Depending on the size of your hands, piper’s grip might be best. I have large hands and have some minor troubles covering all the holes with standard grip.
Duncan pointed out to me that this is not a replacement for the whistle, there are things it cannot do, most noticeably the second register is a 1 and a fifth octave higher so for most of your tunes you won’t be able to play the whole way through. Frustrating, yes, because I know I would love to play through all my tunes with it. However, Duncan is compiling a list of tunes in the first octave, and ones that work in both registers on the instrument, on his website. Can’t wait until those are up.
It is a good looking instrument, all polished aluminum. I am impressed with Duncan’s workmanship. In fact I got the one I did because, cosmetically, it did not meet his standards. The hornpipe has some weight to it, but a thumb rest can be used so holding it is no problem whatsoever. It can be tuned by pushing the mouth piece up or down, a line marks where it should be in tune.
When I first heard the clips on the website I was sceptical about how “trad” the instrument was, but,after getting a feel for everything it can do, I can see it now. I like it, it is satisfying to play and has some good sound. I’ll post a picture as soon as I can find some batteries for my digi so you can get some idea of its size.
