would appreciate advice on my specific situation. just acquired a beautiful copeland brass low D. (it was a chanukah-present and was ordered then- i got the 3 part one) i am fairly comfortable on the high D whistle (do pretty well with about 25 traditional irish tunes) and i am comfortable with the pipers grip, as i play bellows pipes. (although one species of that animal, the nsp, is usually played with fingertip)
what else should i watch for in my bid to sound as good as i can on the low D? is it just a matter of playing time? any hints on managing the upper register? what are the pitfalls i will face that i have not had to face with the high D whistle? on the high D, although i own about 8, the only ones i play are the water weasel and the dixon tunable.
btw, my honey returned safely from her deployment in the gulf. i am thankful to have her back and very proud of her.
As far as handling the low whistle, I have only about a month on you in terms of experience. At this point, my only advice is, don’t be afraid to use lots of air. Blow strong, whistler. I checked myself against a tuner to see what was required of my new Overton, and it was a LOT of air. But your whistle is tuneable, and a different design, so I’m not sure how helpful my experience is for you.
If you’re used to Water Weasels and Dixons, you’re gonna have to blow a whole bunch more air through the Copeland. If you’re playing the same tunes, you’ll have to find more places for breathing. This will help your playing high-D’s, because it’s best to mix up your breathing.
The Copeland is also a heavy whistle. Expect your thumbs to fatigue/cramp up/whatever. I still have a few problems supporting it with my right thumb.
Enjoy: you have one of the coolest instruments on the planet!
I’ve tried the Snappy Thumb Rests, although not on the Copeland. I’ve never gotten used to them. I think my thumb moves around depending on what my fingers are doing, so I can’t find a single comfortable position.
I broke several so now good old blue tack on the back works for me. My thumb can stick in it and roll around quite a bit. It helps a lot with Low whistles.
thanks to all, loving the new instrument. btw, i have the 3 piece one with 2 joints- it fits well into a soft flute case, and the side case fits a couple of higher whistles reasonably well.
