I love the sound of a low whistle, but for some reason can’t seem to play anything lower than an A. I know some of the problem is I haven’t mastered the pipers grip. However, I have trouble getting a good full tone even when I get the holes covered and real trouble hitting anything in the upper register. I know I am doing something wrong-just can’t figure out what it is. Anyone else have this problem?
What make is the whistle? In my limited experience some low Ds are easier to play than others.
I have a few low whistles but I’m no expert on them. The first and most obvious thing that comes to mind is leaking tone holes i.e. they are not covered properly. Take time to learn the piper’s fingering. It is best as a beginner to work down the scale rather than up. This way you can identify where the leaks occur in your fingering and adjust accordingly. Breath control also takes a while to master in both octaves and every whistle plays differently. We all have to learn how much air, and what attack, is needed for each note.
We have all been there so persevere.
Piper’s grip and practice. Piper’s grip and practice. Piper’s grip and practice.
A few weeks before buying my Kerry Songbird low D, I tried pipers grip on a generation Bb and decided to persist with it in preparation for the low D.
Within days I was getting consistent results with pipers grip on the Bb and soon the day came when I played a tune and realised that I’d forgotten I was using pipers grip, cos it felt so natural.
On getting the Low D, just before Christmas, I again found that pipers grip was tricky, with inconsistent hole closure.
However, within a week, it was totally solid.
So maybe you should get a cheap Bb (generation Bb’s are only slightly more costly than their high d’s) and commit to playing it only using pipers grip.
If you give it a go and it produces results, do post here as it would be interesting to know if it works for others.
Especially with the lower hand. Especially with the lower hand. Especially with the lower hand.
It takes time - I had real problem with low whistles at first because I couldn’t reliably seal the #@$# holes.
I found that it was easier with Piper’s grip than using my fingertips, and that too much pressure was as bad as too little - as I relaxed more, I got a better seal.
These days, I can play a reel on my Howard Low D without problems, which I would have sworn was flat-out impossible the first couple of weeks I owned it.
Persist. Try Piper’s grip. And don’t grip too tightly - not only can it create leaks, but it slows you down and leads to finger cramps.
If you really think the whistle’s the problem, just use masking or Scotch tape and cover the tone holes that you’re trying to finger and try different breath pressures. This should convince you if it’s you or the whistle.
what they all said about fingering. and working down, rather than up scales. i’ve found that the low d, e, f, and maybe g notes all require a very open back of the throat, and just barely breathe into the whistle, no blowing, just breathing. and if you aren’t already, try dropping your tongue. basically anything to make your mouth cavity larger. i seem to get a better tone when i hold the whistle higher, rather than down by my knees.
much different beast than the high whistles.