I am looking to buy my first low whistle. The decision is prety much between a Dixon and a Kerry. Would one be better for a beginner then the other? Does one play easier?
Sorry, having a blond moment. That should be “pretty”.
On 2002-08-07 16:42, Another Whistler wrote:
Sorry, having a blond moment. That should be “pretty”.
Yep, we all have those… except me.
I have Grey Moments..
BTW. You can edit your original post by using the “edit” link at the bottom of your post…
I’m kinda suprised that nobody has responded to this thread yet, so I’ll reply to half of your question.
I only have a Dixon, Chieftain and Overton Low D. I have never tried the Kerry. From my limited experience I know that, of the whistles I have, the Dixon is the easiest and most relaxing to play. It is quiet, has low air requirements and doesn’t suffer many clogging problems. It’s tone is clean and pure. I think the Dixon is an excellent choice to begin with.
Now all you need is for somebody with a Kerry to post their side of the coin. Is half an answer better than none??
Good luck,
Eric
[ This Message was edited by: vaporlock on 2002-08-07 19:41 ]
Well, I cannot comment directly on the Kerry Low D, though I’d love to have one. 
I do however, have a couple of newly-acquired Chieftains (same maker) and a Dixon Low D.
The Dixon really is a pretty easy whistle to learn on. And, it’s very good for practice since it’s very quiet. However, if you’re looking to take it straight into a session, it’s too quiet IMHO. My Chieftains, OTOH, will easily hold their own in session (I don’t find them difficult to play, either). But, as a practice whistle, well, that really depends on whether my wife is home or not.
Personally, I think you’d be happy with either one.
I have a Dixon tuneable low D and a Kerry pro
in D.
To start with, I suggest the Dixon.
It is quieter than the Kerry, and much cheaper on the pocket (1/3rd price of the Kerry).
The Kerrypro is much louder - great for sessions with others - and quicker i.e. it’ll
change notes as fast as you can move your fingers.
The Dixon plays straight away no problem.
The Kerrypro has to be warmed up first, otherwise you get into the first tune and the wet whistle blues take over.
They are both good whistles, but if you ‘only’ want to play for yourself/on your own, or with a couple of others, the Dixon is the way to go.
I just received my Dixon Low D (non tunable) two days ago, and I’ve already discovered some of its better traits.
As all would know, its quiet. Its so great for beginners in so many ways (i haven’t touched an instrument for like, 5 years?).
Breath requirements, I should say, is low, but you still need to control your breath as to not overblow. Goes into the 2nd octave kinda easily (sometimes too much) for the lower notes.
But I think, for beginners (like me), the other important thing to look for is hole spacing. Its fine even for me small hands.
Rarely shrills/squeak/whatever unless you try a bit…Last night I was just simply blowing notes from lowest to highest, and my mom told me “can you play another song?” as in implying that I play the same song over and over (when I am not). Cool eh.
Hello Another,
Having played both the Kerry (with the plastic mouthpiece) and the Dixon Low D I can only recommend the Dixon.
It is a fine Low whistle with a nice tone and a very easy stretch. Even if you at some point would get a more expensive Low D you would probably keep playing the Dixon.
The Kerry lets you work hard for the tone, especially in the 2nd octave - but IMO rewards with none of the tone and dynamics you would expect with such backpressure.
Best,
Jeroen
Hi, I have a Dixon 1 piece Low D and a Chieftain 1piece Low D. I’d agree that the Dixon is very easy to play, very low air requirements, the only thing is that it’s very easy to jump into the second octave by accident, especially on the first three notes. The Chieftain I actually got before the Dixon, I’d ordered the Dixon but tried the Chieftain in a local music shop and fell for the sound there and then and had to buy it. This probably explains why I had the octave jumping problem, I was used to the greater back pressure of the Chieftain before I tried the Dixon. The Chieftain is a really good whistle, you only have to steadily increase the air pressure as you go up the scale and the high notes are just as clear as the low notes it also has a “real” low whistle sound. You can’t really go wrong with either whistle, the Dixon is really good value at the price but you won’t outgrow the Chieftain as quickly. Whatever you decide, get a Tuneable 2piece, I did’nt but I wish I had. Hope this is of some help.
Cheers, Mac