Kevin Crawford low whistle

Whistle
1

in my obsession with all things Kevin Crawford, does anyone know what kind of low whistle he plays? i did a google search but i haven’t been able to find it…

there’s that great youtube video of Lunasa playing “the last pint” where he introduces the song saying that they’re making a video for Phil Hardy, but that he’s not playing one of his whistles. :slight_smile: so what is it?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgmwQvgCoWw

cheers,
eric

2

I believe it’s an MK…

3

Absolutely, WOW!

Awesome music. I’ll order the CD when I can find it.

4

I know Kevin is on Facebook, so you could try asking him directly.

5

I believe that would be a Grinter low F that Kevin’s playing, and Cillian and Sean would be playing Chieftains.

Kevin had a complete set of Grinters he played for years. At some point, all except the F were stolen.

Best wishes,
Jerry

6

John, our posts crossed in cyberspace.

I did ask Kevin, and he handed me the Grinter to inspect. As I’ve said before, I don’t trust my memory 100%, but I’m 99% sure I’ve got it right on both the Grinter and the Chieftains. It’s further evidence for the Chieftains that Phil Hardy’s website address is on the video.

Best wishes,
Jerry

7

Yes, thanks, Jerry. :slight_smile: Those Grinter Fs seem to have made it into a few hands. Paddy Keenan plays one, too. I owned one briefly, but resold it because the air requirements were too high for my taste.

8

argh! no!

i’ll never get one of those; i thought they had totally passed into legend…

:slight_smile:

9

…but what was the Grinter made out of?

:slight_smile:

10

My bad - I didn’t look at the video. I’ve asked him about the low D, not the F’s. Sorry… The low Ds are MKs (at least they were last time I asked).

Pat

11

I think it was rosewood. Dark reddish wood.

Best wishes,
Jerry

12

Jerry’s right that Grinter is the whistle he’s playing on the clip. He played the same in concert here a few years ago. When he played low metal whistles (as with the others in the band) he was playing Chieftains. At that time, at least, he didn’t play any MK whistles. And, of course, he played the Susato rather famously: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9DLP4PobwY&feature=related

13

ok, this is just getting worse and worse… :slight_smile: rosewood is the only wood i’ve come across that i don’t like. he’s testing me… :slight_smile:

khl, thanks for the link. :slight_smile:

but anyway, this all raises a larger issue… time for a music theory lesson from MTGuru :slight_smile:

how do you play an F whistle with D whistles?

that doesn’t make any sense to me. an F whistle has one flat, correct? and the D whistles would have 2 sharps. shouldn’t they sound terrible playing together? what am i missing?

cheers…
eric

14

You don’t. Well I do, sometimes. Playing everything in parallel minor 3rds is a good way to drive people crazy. You know, cheap thrills. :laughing:

Seriously … in trad, F whistles are usually played by themselves, or maybe in F sessions, or band settings where everyone can play in an F-friendly key (F/Bb/C major and related modes). In “The Last Pint”, they’re all playing F whistles.

You’re right, there’s not much overlap between F and D whistles. F and C whistles do overlap in 2 major keys, and can work together.

BTW, I think my Grinter was also some kind of rosewood, maybe grenadilla.

15

Yes, that is a Grinter low F. I have actually had the chance to play it. It is a very nice whistle. :smiley:

16

oh, i see. somehow i got the idea KC was playing a F Grinter while the rest were playing D Chieftains. but you’re saying they were all playing F whistles? that makes sense then.

ok, so i guess i’ll keep an eye on ebay for a near-mythical f grinter to show up… :slight_smile:

cheers,
eric

ps i tried to friend Mr. Crawford on facebook, so far he hasn’t accepted but i think i still have a shot :wink:

17

You’re not the only one looking for a Grinter either according to Mr. Crawford on the Lunasa forum.

Feadoggie

18

Just heard back from Kevin on FaceBook and he confirms the Grinter low F and also says he alternates between an old original Overton and an MK for the last couple of years. He says he uses the MK for faster or more technically challenging tunes because it allows him “to be a little more articulate with both the fingering and blowing as its an extremely efficient instrument”. He says of the Overton, that it has “the most beautiful full bodied low whistle sound and is perfect for haunting slow airs or moody pieces”.

Hope this settles it…

Pat

19

Feadoggie; thanks for the quote. i’ll have to check out that forum. :slight_smile:

Pat, when you say overton and mk, do you mean in F, or D, or both?

cheers,
eric

20

The Overton and MK are both in low D, according to Kevin.