Greetings, Whistling Peoples of All Lands!
I cheerfully play my Susatos from sopranino G down to alto B-flat, but beyond that, the stretch gives me pause (paws?) because my real job is as classical pianist. I cannot afford finger damage.
So…a musical friend and I were talking about how swell it would be if someone created a keyed set of low whistles (just like a flute).
Has anyone out there heard of such a thing or may I consider myself a genius?
Good Cheer to One and All,
Jubilee makes keyed (chromatic) low whistles.
Would you happen to know of a website?
Thank you.
And I suppose this means I am no genius…
But I don’t think Jubilees are Boehm system, if that’s what you mean.
No, I mean an identical fingering system to the standard whistle. The idea would be to place the keys so that the fingers were spaced comfortably for a standard D whistle, which of course would make the low instrument comfortable but also wonderfully facile.
http://jubileeinstruments.messianic-webhosting.com/whis-chromatic.htm
Anybody who plays whistle is an automatic genious. 
No, I mean an identical fingering system to the standard whistle. The idea would be to place the keys so that the fingers were spaced comfortably for a standard D whistle, which of course would make the low instrument comfortable but also wonderfully facile.
I know very little about ornamentation, but I’d think all those keys would prevent you from using ornaments a lot, thus it wouldn’t really be so facile…FWIW, lower whistles won’t really damage your fingers.
To Bb, eh. This tells the tale: beyond, you need to learn piper’s grip. I can’t play alto A with fingertips either, but Tenor C no problem with piper’s grip.
Daniel Bingamon does this, but also low whistles with an “easy” stretch, on demand.
There are also several makers who’ll offer offset (i.e. not in-line) tone holes which do help the stretch significantly.
There are also two whistlemakers I know of who designed their wooden Low D’s so they can be played with the fingertips, just like a Tenor recorder in C.
The whistles are from Bleazey http://bleazey.co.uk/ in UK and Yvon Le Coant in Brittany, France http://membres.lycos.fr/lecoantyvon/SITE_ANGLAIS/indexE.htm
er… you could invent the six-pedal just-tempered piano; you get to be a genius only if you build it, and even then the whistleboard might miss the news
Interestingly enough, my nine-year-old son plays both piano and whistle, and delights to go to the piano and play the tunes he has heard me play on whistle. Just today he was plunking out Round the House and Mind the Dresser on the piano.
Genius, it would seem, runs in the family.
I think it’s relative.
To answer your question. My Low-D (Jubilee Music Instrument Co.) Chromatic Whistle has standard Low-D fingering. The keys on the whistle give you all of the extra notes.
Therefore any Low-D player can pick up my whistle and play it just like a Low-D. This reduces the learning curve - all you have to learn are the extra notes that you didn’t have before.
The flutes of the 1800’s before Boehm had a simple system that uses keys to give you the extra notes, my system is based on that.
It also has double acting keys, for example - the F key can be actuated by your left pinky finger or by a small ‘kicker’ key with the right ring finger. It also has an interchangeable flute headjoint.
I just completed a whistle that will go out to anyone who wisheso try it out, it is called the “Ambassador Whistle”. I got the idea from Terry McGee who has a “Roving Amabassador Flute” that travels around.
This is a good way to let people try out such a new product.
What’s his name? Felix Morgansson Bart Ouldie?
Please post the music of his first whistle concerto (or sonata, we’re not proud) with us for Christmas (estimated completion time). 
Hi Morgan,
Are you aware of the “Pipers Grip”. Many people use this to play the lower whistles more comfortably, and do not suffer damaged fingers.
In short, you cover the holes with the fleshy pads betweeen your knuckles rather than with the fingertip pads, angling the hand and wrist appropriately.
Check the main website for a clearer description…
Many thanks to all for help, suggestions, and predictions of outrageous artistic success for my son.