Hi Everybody
Greetings from downunder. I would like to enquire if any of yous’ have had any experience with low C whistles and if you could advise me as to which maker to go for as per ease of fingering,tone and volume. I’m looking for a big volume and a reedy sort of tone but not too breathy,or do you think going for a low C is stretching things a bit, or asking too much from a whistle. Will greatly appreciate any and all responses.Thank you very much,
Pigwhistle.
Hi, pigwhistle and welcome to the whistle forum.
A low C whistle isn’t as uncommon as one might expect. I have had experience with three low C whistles - an OS Chieftain non-tunable, a Dixon tunable polymer and a Burke aluminum. Low C’s are also made by a few other makers such as Howard and Overton. I have also made my own low C. The finger stretch can take a bit of getting used to on any of them but otherwise they are much like playing a low D. Of the three I have had, I prefer the Burke. I don’t think of any low D as particularly loud though but all three that I have experience with were loud enough for my purposes. I had some concerns about the tuning on both the Chieftain and Dixon and I sold them. In fact, on the Dixon I had to trim about a centimeter off the top of the tube to get it to play at proper pitch. The stretch was about the same on the Dixon as the Chieftain. My hands are smallish for a man and even with the piper’s grip I had a difficult time playing at speed. The Burke just works better for me all around. I do have to admit that I have more Burke whistles than most reasonable people would own. So adding a Burke low C to the ensemble made sense. Mike does good work. I would like to try a Howard low C sometime. I like the Howard low D and the C should be more of the same and it would probably fit your qualifications too.
Feadoggie
I have a Howard Low C; one that is probably 15 years old. Haven’t compared it with other Low Cs but it has good, strong volume. Not breathy, in fact, bordering on a buzzy sound but very pleasant - to my ear. The fingering on this one is wider than my MacNeil Low D on the upper hand but just about the same on the lower, although the holes are larger on the Howard. Takes a while to get used to the hole size. It’s tunable.
Best of all, it’s for sale , although the postage to Oz might be an issue.
Best wishes.
Steve
Thanks for the welcome Feadoggie and for the advice.The Burke sounds like it might be the one to go for,I was sort of leaning in that direction so thanks for the boost. I gather from reading the forum that the Burke whistles have a clear or pure tone as distinct from a reedy one, but ease of fingering and the volume might win the day.
Steve I think the exchange rate and shipping costs may be a bit restrictive at the moment as regards the Howard you have for sale.
I really like the sound of the Howard whistles but his web-site says that the low C is quieter and more of a stretch than the low D.I would like to be able to compare them to see for myself but thats not possible,but I do love that reedy sound of his whistles. Anyway,thanks again guys’.
I assume you’ve seen this? (Weird how these things work out)