Low D Whistle. Can't find notes below the octave? Help!

Whistle
1

Hi. I have a low D whistle and some of the tunes I try to play require notes below the octave? How would I go about this?
I maybe answering my own here question here, but I suspect I need to play in the 2nd octave first in order to get those lower notes? If this is the case then the beauty of the low sound is taken away from where I want it!
Is there a solution to this. Sorry if this question doesn’t make sense but I’m fairly new to the ‘low whistle’.
Thanks in advance.

2

Since some tunes ‘fold’ (basically shifting the odd note an octave to suit) nicely and some don’t (in which case you’re better starting higher and not folding), it all depends…

3

Er … yes … what Peter said … [more below] …

Meanwhile, welcome to the forums Snowy! You’ll find loads of knowledgeable people hereabouts. They’re pretty helpful on the whole too. :slight_smile:

So, given what Peter says, and I agree, that “it all depends”, can you give us an exmple of a tune you had in mind? It might help us to give specific pointers. Once you get used to it, after a fair few tunes, then it will become less mysterious and more natural to you.

4

Yes, welcome, Snowy!

Indeed, your question (or at least your terminology) is not clear. I reckon you’re asking about tunes, such as fiddle tunes, which include notes below the lowest note (D) of your whistle?

Yes, it depends. You have several choices.

  1. Don’t play the tune. Not every tune is suited for the whistle.

  2. Play the entire melody an octave higher, if the highest notes of the melody don’t run off the top end of the whistle.

  3. Play only the lowest notes (i.e. the sub-D notes) an octave higher. This is called “octave folding” and is the most common technique.

  4. Transpose the melody to a higher key that fits within the range of the whistle. If you’re playing with others, then you can also use a whistle in a different key to match the original pitches.

As Ben said, a concrete example of one of your problem tunes would be useful.

5

Dagonit! MtGuru sort of stole my answer. Ah well, I might as well say what I typed here anyway. As said before, with some tunes you can just move the pesky note up an octave, but other times, it just doesn’t sound good. In my experience, on those tunes that don’t work with the note up an octave, you can look back a couple notes and see if there is a good spot to smoothly shift up an octave, and play the whole phrase, or however long it needs to be, up an octave, and then come back down when suitable. Works for me all the time!

Or just switch whistles mid-tune :smiley:

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Hi. Thanks for the speedy replies, I didn’t expect them so soon!
Two of the songs I’ve been having problems with are ‘Pavane Op 50 by Gabriel Faure’, which was I think originally recorded with a flute. It sounds fantastic in the first octave (starting on ‘E’) until around the 16 note were it then drops below the octave. The other song is Gershwin’s ‘Summertime’, which only manages to get to about 7 or 8 notes before dropping off the end of the whistle. Because both these tunes contain accidentals (which is not a problem in itself) I imagine there’s not as much flexibility with the starting notes. All thoughts and information would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks again in advance.

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Originally in F# minor (starting on F#), but try starting on A or (easier) B as alternatives to folding the low note in E minor.

Gershwin’s ‘Summertime’

Try starting on high F#.

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I start Summertime on the high E. Lower, as well, which seems to be what Snowy wants.

9

Thanks for all the help. It all makes sense now. It got me to thinking about low whistles 2 octaves below a regular whistle, or 1 octave below a low whistle. I’ve posted a new short post on this subject entitled ‘Tin Whistle 2 Octaves Lower’, and again, would greatly appreciate some more info. Thanks!!!