Just a point of interest.
Are you a high D player who plays low D as a second whistle or a low D player who plays high Ds as a second whistle?
Why?
I know many people have intermediate whistles but I’d like to keep other keys out of this for now.
I am a low D player first.
Wiz.
Ofcourse there are also people who have no interest in the low whistle at all at all.
I’m interested in the low D.
The high D is shrill and piercing. I find it really annoying unless it’s blown softly.
The low D is also closer to the repertoire I’m used to playing at its actual pitch. My Boehm flute goes down to a B below middle C, which is ideal, but very difficult to finger fast. In some ways, I’d say a low B would be ideal, since this would cover most of my repertoire needs. Low C …not so useful.
I don’t own a high D anymore. Got rid of all of mine thankfully when I shared apartments at university. I would’ve got beaten up otherwise 
Like many, I started out with the high whistle. From there I moved to the low whistle which certainly did my ears a favour (and my wife’s). Then I comitted a year of my life to learn flute embouchure. Now I swap between all three, although all my current high whistles are quietly voiced. They are handy for working out fingering without having to muster the huff of the flute.
My MK Low D is my primary instrument, for Irish music.
When I go to sessions it’s all I take, usually.
At a wedding Friday, and a church service Sunday, I played Highland pipes and the MK Low D.
I’m just not much of a high D person.
My first teacher/mentor, back in the 70s, played a Low D as his primary instrument, an early Overton.
I play a D flute in sessions, and also sometimes the soprano D whistle. Once one plays flute it’s easy to prefer it to low D whistle.
The soprano D whistle (I’m usually playing one of Jerry’s now) can add a lovely quality to a session or ensemble,
though I don’t play it so much alone. As to shrill, one can staccotto the high notes or actually play them
at the top of the bottom octave, shifting to the second octave as one descends.
The high D is my main whistle for playing with others, as most of my playing now is for Morris dancing. It’s ideal as I can play it for ages without getting out of breath or getting cramp, and it can be heard above melodeons & accordions. I’m actually low D-free right now, having just sold my Dixon polymer, but will get another if I find a nice-price Alba. Mostly though, my keyless Williams flute fulfills my low D needs.
(un)fortunately, i like something different about every key and whistle maker. sometimes low D, sometimes high, sometimes low F, sometimes Bb.
but to answer your question, I imagine most players are/were high D players, and if they decide to gravitate to low whistles, the low D is certainly the most common.
i do personally play my low D (MK, by the way 
) more than any of my high D’s.
I, too, have an MK low D, which I think is outstanding.
Honestly, though, I play flute, high D and low D, in that order. As much as I enjoy it, the low D just hasn’t claimed a solid place on the ticket yet. It just feels like a limited instrument, somehow. Maybe I need to lock the others up for a bit and focus in.
I am going to second that. The low D does feel somewhat limited. I play the high D daily, the low D… maybe every other day. I had an MK too… it was a great whistle. Not everything Misha makes it out to be (IMO), but then that’s in my hands 
. The new owner likes it just fine. I play a Goldie/Overton now instead, and I like that one better, which is really all that matters - not the name.
I’d have to say that I like the high D better. It’s more versatile, more portable, more fun. Shrill? You’re doing it wrong, practice more.
If your high D is shrill or piercing, practice more or get another whistle. There are many, MANY high d’s that are neither shrill nor piercing. I play high D several times every day.
I play low D every couple of days but I play other low whistles more. Low whistles are great and low D is nice but not for everyone and not always the best choice even when D is called for. I play high D far more for all the reasons others have listed above. Mainly I can keep them all over the place, car glovebox, jacket pocket, briefcase, top drawer in my office, tool kit etc.
But why limit yourself to D?
I play my Goldfinch low D as first whistle, sometimes i take my Genaration Bb outdoor, but I want something lower pitched for outdoor practicing… maybe 3 piece low F will be good for me. Low whistles rules!
Ofcourse there are different strokes and no accounting for taste. However, I don’t think a decent whistle needs to sound overly shrill in the high notes.
To put the notion to the test I played a tune I originally learned as An Port Ard, The High Jig (for obvious reasons). The composer has since named it as Mo Grá Thú. A quick once over: here
Certainly nothing “shrill” there, Mr. Gumby.
Now that we are comfortably esconced up in Hudson, NY, I have entered a period of daily practice and learning and am playing almost exclusively high D.
Philo
I play mostly low whistle, though I still try to learn dance music on the high whistle. The high whistle seems more nimble, but that may be due to my lack of skill. I do find that my high whistles have more of an effect upon my ears if I play them in a confined space.
@MrG. Nice playing. Nothing shrill there at all. Wish I could do that.
Nice playing. Nothing shrill there at all. Wish I could do that.
Thanks you. And, FWIW, it was a Feadóg head on a Generation body, so nothing fancy.
Most serious session whistlers I know here (a dozen or so) have little use for low D, except as a toy or novelty or change of pace. Showing up at a session with a low D is a kind of shibboleth, advertising that you’re a n00bie. Richard (pancelt) is an exception; for him low D is a flute substitute, since he can no longer play flute comfortably.
For personal playing, sure, play whatever key suits your fancy.
I think separating high D / low D / any other key is a bit silly. If you play whistle, you play whistle. If you play low D and can’t transfer your technique to high D and sound perfectly good (and vice versa), yer doin’ it wrong.
I’m not a session player, but I’d have to say that the high D is my baby. I prefer a very mellow high D (my Alba Q1) and I’ve found that some of the cheaper whistles aren’t as shrill in the upper end of the second octave as some of the more expensive ones are that I’ve tried.
I’ve never felt an affinity for the low D whistle… big air, big finger spread and just wasn’t right for me. I’ve recently taken up flute and absolutely love it!
Also, since I don’t consider myself a “trad” player, I find my consort of Eb - D - C - Bb whistles indispensable since I do sometimes play in other venues or with others who are into medieval, renaissance, etc…so I have to keep my options open.
Sheryl
I much prefer high D. It’s quick and nimble and easy to carry around. I like the sound of the low D but find it awkward to play. Now a low D with some keywork to make it easier to play could be interesting.
All very interesting. I did start on high Ds but found the feel and sound of the low D most attractive. At first there was a speed issue but once that was over come I never really looked back. If playing in a pub session, I would use a Susato or Chieftain just for volume, those high Ds really cut through.
wiz