I have been playing now for a couple of months, only high whistles so far. But I have been looking at low whistles.
Had looked at a Dixon low D, but having looked into it further I am not sure whether this is the best low whistle to start with.
Would I be better getting a different key as a first low whistle? Any other advice would be much appreciated!
By the way, great site! Loads of good advice and friendly, helpful posts.
G is nice, too, and it’s intermediate between high and low D. Doesn’t take so much finger stretch and has that tone that’s really nice.
And… for those on a budget… our friend Daniel makes well-tuned whistles, and offers a low D for only US$30. http://www.tinwhistles.us/jubilee/pr-lowdrev.htm
How does a low G sound? I thought they would be quite high pitched?
It has an alto sound. Check out Clips & Snips for sound examples: http://www.tinwhistletunes.com
Dixon low Ds are OK - I have one, and it’s a nice quiet whistle for late-night practice.
But overall, if I’m not playing flute I prefer my Howard Low D. The Dixon only gets occasionally, usually when I’m in the mood for quiet music.
If I hadn’t taken up flute (and diverted most of my instrument $$$ that way) I would probably have gotten a couple of Overtons by now. I really like the Overton low D, and the Overton mezzo F (halfway between high and low D whistles in size) may be the best playing low whistles I’ve ever had the chance to try.
Overton
I haven’t had the chance to try the Overton, but I do think that they are right about it.
Thanks for the link.
That has made it even harder now! I can’t decide which one I prefer!
hammerhead…
Going into lower whistles can happen many ways. When I started playing, I “eased into” lower whistles by mainly learning on a low F. And I now play nothing higher than a low F. (Which seemed huge and unwieldy, at first!)
Some jump right into a low D, and do fine. Most probably stay with a high D, till they learn their way around a whistle. There’s a steep learning curve, with a new instrument. Getting a really big whistle may make that even steeper. Depends on your desire and commitment.
Law of averages probably means to jump in with a low G, or thereabouts. Trial and error will win the day. Find something you’re comfortable with, then listen and play. Play and listen.
Good Luck!
PS If I had a favorite cousin, who wanted to learn low whistle, and who lived next door, and was a careful person…I’d lend them one of my Burke low whistles. Probably composite. EZ to play!
Cheers for that.
Still think I am in the ‘novelty’ stage! Like a child with a new toy! So I have the commitment now as its all still new, lets just hope I keep it!
Never realised how much fun these wee instruments are! Pity the family don’t share my enthusiasm…
I’m in the novelty stage…nine years later. Go figure…
Hint. Hide…in the auditory sense…from your loved-ones, neighbors and dogs-prone-to-howl, during the, er, formative stages of the journey.
You’ll thank me, later…
It makes a lot of sense, the idea of easing into low whistles by gradually working your way down. I know a number of high-whistle-only players who picked up a low D once, tried to stretch their fingers across it, and immediately dismissed it as impossible for them. (I came the other way, from uilleann pipes and flute, so the stretch never seemed unusual to me.)
People who just can’t handle the finger spacing on low D’s can check out the Susato low D with keys- anyone can comfortably play that.
I got heavily into low D whistles recently, purchasing several different makes and putting them through their paces. I recorded myself playing various tunes on them so that I could hear, as an outside listener, what they sounded like. The Susato ended up being the most flutelike in tone, especially in the upper octave, where the other whistles lost character. I think it’s the wall thickness. The Burke aluminum pro put out the most sheer volume. So far I’ve tried Overton (both Goldie and Overton), Dixon, Kerry, Copeland, Shaw, Howard and probably others I can’t remember just now.
D is good mostly, especially if you want to play with someone.
Hm, I´d say Dixon will be definitely a solid whistle, but for the cream of the crop, I´d take Colin Goldie´s Overton. It´s very cheap. I know it´s 220 euros - but you´ll get an instrument of your desire. You tell him what do you want the whistle to be like, he does it. Perfect craftmanship, perfect sound, and perfect reputation (other good makers occasionaly drop a lemon, I haven´t heard that Colin would do so)…that´s why I think it´s cheap, although such statement smells by controversy.
I was drawn to the Tenor Low D because of the wonderful sound they produce. If I had to stand on my head and play it with my toes, so be it; I would get one.
If finger stretch is an issue, be aware that some whistle maker’s create low Ds with an “easy reach”. Overton is one that makes an easy reach.
My first choice is Overton. One reason is that it has good back pressure. For me, back pressure allows faster playing (passages) as found in reels and the like. I also have a Copeland which has virtually zero back pressure and I find it very difficult to play a reel. It comes into play when I perform slow tunes like airs and so on.
Of course, I can play airs on my Overton and I find it a bit of a luxury to have a Copeland for the slow tunes; but it has such a lovely tone.
If I could have only one, it would be Overton. Best, Cyril.