Do any fipplers feel just a slight sense of embarrasement that your Overton low whistle or one of its relatives is still refered to ,well,as a whistle.Lets face it,the whistle got its name from the sound coming out of ones lips but is it humanly possible to hit low D or C when you want the dog to come?A Whistle to me was always a Clarke or Generation,cheap and cheerful, but the low ones are definately in another class.How many people are aware that a Dobro for example is simply one of many brands of resonator guitar.Is it time for a knew identity?Will or should the low whistle some day be known as simply an Overton?Mike
I"m not an expert on whistles or ducks, not by any stretch, but in my experience, if it looks like a duck, acts like a duck, feels like a duck, and sounds like a duck(even if it’s a low-pitched duck), then, it’s a duck.
Sam…
You have a whistle that QUACKS???
COOL!!! 
B~
Face it gang, they’re fipple flutes
one and all. According to the OED,
no less, to whistle originally meant
to play on a pipe–now it means to
blow or sound a whistle. ‘Whistle’ is from
old English. (The verb is related
to ‘whisper’ and ‘hiss.’) Well,
a low D is a pipe so, given the
original meaning, playing a low
D pipe is whistling. That upon which
one routinely whistles is a whistle,
I reckon. It follows as doth the night
the day, foresooth, that a low D
pipe is a whistle. Or one could
call it a big bad fipple flute…
Most (non-celtic music listening) people around don’t know better so they say that my whistle is a flute. It happens so often that I sometimes don’t bother to correct them anymore. They are partially correct anyways. I don’t really mind if people call my low whistle a flute, a whistle, some thingymajig, or whachamacallit. It doesn’t really matter what its called. I’m just happy that I’m playing them=)
“What’s in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.”
Steinberger=Any headless electric bass guitar Dobro= Any resonator guitar. Strat=Any electric guitar based on Leo Fenders original design. Tele=Same as above. Harp=Not a brand name but its hard to imagine Howling Wolf simply playing a mouth harmonica and I’m O’carolin did not play blues on one of these. Whistle=Whistle &Flute= English slang for a nice suit. Duck with low quack= Extremely pissed off and a very large omelet. I like the big bad fipple flute sugestion. Any others? Mike
Mike,
There’s a simple solution to this problem - One just has to properly train one’s friends and family, etc.
Any time someone says “Flute”, instead of “Low Whistle”, You just give them a whack with your Overton Low D. Trust me, they’ll learn the difference very quickly and you’ll have them all saying “Low Whistle!” in no time.
If anyone complains simply explain you actions as a time honored zen method for imparting knowledge, and let the person know they should be thankful for the enlightenment (and lumps) they are receiving. (This last bit only works if you can keep a strait face while saying it)
Have fun!
Loren
To the general public, I am learning Irish Flutes.
To non-folk and non-irish musicians, I am learning Irish flutes and whistles.
To Wife and Daughters I’m learning to play “Poppy’s” music usually followed with rolling the eyes. If I catch the eye roll then it is further followed by a quick duck if avoid my applications of Loren’s educational technique.
If I play a CD with a low whistle, non-irish music folks identify the sound as a flute. They will also generally identify the soprano whistle sounds as a piccolo or fife. So ‘Irish flutes’ tells them that what I’m learning is basicly a flute but with something a little different that makes it Irish.
My family at least focuses on the music and not the instrument. I like to think I’ve taught each of them to …
Hoover = any motor-driven vacuum cleaner.
Ford = any black motor car
Biro = any disposable pen
Jay Peg = anything for hanging birds up
Waffle = any speech made while eating
Steve
If it looks like a duck…
From the Celtic Airs web site:
http://members.home.net/celticairsn3/images/instruments/hall_loon1.jpg
Joe
[ This Message was edited by: jduffy on 2001-08-16 10:49 ]
lets see…,Low pitched duck.Big bad fipple flute.Thingamijig Watchamacallit(personal favourite as it might save me getting a konk on the head with a big low)Club.And the winner is!..(Theremin and drumroll)WAIT!! There’s more to come…(Wild,deafening applause and whistleing KONK!) Thanks everyone for your thoughts.Mike
On 2001-08-15 21:19, mike.r wrote:
…should the low whistle some day be known as simply an Overton?..
My Dixon Low D doesn’t want to be called an Overton. How about just calling it a flute? Those other instruments, the side-blown flutes, could be called side-blown flutes.
Dave
Personally I prefer Cuisle. It has a nice meaty sound to it
Thanks Ron.I’ll chew that one over and add it to the list. Mike:)
[ This Message was edited by: mike.r on 2001-08-16 16:08 ]
All kidding aside,The technical term for a low whistle is “Vertical Block Flute”
Thomas(anal-retentive)Hastay. B-)
Thanks Tom. Its recordered and should stand up well. Mike