A couple of days ago I received my new MK low whistle in D, the truth is that my original order was one in F, but apparently there was a confusion and received my current D. This at first was a bit annoying, however, after waiting a month to arrive, would no longer feel bitter.
Well, I like my impressions shared a beginner (7 years playing) on the whistle.
The whistle is very beautiful in appearance, and certainly looks better than most. It is quite heavy, so that the arms and hands can get tired after a while. The sound is the main feature, as many have already said, is like “dirty”. The first octave is “hoarse” and stable, it sounds very strong. The second octave sounds like an Irish flute, just a little, well I have already mentioned, the 2nd octave is difficult to handle if not using proper breathing. The M is difficult to handle, and even more, the notes B and A of the second octave, this sound too strong and not at all pleasant. The whistle needs to be hot to sound their best, plus I noticed that when the whistle has nothing sounds worse than clogging a little moisture accumulates. It is possible that this made to sound better with a bit of clogging (as it will be inevitable). Unlike other blow whistles at the “clogging” tend to improve the sound. The whistle is difficult to control and it is certainly for real professionals. I imagine they will be able to touch it much better than me. The tuning is not as perfect as has been said in other reviews, the notes E and D is 10 or 15 strong. Other notes are the range of 5. I guess this is so, to match the 2nd octave.
In summary, the whistle is good, but not too much, everyone praises the MK but no one has its flaws, at least in mine I found that mentioned. No doubt, I personally preferred the sound of the type “Overtone.”
That’s for sure, but it’s also true that the MK requires quite a push at the top end. I find the KPro (which is an Overton type whistle) much smoother. Both fine instruments, though, no doubt about it.
I have to say that I don’t agree with most of what is in this review. I got an MK low D a few months ago and haven’t really found any of these ‘flaws’ to be true. The second octave is no more difficult than other low whistles I have owned and tried; it is easier than an OS Chieftain I used to have and is also easier to control than the second octave on my Burke low F which is really particular about the A and B. I also have not found any issues regarding tuning.
My MK low D is a joy to play. It is in tune with itself, and stays in tune with itself when moving the tuning slide to bring it in tune with the band, when playing in very hot and humid, or cold and dry venues. Misha tends to be rather healthily obsessive about the intonation of his instruments, and has a reputation for being successful in this endeavor.
The timbre/complexity of the whistle’s sound is very pleasant and even over its entire 2+ octave range, requiring a bit of a push at the top, as mentioned above, for the second octave note. This is nothing that cannot be handled with a bit of experience. No special fingering is required for the ‘turn-around’ e note at the top. Any slight tendency to clog when cold can be ameliorated by the normal duponol treatment.
I find the MK low D - and F - to be exceptionally easy and pleasant to control. Cuts, taps, rolls, crans, slides, etc., react in a crisp, predictable, and very musical manner. For me, the heft of Misha’s instruments - as with Colin’s - give a subjective stability to the playing of the instrument. I have never gotten tired, playing an MK whistle. And it is our younger son that is the power lifter, not me…
of course, is my personal opinion and in particular my whistle. Also as I mentioned, it is likely that true hands master the whistle sounds much better. Should get used to achieve their full potential.
I too disagree with much that you’re saying. I’ve played most of the Low Ds out there, and eventually settled on the MK as the best Low D for my way of playing.
That being said, as you say no Low D is perfect. The High B being on the edge of harshness is one of the inescapable tradeoffs with Low Ds: if you get the high notes (particularly High B) very sweet, the low range will be weaker, but if you get a strong low range (particularly Low E) there’s going to be a slight lack of sweetness in High B. It’s just one of the many compromises which no maker can escape.
About weight, the MK is average for aluminum whistles. If you think it’s heavy, try playing a Cheiftan Gold or brass Copeland or brass Reyburn for an hour!
About intonation, MKs are very very close and it’s just a matter of spending more time playing it to play it in tune.
If the tone of the MK is too harsh/dirty overall for you, perhaps you might try a Burke Low D, which has a much cleaner sound. Some would call a Burke’s tone “bland” but many prefer its tone to other Low Ds.
You might also try a Tony Dixon Low D, which has a very sweet upper range and overall sweet tone, and is very lightweight.
My main impression (remembered) of the MK is that it had to be pushed quite hard up at the top; what you describe as harshness is, to my ear - listening to my KPro - persistence of the lower octave undertone. The note doesn’t sound pure (i.e., it has quite a component of the lower octave note) unless you play it quite loud, but it isn’t harsh exactly. But I no longer have the MK to compare.
This persistence of the lower octave note is characteristic of duct flutes, as far as I can see; a good example is Frans Bruggen’s playing of Lachrimae Pavane (youtube) where you can really hear the undertone in the top notes played on his original Terton soprano - which takes nothing away from the sublimity of his playing.
I fully agree! It’s one of the things I really like about MKs, the interesting/dirty/complex tone in the 2nd octave. But, one could describe the tone of High B as having a tinge of harshness. It’s all good to me, but many others don’t like it.
About blowing harder, that would make the 2nd octave sharp of the 1st octave, at least on the three MK Low Ds I’ve owned. To play the octaves in tune I have to blow the 1st octave strongly and take care not to overblow the 2nd octave. Quite different than on the Dixon and Overton, where I have to be careful not to overblow the 1st octave and can give the 2nd octave a nice strong blow to bring it up to pitch.
Thanks! That helps explain what I’m hearing with my Kelpie. I like the interesting/dirty/complex (airy?) tone. Also I like hearing the air go through the whistle when I play and when I tongue notes. Is it a good thing to blow more air through when tonging? Or is that heading in the wrong direction?
I don’t find MKs to flip into the second harmonic when blowing the upper octave harder. They only get a bit sharper in pitch. You can really lean into the first octave without it readily jumping into the second octave. The second octave requires some extra push in the top hand notes and also requires some added support to stay up there. The new model Reyburn I have is easier to play in the upper end of it’s range, requiring less support. It has all the volume of the MK throughout it’s range, perhaps even more. The tone has a rounder, fuller sound to it with less edge than the MK. It responds to ornamentation equally well. The bottom D is also stronger. On the downside, it is half again as heavy as the MK. I have gotten used to that.