I’ve just acquired a low D. Although I’ve previously achieved adequacy on both a Clark and a Generation (little D’s) I’m befuddled by the spacing of the 6th hole on my new whistle. It’s about a yard away from hole 5! Even with Piper’s grip, and my long fingers, my ring finger is very chummy with my middle finger, and seems unwilling to strike out on its own for the 6th hole. Any suggestions?
What is the manufacturer?
I am laying 5:1 it’s a Susato.
Two suggestions: Try playing the bottom hole with your pinky. I know people who have done and they say it took them very little time to get used to it, a week or two.
Otherwise when using piper’s grip make sure you use the second pad for holes 1,2 and 4,5 but the first pad (close to the finger tip) for holes 3 and 6.
I don’t know if this will help, but I have played a couple of whistes and flutes with absurdly long spacings between the bottom three holes.
When I’ve run into problems with the spacing I modify my pipers grip so that I’m actually using the pad between my first and second knuckle to cover the hole which allows me a greater stretch.
Good luck!
It’s a Bernard Overton Overton.
And I think, perhaps, surgery to relax the togetherness of my middle and ring fingers!
Ditto Bloo and the others. Good advice. As to getting your fingers to do the stretch better, spend a bit of time (maybe 5 minutes) each day with your hand in warm water, stretching the fingers. It worked for me, maybe it will for you. It took me a couple of weeks to get to the point where the stretch on a low D (Alba, and a no-name Indian one) felt okay, but it did eventually work. I have a couple of physical therapist friends who told me about that one. YMMV, of course. If you find that you cannot stretch the joints like that, do check with a local PT for other ideas.
And, as Bloomfield says, you can use your pinky if all else fails!
Cheers, have fun! 
serpent
I’m one of the pinky playing whistlers that Bloo is talking about, and always have been 
Emmline, this should help…Buy this book!
LOW IRISH WHISTLE TECHNIQUE
By Mr. Leonard Nimoy 
I would have said so, too. My Susato not only has a long stretch, the 5th hole is the size of a dinner plate. So when I stretch far enough to cover the 6th hole, the 5th one suddenly becomes leaky. Oy. 
thanks all…I’m finding the pinky technique works for me as my ring finger likes to remain a unit with tall man.
Another question, to solidify my position as village idiot…
When playing in whistles of different keys…say for instance, a Bflat whistle…does one finger exactly in the same way, ie top hole only covered will make a B, but instead of natural, as in a D whistle, it’s flat?
I think it must be one of the old-style Bernard Overton whistles. Bernard has been using Colin’s improved easy-fingering for a while now.
You just play the whistle and ignore the fact that it’s a Bb or a C or a D or whatever. So the same tune will sound in a different key. You only start worrying about it when you have to play with others.
I like to worry in advance. What if I play with others? Completely different note name for each fingering?
Yes.
If you play a tune in G on a D whistle, and then play the same tune (same fingerings) on a C whistle, it will sound in F.
If you want to play a tune in F (or D minor), like say Julia Delaney, from sheet music, you’ll have to nasty things like F-naturals to contend with. What you do is, you transpose the tune up a step (so that it is now written in E minor), but play it on a C whistle (one step down from a D whistle). The result is that the E-minor fingering will sound D minor. Eh voila.
To help and make it clear:
Whistles in different “keys” just play the major scale starting from their bell tone.
C=CDEFGABc
D=DEF#GABC#d
Eb=EbGGAbBbCDEb’
etc.
Learn a tune in D.
Grab another whistle, finger it the same: you transposed the tune.
It’s not the same pitch, but it sounds “right” because of the mostly modal nature of music.
If you played major D, you still play major mode–whatever the key.
Sounds right… when playing alone at least.
With others, it’s a different debate–on harmonies, etc.
I like to worry in advance. What if I play with others? Completely different note name for each fingering?
This may help:
I’ve had my Susato Low D for four days. One song of mine has a sequence: G F/ E/ D2
in dots: xxx xxxx xxxxx xxxxxx
with the F and E eighth notes.
Warming up with this sequence has helped a great deal. I use a pipers grip. I have to remember to “stretch and wrap” to get the low D bell note, sort of curling the ring finger over the last hole. My hands are average or slightly smaller than average (I wear small size men’s gloves). My proficiency comes and goes, but is improving. There are now times when I can get a clean sound first time.
- Bill