Wow…It arrived yesterday, A huge black PVC Low D made by Dixon, Sounds awesome, But (Knew there was going to be a but there didnt you ?) While my fingers are long enough for the stretch, The F Tonehole
is kinda large and has a tendency not to seal
completely, I think a bandaid wrapped around the second joint of my finger will work though, I was kinda suprised, that the air requirements are so low to play this thing.
I have to think …Dixons are really underrated, They are really great whistles.
Its the Non Tunable version, The High E is a just a hair sharp, But I like playing a bit sharp anyway. The only problem I have is that its too long to play with in front of the computer LOL
I’m glad you like your Dixon so much. It is very reassuring because I just ordered a high D and low D (non tunable) It is back ordered but I am hoping to see it in a week or two.
The reviews said it was good for a beginner and I like the look from the pictures I could find.
Is the look of a whistle a factor to anyone else? Besides sounding good, I think if you spend a lot of time with the thing it shoudn’t be funny looking.
Both my High D and Low D are Non tunable, Basically they look like Black pipes, The Low G I have is the tunable one, Its a black pipe with a big knobby looking thing , ALL
of them sound great and all are fairly easy to play
Aint that Low G great ?..Low D is awesome though. Finally started to semi play it tonight. I talked to two or three people tonight in the chat room (Seth, Martin, and someone else cant remember the name)and they suggested the Pipers Grip, But that wasnt working for me,So..I started hooking my fingers around the pipe and playing with the
second joints of the first three fingers, and that worked wonders…Bottom notes came out strong and resonant, High E is still a hair sharp,But it would take a really good ear to hear it, And I might be overblowing it as well, I’ll work on it.
I Finally got my Dixon Low & High D’s (non-tunable). I love the high D but MAN is the low D hard! I heard alot of people talk about trouble with the grip and I thought I would be able to handle it but I have made a low octave D only once. I’m going to stick with it. If I can do scales in a week or so I’ll be happy but right now I’m a little bummed.
I got my Dixon Low D a couple of months ago. I love it and I’m still exploring its range of dynamics. It took a week of semi-diligent practicing to get it down. I had some hand problems (aching and stiffness) that developed about a week into it. Happy to say by week three the hand problems are gone and I was able to finger the whistle as easily as a high D.
As far as the pipers grip goes…It feels wierd, but is worth learning. I play the pipes and it REALLY feels wierd on a whistle.
Anyway, it DOES take time to get the stretch…but be assured that eventually you will get it.
Good luck,
Eric
[ This Message was edited by: vaporlock on 2002-04-10 00:46 ]
I just got my non-tunable Dixon low D yesterday, and it’s very nice. I was able to get a few notes out immediately, which I had not been able to do when I tried a Susato low D. If you’re looking for a good but inexpensive low whistle, Dixon is it. (I can’t wait until Tony figures out how to put the brass tuning slide on his low whistles.)
Hear, hear to everyone’s kudos of the Dixon Low D. I’ve had my tunable for about five weeks. I had a low D before and had already gotten comfortable with the piper’s grip, so it took only minor adjustments to get accustomed to the Dixon. The diameter of the pipe is a tad smaller that my other low D so it requires some slight curvature to the fingers to get a good seal. The Dixon is very easy to blow. It has a good deal of chiff, but not excessive – controllable with practice.
For those of you learning or thinking of learning the piper’s grip, I can’t recommend it highly enough. You can play low D without, but it’s a lot easier with it.
Note the C&F site explains that the piper’s grip may be accomplished with either the second pad of all fingers OR the first pad of the ring fingers and the second pad of the middle and index. I prefer the latter method and have had better success with getting proper hole coverage with it, getting my fingers to come down in the right spot, and generally less awkward/more comfortable.
For those with a tunable with a loose headjoint, try a rubber band around the headjoint to keep it from sliding in. A black rubber band would be almost unnoticeable. I have a blue one on mine, but I’m looking for a black one.
Try using hand lotion before you play. Soft skin works much better when sealing is a problem. I’m one of the lucky ones. I have huge hands plus I play bass. My Big Hole Tenor D Overton has never been a problem. We’ll see though when the Bb bass arrives.
Bagfed - absolutely appearance counts. That was one of the factors that went into my ordering a Grinter low D (cocobolo and silver). However, it’s not the no.1 factor of course!
PS Keep practising your fingering and grip - you’ll get there
On 2002-04-10 22:09, jackorion wrote:
Try using hand lotion before you play. Soft skin works much better when sealing is a problem. … >
Dan,
For me, when my hands get dry they also get more wrinkles in the pad tissue between knuckles. The wrinkles make it harder to get a good seal. I cheat and use my wifes, Oil of Olay lotion because it removes the wrinkles. When I was first learning, the lotion was a quick fix until I got more used to the pipers grip. Once I got used to the pipers grip, I found dry hands had less of an impact on getting good seals.
[quote]
Dan,
For me, when my hands get dry they also get more wrinkles in the pad tissue between knuckles. The wrinkles make it harder to get a good seal. I cheat and use my wifes, Oil of Olay lotion because it removes the wrinkles. [quote]
[ This Message was edited by: Bagfed on 2002-04-11 16:33 ]
[ This Message was edited by: Bagfed on 2002-04-11 16:35 ]
