Hi,
I am looking to purchase a low d whistle that is suitable for a beginner. I have seen one made by http://www.domnahlnagruen.com/ and there is a link on his website to the item he is selling on ebay.
Has anyone used one of these brands of whistles and what is your opinion, i.e is it a good one for a beginner, or which would you recommend?
The maker says he can have the L3 and R3 tone holes off set, or the standard pipers grip layout.
I have medium hands with stubby fingers.
Thank you .
Hi and welcome!
First a question: When you say you are a beginner, are you new to the whistle itself or just new to the low whistle? That is, how much experience do you have playing the high whistles?
I think what Tim2723 means is that you really shouldn’t try the low whistle without first playing the high. I second the recommendation…
Pat
Welcome to the Whistle World Celtaidd! Be it Low or high 
I own a Domnhal na Gruen and am really happy with it! It’s a great beginners Whistle, and Daniel McGinley (the craftsman) is a great person that can help you with all your doubts.
All in all, I think it’s necessary for you to awnser the previous posts, because it’s different being a beginner in the whistle itself or in the Low kind.
Cheers!
Hi,
I would say I am new to the whistle in general. Although I did play the recorder in primary school for a while and I did buy a penny whistle whilst I was on holiday in Ireland. I can not remember the make, it was a gold coloured metal with a green plastic mouth piece. But that was over 20 yrs ago and anything I had learned or attempted to learn has long been forgot.
Thank you.
OK, back to the original advice - learn to play a high-D first. Your old one (Generation?) would be fine, but you’d be better off getting something more recent and easier to play. I play Burke whistles and would recommend you pop for a used one of these - you can sell it for what you paid for it if you don’t like it. If you DO like it (and you probably will), keep it for your “arsenal” and THEN buy a low-D.
Take this for what it’s worth - I have (mostly) crossed over to the dark side (flutes).
Pat
I will get a high whistle first. What is the reason to learn a high whistle first, is it just to get acustomed to the whistle?
I have seen that you play the high with the pads of the tip of your fingers, but on the low I have seen the top holes played with the tips of fingers and the bottom with the middle pads of the fingers?
Back to high whistles. I can not seem to find a Burke whistle around (U.K); but I have seen a Clarke’s Sweetone for under £5.00. What are clarkes like for a beginner?
Or should I opt for a more expensive one? bearing in mind that my final goal is to get a decent low D whistle.
Thank you.
Hi Celtaid
Try Big Whistle they are UK based and give a good service.
Dixon whistles are the step up whistle of choice, from the Feadog/Generation/Clarke type whistles, for the local CCE branches, then the serious whistlers move into the Abell/Alba/Burke/Ormiston/Rose/Sindt territory.
This Dixon Brass tunable is the cheapest deal on Ebay.
If you are still looking for a low D then This used one being sold by Kenny McNicholl on Ebay is a nice whistle - he says unknown make, but it is the same as my Chieftain low D, so I am betting it is a Chieftain.
Enjoy your whistling.
David
Celtaidd, if you do a search on this forum you’ll be able to read a large number of threads on the topic of Low Whistles for beginners. It would give you a pretty good background.
Two things will probably jump out at you:
ask ten whistle players which whistle is best and you’ll get ten different answers.
experienced players will advise that you need to actually play various whistles to discover what’s right for YOU.
I play a Burke Low D and I love it. I’ve tried nearly every expensive Low D out there and to my way of playing the only thing that’s topped it has been one quite fantastic MK I tried.
However there are many good whistle players out there who don’t like Burkes at all. There are many who hold up Overtons as the best Low D’s.
Just about every make of Low D has its supporters, you’ll find.
That’s probably the best route as you can see from the majority of advice.
The primary reason to learn the high whisle first is to allow the player to master the basic skill set. Breath control, sealing the holes, breaking and controlling the octave, dexterity and agiity, etc. The low whistles require all these skills and further modifications of them. For instance, mastering the ‘piper’s grip’ you mentioned. It’s a one-step-at-a-time process for most players and for most the more natural progression is from high whistle to low. However, there really isn’t anything wrong with beginning with a low whistle, but the extra challenges might well frustrate many new students. For someone who finds himelf drawn to the low whistle’s sound yet is averted by the high whistle’s tone, the low whistle might well prompt him to practice more often and more seriously.
If your ultimate goal is to play the low whistle, starting with a Clarke high D as an affordable alternative is perfectly OK. Very many accomplished players have started with them, and a great many continue with them forever. You can certainly learn the basic skills with one while saving for your low whistle. But you can also invest in a quality high whistle and sell it for nearly all you paid when the time comes. The financial aspects are yours to decide. Personally, I like to see a new student start with a high quality instrument, be it whistle, guitar, piano, or any instrument. For the most part, a high quality instrument is less likely to have any defects that a new whistler might struggle with. For instance, that whistle you bought twenty years ago was probably a Generation or a Soodlum. Those were, at the time, common place and were somewhat notorious for having false notes. The experienced player might compensate for this problem, but the new student, lacking knowledge, would be frustrated and give up thinking it was his fault. I think we lost a lot of good whistlers that way.
Only ten different answers? 
Best wishes.
Steve
Gee, I could give that many all by myself!
Even that will change over time. There is a certain frustration factor at first with the large whistles with coverage and breathing. I certainly wouldn’t want to learn articulation techniques on them as a beginner. That would be frustration++.
Not to say that you couldn’t do it but it would take a lot of dedication. With a small whistle, you’ll get some rewards fairly early on to keep you stoked.
Hi,
I also chose a Domnahl na Gruen as my first whistle. I did not get on with the the first whistle I was sent (me not the whistle), but Daniel readily exchanged it with another that I am more than happy with. He really is a great guy to deal with.
OK, I’m up for that, Steve! 
There has been some good advice given already, and it’s probably the general consensus around here to start on the high D, and get your feet wet with the playing first. But not everyone does it that way, as it’s not a standard course-it’s what you want and make of it. If you really want to play a low whistle, and can probably manage the stretch (consult your whistle maker), then go ahead and get one, if the low stuff really thrills you and keeps you interested. It will take some time to adjust to piper’s grip (many use it top and bottom, by the way-especially on the low D’s and below), but you can do it in time, and it will probably become second nature with practice. Personally, I started on a Shaw A, then very shortly went right to a low D without regret. I’ve picked up cheap high Ds here and there, but it doesn’t thrill me playing them like the lows do, and they probably never will.
But…your hands will tire quickly until you become accustomed to the big stretches, so, it’s a very good idea to have a higher whistle to play when your hands are tired from the low whistle. If you concentrate on the high, and fill in with the low on occasion, you will have the best of both. Who knows, you may also find you like the high D whistle better (many do), or even that the low D is too much for you, and sometimes a higher key low whistle (F, G, A or Bb for instance) is a better answer then-but you don’t know until you try the low D if you can do it or not-and if it’s what you really want.
The Domnahl na Gruen seems like it’s a nice whistle for the money, and with your location, a good safe bet to try out anyway and see how you get on with it. Seems the maker is open to helping you get what you want and need-that’s really good when you can find that.
You can always buy a bunch of cheap high Ds along the way and see what you like (most do anyway), but as some suggested a little higher grade whistle will make a better start-like a Dixon Trad or another like it. Yes, Bigwhistle.com is a good source for you especially since it’s in your backyard-and by the way, they have the Dixon Trad at the same price as the Ebay seller Davy listed. Personally, I’d go with a reputable whistle seller anyday who specializes in them like Big Whistle.
The main thing is to enjoy your playing time-so do whatever it takes to get there, and you’ll be fine. Have a blast!
Barry
It was or it is the low whistle that appeals to me, so I will no doubt go for the Domnahl na Gruen. But on the majority of advice here, I will get a high D also.
One argument for not starting exclusively on low whistle has to do, I think, with developing a mindset. Probably the most common gripe you hear about low whistle players goes something like, “He/she has been playing for [insert some number of months or years] and still doesn’t know anything but slow airs.” Partly, this is because slow airs are so much fun to play on a low D. Also, it’s harder, and potentially more frustrating, to learn to play faster pieces at tempo on the big whistle. Human nature being what it is, you tend to spend the most time on what gives you the biggest (and quickest) reward.
One of the great things about ITM is the social aspect of it. You learn the most when you put yourself among other players with your mind and ears open. Most of the tunes played at sessions are jigs, reels, and hornpipes; there are few airs played. To participate, you will want to learn a goodly number of tunes and want to be able to play them at a pretty good clip. The more agile high D whistle will help you get there more quickly. You will also learn that it’s just as much fun to be able to play a jig at 132 BPM as it is to slide around on a slow air.
All the above said, play what makes you smile. Life is too short to do otherwise. Keep in mind that the folk advising you to get a good foundation on the high D are all folk whose motivation is to help you succeed. We are hoping to smile along side you some day.
I will certainly start off with the high D and learn to master the whistle on a high D as suggested.
Very good thoughts Mike! A different perspective from my post, but it makes a lot of sense-for getting someone interested in the dance music too and the social aspects of ITM.
Barry
Most of the tunes played at sessions are jigs, reels, and hornpipes; there are few airs played. To participate, you will want to learn a goodly number of tunes and want to be able to play them at a pretty good clip.
Quite true. I’m with you so far…
The more agile high D whistle will help you get there more quickly.
Here’s where I get off the bus.
If your Low D isn’t agile enough to handle jigs and reels at full session speed, you need to get a different Low D whistle.
The Low D is an instrument in its own right. It is not simply an adjunct to, or a mutant of, a high D whistle, and saying one must learn a high D whistle before learning a Low D whistle makes as much sense to me as saying one must learn high D whistle before learning flute, or uilleann pipes; or for that matter learning concertina before learning fiddle.
I feel this way in part because my first Irish music mentor back in the 1970’s played Low D whistle as his primary instrument. His second instrument was the flute; he did not play high whistles much at all, only when odd keys were required.
Likewise, after playing flute as my primary instrument for 30 years I’ve switched to Low D whistle. I have almost no use for a high D whistle at a session.