I’ve been playing tin whistle for about 5 years now and low whistle for maybe three years. And I’ve been thinking about this discussion about piper’s fingering for low whistles. I have a chieftain low D which I really love to play. Though I’ve always been playing it with the “normal” grip. Though this is because I’m compleately self-teached on almost all instruments I play.
Anyway, I’ve never had any problems with holding the whistle this way. I’ve got no problems covering the holes, neither do my fingers get tired. Well, except for my left thumb which gets a bit tired after very long playing. But that stayed the same when I tried some piper’s fingering. So now to my question: why should I then play with the piper’s grip? I’ve read several articles lately, written for low whistle beginners, most of them wrote that you have to use the piper’s fingering while playing. Though I haven’t read any other arguments of why you should use that type of fingering besides the “you won’t get tired in your fingers” and “it’s easier to reach all holes”.
I would love if someone could share their thoughts about this. I really don’t have anything against piper’s fingering, to be honest I wish that I’d began playing that way immediately as it looks like people tend to shout at those who use the standard grip. But that’s also the reason why I’m asking this. Because if someone manage to convince me about the advantages af piper’s fingering I’ll try to learn playing that way. But else I think I just might continue on as I do now.
By the way I have kind of standard-size fingers.
Please excuse my English flaws as I’m from Sweden.
Every player is different physically. Famous Irish musician Shaqiuille O’Neal has no trouble playing the bass A whistle with “normal” fingering. Some of us do not have hands quite as large as Shaq.
If you can play your low whistles without using the Super Duper Easy (SD-EZ) grip, the grip formerly know as the piper’s grip, then more power to you. If you can cover the holes, feel no discomfort and have no issues playing those reels and jigs (or whatever you night enjoy playing in Sweeden), that’s fine. Carry on! There is no reason not to.
But many of us cannot do that. I played flute as a young man. I was taught the classical grip as though it were the only rational approach to handling a flute. It’s not. Some teachers seem to specialize in the “it’s always been done that way” method otherwise known as the “I had to suffer through this and so will you” approach. I realized after starting to play cane flutes in a variety of keys that that is not the only option. The stretch was too much for my smallish hands. SD-EZ grip is the answer when you came up short down the stretch. I could not physically handle low whistles without using SD-EZ grip. It’s a way of overcoming a physical limitation. If you do not have that limitation, great!
I’m not a young man anymore. My fingers have developed some arthritis. Playing with straight wrists and flat fingers is comfortable and pain free. I now find myself using “the grip” on whistles from Bb on down. It’s just plain more comfortable. That’s another reason to try it. Necessity is a mother, as they say.
But one thing you should realize is that there is no inherent downside to using SD-EZ grip. Once the initial “strangeness” is overcome, it is just as capable a technique as any other.
I avoid piper’s grip when I can. I need to use it for the right hand on my low C whistle, but not on the low D and higher whistles. But I also have a slightly offset third and the sixth hole, to make it more comfortable to play with the finger front pads (or whatever you call it). I am far more used to playing with the front pads, and it is the same for all whistles, high and low (up to low D), and I can use the same technique to play a F nat by half-covering hole 5, which works for me better with the finger tip, as it can dig into the hole a bit, so hitting F nat is consistent.
I agree with Hans and Feadoggie - do whatever works for you.
In my case, I use the SD-EZ (nee Piper’s) grip for all whistles from “high D” on down. That’s mostly because I started as a piper and it makes sense to me. But on a flute, I use the “classic” fingering. Go figure.
The big advantage of the SD-EZ grip (from my perspective) is that it allows you to keep your right wrist flat so those tendons don’t have to make so many sharp turns and the tunnels don’t carpel.
Of course, if you’re already comfortable with your whistle, it shouldn’t take more than 10 minutes to figure out EZ Grip and try it. It’s not a big deal, only a slight change of hand position. You might like it, and then you can switch between the two techniques at will.
Thank you very much for your answers!
Well, then I think I’ll go on as usual but I’ll probably learn the EZ-grip too and then I’ll se if I’ll use sometime in the future.
