I’ve a question that will probably raise a whole bunch of different answers but I would like to hear them anyway. I’ve been practising daily now for coming up to three years mainly on a Goldie Low D because it is the low whistle that I really love. My inspiration was, and still is, Davy Spillane’s “moody” melancholy kind of playing rather than a love for pure ITM though I respect it and its players. But playing in sessions doesn’t attract me nor does learning dozens of jigs and reels. However I recognise and respect the traditions through which people like Davy, Paddy Keenan etc learned to play. Hence I also play a high whistle though not as much.
So . . . I’m fortunate enough to find 90mins to 120mins a day to practice, sometimes more and wonder whether I’m best giving that whole time over to the Low D or whether benefits are to be obtained from giving some of that time to the High D. I bought Mary Bergin’s first couple of books which are fantastic and learning her techniques and tunes on a high whistle is obviously easier at first, though I don’t particularly like the sound of a high whistle. In some ways I’ve felt from what I’ve read that apprenticeship on a high whistle is best before moving to a low whistle so I should acknowledge that and spend some time at least on a high whistle, even though my first whistle was a Low D.
On the down side, I wonder how well techniques learned at the finger tips transfer readily to the piper’s grip and there whether time on the High D is improving my skills on the Low D. And secondly, I don’t know whether it’s my imagination but the high whistle seems to be played in a different, rather more “jaunty” upbeat way than the low whistle. Mary’s playing and teaching is obviously second to none but I don’t particularly enjoy the way she plays, preferring as I’ve said a moodier, much less upbeat sound.
Your thoughts please. At 59, with a desire to learn as well and quickly as I can, should I share my precious practise time with time on a High D or just focus completely on the Low D?
For me its just the opposite approach. I prefer the pure drop Irish Traditional Music and devote ninety-nine percent of practice time to the high whistle. I do love to hear tunes played on the low whistle and can appreciate all of those individuals devoted to the low whistle.
I say play what you want to play like and devote your time to it. That’s just me thinking. Some friends say it doesn’t matter and mix high and low whistling, while other friends devote playing one or the other. I’m with retired on this, play for your pleasure. Have fun.
Mike, I’ve honestly never considered many of the topics you have brought up on this forum. And I’ve never considered any differences from low whistles to high whistles much. It’s always about the music. The whistles are just a way to let the music out. It’s about expression. There are plenty of examples of emotional music played on whistles of every key. It’s about what you want to play, how you feel and what needs to get out of the heart and mind and into the air. And after a while (probably varies by individual) the extremes of technique from high to low melt away into a continuum across all the different keys. Sometimes we feel like singing soprano, or alto, then sometimes tenor, and sometimes bass. Spice of life and all that. What you do and how you do it on one whistle is applicable to what you do on any other whistle. But it is all about the music. That’s what drives it all. That’s my philosophical view I suppose.
So, if the voice inside of you is low, evocative and melancholy, work on that. Let it out. Remember, it’s called playing. No sense doing it if you aren’t feeling your own joy. Play!
I think there are practical reasons to develop technique on a high whistle but … so what.
My take on this would be that the two are sufficiently related that time spent on the low whistle will also count towards improvements in your high playing.
Yes there are differing breath and expression techniques alongside the grip issue you mention, but you are building up musical knowledge, playing experience, and muscle memory that will stand you in good stead whether it’s the biggun or the smallun you’re playing at any particular moment.
I should emphasise I’m not a pure-drop player (don’t even play much Irish at all) so if that is your aim there’s probably a whole different mind-set you need to get into on the high whistle. Personally I even think that time spent on my concertina has a positive feedback effect on my flute and low whistle playing, so if you are comfortable with the physical change between the two instruments you’ll be fine concentrating on whichever gives you most pleasure that day. All IMHO of course!
Thanks guys. A unanimous voice. Very encouraging. I will definitely continue to play a high D - there are times when I enjoy playing them and sometimes a piece lends itself better to a high whistle - but will focus most of my efforts and “play” (a good reminder of what it is. Thanks Feadoggie) on the low.
what about the low G? and Bb try all the other keys, keep a selection…they all have unique characteristics. I play a high C mainly and a low G , really like my B as well .
I guess my reaction would be, do you want to play the high-D whistle? If not, I’d say it’s a waste of time. Yeah, it might teach you some crisper ornaments, but I really don’t think it will add anything substantive to your low-D playing. As others have said, A, low-G, -F, -E, -Eflat, and -C might be better choices, although I found the difference between low-D and -C quite prohibitive for my arthritic hands.
As I said there are times when I like playing high D especially for specific tunes . . . or if I don’t have the energy for the low D. It’s more that I don’t want to constantly use valuable practice time that I could be using on the low D. That a high D could teach me crisper ornaments is a definite plus though and I wondered about that. Maybe I will continue to work through Mary Bergin’s second book on the high D but not necessarily make it a daily thing.
As for other keys, I’ve just bought a used low F to try out. I haven’t given it much time yet but, initially, it doesn’t attract me. It’s neither high nor low, neither one thing nor the other but I will give it some time. Other keys are out as is WOAD. I sold my guitar and guitar books to fund playing the whistle. That fund plus money from birthdays and Christmas constitutes my limit. I’ve been buying and selling a lot of whistles to try them out . . . thankfully without financial loss. By the end of the year I think I might have settled on a nice high D and a few low Ds plus the low F and that will be it, I think.
I play low whistle by preference as well, (and have a good case of low WHOAD ). When I take the notion to play a high whistle, I use the same pipers grip that I use with low whistles it works just as well on a high D as a low D.
I’m not an ITM player, though I have ‘had’ to become familiar with it due to various tutorial books I’ve used. And no offence intended I cannot endure the sound of the High D no matter how good the player. I persevered with it as it was purportedly ‘beneficial’ to my Low D playing but it always felt like a chore.
However a couple of months ago I picked up a cheap polymer Dixon ‘A’ whistle off Ebay. I had very low expectations of this whistle but I thought it would be okay to go in my backpack, glove compartment, desk etc.
But it’s really nice whistle (if a touch flat, see thread I started elsewhere) far better then the rather disappointing Dixon Low D I have. ‘A’ is lovely key, not horribly high like a High D, none of the breath, finger stretch requirements of the Low D and (although I’m loathe to concede this) I think I’m a ‘better player’ with an ‘A’ than I am with the Low D.
I’ve since picked up a Shaw ‘A’ (okay but not as good as the Dixon) and now I’m after a decent metal ‘A’ like a Goldie, Chieftain etc.
Perhaps an ‘A’ would be a more enjoyable second key for the thread starter?
As usual there’s lots of food for thought in your questions!
Seems to me that your questions might be boiled down to these considerations
to what extent are high and low whistles different instruments, regarding technique and style?
is it possible to get better at one type of instrument by practicing on another?
should somebody spend time practicing an instrument they don’t care for?
Starting bottom to top, I would say that life is short and you may as well spend your time practicing the instrument you prefer.
I don’t see how practicing high whistle would improve somebody’s low whistle playing. For me there’s no substitute for spending a lot of ‘face time’ with a particular instrument and I do all my practicing on the very instruments I perform on. I don’t understand people saying that people should start out on high whistle, if the low whistle is their goal.
About the differences high whistle v low whistle, I have a certain perspective on this, because I played flute as my primary Irish instrument for many years (over 30) and during this time didn’t play high whistle much, and low whistle hardly at all. I would play the same tunes and same fingerings on flute and high whistle, but the style was completely different. My fluteplaying had no tonguing, had relatively few ‘ornaments’, and relied on ‘breath pushes’ and ‘breathing spots’ and such to get rhythm. On high whistle I played in a typical high whistle style, the airstream being more steady and loads of tonguing and ornamentation, the ‘jaunty’ thing you’re referring to.
So when hand cramping forced me off the flute and onto the Low Whistle it was interesting to see how my style changed. Playing the Low Whistle like a High Whistle didn’t work for me, and neither did playing the Low Whistle exactly like the flute. As my style evolved it moved to some sort of middle ground, probably closer to the flute side of things. However I need to stress that I play the mechanics of playing, the fingerings and cuts and pats and rolls and such, precisely the same on high and low whistle.
Had I started on Low Whistle from the get-go, back nearly 40 years ago, who knows how my playing would sound today.
Thanks for your thoughts, Richard. They are, as ever, very helpful especially your perception of the different natural playing styles of flute, low and high whistle. My main instrument is a Goldie Low D, and though it perhaps isn’t the easiest of Low Ds to play, I love its tone and feel. I have a tapered bore Dixon Low D that I also love for its lightness, smaller holes and easy playability. I turn to it to initially work out tunes at my desk or when I’m tired. Between them, I have most of what I want . . . though, to repeat myself, there are times when I like to pick up a high whistle for a particular tune or just for a change. I’ll probably leave things as they are . . . focused on the Low D given the positive feedback I’ve had from everyone. Thanks again all. C&F is a great gift to the lone whistler!!
Heyho, back to the forum after a couple of years away.
I play high and low whistles as well as recorder, which also comes in a variety of sizes. My opinion, for what it’s worth, is that (on recorder) playing music written for the alto recorder (what whistle players would call mezzo F) on soprano (high C) definitely forces you to refine your articulation and intonation, whereas playing the same music on tenor (low C) improves your fingering agility. I tend to play music for all three instruments on all three instruments, and find it to be beneficial. However, recorder players don’t use the piper’s grip… nonetheless, the playoff in tightening up your articulation and intonation in playing the high D whistle will certainly be worth it for your low D playing.
You’re 59 years old: I think at your age you can afford to take a long term view still (I’m 54, and I do!) - you’ll probably be playing your whistles for another 20 years. So why not become as good at them as you possibly can? I think if you take this view, then you can only benefit from dedicating time to a range of whistle sizes (a mezzo G or A would be a great addition) and ten years from now you’ll be a virtuoso player. I mean that seriously. Include lots of scales and arpeggios in difficult keys (say, 1/2/3 flats and 4/5 sharps on your D whistles) and in a year’s time you’ll be playing at another level. And you’ll still only be 60!
So, practice on both is my advice, and add a mezzo whistle into the mix.
Thanks for your input. I have a Low F now but rarely pick it up preferring to go to either Low D or High D whistles but mixing it up between the three might be interesting. And I think you were the only one to mention scales and arpeggios. I should do more of those. Thanks again.
). When I take the notion to play a high whistle, I use the same pipers grip that I use with low whistles it works just as well on a high D as a low D.
