Reyburn “Standard bore” low D in brass w/ wood mouthpiece. (Previously called “narrow bore” in contrast to a wide bore Ronaldo also makes.)
I received a low d from Ronaldo about two weeks ago on loan for the purpose of reviewing it. I have to send it back (or buy it), so there is no conflict of interest. Ronaldo asked me to review the instrument because I had expressed an interest in hearing what one sounded like. I already own a wide bore made by Ronaldo in ‘just’ tuning and had heard the narrower bore played ‘faster.’ By the way, anyone coming to the Northern Calif chiffgathering June 11 will have the opportunity to try both instruments, as well as a number of other low d’s for comparison and buy this one for $200 even.
So…yes, it plays ‘faster’ than the Reyburn wide bore low d. I was able to pick the thing up and play away without figuring out how much breath pressure it would tolerate throughout the scale and hardly squawked a note. This would be a good instrument for a beginner in terms of ease of playability, which is not a bad option for a pro either. (I’ve posted sound samples at
http://tinwhistletunes.com/clipssnip/Audio/05-05/SlowAirBretonReybNBTonyH.mp3 and http://tinwhistletunes.com/clipssnip/Audio/05-05/BattleofAughrimTonyH.mp3
The Reyburn wide bore for comparison:
http://tinwhistletunes.com/clipssnip/Audio/slow/CoombeTonyHRyb.mp3
Copeland low D (brass) Kevin Murray:
http://tinwhistletunes.com/clipssnip/Audio/3-03/FairMaidofWicklow.mp3
New Range Chieftain low D (Jason King):
http://tinwhistletunes.com/clipssnip/Audio/05-05/jimwardsjigJasonK.mp3
I’m always reluctant to state personal preferences because everyone’s are different, so I think mine is irrelevant. I’ll make comparisons to other low d’s, however, so you can decide what you prefer. I have a Copeland low d, which takes more breath to play than the Reyburn, and a Chieftain kerry pro, which takes a lot less air and also has a lot of back pressure in comparison. For me, this makes the Reyburn more comfortable to play then either of the others. I don’t run out of breath too soon or have to force air so strongly. The wide bore Reyburn takes about the same amount of breath and pressure as the standard (narrow) bore.
Tone is the biggest factor in what I like in a whistle. The tone of this whistle is similar to the wide bore, but a bit subdued in comparison. The wide bore has a more open, bigger sound, as does my Copeland. The Chieftain has a softer, more subdued sound than any of these, thought not quieter. The wide bore Reyburn has a bit of an edge to its sound also, which is mellowed out in the standard bore. There are samples of all of these low d’s on Clips and Snips, many of which I think are fairly representative of the actual tones. The Copeland is the most breathy sounding of those mentioned, the wide bore Reyburn is the least breathy. The standard bore Reyburn is about the same as the Chieftain for breathiness. (I would suggest that breathiness is a quality, that in the hands of an accomplished player, allows for some interesting attacks on notes giving some effects not attainable on purer sounding whistles- high or low.) Davy Spillane s a good example of this. (I’m not. J )
If I were only planning on playing slow airs on a low d, I’d go with the wide bore for it’s tone, which subjectively to me, sounds more melancholy/forlorn/haunting. It’s also a little louder/stronger sounding. If I were planning on playing faster tunes as well, I’d go with the standard bore, which is much easier to play at speed; it’s more forgiving or tolerant of variations in breath pressure. As I don’t think the difference in the two is drastic, if I could only have one or the other, I’d probably go with the standard bore for it’s ease and versatility. I know the Chieftain can be played fast because I’ve heard it. Check out Phil Hardy’s website to hear it. And Jason King’s tune bear this out. I find it a challenging whistle to get used to because of the pressure. Obviously, with practice, it’s doable (and I haven’t practiced enough on it.)
I don’t own a tuner and have never checked the tuning on any whistle I own. (I own one whistle that sounds out of tune to me and I never play it. The rest sound fine to my ear.) And, as whistle pitch is effected by breath pressure, I wouldn’t care to measure a whistle’s tuning without having some sort of standard for testing. Ronaldo has a standard method for getting his instruments in tune, so I’m confident that they can be played in tune. The workmanship is excellent. There is a bit of a stretch between the farthest hole and the next (D to E) compared to my other low d’s. It’s not a problem for me once my brain adapts. (I use piper’s grip on all low d’s as it’s much less tiring than using finger pads. Some people use their pinky on the bottom hole. I use the ring finger.) Ask Ronaldo for the hole spacing measurements if you must know. The hole diameters seem roughly the same on all the low d’s.
The reviewing business, to me, is a bit tougher than it looks. It’s not nearly as methodical as Bloomfield’s was of another low d. I thought I’d focus on the things I thought were most important to me. Other info, like photos, are available at Ronaldo’s website. The sounds are at Clips and Snips.
Would I recommend this whistle. Most certainly.
I hope this was an adequate review. Ask me questions. I’m sure I forgot something.
Tony
