The appearance of a message from me on these forums probably surpises some of the “Fathers” (and Mothers) of the forums (you know who you are) who have by now almost forgotten I existed; more recent members may be wondering who the heck I am… Anyway, I’ve never been all that far away from the forums which have such a special place in Whistledom. Greetings to you all, and my best wishes, as always. Now on to the meat of this post…
I recently had the good fortune to acquire one of Erle Bartlett’s low D Syn whistles. I understand that there has been interest in this whistle (of course) but owners are relatively thin on the ground and very little feedback about the whistle has been given to those who are interested in learning more. So, I want to share some of my impressions of the whistle with you all.
First of all, the whistle looks great with its red anodized finish and black Delrin mouthpiece. I’ve never owned a red whistle before and never had a yearning for one… Appearance is probably a minor issue for most players - I’ve always considered myself to be of that persuasion - but a nice-looking whistle is easier to love, and this whistle deserves to be loved.
The finger stretch required to play the Syn is undoubtedly a bit of a challenge to someone used to playing low whistles of, say, the Overton variety and this for me is the one negative aspect of this whistle. Both hands are affected. However, after spending a bit of time playing it, your hands do make the adjustment. I have to say that my own hands are not large but I am still able to manage this whistle (though I continue to have a bit of a problem playing at fast tempos and accurately executing ornamentation on some notes). You shouldn’t necessarily let the hole spacing be a deal breaker because everything else about the whistle is superb and the hole positioning no doubt helps the whistle’s excellent tuning right across both octaves. I should also mention the size of the tone holes - they are quite large and this might add to playing problems for some people but it does make it surprisingly easy to half-hole and hit those accidentals (though hopefully not accidentally!)
The tone of the Syn is for me a big part of its appeal. Such preferences are always subjective, of course, and I’m sure not everyone will like it as I do but my own musical sensibilities tell me that the tone of this whistle is exceptionally good. It is full-bodied, rounded, and possesses a lovely sweetness.
The good design of the Syn provides the player with a very pleasant surprise - the breath volume requirements for playing this whistle are amazingly small. Low whistles usually take a fair amount of breath but this one takes less breath than quite a few high whistles do, and that’s not an exaggeration. It’s possible to play long phrases without the need to take a breath - when other whistles might leave you gasping for breath the Syn allows you to keep the notes coming. Also, the Syn has a good back pressure when playing and you can really lean into it and make it sing out.
All in all, I think the whistle is fabulous; a real pro low whistle. I’ve recorded a tune using the Syn and put it on my web site and those interested in taking a listen can find it here: www.micksvirtualwhistle.net/whistle/ . It’s the one with the picture of the red whistle next to it. 
There is a small amount of added reverb on this recording but if anyone would like to hear the recording without the reverb, please feel free to ask me for it.
Anyway, that’s about it… I hope my comments are of some use. I’m not sure I’ve added anything new, and I’ve probably missed saying something really important. If I have, please give me a gentle nudge and I’ll try and put it right.
Mick
