Which is the low D whistle that, in your opinion, is more suitable for playing dramatic music?
Probably something with a higher backpressure, not too “free blowing”. More resistance gives you more room for expression, like diaphragm vibrato or bendings. So a low D that jumps rather easily into the 2nd octave might not be the best choice.
Maybe a hard-blowing Goldie might be a good option. But I never played one, so I cannot say.
Surely some members who have one, will chime in.
What is ‘dramatic music’?
It’s in the same bracket as ‘haunting airs’.
I agree with most of the above, but would suggest, if you’re after a new whistle, Chieftain Thunderbird or perhaps a Setanta whistle. They are powerful ones.
As for older ones, maybe an old (bernard) Overton or a Chieftain NR or OS.
I would say these qualify as “dramatic” and “haunting”:
Eanach Dhuin on Low D Whistle – Kevin Reams
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1thjwTiQRZ0
Clan at Rest – Quinn Brothers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0Yy40I0iEI
Impromptu based on Eanach Dhuin – by a young Korean man
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmI3N8zKMms
The most dramatic sound I ever heard a Low Whistle make was when a friend’s Overton Low D kept clogging and he got so angry that he threw it down a flight of concrete steps.
It was pretty dramatic, the banging and clanging as it bounced around on its way to the bottom.
The whistle seemingly suffered no damage.
Bernard Overton Tribute ( I think this is a Goldie low whistle, not sure). Haunting… well maybe.
This one, for example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1thjwTiQRZ0
It’s a commemorative music of the victims of a shipwreck; the solo muscial instrument is an MK Low D whistle.
It looks like it is crying, earnestly.
Colin Goldie, Phil Hardy, Misha Somerville: wikipedia calls them the most respected in the low whistles business. I already use Hardy’s low whistles, and I like them very much. Hardy and Goldie use construction techniques of the Overton type, Sommerville, on the other hand, has a different and completely personal construction technique: the metal is never put under pressure or twisted and this fact, in my opinion, has significant consequences on the sound of the instrument. I can’t say which of these three manufacturers managed to achieve the most dramatically expressive in low D whistle but I know that, while Hardy and Sommerville make instruments with well-defined sound characteristics, Goldie, in his website, declares himself available to make customized projects listening to the needs of individual customers. This latest fact intrigues me a lot: it is as if Goldie invites customers to design, together with him, new whistles for new sounds.
I have a Kerry Custom Pro low D that has lots of back pressure and a very soft ‘airy’ sound. Also an Overton low D that has a more clear, loud tone with a beautiful buzz on the edge. Both can be haunting, so maybe it’s whether you want a breathy tone or a clear tone.
-Peter
Goldie, Chieftain, & MKs all have the sound you’re looking for, but when it comes to expressive playing (I prefer the adjective expressive to dramatic), it’s really all about a player’s abilities and technique, and I’d also add, commitment to learning to play slow airs well and other expressive music on the whistle. Also, a lot of recordings and YT videos will be enhanced with effects (reverb, delay, etc), so keep that in mind. What you might do is have a chat or email with Colin (phone call is best for him), Phil, and Misha and describe what you’re looking for in a low D. I’ve played Goldies for years, I’ve had a couple of Chieftains (though older models), and an MK for a short time. Yes, Colin will try to tailor a whistle as much as possible to individual preferences, but some people prefer Chieftains (especially Kerry Pros) or MKs. The other maker who sometimes gets overlooked is Alba Whistles by Stacey O’Gorman, whose whistles tend to have ample chiff but a very different sound than the others.
I’ve been working on some of Davy Spillane’s tunes for the past year or so, which (since they’re not traditional), call for expressive techniques that go beyond conventional ornaments or even slow air style of playing. So again, it’s really about technique and getting as creative as you can. Interestingly (and somewhat counterintuitive), I’ve found that the narrow-bore Goldie tenor D I have allows for the most expressive playing, though I have a lovely standard-bore Goldie that’s better for some kinds of playing.
If you have the $resources$, I’d say get a whistle from each maker, spend some time with all of them (the whistles, not the makers, though that would be advantageous too!), and see how you like each for the kind of playing you’re striving for. As Richard (pancelticpiper) has pointed out before, you can sell a whistle for the same or pretty close to what you paid for it. If that’s not feasible (since it would take quite a bit of $$), then choose one from a maker you’re familiar with and seems to fit what you’re looking for in tonal characteristics, and see how it feels for you. Hope you find that perfect match!
I think there is a lot of reverb on that recording. MKs are great, but in person they don’t quite sound like that. I doubt any whistle does.
It would be very interesting to talk about effects too: shall we open a separate speech?
CPA
Excellent and in-depth informations, thanks. I agree with your ideas. I like very much Kerry Pros but I can’t understand how different they really are from Goldies. Alba whistles seems to me very soft.
CPA
The descriptions of the tone of musical instruments are linguistically as fascinating as generally questionable: it would be necessary to have the formantics curve of the tone of each musical instrument in order to attribute to each formant a precise qualifying adjective, and to the curve a qualification deriving from the sum of those adjectives , perhaps supplemented by numerical indices. This is perhaps too difficult because often the tone changes as the frequency and intensity change, however, trying to compare sound wave graphs, using something free like Audiacity, could be interesting.
CPA
What makes quantifying tone even harder is the setting and accompaniment. Some whistles shine in a noisy environment with other instruments and sound a bit flat in a quiet room. Depending on how you usually play you should select whistles accordingly. Also some whistles really transform when pushed harder and the play of air volume can really modify tone. Others have a very narrow band of acceptable air volume and peak tone quality with any variation making the instrument sound terrible. For me, I prefer a dynamic instrument to a uniform one, but that’s a personal choice.
-Peter