“After hearing so many Low D whistles played so beautifully in sessions and on CDs. I wondered how a Low D Fife would sound.”
I bet the difference between a flute and a low d fife isn’t as subtle as you’d think!
Being ancient, I dare not buy it as sounds like you need an air compressor, or it could impart instant death. 
Am I seeing the whole thing wrong or how on earth do you reach that hole?
Actually, the guy (Al Fontana, from Rhode Island) makes some decent stuff. His smaller hardwood fifes are very rustic and home-made looking, but play very well – similar to bamboo fifes, but with a difference. A lot of fun for not much money. I have a couple of them in Sissoo wood. He also makes them in teak, butternut, black walnut and other woods, and makes really cheap ones in pine. He also makes panpipes and some other neat stuff. Very nice guy.
I’m not sure I’d like the low D much, though. (Incidentally, that’s the blow-hole on the right, and offset fingering holes on the left side).
(Fife as viewed from perspective of the listener.)
It’s a pretty normal flute, except the offset hole which looks a bit too offset for me.
I never quite understood what made a fife different from a piccalo and I’m still quite confused about the whole thing.
Anyone care to clarify the nuances for me? Seems like a good time to ask.
Yes, it occurred to me these things might just be alright,
whatever he calls em. By the way he makes em inline too.
Schekey I don’t think these words have a definite meaning.
The paradigm fife is a military instrument in Bb, that looks
like a cigar and has no slide and plays mostly in the second
and third octave. It’s meant to be heard above cannon
fire.
Ralph Sweet makes higher pitched flutes in G, A, Bb, C
and D that he calls fifes. Most of these are just plain
flutes, conical with a tuning tenon, that he calls fifes.
So I suppose by now ‘fife’ means ‘high pitchedkeyless flute,’
unless one is being careful, in which case it denotes
only the military jobby.
Agreed, the terms ‘fife’ and ‘flute’ are sort of interchangable once you get above low F. Cylindrical bore instruments more often get called fifes, but you’ll see the word ‘flute’ used for them sometimes as well. Or sometimes ‘flute/fife’.
Sweet used to make a high D ‘piccolo’, and now he makes a high D ‘fife’, but both are actually conical “flutes”, so the names don’t mean too much.
One more thing is that ‘fifes’ tend to be designed to go well into the third octave, sometimes at the expense of the lowest notes. This is common in the military-style fifes. ‘Flutes’, even cylindrical ones, are designed with more emphasis on the first two octaves. At least, these are my impressions.
Or sometimes ‘flute/fife’.
Flife!
Or flufe?
starts, glances round, runs
Indeed, he has some pretty interesting things at great prices.
I messaged him and asked him if he’d ever thought of doing
a panpipe with a Norse theme, as they are in the style of
old Norse panpipes.