Back in january I bought and recieved the Burke Viper but even now i’m still struggling with pains in my left (upper) hand after short periods of playing. (Pinky and ring finger.. which I think is because of the stretch even with pipers grip (I guess my hands are smaller than i thought))
I’m now considering trading it for another Low D or possibly a flute with easier reach.
I love the sound of the Viper and the Resonance (Sweetheart) and the ones sounding like those will be prefered.
I read your post with interest. I wish I could see you play your Viper. I obviously don’t know the amount of time you have played a low D, or your level of overall experience. Under most circumstances, the pipers’ grip can solve the reach problem that you describe. When done properly, there is no tension in the arms or hands…
Have you had the opportunity to have another successful player look carefully at your grip, including the all-important angle between your wrists, your hands and the instrument? I am convinced that those angles are one of the most important issues concerning the grip. If you still have to stretch a lot, there may be a problem with the manner in which you are using the grip.
Vipers of recent (but not current) manufacture, had a rotating lowest tone-hole. If yours is one of these, please ensure you have that tone hole adjusted for highest comfort level.
In my truly humble opinion, I have found the Viper to be one of the easiest low D’s to manage, overall. Any help you can find on your end, before selling or trading your Viper, will probably be to your advantage.
I wish you the best. And in the end, no low D is worth risking tendonitis. You do not want to go there.
Byll
I’ve tried copying every different “pipers grip” i could find an example of on the net.
The problem is not the lower hand with the rotating hole, but the upper part. (L3)
I do have problemt with the knuckle at the pinky on that hand and i think it’s doing small lockups while i play because of the distance between the 2nd and the 3rd whole.
I’m very interested in the Resonance as that was the first low d I wanted. And since it has both 3th and 6th whole offset, I think it might help with my problem.
But back to my original question. Are there Low D’s out there with an easier reach on the upper hand? (Other than the EZ version of the viper and the Resonance)
I now understand your plight, better. Your medical challenge with your left hand probably has a lot to do with the situation. The versions of low whistles built to allow a smaller tone hole spacing have usually had a slightly ‘thinner’ sound, to me, personally. I have heard, but not played, an EZ Viper. Except for a slight lack of power in the low end, the sound was totally acceptable to me.
I have played standard low D’s by Pat O’Riordan (3/4 inch barrel), MK, Ralph Cook, and Mack Hoover. I own a Viper and a low D built by Colin Goldie. In my limited experience, none of these has a difference in the left hand spacing, that would be relevant to your needs.
I truly hope you find what you need. Best to you. I am sorry I could not have been of assistance to you.
Bill Stine
I’m just curious, Señor Chicken … If you put your top hand flat on a table with your palm down, and spread your fingers wide, what is the distance between your index finger (T1) and ring finger (T3), measured from the middle of each fingertip? On my hand it’s ~12 cm. And I have no problem using normal grip (not piper’s grip) with the top hand, on the low D whistles I have played. (I do use piper’s grip with the bottom hand.) For example, on my Overton low D, the T1-T3 distance is ~7.5 cm. I imagine the Burke is similar. You shouldn’t need to use the pinky finger of your top hand unless your hand is very small, or you have a physical impairment.
