This is my first post, and I’m an absolute newby to whistle… my level of ignorance is woeful, and I apologise in advance.
That said, I’d be grateful for any input.
I have loved the sound of the low whistle for years and recently decided to purchase a low D. However, it arrived, and was decidedly huge for this Lilliputian. I can’t cover the second from last hole with my skinny fingers, let alone reach the last. With heavy heart, I have to return the instrument - BUT, I have been offered instead of a return a swap for a low F and A. I’m told these are easier to play.
Does anyone know, are these very much easier to play than the D? Are they considerably smaller?
The other consideration is how to learn. I bought a book, ‘Ireland’s Best Tin Whistle Tunes, volume 1’ that comes with CD. For the first few songs, the fingerings are shown, then I’m on my own. Would the fingerings in the book work the same on any whistle? I’m guessing that (hopefully) I could produce the same tune with the same fingerings shown, albeit in a different key. Is that right? So, if I wanted to play along with a CD, it would need to be transposed into a higher pitch?
Why is the D whistle considered the best for beginners and why is it the most commonly used or easiest whistle for playing the widest array of tunes? Will I be limited with an F and A, and will learning it from books make life difficult?
I’m uhmming and ahhing over this dilemma of whether or not to accept the swap or not.
D high whistle is indeed the standard whistle to learn on, for numerous reasons.
Being able to get a decent one cheaply is a major factor.
I’d suggest starting there, whether or not you go for the swap.
Most or all of the learning material is based on the high d whistle, but once you know
what and how to do it the skills transfer readily to lower pitched whistles.
Lower pitched instruments transpose effortlessly as you use the same fingerings you learn on the
high d.
For your first lower pitch whistle try a Generation Bb, tweaked or un-tweaked.
Very affordable and not too shrill.
BTW, whats your general local, NA, UK, Ire, EU, Aus?
Most people – almost all - use a technique called piper’s grip for playing low whistles. I use it for anything below an A whistle. Here is a link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nca0OT5e6yI
Strongly suggest you try this method before you consider the swap.
That said, I would recommend that you also get an inexpensive high D whistle as a training tool even if your focus will be on the low D.
Finally, take advantage of all the old posts here on C & F. A wealth of knowledge for a beginner!
Welcome to the forum and the adventure of playing the whistle.
I picked up my first Low D two years ago without any prior knowledge of whistle playing and it was the sound of the Low D that attracted me. But, at the same time I have also been learning on a High D simply because, as maki says, that’s the standard whistle to learn on and it is easier to learn many techniques on the High D before trying them on the Low D.
As regards your own situation, if it’s the Low D sound that you like, then maybe you won’t find a Low F satisfies you and if you’re going to learn, you need to like your instrument. Also to repeat maki, it would be useful to know where you are based . . . . and also what Low D you bought? You may have picked a tough first choice and it may be quite possible for you to find a Low D that you can play which may be a better bet than going for another key that won’t satisfy you.
So over to you.
P.S. I didn’t see swizzlestick’s answer before I posted this. Do check out piper’s grip before you make any decisions if you haven’t already done so. If you’re trying to play the Low D with your finger tips then you’re almost bound to have problems. Few of us on the forum could.
To answer a couple of questions, I’m in the UK, and yes I know about the piper’s grip. The trouble is, the low D I have (Kerry pro tunable) is way bigger than I had anticipated. The second from last hole is so big that I have to practically use the third section of my third finger on the right hand in order to cover the hole. My fingers just aren’t wide enough to cover it. The stretch becomes physically impossible.
Is the low F drastically different in size and playability from the low D? The swap would be another Kerry whistle. Low F and A whistles are what I’m having to consider.
Sorry to ask again, but when it comes to fingerings and learning from a book with accompanying CD with pictures of the fingers… would those same fingerings on a low F produce the same tune, albeit in a different key?
I have bitten the bullet and bought a Dixon high D because I think the comments on here are probably sound advice in terms of getting some confidence with techniques. I still have to decide about this swap though… ack!
Many thanks, and I look forward to discovering more on this forum.
Oh, and I should add that I do love the sound of the low F whistle, it’s just that my reservations are on whether it will again be too big for me and whether I’ll be able to find material to learn on it. If anyone has experience with this I’d welcome thoughts.
Also, I notice nothing’s been said about the A whistle. Is this a fairly unusual (and therefore perhaps unwise at this stage) choice?
The swap bit is somethig I can’t help you on, sorry.
I will say that most of us go through many whistles in many keys looking for that ONE
that will scratch the proverbial itch.
Also, some custom makers will adjust a low whistle to better suit small hands.
These come with expense, and even more than the usual number of compromises.
Welcome to the journey.
BTW, what do you see yourself playing, genre wise?
Nice to have another UK whistler on-board. Where in the UK are you?
Okay well the Kerry Pro does have decent sized holes for sure. I don’t have any pictures of them so maybe you could measure the diameter of that hole and the distance between the last two holes centre to centre for me to check against my small collection. The good news is that there are plenty of Low Ds around that have smaller holes and reaches. Whistlesmith in the USA make a specific point of making low whistles for smaller hands and reaches but there are options in this country too. I have a Dixon Low D, the tapered model and the holes and reach aren’t excessive. The fifth hole is 10mm the reach fifth to sixth holes 43mm, centre to centre.
Some makers like Hans Bracker will give you offset holes if that makes things easier and the holes on his low whistles don’t look large.
On the Kerry Pro Low F the problems won’t be as great but you won’t have the Low D sound which you might miss. But yes you couldn’t certainly play from any of the tutors. It will just come out in F rather than in D. I think staying with a Low D would be good while your learning if you also have a High D. Then at least you are practising with both in the same key albeit in a different octave and also if you use a tutor with accompanying CDs then you will encounter problems if you want to play along with an F whistle.
Is there anyone locally there for you to inquire what’s best. Not that we here don’t want to help, but, someone local seems easier to help with the decisions as one avenue to pursue. How did you get interested in the whistle? Did you see or meet a whistle player? Is there a session local for listening. Or a music shop? The internet is wonderful but can only do so much.
Actually my Löfgren A is second or third (a tie between A and C) most used whistle.
A is very handy because you can play it in D using “G” fingering and play a lot of songs and fiddle tunes in A
Regardless of key the fingering’s the same anyhow.
Thanks for the tips. I have measured the Kerry pro low D and that fifth hole really is pretty large considering some of the measurements that were mentioned.
The measurements are thus:
Whole length: 59cm
Distance from centre to centre of fifth to sixth hole: 42mm
Fifth hole diameter: 14mm (!)
Well there is hope then that I may be able to get a good low D that’s reachable.
The low F is definitely appealing to me. For the past few years I’ve been slightly obsessed with this video, which is using low F, playing Cuz Teehan (I’ve yet to find a good recording of this from any group, etc):
And thank you for confirming that the fingerings in a teach-yourself book could be applied to any whistle, it would just be in a different key. Worse comes to worse, I can always put the accompanying CD tracks through a program and change the pitch.
As for the style I want to play… Well, I really love the playing of Michael McGoldrick, and Flook, but I’m a guitarist who fell into fingertyle Irish traditional so I’d be well pleased to play some of the trad standards, and some Carolan would be nice.
Unfortunately, there’s no one local that I know of, and I don’t know anyone who plays the whistle. It’s just that I enjoy hearing it so much, on albums or the Internet.
That’s good to know about the A whistle. Maybe I will just go for the straight swap A and F. Then again that Goldie/Overton F has a smashing tone… too many things to consider right now.
Just out of interest, if given the choice of tunable or non-tunable, is tunable the obvious choice to go with, budget permitting? Are there any downsides to having the tunable option?
If you play music with others, or want to, tunable is the way to go.
I don’t do sessions and have a non tunable Goldie/Overton low d.
Its just a honey of a whistle, its got that cosmic drain pipe sound that everyone loves.
Yes, tunable is the obvious choice. I can’t think of any downside, except for price, which isn’t a huge difference anyway. Not only does it allow you to tune, but in my opinion it makes it a bit nicer when you are giving your whistle a cleaning. It’s nice to be able to take the head off for when you are trying to get in there. Oh, and it allows you to tune, obviously. That’s the main reason. You may not need to tune it now, but it’s better to have that option in case you need it in the future.
And also, you can put it in two pieces for easier transport!
And you can remove the head and put your finger in the end and use it as a bird call. Can’t do that with a non-tunable.
14mm is a large hole no question. My concern with a swop would be that you find out the diameter of the same hole on the Low F first (and also the fifth/sixth hole stretch which should be much better for you). It will still be a largish hole, maybe 12mm, because that’s how the Kerry Pro is designed. The alternative would be to get Colin Goldie to make you one of his wonderful Low Fs. A chat to him on the phone would make sure he understands your needs and you would get a whistle more tailored to those needs.
BTW I don’t know how your budget is but in terms of learning to play the whistle you can’t get a better tutor than those just released by Mary Bergin. They’re fantastic! A little pricey but you get a lot for your money including access to further on-line lessons and I reckon they’ll have a good resale value when you move up to the next book but Volume 1 is a great way to start. http://maryberginwhistle.com/
Helen,
I really don’t have much to add to this topic that has not already been covered. When I received my first low whistle, I had been playing high whistle for quite some time. Like yourself, I was completely taken back by what then seemed to be a daunting stretch to cover huge holes. Folks on C & F encouraged me to stay with it and to quickly adopt the piper’s grip and apply that technique to playing low whistle. I did and will say that even that adaptive technique was at first a strain. It takes time to stretch the muscles and develop muscle memory required to play the bigger low whistles. Others have mentioned going to more intermediate sized whistles first as a gradual progression to the larger low whistles. C, mezzo G, Bb, and A would all move you in the right direction and allow you to start development of your pipers grip. Shorter yet more frequent sessions seem to allow for more pain free, relaxed development of this skill that is so important for many of us wishing to play low whistle. Also as others have said, the Sweets, Michael Burke, Hans Bracker, And Renaldo Ray all make whistles that can be offset to accomodated grip problems. Hope that helps.
Welcome to C & F and enjoy your musical journey on whistle(s). Just a guess, but like more than a few of us, you will eventually own your own fleet of whistles. Have fun!
I am a life-time musician (degree, teacher, etc) but new to whistling, My wife, who is also a music teacher, recently decided to play the whistle and is in it deep. I have decided to learn to make them. (After all, one can only buy so many whistles!) One thing you mentioned that I think has not been addressed was something about playing along with recordings. Recently I began to teach myself fretless electric bass and I found lots of books with CD’s that are helpful. Now, here is the real heart of this post: I also found an app for my phone that allows me to record any musical selection and then speed it up, slow it down, or CHANGE THE KEY, up or down, by half-steps, or even by very slight fractions of a half-step. I have used it to take the limited music for the electric bass that I bought and apply it to every possible key, making the usefulness of that printed music much greater. It also has really stretched me and my growing abilities. I believe this is to be a tremendous tool for learning to play any instrument in the hands of any one with the patience to use it to it’s fullest potential. It is free (iPhone) and an upgrade is available for better sound quality. The upgrade is about $14 making it the most expensive app I will probably ever buy, but compared to the library of music books I own, (not to mention instruments) that is truly a drop in the bucket. BOTTOM LINE: with this app you can put your accompaniment CD in any key and play along with a whistle in any key, even those whistles that are “between” keys! The app is called “anytune.” Blessings!
For comparison, I offer this: My wife’s first whistle is a low D made by Nick Metcalf of ethnic winds. She has smallish hands but plays it well. (She is very flexible as she is a piano player and was a clarinet major in college.) Here are some measurements for the instrument she bought: Diameters: 5th=.386 inch (9mm+), 6th=.328 inch (7mm+++), distance from center to center is approximately 1.791 inches (4.5 cm) and (this is the most important measurement for playability) mouthpiece tip to center of hole 6=18.488 inches. (46+cm)
Oops! I left out possibly the most important bit of information. She simply refuses to use piper’s grip, playing everything with fingertips only, very successfully. I think she sounds great.
