I’ve given up (for now) on being able to afford, let alone learn to play the Uilleann Pipes, but I heard last night on the television a woman playing what I assumed was a whistle, and it sounded an awful lot like a set of pipes.
I’m sure much of this was the way she played it, but is there a whistle whose engineering and tone would make it (in the right hands) sound more like a set of pipes than another? I’m thinking a low D, but that’s just a guess, and I’d even like the name of a certain brand.
Yep…I just sold such a whistle…its a Silkstone Aluminum Low D. It has a very different sound than the other whistles I own.
Someday I may learn to regret selling it. But is was a mint conditioned whistle which was receiving no playing time. It just wasn’t fair to such a good instrument.
I just got a Jubile Saturday Night Special which has a very reedy tone also very breathy. You want a high D Pipes may have the spacing of of a low but play the same Pitch as a high. Tht would be my reccomendation.
You could get an Uillean Pipes Chanter at a fairly reasonable price. There are Pakastani/Indian ones (not too bad quality -very reasonable do a Google Search or try Ebay. Thats if you want to go in that direction.
Some whistles may have some of the flavor, but they are not really all that close. (Probably something complex-sounding like Overtons or Chieftains would be your best bet. Or maybe some of the chiffier Serpent models. Not most of the cheapies, though, or the purer-toned high enders).
We had a real-life demo in March when I hosted a C & F gathering at our place. My cat LOVES whistle (she’ll come running when she hears it, and will climb in your lap and rub her head on the whistle if you play sitting down). She was much underfoot until the Uilleann pipes came out - then a look of horror crossed her face and she hid the remainder of the evening.
(Not a knock on the quality of the pipers - I liked it just fine)
Have a look on the Uilleann Pipers forum… Low cost pipes is a fairly common topic. Paki sets are generally frowned upon because of low quality/playability. If you get one you should count on extensive tweaks to get it to play well. There are alternative options for a practice set that bring the price into competition with highend whistles.
