Elsewhere on the forum I spoke about having overstretched the cartilage joining my ribs to my sternum, a painful condition called Costochondritis. So frustrating! I’m mainly a low whistle player but, at least for now, I can’t play the low whistles I have without it flaring up. Someone has kindly offered to make me a narrow bore Low D with minimum backpressure that also uses little air . . . if he can. In the meantime I’m looking for a relatively inexpensive high D with the same characteristics, low backpressure and air consumption and easy to play in the second octave. Mack Hoover comes to mind but I’m in the UK and import duties/shipping charges are extortionate . . . unless someone in the UK has one they’re willing to sell me. Any other ideas please? I want to keep playing while giving my chest time to heal but not putting any pressure on it.
Potter or any old Generation, Feadóg, Oak or Cillian O Briain.
Thanks Mr Gumby. I’ve played Generations and Feadogs and I really need to use less air than they do. A recently bought Killarney is proving too much right now. I’ve not tried the Potter but the O’Briain might be a good idea. I did play one a long time back and seem to recall having to really back off on the breath in the first octave.
I don’t feel the O’Briain is lighter to play when compared to your average Generation/Feadóg/Oak type of whistle. I did play through half a box of them during the summer and thought they were all consistently free blowing (ie no back pressure). more so perhaps than some I have encountered in the past.
The Potter is probably lightest to the touch, that I know of, while still producing a clear sound.
Lightest to the touch meaning meaning very little air and free blowing? Last time I looked his web-site was down.
Oh, now I see they are made in the USA so that knocks the price right up. For some reason, I had it in mind they were made in the UK.
http://tjpottermusic.com/products/whistles/highdbrass.htm resolves for me at least…
http://tjpottermusic.com/products/whist > … dbrass.htm resolves for me at least…
I had a link to his ebay listing in my first post, that’s another option. You may want to ask about postage, I seem to remember I got mine reduced to a more reasonable rate (although he may have quoted an even higher one before. Best check old posts for that).
I wasn’t able to link to his web-site with that address (what browser do you use and does anyone have his e-mail address?) but found the whistle on eBay. Trouble is, with shipping and import duty) it would cost over £50 by the time I got it. My wife is about to go to the USA for three months. She could buy one then but I would also have access to Mack Hoover’s whistles which might be even more suitable. But I don’t want to have to wait three months, really. Maybe the Shush whistle made for Big Whistle would be another choice. Anyone have anything to say about that? I should check it out on the forum.
The Mack Hoover Whitecap I have has low air requirements, yes. But it also has a very small windway, meaning decent backpressure. It has more backpressure than Killarney. Maybe he has other whistle designs which will meet your needs.
it would cost over £50 by the time I got it.
Well, as they usually say on this forum : it’s cheaper than a cello or a piano
But yes, that’s the problem I had with it as well. €40 I believe it ended up as, but then again, sterling doesn’t buy as much at the moment, does it?
I just got an older Sweetheart African Blackwood D. It and my TJ Potter compare very favorably to each other. It’s not cheap, though it blows easily and doesn’t take much air at all.
Sterling certainly isn’t buying much at the moment!!!
The Sweetheart would be nice . . . but pricey!
I didn’t think Hoovers would have much backpressure but I guess he builds them to order.
Shush takes even less air than the Killarney or, say, Feadog Mark I. However, it is, as the name says, rather quiet.
FWIW, it is my go-to whistle and the one my better half finds least annoying.
Thanks Mladen. Quietness doesn’t bother me. Just so long as it put little burden on my lungs in terms of breath and pressure.
I wonder that the Big Whistle SV High D Whistle may help you. It does not look great but plays good and its breath requirement is quite low.
I read a thread on this whistle a few years ago here but now could not find it by searching.
Thanks. I did think about that as a possibility but would probably prefer the Shush. I wrote to Big Whistle and they responded that the Shush was probably the only whistle that fit my requirements. But I may hold off on buying a high D for a week. It now looks like, due to a kind individual, by the end of next week I will have a narrow-bore Low D with low back pressure and minimal air requirements!! If that proves too much for now, then it looks like something like a Shush is the way forward.