Choosing a high D

[Mikethebook]

Nate,
It's an ongoing journey finding that perfect whistle isn't it? I don't think there's too many options for me. Increasingly I'm drawn to having Colin make me a high B with high D tubing or something like that. A narrow bore B should be relatively quiet and lack the shrillness of a high D and the windway won't be too tiny hopefully. I live in the Orkney Isles where it never gets too cold . . . or hot . . . so I don't have your problem. I may phone Colin today and see what he thinks.

Though I'm happy with the Goldie Low D I have (and have played one of his whistles 95% of the time ever since I began), as I learn more about whistles I'm still looking for the ideal dynamics. But with his backlog of orders I have to be patient to try out new ideas. I've been waiting six months for a one-off that might be as good as I'll ever get given the inevitable compromises involved, a Low D with medium/high backpressure, low breath requirements and an easy second octave. I'm hoping my search for the perfect Low D for me will be over (though if an Ian Lambe or Cillian O'Briain comes on the market I might be tempted). I don't want to spend as much time or money looking for the right high whistle. That's for sure.
Cheers
Mike

[pancelticpiper]

As some point we all have to resign ourselves to the reality that there's no such thing as a perfect whistle.

And it's not just whistles. A professional tuba player told me years ago "the perfect wind instrument cannot be made."

I think high whistles can and do come closer to ideal than Low D whistles can.

I'm not happy with my Goldie Low D.

I wish it had the booming resounding powerful bellnote of the Burke.

I wish it had the amazingly sweet easy 2nd octave of the Lofgren.

I wish it had the haunting NAF-like tone of the Reyburn, or the gravelly kaval-like tone of the MK.

What it does have is the best air-efficiency and tuning of any Low D I've played, above-average ergonomics, and no glaring Achilles Heel, no deal-busting flaw. It's the best balance of compromises I've come across, so it's what I play.

[Mikethebook]

At some point we all have to resign ourselves to the reality that there's no such thing as a perfect whistle.

I couldn't agree more Richard . . . but with someone like Colin, willing to make adjustments for the individual player, there is the opportunity to push for the perfect compromise . . . if that isn't a contradiction in terms. We're getting off the beaten track a little bit here but I'm anticipating that, when my next Low D comes, that it will be as good as I can expect a Low D to be . . . at least for my particular needs/desires: low air requirements of a medium blower, easier second/third octaves than would normally be expected, a first octave that isn't weak. Interestingly, and coincidentally, Phil Hardy has just recently been advertising a modified version of the Kerry Pro Low D which he calls "restricted" where he has reduced the windway height (to what I don't know) and shortened the window length, precisely what Colin is doing for me. I can't locate Phil's video but here's someone testing it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQhTtBBQxGU and extolling its advantages.

[Peter Duggan]

Now that you mention it the pure tone of the Bracker might not be so much to my liking as the more complex Goldie tone.

I wouldn't describe Brackers as 'pure'. They're not Overton-style and don't sound it, but have complexity as well as clarity at all sizes along with a delightful chirpiness in the smaller sizes. But I'm not trying to push you (or anyone else) into a Bracker... just trying to articulate one of the reasons why they come closer than anything else I've tried to my vision of a quality all-rounder.

Increasingly I'm drawn to having Colin make me a high B with high D tubing or something like that. A narrow bore B should be relatively quiet and lack the shrillness of a high D and the windway won't be too tiny hopefully.

I wouldn't unless it's really the B you want. If you want a D to hear things in the same key as your low Ds and/or play along with anything (recordings, fellow musicians, whatever) in the standard keys, then get a D. B is a lovely key (yes, I have a Bracker B to fit my 'C' head!), but not if it's likely to later drive you nuts for not being D...

[Mikethebook]

I've not given up on the idea of Bracker. For one thing it would be half the price. As regards getting a B, I think its advantages (not so loud and piercing) would outweigh any disadvantages. I don't play with others except in a rare whistle workshop, and I have loads of software to change the key of anything I'm learning from, transcribing or playing along with. I have other Ds if necessary but a lower key would be more pleasant to play at home. If I choose Bracker in the end, I might even see whether Hans can make me a narrow bore B.

[Mikethebook]

I've sent an e-mail to Hans today. I may settle with a narrow-bore Bracker, either the High D or possibly a High B depending on what he says.