Chiff and Fipple Forums

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

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.

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.

Mikethebook wrote: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.

Mikethebook wrote: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...

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.

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.