PB+J wrote:
How much do you tongue the notes?
It's a complex question.
First we should realise that the Low Whistle is a recent invention meaning that there's no Old-School traditional way to play it.
The Low Whistle sits somewhat in an Uncanny Valley between high D whistles and traditional wooden "Irish flutes" and it seems natural that people coming to Low Whistles from those instruments will apply (consciously or no) some of the stylistic traits from those instruments to Low Whistles.
Setting aside for a moment the fact that there are and have always been a wide range of regional and personal styles, and sticking to what one could call "mainstream" Irish traditional playing styles, one notices a dichotomy in the use of tonguing between high whistle players and flute players.
I started off on flute, and most of the old-school players I listened to and learned my music and style from didn't tongue at all, or at least didn't tongue in the sense of tonguing to articulate individual notes, to play in a detached style. The style was more flowing, legato. Yes the first note of a long legato phrase might (or might not) be attacked with the tongue.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTo5Ae7Vz3c(Now we must be careful there, because I've heard many Irish players use the word "tonguing" differently than its meaning in ordinary music, where it means seperating notes by use of the tongue. Many's the time I've heard Irish players use "tonguing" to refer to breath-pushes done with the diaphragm, but for clarity's sake I myself only use "tonguing" literally, and call the breath-pushes done with the diaphragm "breath pushes".)
Back then all the traditional high whistle players I listened to (there were no Low Whistles at that time) played in a highly-tongued style typified by the playing of Mary Bergin. Though I should point out that people new to ITM often misunderstand this use of tonguing. Still the underlying style is flowing and legato, with tonguing used to articulate certain notes and groups of notes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_ySVrhBQeQSo simply put it was tonguing for whistlers, and legato flowing music, or powerful breath-push-driven music, for fluters.
Then Low Whistles appeared, and how to approach playing them? Use a highly-tonged style borrowed from high whistles? Or a flowing legato or breath-push style borrowed from the flute?
As I've spent more and more time on Low Whistles, indeed playing them as my primary instrument now, I find myself using a hybrid style, more tongued that I would do on flute, but more legato than I would do on high whistle.