Howard Low D Whistle Review

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jomac
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Post by jomac »

I recently obtained my first Low D whistle, a used nickle-finished Howard which the previous owner had owned for 2 years. The bottom line is I love it and am having difficulty making myself play my other whistles. This is my detailed critique of it:

When I first got it, it seemed so huge! And some of the holes (2nd and 5th) were about 1/2 inch in diameter! I have large hands, but my fingertips aren't that broad. Piper's grip definitely required. Took me about 3 days to be able to semi-consistantly be able to hit the holes accurately.

I love the tone. I knew, from sound samples, what to expect, and that's what I got. A very reedy sound in the first octave, very different than other low whistles, and a more flutish sound in the 2nd octave. The 2nd octave sounds more like most low whistles.

Air requirements are of course greater than on my high whistles. I have no basis for comparison, but I somehow get the impression that the air requirement is fairly reasonable for a low D, for most notes. More about that later ...

Having had intonation problems with the last whistle I bought before the Howard, I'm pleased overall with the Howard intonation. In particular, C natural fingered on the 2nd and 3rd holes only is spot-on and using only the 2nd hole is close enough for speedy passages . Adding 4th and 6th holes does not affect the intonation. The all-holes open C# is very slightly flat, but this does not bother me, it actually sounds kind of cool. And I can always sort of lip it up if I need to.

Overblowing from the first to the second octave is harder than on a high whistle, as expected, but usually not too bad. Actually this is an advantage; I find myself using breath accents a lot more, since they don't cause me to overblow.

The exception is the high B, which you have to really lean into to get out. And blowing it that hard tends to make it somewhat sharp. This is my worst problem with this whistle; and it helps if I lift the whistle a bit and point it out instead of down. I imagine I'll get a better handle on this with times.

So that's it! I'm having tons of fun with this.
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Loren
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Post by Loren »

Jomac,

Try covering the bottom 2 or 3 holes when going for the second octave B note, this helps quite a bit on many low whistles with stubborn high notes.

Loren
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Post by andy »

Hey Jomac,

I also have a Howard low D,and i think youre pretty right on with your summation of the whistle. It takes some time to get use the high B, im using xooxxx for that note,and its getting there, ssslllooowwwllllyy!!

Anyway all the best mate. Keep us posted, there seem to be few Howard low D whistlers out there, so i would enjoy reading your next posting in a few months as to how youre progressing.
See ya
Andy
jomac
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Post by jomac »

Hey, thanks, guys, for the tip about using some right hand fingers on the hiB. Tried it last night and it actually works really nice; not only does it flatten the note a bit, but it also seems to make it easier to pop the note out. It also works for a hi C#, which is otherwise nearly impossible to hit.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: jomac on 2001-10-03 14:11 ]</font>
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Loren
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Post by Loren »

On 2001-10-03 14:09, jomac wrote:
Hey, thanks, guys, for the tip about using some right hand fingers on the hiB. Tried it last night and it actually works really nice....

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: jomac on 2001-10-03 14:11 ]</font>

What, did you think we were just pulling your leg? =;^)

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Re: Howard Low D Whistle Review

Post by fatmac »

[Thread resurrection]

Being the only low D Howard thread I could find, I'd just like to say, having just acquired one, I'm finding it a great low whistle for a beginner like myself, not too loud or brash, just has a great tone, really enjoying mine. :)
Keith.
Trying to do justice to my various musical instruments.
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Re: Howard Low D Whistle Review

Post by fatmac »

I bought it new, (but 'B' stock), so I'd guess it has the latest head.

I'm not very good on it yet, covering the holes & hitting the second octave sometimes goes amiss. :wink:

(I wouldn't say that mine changes octaves easily, I seem to have to increase pressure a fair bit to get there.)
Keith.
Trying to do justice to my various musical instruments.
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