anyone with information on the new Howard low D

[fatmac]

Slowish fairly easy tunes - Scarborough Fair, Edelweiss, Banks of the Ohio.

(Also - House of the Rising Sun - if it suits your tastes.)

These are some of the tunes I play.

[pancelticpiper]

I find that when I try to stretch from the top two (lower holes) to the bottom hole my wrist turns from angling down to sort of angling up. I can cover the hole better that way but then it puts more strain on my wrist.

If I were you I would avoid that at all costs.

Not only does it strain your wrists but it shortens your reach, the opposite of what you want to do.

You want the hands angled downwards, sealing the holes with the middle-joint pads on the bottoms of the index and middle fingers, and the end-joint pad on the ring finger. Folk musicians from all over the world have been playing flutes and flute-like instruments like that since time immemorial with success, we don't have to re-invent the wheel.

Let me try to diagramme the fingers and pads (realizing that each finger has three fleshy pads)

(wrist side) | _ | _ | _ ) (fingertip side)

Ordinary piper's grip, for both hands on bigger whistles:

| _ | X | _ ) (index finger)
| _ | X | _ ) (middle finger)
| _ | _ | X ) (ring finger)

For really big Bass whistles, I end up with this on the lower hand:

| X | _ | _ ) (index finger)
| _ | X | _ ) (middle finger)
| _ | _ | X ) (ring finger)

or

| X | _ | _ ) (index finger)
| X | _ | _ ) (middle finger)
| _ | _ | X ) (ring finger)

If you use these pads your hands will be at the correct angle, the wrists ergonomically in line with the hands and arms, and the arms having maximum reach for long whistles.

To see it in practice, notice how I can go from small whistles all the way to the Bass A whistle with no problems, my hands relaxed and comfortable no matter what size whistle

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-fQhvleWq8

[maiingan]

I find that when I try to stretch from the top two (lower holes) to the bottom hole my wrist turns from angling down to sort of angling up. I can cover the hole better that way but then it puts more strain on my wrist.

If I were you I would avoid that at all costs.

Not only does it strain your wrists but it shortens your reach, the opposite of what you want to do.

You want the hands angled downwards, sealing the holes with the middle-joint pads on the bottoms of the index and middle fingers, and the end-joint pad on the ring finger. Folk musicians from all over the world have been playing flutes and flute-like instruments like that since time immemorial with success, we don't have to re-invent the wheel.

Let me try to diagramme the fingers and pads (realizing that each finger has three fleshy pads)

(wrist side) | _ | _ | _ ) (fingertip side)

Ordinary piper's grip, for both hands on bigger whistles:

| _ | X | _ ) (index finger)
| _ | X | _ ) (middle finger)
| _ | _ | X ) (ring finger)

For really big Bass whistles, I end up with this on the lower hand:

| X | _ | _ ) (index finger)
| _ | X | _ ) (middle finger)
| _ | _ | X ) (ring finger)

or

| X | _ | _ ) (index finger)
| X | _ | _ ) (middle finger)
| _ | _ | X ) (ring finger)

If you use these pads your hands will be at the correct angle, the wrists ergonomically in line with the hands and arms, and the arms having maximum reach for long whistles.

To see it in practice, notice how I can go from small whistles all the way to the Bass A whistle with no problems, my hands relaxed and comfortable no matter what size whistle

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-fQhvleWq8

Thanks Richard; I have been kind of cheating and using the bottom pads on top two fingers of lower hand and doing the last one with my pinky. Not much strain at all and I sound better. Although I have to make sure I lift the fingers up higher so as to not block air flow. I haven't giving up on trying to use my ring finger yet though. I switch to pinky when I get tired.
I don't know how to do half holing when holding it down so far on finger? But to be honest I'm still a newbie and if I can get the holes covered and the right time in the song I am considering it a success. I am not that musically talented. I couldn't keep a beat with base drum very well in orchestra in college. Luckily the instructor was nice and knew I was trying my best and it was a pass fail course. He was nice enough to pass me. I was told to lip sync in choir in junior high (back when it was still junior high and not middle school).