Gene Milligan Dymondwood Soprano D whistle review

[AvienMael]

[ Thread revival - Mod ]

Any comment on which one of his flutes is sweeter, need less air, to play?

Thanks.

That's a good question for Gene. You should send him an email:

milliwe@comcast.net

[LesBarstow]

Gene is now making a "narrow bore" whistle style for those who want a bit less huffing and puffing (and a softer sound to go with it). I heard one at a session not long ago sounding quite nice. When I first tried Gene's original whistles a couple of years ago I found the air requirement a bit steep, and I thought perhaps the narrow bore version would be a better fit...

This past week I got to sample both styles at this year's O'Flaherty's Irish Music Retreat down in Texas, where luthier Herb Taylor had taken some along with him. The new whistle style has a brass head casing that looks quite stylish, and the rest of the whistle maintains Gene's excellent craftsmanship. You can see the new whistles at his new website, http://milliganwhistles.com.

I'll start off by saying that apparently two years and some time playing low whistle and flute has changed my thinking on air pressure requirements. I found Gene's older style whistle eminently playable this time around. The smaller whistle definitely had lower air requirements and great sound, but in a direct comparison I preferred the punch of the original style.

I'll probably be heading to Kolacny here in Denver in the next few days and will probably pick up the louder version while I'm there, provided he has it available in a decent color Dymondwood.

[Ms_Black]

I've stumbled across Gene's whistles rather by accident the other day and was immediately taken with their look (maybe that's a girl thing ). Lucky me to stumble across this review today, and here's a big thank you for the review, the various experiences and the sound samples .

I'm well tempted to order one on the spot, but I'm also aware of the distance the poor thing will have to travel... Has anyone of you ordered one from outside the US so far?

[milliwe]

Hi - I'm Gene, and I have sent a number whistles to Germany with no problem. It usually 10 days to 2weeks.