A good whistle for Rennaissance Fair playing?

[Connolly]

I have lately picked up the low whistle (I play regular whistle too) to audition for a summer Renaissance festival in my area. The low whistle I have is made of plastic, and I am in search of a low whistle for this purpose. Something that is both visually suitable (basically anything not plastic) and good for playing outside.
I would greatly appreciate any suggestion you have, thanks!

[JTC111]

A couple of questions, and the second may answer the first...
When you say "plastic," what do you mean exactly?
Who made the low whistle you bought?

[Latticino]

Unfortunately most low D whistles seem to be rather "techno" in aesthetic (i.e. Burke, MK, Susanto, Howard, Reyburn...). Your best bet for a Renn style may be a Sweetheart Onyx, though you might get away with one of the Elfsong products, or a brass Copeland Low D if money is no object. Another alternative would be to make your own using Dr GG plans and decorate it so it doesn't look like PVC pipe.

[JTC111]

I'll let those that know better than I chime in on this, but doesn't playing a wooden whistle outdoors for long stretches lend itself to some problems? My head tells me that a composite whistle would be best suited for what the OP intends as it can stand the rapid changes in temperature and humidity to which it's likely to be exposed.

[wyodeb]

Your best bet for a Renn style may be a Sweetheart Onyx

The Onyx doesn't look or feel techno at all. It would also be less temperamental about climate. It is comfortable to play and sounds very traditional.

Deb

[Feadoggie]

Is the plastic questionable as an authentic period material? And what low whistle key you play may limit your choices. I have operated as a vendor at local Renn fairs. We made and sold clothing, chain-mail, whistles and flutes. The whistles I sold were made of CPVC pipe. We laughingly advertised them as being made from faux unicorn ivory and called them Fauxcettes. We never had anyone question the material but usually received a few good laughs over it. So unless the Renn police are very active in your area, I wouldn't be too concerned. Wrap your whistle with ribbons and beads and no one should care. Recorders are more the norm for playing music in the Renn environs though and many players use bakelite or ABS models. If you are playing in a group that has standards then that's another matter. If the plastic is still a bother you could look for a Sweetheart Resonance or maybe a Bleazey.

Feadoggie

[sherriev]

Theres a wooden one on ebay right now from ethnicwind ... Have you seen that one?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ethnic-wind-Mahogon ... _922wt_925

[Pipe Bender]

The low whistle I have is made of plastic, and I am in search of a low whistle for this purpose. Something that is both visually suitable (basically anything not plastic) and good for playing outside.
I would greatly appreciate any suggestion you have, thanks!

If you find the Onyx a little too pricey, you might take a look at the Impempe Low D at http://impempewhistles.co.za. As it happens, I am considering trying an Onyx for myself, but to help defray the cost I might possibly sell my Impempe Low D which is in pristine "as new" condition.

Check out the reviews and comments on this whistle by searching for "Impempe" in this forum. I think it's safe to say that there is no other Low D whistle that comes close to the sound and craftsmanship for the price! Most whistles do not work well in a breeze and I have no idea how the Impempe plays outdoors. It's never left my home.

In the end if you happen to be interested, I can post some digital photos. And since your new, just so you know I'm on the up & up here is the thread of some other whistles I've sold on this forum:
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=77452

[EDIT:] Hmmm.... the Impempe doesn't look very Renaissance though.

[Flexismart]

No renaissance fair would argue with a tin wrapped Dave Shaw whistle.
http://www.daveshaw.co.uk/SHAW_Whistles ... stles.html

One of his low whistles can be had for under $100USD, but beware,
the old saw goes:
"I loved my Shaw - 'til I sat on it"

[MTGuru]

Dang, you other guys already covered my comments. Just adding ... The Burke composite low D may also pass for wood-like, festooned with ribbons and tassels.

Since the pennywhistle is an anachronism anyway, I always think, why not "in for a penny(whistle), in for a pound" and use whatever modern whistle suits. But I readily admit I don't understand the RenFair mindset when it comes to acceptable (non)authenticity. For outdoor use, you should be playing shawms.

[Kypfer]

My question/comment would be "how low is low" ? You'd probably find a cheap wooden alto/treble recorder on eBay or similar that could be pressed into service with a bit of trimming to make it look less "recorder-like", if that's an issue ... it'd play like a low-G whistle if you ignore the "pinky" hole under RH4 and tape over the thumbhole (or fill it with wax ... more traditional).
If you want/need to go lower, in theory a tenor recorder might serve as a low D, but cheap ones, especially in wood, are fairly thin on the ground ... maybe one with a broken key ?

[pancelticpiper]

Our local Ren Faire always has people playing all sort of anachronistic instruments. It hate it.

I would rather see an ensemble wearing jeans and t-shirts playing authentic period instruments than a group in Ren Faire attire playing modern instruments.

Oh what do I see...
-Stradivarius style fiddles
-Victorian style Highland bagpipes made of wood that wasn't used for Highland pipes until the 20th century, made with plastic mounts that didn't appear until the 1950s
-Generation whistles with red and blue plastic tops
-modern D-style guitars
-plastic recorders
-uilleann pipes in all their three-reg late 18th century glory

and on and on.

When I played there I used a Ralph Sweet wood D whistle.

[amar]

Your best bet for a Renn style may be a Sweetheart Onyx

The Onyx doesn't look or feel techno at all. It would also be less temperamental about climate. It is comfortable to play and sounds very traditional.

Deb

Look ok to me too. .

http://www.swankini.com/index.php/sweet ... -onyx.html

[walrii]

Depending on how much your plastic whistle cost (how much you are willing to risk ruining it), I'd be tempted to try painting it. Your local hardware store has a wide selection of paints that will stick to plastic; I'd look for a flat one with some texture. Then, mask off the windway and the mouthpiece, plug the holes including the end one and spray away. I've not tried this, mind you, hence the caveat about how much your whistle cost.

Or tell everyone it's made from "black ivory" gotten by your grandfather from a bull elephant he shot in Kenya during World War I, said elephant being used by the other side as a mobile machine gun nest. Enterprising gent that he was, Granda took the ivory in lieu of the Victoria Cross, Blue Max, Croix le Guerre, whatever. Pirates sank his ship and stole the ivory, stranding Granda on a island in the Indian Ocean. Granda managed to keep one small chunk of ivory hidden in his tunic which he carved into this whistle while awaiting rescue. Embellish the tale suitably and you may not even need to play the whistle!

[cboody]

I don't know how particular your Ren Fest is, but I can speak about the Minnesota one. I've seen a bassoon quartet, string ensembles playing modern instruments (and the Pachelbel Canon for heaven's sake), brass fanfares on modern valved brass instruments, bowed psaltrey players (instrument apparently invented in the 1920s in Germany), a plethora of singers singing music from wrong periods or singing contemporary folks music, Hammered dulcimer players (a suspect instrument to begin with) playing fiddle tunes, all sorts of modern guitars, banjos and mandolins, and just about anything else short of electrically amplified instruments.

Given that experience I can't imaging there would be much concern about your whistle. I'd go with plastic or maybe dymondwood or some other composite to reduce issues of wooden instruments outside in all sorts of climatic and dust conditions. Probably not metal since that is really going to be noticed.