High D and Low D Whistle.

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afl2277
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High D and Low D Whistle.

Post by afl2277 »

Now, before I ask my question I will need to clarify something. I can't read music, I don't know one end of a scale from the other. I don't understand buying an instrument in one key and being able to play other keys on it, as I've read in different places online. That makes no sense to me. I know the sound of my high D whistle, and I like the lower husky tone of the low whistles. I follow the note pictures on whistle music and I know the BAG FED layout of my whistle notes (and obviously other notes)

Thats it...that's the full extent of my knowledge. And mostly I play by ear and memory.

I would love to buy a low whistle while Im touring Southern Ireland early next year. I would rather buy from a music shop so I can hold the instrument, and maybe even play it to hear the sound and feel where the right hand note holes are on a larger whistle. Id rather not buy online and maybe end up with some random instrument, as this will be more expensive and maybe if I spend a few hundred £s on it, it will be expensive enough to be a 'considered purchase'.

So back to my question. If I buy a low D whistle ....obviously discounting the lower husky tone...will the notes be the same? Will the low D play to online videos etc as the high D does?
Im not altogether sure how I should be asking this...all I know is that I would like a low whistle that has the same note sound, and the notes in the same place ...but obviously lower...that my high D does. :D
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plunk111
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Re: High D and Low D Whistle.

Post by plunk111 »

Same notes - just an octave lower. You’ll love it!

Pat
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Tor
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Re: High D and Low D Whistle.

Post by Tor »

afl2277 wrote:I would rather buy from a music shop so I can hold the instrument, and maybe even play it to hear the sound and feel where the right hand note holes are on a larger whistle. Id rather not buy online and maybe end up with some random instrument, as this will be more expensive and maybe if I spend a few hundred £s on it, it will be expensive enough to be a 'considered purchase'.
Yes, that's much much better than buying online. I was lucky and got the chance to try and test a whole bunch of instruments in a shop (after *years* without the possibility! But the wait was worth it). MK, Burke, and many others that I had only seen online before. That made the whole difference - the instrument I bought (a low D) has a playability and a tone that makes me grab for it whenever I have a minute available.
When buying online (as I did for my mostly-cheap, but not only-cheap) high whistles it's more miss than hit.
Last edited by Tor on Fri Aug 31, 2018 7:01 am, edited 1 time in total.
afl2277
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Re: High D and Low D Whistle.

Post by afl2277 »

plunk111 wrote:Same notes - just an octave lower. You’ll love it!

Pat
Thank you so much :thumbsup:
afl2277
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Re: High D and Low D Whistle.

Post by afl2277 »

Tor wrote:
afl2277 wrote:I would rather buy from a music shop so I can hold the instrument, and maybe even play it to hear the sound and feel where the right hand note holes are on a larger whistle. Id rather not buy online and maybe end up with some random instrument, as this will be more expensive and maybe if I spend a few hundred £s on it, it will be expensive enough to be a 'considered purchase'.
Yes, that's much much better than buying online. I was lucky and got the chance to try and test a whole bunch of instruments in a shop (after *years* without the possibility! But the wait was worth it). MK, Burke, and many others that I had only seen online before. That made the whole difference - the instrument I bought has a playability and a tone that makes me grab for it whenever I have a minute available.
When buying online (as I did for my mostly-cheap, but not only-cheap) high whistles it's more miss than hit.
I generally have a rule that if something costs over £100 I buy in person not online :thumbsup:
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Mr.Gumby
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Re: High D and Low D Whistle.

Post by Mr.Gumby »

Yes, that's much much better than buying online.
The problem is ofcourse there aren't many shops with a decent selection of good quality whistles. Dixon, Kerry and Susato seems the standard fare with, if you're lucky, one or two other makes (beyond the standard cheap range). So choice is generally very limited.

Buying online does give you the option to return any item, no questions asked, under EU rules but it is an additional hassle.

Sometimes buying something hideously expensive online has the benefit of saving a lot of money. Been there, done that. Whistles are, most of the time, best bought in person though.
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Re: High D and Low D Whistle.

Post by rickl@montana.edu »

As others have said, but I will add one thing. Don't be afraid to try every whistle in the store.

A few years ago I was in Dingle and decided to try out the low whistles in the local music store (VERY friendly folks). All they had in the price range I was willing to consider were three Dixon metal D low whistles. I took all three off the shelf, they showed me to a back room where I could spend as much time as I wanted, and my only audience was the store cat. There was quite a bit of difference in the three whistles, one was clearly superior to the rest for the sound I was interested in. I walked around town and thought about them, came back and tried them all again (coming to the same conclusion), and bought the whistle.
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Re: High D and Low D Whistle.

Post by fatmac »

With regard to other keys, you can still play the key of D fingering that you know, but the tune will be in the key of the whistle you are playing it on. :)

Example: Play your D whistle then switch to a C whistle, you are now playing your tune in the key of C, instead of key of D - if you are on your own, that's OK - but don't try it in company of other players who are in the key of D. ;)
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afl2277
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Re: High D and Low D Whistle.

Post by afl2277 »

rickl@montana.edu wrote:As others have said, but I will add one thing. Don't be afraid to try every whistle in the store.

A few years ago I was in Dingle and decided to try out the low whistles in the local music store (VERY friendly folks). All they had in the price range I was willing to consider were three Dixon metal D low whistles. I took all three off the shelf, they showed me to a back room where I could spend as much time as I wanted, and my only audience was the store cat. There was quite a bit of difference in the three whistles, one was clearly superior to the rest for the sound I was interested in. I walked around town and thought about them, came back and tried them all again (coming to the same conclusion), and bought the whistle.
Yes that's what I'd like to do :thumbsup:
afl2277
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Re: High D and Low D Whistle.

Post by afl2277 »

Mr.Gumby wrote:
Yes, that's much much better than buying online.
The problem is ofcourse there aren't many shops with a decent selection of good quality whistles. Dixon, Kerry and Susato seems the standard fare with, if you're lucky, one or two other makes (beyond the standard cheap range). So choice is generally very limited.

Buying online does give you the option to return any item, no questions asked, under EU rules but it is an additional hassle.

Sometimes buying something hideously expensive online has the benefit of saving a lot of money. Been there, done that. Whistles are, most of the time, best bought in person though.
I'll be travelling around for a couple of weeks into various towns etc so I might find a reasonable selection :thumbsup:
afl2277
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Re: High D and Low D Whistle.

Post by afl2277 »

fatmac wrote:With regard to other keys, you can still play the key of D fingering that you know, but the tune will be in the key of the whistle you are playing it on. :)

Example: Play your D whistle then switch to a C whistle, you are now playing your tune in the key of C, instead of key of D - if you are on your own, that's OK - but don't try it in company of other players who are in the key of D. ;)

So all my notes/sounds are in the same place but it's like if I try to sing something with the radio and it's either too high or too low for me? That sort of thing? :thumbsup:
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Re: High D and Low D Whistle.

Post by Tunborough »

afl2277 wrote:So all my notes/sounds are in the same place but it's like if I try to sing something with the radio and it's either too high or too low for me? That sort of thing? :thumbsup:
The notes of the melody are in the same relative place; in different keys, they just have a different absolute starting pitch. It's like anyone can recognize the shape of a square, regardless of how big it is (within reason) or where the starting corner is. By the same analogy, playing a tune on different keys of whistle is like cutting a square from a rectangular piece of paper: the procedure (folding on the diagonal) is the same no matter how big the paper is.
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Re: High D and Low D Whistle.

Post by fatmac »

Another way of putting it, if you can play your tune in D, but want to play it in G, you just pick up & use a G whistle, same fingering, & it will now be in the key of G, instead of D.
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Re: High D and Low D Whistle.

Post by Mr.Gumby »

if you can play your tune in D, but want to play it in G, you just pick up & use a G whistle, same fingering, & it will now be in the key of G, instead of D.
Playing it in G on your D whistle may just be the better option though. :poke:
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Re: High D and Low D Whistle.

Post by fatmac »

We are trying to explain the different key whistles, & why you would buy them. :wink:
Now, before I ask my question I will need to clarify something. I can't read music, I don't know one end of a scale from the other. I don't understand buying an instrument in one key and being able to play other keys on it, as I've read in different places online. That makes no sense to me. I know the sound of my high D whistle, and I like the lower husky tone of the low whistles.
(Yes, I know that you can play in C & G easily on a D.)

Edit: Diatonic instruments are not the best for playing all keys, for that you are far better off with a chromatic instrument. :thumbsup:
Last edited by fatmac on Sun Sep 02, 2018 5:18 am, edited 1 time in total.
Keith.
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