bruce.b wrote:
About the same air consumption or less than the MK would be nice.
That's a tall order! When I was acquiring and trying dozens of Low Ds air consumption was one of the things I measured.
I measured it by how long High B could be sustained. It was interesting that the air consumption of various makes didn't vary all that much in the low octave, and got more divergent the higher I got. High B was the most divergent, being capable of being sustained twice as long in some makes than in others.
I found that the MK was the second-most air-efficient Low D I tested, of 20 or so different makes.
The most efficient was my Goldie "Medium".
Be aware that my Goldie easy/soft blower is slightly less efficient than my medium. As the windway tightens backpressure rises and less air passes through. I don't think I've knowingly played a Goldie or Overton hard-blower but I assume that it's even more air-efficient.
What I don't know is if the resistance of a whistle can get to the level of a Scottish practice chanter or, I am told, the oboe, where you take breaths not to keep the instrument going but to keep yourself going! And exhale to clear your lungs of stale unused air before you breathe in.
The reward of my Goldie easy/soft is more powerful low notes and sweeter high notes, the penalty is slightly less efficiency.