Chiff and Fipple Forums

I am not a physically large person, with lots of lung power. I have played low D whistles for a long time, and have owned – still do – some excellent instruments. I have retained my Burke Viper. I love the full sound and the rock-solid playability in both octaves. I simply am not able to provide eno...

I am not able to make that link work, Mr. Gumby. I guess my biggest query concerns any practical/musical reason for using this intonation, instead of the standard garden variety...

Hmmm. Mr.Gumby, pancelticpiper, et al.: I have watched this thread, hoping that someone would ask the question. That did not happen. This leads me to the conclusion, that somehow in my education, I truly missed something... I find the whole Pythagorean intonation discussion fascinating, but any know...

I have never personally ever seen one of Mike's low whistles - in the keys that you desire - in brass. I have never seen them advertised on his website, in brass. This does not mean they have not existed, only that I have no personal knowledge of their existence. I am sorry that Mike has not answere...

Very interesting... Thank you, Greenwood. Seems I am truly not the only person to have experienced this situation.

Thanks, Bob. I am an old guy. Only sweaty hands issue I ever have is with a metal whistle on a humid day, 85-95 degrees F. I did not know such products exist. Thank you, Sir. You can be assured I will give them a try.

Cheers.

Thanks to those who have replied. The largest issue is not with fear of dropping the whistle. It is the stickiness of the fingers to the brass whistle, which can make performing very difficult. The ease and normal smoothness of moving fingers around the instrument is hampered to a degree, by the sti...

I have had the same thought for quite a long time. I salute you, Mr. Gumby.

One type of instrument I play in our band is whistles - low D to high E. We do lots of outdoor concerts in the summer: Celtic and other types of festivals, parks, community band shells, historic sites, etc. All our summer concerts are shaded, because of the two hammer dulcimers in the group. However...

You might try a product containing Dupenol. I am no chemist, but I know it is different from soap. It causes 'sheeting,' in liquids. One product containing Dupenol is Jet Dry , for dishwashers. Whistle players over the years have explained different ways to use it. Some literally bathe the whistle i...

Try Paul Busman, for sure. At one time he made Delrin whistles out of many colors. I have one from him made of green Dymondwood. It was a composite that acted like wood, but did not need the care of a wooden whistle. When kids at concerts would ask me what It Is made of, I told them it was dragon bo...

Mike: I have found only one Achilles heel in the Howard Black Silk, with either the Balanced or the Reed head, and you went right to the point. While the notes above high G are quite playable on the Howard, they do not 'lock in' as easily as on some other low D whistles. I often let that issue slide...

Hello again, Mike. I have seen the cutie pie video. Howard whistles are not loud, nor soft. They are very musical sounding, and for me their volume is quite middle-ground. As for resistance, I tend to be quite sensitive to this characteristic. I have owned one of Colin's medium blower Overtons, and ...

Mike: Before you make your decision, I strongly suggest you check out the Howard Low D . Both the Black and Black Silk models play very well. For me, the instrument checks a lot of boxes - and in your post, you echo some of those same desired characteristics, also. The price is very reasonable, and ...

Thank you for the correct information.