I suffer with costochondritis, inflammation of the cartilage that joins the ribs to the sternum. Undue stress on the lungs causes the pain to flare up so my whistle playing is limited. Colin Goldie recently made me a very soft blowing small bore Low D that uses very little air but requires only moderate breath pressure to get up to second octave B. I’m now looking for a High D that has similarly low impact on the lungs/chest i.e. low back pressure throughout two octaves but also minimal air requirements. I also have a preference for a quieter whistle although that’s not the chief concern. I was thinking about a Burke narrow-bore High D but now I’m led to believe that while air requirements are low, the second octave requires a lot of push. So . . . ideas please. Many thanks.
I have asthma, and the most air efficient whistle I’ve found thus far is my brass Killarney. Probably only tried half a dozen, though, and it doesn’t include Burke. It’s a really nice player and the volume is good – bright but not deafening.
I’ve read that John Sindt’s whistles (on which the Killarney-type model is based) need even less air. I’m in the UK, though, and even if I could get on the waiting list the import charges would be completely unaffordable, so it’s not an option I’m likely to be able to try.
I’m not a hugely experienced player, and I’m sure others will be along with more comprehensive suggestions.
Here are two I can think of:
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“whitecap” by Mack Hoover: it’s just the mouthpiece, fits Gen barrel. Absolutely least amount of air of any I’ve played. Also, sweetest sound/timber.
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Susato VSB: narrowest diameter I’ve ever seen. Retains characteristic Susato sound.
Thanks guys. Moof, I forgot to say that I’m in the UK. I couldn’t afford a Sindt and import duties would put it even further out of reach. So, is the Killarney’s upper second octave easy to reach?
trill, I’ll check out the Susato though I understand they are loud whistles in general. Mack Hoover has retired but has trained someone to take over the reins and I have written to her at MackBeth Whistles to see what she might be able to come up with.
Finding a whistle with low air requirements is not so bad on its own but finding one that has minimal backpressure too is more of a challenge.
The Hoover Whitecap has the lowest backpressure of any I’ve played. It’s also one of the quietest + sweetest-sounding.
Thanks, trill! That’s encouraging.
I’d say yes it is easy, but it does also have a bit of back pressure – that’s partly why it’s air efficient. It’s really hard to imagine what’s painful for someone else when you haven’t experienced it yourself, but for instance I find a Goldie soft blower quite hard work. It doesn’t need as much diaphragm as some low whistles, but you do have to push quite a volume air through it. I can manage it when I’m not wheezy, but I find it tiring. Worth the effort for the gorgeous tone, though.
The Killarney only needs a fraction of that air volume, and obviously the top A and B are much easier than any low D. I don’t find it difficult and I’ve never had problems with the high notes, but if you wanted to try one, you might be best buying it somewhere that has a returns policy. £80’s enough to feel like an expensive mistake if it turns out not to be right.
The high D in my small flock that most resembles the Goldie soft blower (easygoing, little or no sense of back pressure) is a plastic Tony Dixon DX004. It cost less than £20, it’s in tune, and it’s also a fairly quiet whistle. I’m not a big fan of plastic bodies when it comes to tone, but if it were the only thing I could play comfortably because of chest pain, I’d be quite happy with it. It’s tuneable, it never clogs, and it weighs next to nothing.
Thanks, Moof. The Low D Colin Goldie recently sent me is a narrow bore and I was amazed low little air it uses compared to his standard bore soft blower. And though it is not a good idea for me, back pressure is such that I can reach, without undue effort, third octave E and sustain it for several seconds.
The Killarney sounds like a promising possibility. I’ve written to them for their perspective. Like you I’m currently playing a Dixon, their cheapest non-tuneable whistle and it’s pretty good but I would like to find something easier on the lungs for when I hit those mid-range second octave notes and if I have the choice, I would prefer something with a tone I like.
I know it’s not fashionable to say, but what about a Generation D? Sweet and nimble requiring little air, “traditional” sounding with basically no back pressure.
If you want to go a little step further, then it’s still possible to pick up Generation whistles from the 70s that came from a different mould and are a little quieter all round, with an especially sweet and very easy to reach second octave. Failing that, Cillian Ó Briain’s “improved” whistles I find are similar to the old Generations, though the second octave is louder … but these things are very relative, it’s a nimble, easy to blow and “traditional” sounding whistle.
There are other whistles that’ll line up similarly, so take this as a mention rather that a though-going recommendation. I have no idea what you will end up playing on them or the sound that you like. These are whistles that I play, but I do play a number of others so I know their comparative characteristics well.
Hi Andrew,
Thanks for your input. I wouldn’t trust a current Generation and wouldn’t know where I could buy a 70’s model. But I had already decided to contact Cillian O’Briain regarding my problem and he suggested that in general his whistles take less air than most but, since his whistles are hand-finished, he could look me out one that is on the lighter end of the range. I’m attracted to Killarney but the “improved” whistle is less of a financial risk to try it out first so I’m going to put in an order.
Many thanks.
So I ordered a High D from Cillian O’Brian and he looked out one with minimal air requirements for me. I received it today and am delighted with it. I’d read that good breath control and experience were necessary to play one but I have had no problems. The first octave requires barely more than a breath and little effort is needed to reach second octave A & B. It’s perfect! Thank you, Cillian.
The sweetest easiest-to-blow High D whistle I’ve ever played is my trusty old Feadog Mk1.
When people try it they always wildly overblow it.
Then when they find the right blowing they say “that whistle almost plays itself”.
The closest new whistle I’ve played is one of the earlier Killarney High Ds. Then I bought a later one and it was stiffer to blow and rougher in tone.
The Killarney I just got fits your bill, makes my cats pet my head (literally) whenever I play the second octave. Having watched one of your videos about you sticking a Feadog up a Killarney head, I shaved a Gen Nickel and stuck it up. Plays much, much nicer now, doesn’t clog nearly as bad, and has a sweet, pleasant second octave throughout.
The thick Killarney tube feels much more sturdy in case I bump it somewhere, but the trade-off is worth it, and if something happens to the body I can just buy another Gen and replace it easily.
Relevant to this thread, it’s also quieter now, plays very agile, and it made me stop my High D WOAD easily. I have a cheap Thomann High D that’s tweaked a little i case I want to play something loud, so that takes care of soprano Ds.
So thanks for the idea sir! 