Hello everyone. I am trying to get back into whistling and am thinking of trying another Low D. I had a couple. I think they were both Kerry whistles but that was about 20 years ago. I found they took a lot of air. I am thought he recently like in the last 5 yrs or so started making some Low D whistles that did not take as much air as before. If anyone knows please shed some light on this. I am looking into finding a Low D that I could play some of the Irish music I have always enjoyed and have been listening to again. Any recommendations would be appreciated. My budget is around $200 USD. Thanks for any info or help. Stay safe .
scottie,
I’d like to suggest you try a Reyburn lowD.
The ones I’ve played (they were on tour) were the most air-efficient lowD’s I’ve playe. I bought one.
Here are some of my prior postings:
https://forums.chiffandfipple.com/t/low-d-low-air/97667/14
https://forums.chiffandfipple.com/t/cp-ronaldo-reyburn-low-d-whistle-tour/86366/67
Next up, at lower cost, would be the Kelpie lowD by MK. I bought one used for under $100. Very nice voice, volume, + workmanship.
Good luck !
Like Trill, I find the Reyburn low D (at least the current aluminum version) to be relatively air efficient. It has a lot of nice playing characteristics and a unique tone or timbre that I really like.
However, the Syn low D is also very air efficient. If that’s a major factor, the Syn is worth consideration. I do find that you need to spend some time warming it up prior to playing or you will run into clogging problems.
Just to make sure we’re talking about the same thing, people here have used phrases like “taking more air” “air requirements” etc to mean two opposite things:
-
force of air (the resistance/impedance/backpressure encountered while playing)
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volume of air (quantity of air that flows though the instrument while playing)
I call the second one “air efficiency” because you can have two whistles of the same loudness, one having half as much air passing through it while sustaining High B than another. (When I was testing a number of Low D whistles against each other I found that High B varied far more than lower notes, in air quantity requirements.)
The most air-efficient Low D I’ve tested was the Colin Goldie (medium blower) I play.
Second-most was the MK Low D.
I did test a very efficient Reyburn Low D but it’s high notes were too stiff for my liking. Other Reyburns I tried had sweeter high notes but weren’t as efficient. All the Reyburn Low Ds I’ve played had a wonderful unique tone that makes Reyburns very attractive.
The Dixon all-plastic conical-bore Low D I tested was efficient but the volume and tuning didn’t allow me to consider it for professional use. It was the most ergonomic and easy-to-play Low D I’ve come across.
The Dixon all-plastic conical-bore Low D I tested was efficient but the volume and tuning didn’t allow me to consider it for professional use. It was the most ergonomic and easy-to-play Low D I’ve come across.
Gotta agree, I like mine, (& their flute), great starters, & keepers. 
I have to defer to Richard (pancelticpiper) on the topic of air efficiency. I doubt that you will ever run into anyone who has played a wider variety of low whistles.
My Syn recommendation was based more around the budget estimate in the original post. Retail on a Syn low D is around $200 while a Reyburn is $300.
Richard, have you ever had the opportunity to play a Syn low D? Wonder where you might fit it into the spectrum of whistles you have used.
No I haven’t tried a Syn! My bad.
There are so many makers out there! I’ve played loads of makers, but there are probably just as many I’ve not tried.
Let me think, as best I can remember these are the Low D’s I’ve played
Copeland
Sweetheart (wood)
Garvie (wood)
Goldie
Overton
Howard
Reyburn
Reviol
Burke
MK
Alba
Dixon (at least three different types)
Chieftain/Kerry (at least four different types)
Susato
Carbony
Shaw
I know I’m forgetting some.
Hi Richard.
i am not sure you would like the Syn. It is very air efficient, but seems to be optimised for an easy second octave, at least mine is. It has a complex breathy tone, unlike my Burke, it is closer to my green MK.
For cheap and easy playing, my vote would go to the Dixon TB012D. Tuneable, conical bore and not taking a lot of air.
For not taking a lot of air my other recommendation would be a Swayne low D, but that would be way above scottie’s price point.
I am not sure if he is still making them, Kenny McNichol of KM bagpipes made some really nice low D whistles, they would possibly be in your price range.
David
Thanks trill. I will check them out.
Scottie
I have some of the newer Chieftain whistles (kerrywhistles). The V5 takes very little air and has an easy second octave. But my Thunderbird is also quite nice. I don’t have the newest version however, which takes less air but I don’t think mine takes too much air. More than the V5 however. One of the best sounding low Ds I have is the Qwistle. But it takes quite some air. It is also my loudest low D. But that sound is worth it. The Howard low D does also not take much air but not everybody likes the organ-pipe sound. (I do.) The MK Kelpie plays about the same as the V5, maybe minimal more air required.
The Howard low D does also not take much air but not everybody likes the organ-pipe sound. (I do.)
Yep, I like my Howard too, almost as easy to play as my Tony Dixon one piece ABS. 
Another vote for Reyburn low whistles. Fantastic whistles! Although, they are a bit out of your budget, new. I’m currently playing Reviol and really love it! Maurice Reviol is creating amazing low whistles–a great balance of tone, air requirements, finger hole placement, back-pressure, and beautiful to boot.
BKWeid,
Not to hijack the thread, but I’d like to add my vote for Reviol being a great whistle.
There was one on tour back in 2014. It was a great instrument !
Here are my notes from the thread:
https://forums.chiffandfipple.com/t/reviol-low-d-whistle-tour/89369/26
Yes, it’s pricey. But, oh boy, what a whistle !
trill
The low D’s I currently own and play are an Optima, an Mk Pro and a Reyburn aluminum. All are fairly recent models. I just did an air efficiency test by seeing how many times I could play up and down a D scale. The Optima and Reyburn were exactly the same, and I consistently ran out of air a couple of notes sooner on the MK. The MK is efficient, just not as efficient as the other two. This is also my experience when playing tunes. The reyburn has the most air resistance, then the Optima, and the MK has noticeably less resistance than the other two. The MK is the loudest, followed by the Reyburn. All sound really nice, but I’d say the tone of the MK and Reyburn is a little more complex than the Optima. I do like the less complex tone of the Optima though. The MK has the best tone IMO, complex, focused and beautiful, with a bit of grit to it. The MK is the easiest to play and responds perfectly to finger articulations everywhere. The Reyburn and Optima are close though. The Optima never clogs for me, and needs just a quick warmup when it’s cold. The other two are fine if warmed up properly. Not clogging and lightweight is where the Optima is the best. The MK is the best overall if forced to pick. It has the loudest, strongest low end, both the low D and Low E notes are excellent. The Reyburn is good too, and this is where I feel they are just a little better than the Optima. The Reyburn is unique and very satisfying to play. I like how it has more resistance and can be pushed hard. I wouldn’t call the upper octave on it stiff, does that mean more resistance? I want to get a Goldie, one the the main reasons I’ve hesitated is I don’t know what type of blower to get. Tone is very important to me, efficiency and playability are too. I very slightly prefer the greater air resistance of the Reyburn to the more free flowing MK.
Most people I know prefer the soft blowing Goldies. I want one maybe this summer for my b’day but I think I’ll have to visit Colin and try them before I pick one. It’s only a 4 hr drive from where I live.
I’ve got a couple of Goldie whistles and, like you, struggled to know if I wanted a medium, soft, or hard blower. I think air consumption is just one part of the equation. My mezzo ‘A’ is a medium to soft blower which means it really wants to be pushed at the top of the range. My high ‘D’ is pretty much even throughout and is a medium-hard, as was my low ‘F’, which was a hard blower. The A is the loudest but really needs some force at the top end and, oddly enough, clogs like a ba$tard while none of the others do. I’ve found my preference is more for the medium to medium-hard, as the really hard-blowing F had so much back pressure I didn’t feel I could blow through the instrument and was always choking up a bit on it. If you get the chance to try several Goldies you’ll see right away which one feels best.
-Peter
How fantastic to be so close to The Master! (I think I’m safe calling him that.)
Colin used to make three different blowers I believe, soft/medium/hard. My Goldie Low D was made at that time, it’s stamped M for medium.
Now he offers a range of windway heights and they’re marked with the specific measurement in mm.
I picked up a Goldie Low C, and the head is interchangeable with my Goldie Low D. The Low C head has a higher windway, more open, “softer”, so I can switch the heads back and forth and experience the difference between a soft and medium blowing Goldie Low D.
With the softer-blowing Low C head, the Goldie Low D plays very much like the Lofgren Low D that I used to have.
Comparing the Lofgren/soft Goldie Low Ds on the one hand, to the “M” Goldie Low D on the other hand, I experience these differences:
-the “soft-blowing” Low Ds have a nice freeblowing open feel
-the “soft-blowing” Low Ds give a wonderful combination of a strong low octave, powerful bellnote, sweet easy 2nd octave, and nimble “action”
-the “soft-blowing” Low Ds have considerably greater air consumption
When all is said and done, I prefer playing the Goldie “M” blower. It has more resistance/backpressure and the 2nd octave is a tad stiffer, but the air consumption is much less, meaning fewer breaths.
When I recently chatted with Colin over the phone, and he played a number of alto Fs, it was a Medium blower that we settled on, and it’s super, really one of the best whistles I’ve ever owned.
What I’m very curious about is the Narrow Bore Low D that Colin has spent considerable time developing. I would love to try one. In general I prefer the way whistles play when their bore is a tad on the narrow side, but I’ve never had the chance to play a Low D with anything other than the standard bore that most makers use.
Richard, so interesting! Do you notice any difference in tone between the soft and medium? I get a louder and edgier tone from my Overton low D compared to the Chieftain Custom, but the Overton isn’t nearly as efficient. As is so often with whistles I wish I could combine the playability of one with the tone of the other. But back to the OP, when you picking a low D your lung capacity is a much bigger factor in choosing compare to higher keys.
-Peter
I love my Howard low D as well as it’s sound. I have had positive comments from neighbors when playing outside. I was able to get a B stock and save even more money. He does free world wide shipping. I got it in 2 1/2 days.
I know the quote is not particularly pertinent to my question, but I’d love to hear your feedback on the Sweet Onyx low D whistle Richard. I find the tapered bore makes the finger spread small enough for me to use finger tips for the most part, but I have been mostly concentrating on flute, so don’t have a good comparison basis. It certainly doesn’t have the “cosmic drainpipe” sound that many people like, and might even be perceived as being to recorder like. I’m curious if you ever got a chance to try one.