Humphrey D+ Whistle Questions

[bigsciota]

The Humphrey D+ whistle is a little intriguing to me for busking and accompanying singers, because a not insignificant number of songs and slower tunes have that flat 7 on the bottom. I had a couple questions about it, hopefully someone here has one and can answer them.

1. Does the added hole weaken the bell/D note? That seems to be an issue with other whistles with a C or C# hole.

2. This seems to be a fairly wide-bore whistle. What is the air requirement like on it? I didn’t like how much air my Chieftain high D took, is this similar? Other whistles that I’ve had/played to compare it to would be a Burke session bore, Dixon alloy, Abell, or Sweetheart/WD Sweet. I know it’ll take more push than my Killarney!

3. How loud is it? Is it “I wouldn’t want this next to me at a session” loud, like the Chieftains or a Susato? Or “loud but manageable” like the Burke session bore whistles. And is the top end very shrill?

Some of those questions might also be able to be answered by someone with a Humphrey wide bore D, which I believe has the same bore diameter.

[pancelticpiper]

Sorry I have no answers to your questions, just an observation.

You mention that many songs have that low flat 7th and I've found that too.

What's interesting is that the Scottish Highland pipes have that note and there are several well-known Irish songs that fit well on those pipes because of that. Those songs actually fit better on the Highland pipes than on the uilleann pipes due to the uilleann pipes lacking that note. Also there's at least on Irish march that wants that low flat 7th, suggesting that the old Irish warpipes had it.

(Yes I know you can play a song a 5th higher on the uilleann pipes in order to get the equivalent note.)

[preacher]

I recently identified a whistle I had bought about ten years ago as a Humphrey. It is in the key B however not D+ like you are looking at. I can give you a few impressions.
First it is very well built - top quality work here. The brass is thin wall so it very light in the hands. It is an easy blower both registers. It is one of my louder whistles - actually I would say medium loud similar to a Burke session D I have. You can push on it for some nice dynamics and really make it sing up top. For me the sound is similar to Burke and comes closest to my Boisvert blackwood D than any other metal whistle I own. The only the whistles I have that you asked to compare to is Susato and it is not like those.
Now that I learned that it is a Humphrey I am thinking of adding a few more to my arsenal.

[chas]

Since nobody's rung in on the question, I'll give it a stab. I haven't played a Humphrey, but I've played a Silkstone D+ and am developing my own. The D whistle isn't like a flute -- even on a D+, the last hole doesn't need to be placed so far from the end and made so small that it's veiled. The wall being so thin also helps keep the D note strong.

[Tyler DelGregg]

I have a Shearwater A with a G hole below the A. It comes in very handy for certain tunes, particularly Scottish. The bell note is very strong and does not seem to be affected by the extra hole.

[Mr.Nate]

I had a Humphrey D+ back about 2005 or so. It uses a larger C bore. Lovely whistle of course and Humphrey's prices are very reasonable for a handmade whistle.

My impressions were that the added low note turned out to be more of a novelty than a usable tool. The bore is larger so you have to drive the upper notes harder.

The lower C hole was ergonomically not quite in the right place for me to comfortably hit with my right hand pinky finger. It could be better if it were placed specifically for your hand (in a perfect world)

In the end I would rather just have a D or C whistle of my preference. Humphrey's are excellent of course so you could buy one of his D+ whistles and then add the C whistle tube as an alternative or just skip the whole idea all together.

Your mileage may vary so for the affordable price feel free to put one on order for a first hand experience....just saying!

It's a trad whistle so the air requirements and the loudness are similar to a Generation C whistle but like I said you still have to push the upper notes just a little harder than you would on both a regular D or C.

Is the D note weak? Not noticeably week but probably a tad bit quieter than the low C note.
Cheers,
Mr. Nate

[Narzog]

I'm very late to the party but for some songs it could be viable to use a mezzo A to have an extended lower range.

[brianholton]

I have a Tony Dixon 3-piece D-plus, which is a very nice whistle. I take it with me when I'm travelling because it fits into a shirt pocket, but I rarely use the low D hole. In fact I often turn that joint around. Most double-tonic Scottish tunes are in A myxolidian, so I have never actually found a use for that low 7th in sessions or anywhere else, FWIW.

[BigDavy]

Have you considered getting an Elfsong whistle - the enchanter (or Enchantress - made by Generation). They use bagpipe fingering, but you can get into the second octave.

David

[bigsciota]

I have a Tony Dixon 3-piece D-plus, which is a very nice whistle. I take it with me when I'm travelling because it fits into a shirt pocket, but I rarely use the low D hole. In fact I often turn that joint around. Most double-tonic Scottish tunes are in A myxolidian, so I have never actually found a use for that low 7th in sessions or anywhere else, FWIW.

A three piece Dixon D+? When was he making those? I've never seen one, that's interesting.

[brianholton]

Hi
I bought it somewhere around the mid-noughties, I guess.
It's numbered "9" on the back of the head, and is made in Delrin.
It was quite expensive IIRC, at around £200. I don't think he made many of them.

b

[rykirk]

If you want to play music in D with a b7 on the bottom the easiest way would seem to be getting a G whistle. I play pipetunes in A mixolydian on my D whistles all the time, same transposition.

[raindog1970]

Hi
I bought it somewhere around the mid-noughties, I guess.
It's numbered "9" on the back of the head, and is made in Delrin.
It was quite expensive IIRC, at around £200. I don't think he made many of them.

b

I'm pretty sure you're referring to one of Paul Hayward's "Silkstone" whistles. His "Ace" models were made from Delrin and sold for around that price range, and he did make a D+ with the extra hole on a segment of the tube that could be rotated to adjust the position.

[brianholton]

Ah well, I was sure it was a Dixon. I wonder if I have a receipt anywhere... I did have a Silkstone d at one point, but gave it away. I found the tone a bit harsh for my taste.