Playing whistles as well as pipes

[goldy]

I have noticed that a lot of professional pipers play the low D whistle in addition to pipes (e.g Davy Spillane, Paddy Keenan, John McSherry, Cillian Vallely etc.).

It's interesting that there is such a correlation between these two instruments (maybe it's that they are both quite 'haunting' sounding instruments). Therefore, I thought I'd see how many of us share this love for both instruments. I am aware that many of us started on, and may continue to play, smaller whistles such as the penny whistle so I have included an option for this too.

I myself play the low D whistle, but have pretty much dropped playing my other whistles since taking up the pipes.

Let's see what the poll uncovers!

[Bill Reeder]

I don't particularly like low D whistles and so mine spends a lot of time gathering dust. I have other whistles that get playing time but generally only for learning tunes or playing with fiddle players with low volume instruments.

[fancypiper]

I play low D, E, F G and A, soprano Bb, B, C, C#, D, Eb and F.

My Hoover PVC B is very hard to lay down and the E, F and G Hoover all sound lovely (when I can do the precise breath control they need). I have a little trouble playing the low F as my bottom hand seems to tense up on that whistle, but it has such a lovely sound, I gotta practice more on that one.

I have a terrible case of WhOA....

[Joseph E. Smith]

I have a terrible case of WhOA....

... Bourbon can fix that.

[Patrick D'Arcy]

I play them when I'm made to but I wouldn't call myself a whistle player.

Can you dig it?

PD.

[No E]

Amen, Brother D'Arcy!

No E

[Patrick D'Arcy]

You're daaaaaamn right!

[Fergmaun]

Yes play the both pipes and low and high whistles.

Low D, E G A - High Bb, B, C, D, E, Eb all susato make.

Low D Howard - High D by Cillian O'Briain Improved Tin Whistle and the Generation Bb, D.

[djm]

I can't stand low whistle - too much Declan Masterson, I guess. I have a s**tload of Michael Burke whistles in various pitches, not to perform, but I find it helps when picking out a tune off a recording that was done in an odd pitch, or where they've changed the speed of the recording to enhance the sound.

djm

[ausdag]

I can't stand low whistle

You an' me both. I used to get so p****ed off when in the band the others were of the opinion that if a song or air didn't incorporate a LOW whistle then it would have to be no whistle as if high whistles are incapable of creating just as 'soul-stirring' sounds. I once proved my point when we did a performance accompanying a local vocalists and the main 'riff' I decided to do on high whistle - it was a slow, emotional song. THe fiddle player objected but I stood my ground. When it came through over the speakers loud and glorious everyone was quite blown away.

Back to the topic...what Patrick said.

Cheers,

DavidG

[feadogin]

I don't like low whistle either. To me, it sounds just like a flute, only not as good.

I have to say I am still primarily a whistle player, but I am working on getting to the point where I can concur with Patrick.

Justine

[MikeyLikesIt]

I play low and high whistle. But I prefer low whistle. Like Justine said, they're trying to be a flute. And since I can't play flute....yet.....it's the best I can do. But my main aim is to be a piper. Amen Pat.

-Mike

[Pat Cannady]

My feelings about the low whistle are fairly complex. I have a couple but don't play them very often.

Some kind of prior experience with woodwinds is useful to a beginning piper - at least your fingers may be somewhat used to moving in a coordinated way. Prior experience of playing irish traditional music on the whistle or the flute is even more valuable. I don't think, however, that the low whistle is any more useful as a stepping stone to the pipes than its soprano cousins or the wooden flute. Still, it can help.

I would say that variety and versatility on stage or on recordings have a lot to do with pipers' decision to play the whistle or flute in those contexts.

In person, in a kitchen or at a pub session, with other instrumentalists around, and without a care for what the punters think, a piper is going to stick to his or her main weapon - the pipes- most of the time, occasionally reaching for a SOPRANO D whistle or a wooden flute. Why? You can't hear a low whistle in that kind of a scenario, which is the where the majority of pipers who learn to get through a tune spend their time. The low whistle ends up being nice from time to time but impractical in the day-to-day musical life of the journeyman piper.

And then there's those individuals who show up with a low whistle at your pub session and sit there and pout until the music stops, then at the first hint of silence, start playing Carolan tunes that no one else is interested in playing - or worse, a slow air - completely sucking the energy out of the room. This shows a lack of respect for the other participants and their efforts; it can create some bad associations with the instrument and some people who play it. Don't play a slow air in that scenario unless asked and the group is okay with it (ie they need to refresh their pints or visit the WC). I used to do it on the pipes until someone took me aside and very politely yet pointedly said that it's rude - the group sound and group cohesion is more important than the individual's need for attention, approval, or whatever. Instead, try to contribute to the group's fun - tell jokes, buy a round, ask for tunes you're trying to learn, start tunes you know other people can play, think of others' fun first and the good karma does come back to you, it really does. You get to be friends with your session mates. You learn to play tunes you thought you might never learn. You begin to have a lot more fun.

That being said, a handful of people I've encountered can really make the low whistle sound very beautiful as a solo instrument - particularly when presented as a small, contrasting part of a program of music that really features other instruments. Less is more with the low D.

[djm]

Well said, Mr. Cannady.

djm

[misterpatrick]

As a lousy piper this brings up a question. Wouldn't playing a low whistle at a session make some sense exactly because it's quiet enough so that it isn't going to stand out like pipes or a soprano whistle might. It seems like it may be practical for getting comfortable playing in a session.

I play a low D whistle, but really only to work out tunes. It's a lot easier with a whistle to mess around with the slow downer software and figure something out without having to hunchback my way over to the mouse to hit play, stop, play, stop, slower dammit, play.

One of these days I'll have enough tunes and nerve to join a session. Until then, it's me and the cat. (The wife has a problem with me doing triplets over and over, I can't image why, so I play when she's not around.)