advice on playing

andyjc · Post by **andyjc** » Sat Nov 22, 2003 5:18 pm

hi,just brought myself a kerry low d,at 37 guess its better late then never...
just wonder if i could get any advice about playing

all i seem 2 b getting is a sound between a kettle boiling and a recorder! yikess
hope u can help coolllll site andy

Henke · Post by **Henke** » Sat Nov 22, 2003 5:37 pm

Eh...
You just started playing? Or did you play soprano whistles before?
It's a bit strange to start out with a low D.
And it's a big area to cover. Was there some particular aspect about playing you wanted advice on? For a start however, try to get a steady stream of air, not to hard or the sound will brake. And ensure that you cover all the holes properly (if you want to cover them). If there is a slight leak somewhere the sound is likely to brake.

andyjc · Post by **andyjc** » Sat Nov 22, 2003 5:48 pm

hi thks 4 getting back 2 me ..well i played other woodwind instruments when younger,and wanted something that sounded lower then a standard whistle so went 4 the low d ...but iam having trouble making it come out low it sounds very airy and goes between high and low thks andy

Henke · Post by **Henke** » Sat Nov 22, 2003 5:59 pm

The low whistles are beasts to play. Check out this sites low whistle guide for tips on proper posture and grips and so on. I think your problem at this stage is breath controll and hole covering, but if you work on that it should result in a steady, pure sound. Try blowing it without covering any holes as well.

It would probably be a good idea to get a soprano whistle as well.

emmline · Post by **emmline** » Sat Nov 22, 2003 6:01 pm

I am barely ahead of you on my low whistle learning curve, but I found it took about a week for my fingers to have found their places on the whistle for piper's grip. Now, a few weeks later I'm still working hard at improving hole coverage. Not easy on a low whistle with big holes. Another big issue has been how to blow. With the low D, much more than with a soprano whistle, I have to make sure that the bore is filled fully, and consistently...and that can take a lot of air. It didn't do to try to play quietly and discreetly. You've got to experiment with your manner of filling the whistle with air to get a feel for octave changes. The high octave seems to require a harder faster stream, whereas the lowest notes prefer lots of air but at a slower velocity, and that takes a different mouth shape. Like I said, you have to experiment. Also, if you're getting a hiss or nothing, you may need to shake, rinse, or try one of the soap-based windway treatments you'll find referenced in some of these threads.

Zubivka · Post by **Zubivka** » Sat Nov 22, 2003 6:45 pm

andyjc wrote:hi,just brought myself a kerry low d,at 37 guess its better late then never...
just wonder if i could get any advice about playing all i seem 2 b getting is a sound between a kettle boiling and a recorder! yikess
hope u can help coolllll site andy

Don't ya wucking furry! I was ten years older than you are when starting. Like--better late than toytally dead...
The Kerry low sounded like a Kawasaki triple on warm-up. It still does, in fact, but I grew to like that two-stroke piston rings sound. Break-in time?

And I still blame all my gray hair on the same tube. To take it positively, it looks very distinguished, too.

Just work on it (the Kerry, not the gray hair), and let's talk back about it (the gray hair, as well) in a few months.

NicoMoreno · Post by **NicoMoreno** » Sat Nov 22, 2003 10:07 pm

The first low D I ever had was one I made myself (also the first whistle I ever made...)

I now have a Kerry Pro Low D...
So: I do not understand the complaints people make about being able to cover holes, it taking time to be able to make your fingers go where they are supposed to and etc...

My low D has a huge finger stretch. I mean HUGE (homemade, not Kerry) while the kerry has a not so bad one.
The first time I played it, (not tuned it) I had no problem covering the holes, and within a week was playing jigs and hornpipes on it. At speed. (I still dont play reels fast on anything -- almost 3 years later...) The kerry feels like a high D compared to the stretch.

It CAN be done! Just keep playing. (My fingers aren't big, long or very wide)

brewerpaul · Post by **brewerpaul** » Sun Nov 23, 2003 6:27 am

Definitely, get a high D and get comfortable on that before you seriously tackle the low one. It won't take all that long. If you're just starting whistling, the low D has additional issues such as finicky breath control and finger reach that you really don't need to be adding to the learning curve right at the beginning.

Henke · Post by **Henke** » Sun Nov 23, 2003 7:28 am

Paul makes a very good point here. Besides, the high D won't have to cost more than a tenth of the cost of your low D. Get one to learn the fingering system and so on. You might even start to love the soprano whistles.

emmline · Post by **emmline** » Sun Nov 23, 2003 9:49 am

NicoMoreno wrote:The first low D I ever had was one I made myself (also the first whistle I ever made...)

I now have a Kerry Pro Low D...
So: I do not understand the complaints people make about being able to cover holes, it taking time to be able to make your fingers go where they are supposed to and etc...

My low D has a huge finger stretch. I mean HUGE (homemade, not Kerry) while the kerry has a not so bad one.
The first time I played it, (not tuned it) I had no problem covering the holes, and within a week was playing jigs and hornpipes on it. At speed. (I still dont play reels fast on anything -- almost 3 years later...) The kerry feels like a high D compared to the stretch.

It CAN be done! Just keep playing. (My fingers aren't big, long or very wide)

Ok, well Nico...you must be the genetic prototype for fingers upon which the standard low whistle is based!

I guess it shouldn't surprise me, as hard a time as I have finding shoes that fit, that my hands would fall outside the norm as well...but I'm improving...it just ain't easy!

andyjc · Post by **andyjc** » Sun Nov 23, 2003 3:44 pm

hi...thks for all getting back to me..i think like most things it will b a case of pratice makes perfect..i dont have any problems with the covering of the holes i have big hands

so i think it more to do with the breath control side anyway thks for all getting back to me andy

Treasach · Post by **Treasach** » Mon Nov 24, 2003 8:11 am

Hello andyjc,

Don't feel bad!
I'm just starting & I'll be 45 in January!

I got a high D first & I'm starting to get it!
I just bought a low G & low D (hope to get them from Mack soon!)
I was advised to start with a F or G low whistle first.
Play it, then go to the low D.
That's what I'm going to do!

cj · Post by cj » Mon Nov 24, 2003 8:52 am

Welcome! I was around 35 when I started. You'll find a group of folks here who don't feel that age is a limit to enjoying music or much else for that matter!

GaryKelly · Post by **GaryKelly** » Mon Nov 24, 2003 9:35 am

44, meself. Been playing the high D for about 2 months, and just bought a Shaw Low D (yes, I have WhOA)...

For the first two days I thought I'd been sold a complete pup with the Shaw low D. All I could hear was air rushing from the windway and the faintest undercurrent of a tone...

Perseverance is the key. Two weeks later the Shaw sounds like a flute. The fact that I can't play my flute either is down to me, not the instrument! Actually, that's not quite true any more...I have a handful of tunes that I've worked on relentlessly over the past 8 weeks, and three of 'em sound pretty good now, even on the low D. Hornpipes, the three of 'em.

Plus, my Shaw high D, which I once detested with a passion as being an unplayable wind-sucking beast from the nether reaches of the slough of despond, now sounds sweet as a nut and is fast becoming something of a real joy to play...all thanks to the Low D.

Oh, and it seems to me that the Shaw low D needs a bit of 'warming up' for anywhere between 10 and 30 minutes before it really starts sounding the way I think it should sound.

Keep at it, nice and slow. These things take a bit of time

andyjc · Post by **andyjc** » Mon Nov 24, 2003 11:50 am

hi thks for the replys ive just ordered the book low whistle so iam hoping that,gives some pointers....iam guessing u can use any of the tutor books even if there 4 standard d tin whistles?anyway ive got a good feeling about this instrument and this site all seems wayyy to cool

andy

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