susato low G for small hands?

lyndamic · Post by **lyndamic** » Fri Mar 26, 2004 1:07 am

Does anyone know if a Susato low G would be workable for small female hands? I think they sound gorgeous, it has me reconsidering my decision to order a Bb.

edit: Oh, I forgot to mention I heard it played on the telephone by a far away relative. I've seen at least one TERRIBLE review of Susato Low G already. Anyone else?

Zubivka · Post by **Zubivka** » Fri Mar 26, 2004 1:12 am

You can always use piper grip.
I do on G whistles. I feel it more comfortable.
(Bb is the lowest I systematically play with the finger pads).

As for the Susato G, if you like its sound, go for it:
when you play, it is what you'll hear, not the advice against...

meir · Post by **meir** » Fri Mar 26, 2004 7:03 am

your dichotomy of the bflat vs the low g is interesting.

with small hands:

you will definately be able to handle the G with a piper's grip.

you may well not be able to handle the G with fingertips

so it depends on if you are willing to start fooling with pipers grip.

what i find interesting is that i have large hands, and the b flat is the lowest whistle i can play comfortably with fingertips.

so, unless you are willing to stretch, you, with your small hands, may find even the b flat falls in piper's grip territory.

so, if you are looking for a suprano whistle a little lower and fuller than the D, you may want to go for a B (now widely available) or even a C.

meir

feadog39 · Post by **feadog39** » Fri Mar 26, 2004 12:01 pm

a low g i think would be fine with somebody with small hands. it gives you that lovely low whistle kind of tone without the struggle that the low d can be.

but. i do recommend you try some others in addition to the susato. the susato sound has a reputation for being mean and aggressive. the low g mitigates that a bit. the tone on my susato low g is okay; not incredibly responsive--sort of like pushing dough thr a tube, alot of back pressure. of course, you can judge for yourself whither you like the sound.

but the real reason i hate it is that it is so out of tune with itself. perhaps this is a defect with this individual instrument; but i struggle(d) to keep it in tune. So if you look into a susato, try it out and with a tuner.

Good luck!

Bloomfield · Post by **Bloomfield** » Fri Mar 26, 2004 12:13 pm

As far as low whistles go, the susatos are among the hardest to finger with small hands, in my opinion, mostly because of the right (lower) hand.

jim stone · Post by **jim stone** » Fri Mar 26, 2004 12:48 pm

Yes, it may make sense to try one before you buy it.
There are alternatives that you might wish
to consider, too. Generally a G is within
the capacity of people with small hands. Best

kevin m. · Post by **kevin m.** » Fri Mar 26, 2004 12:57 pm

IF you are looking for an ABS 'plastic' G whistle,IMHO I think that you would be better off with a Dixon.They are less 'aggresssive' than Susatos,the finger stretch is very comfortable,and they are cheaper.
If you are prepared to pay a bit more,then I can certainly recommend a 'G' whistle by Bernard Overton-mine is a fantastic whistle (Pipemaker Davy Stephenson was absolutely enamoured by it,when he tried it out!).
HERESY WARNING: Have you considered a treble R*c**D*r?

Aulos and Zen-on do very nice models for about the cost of a Susato tunable(U.K. prices) and they are chromatic.NOT the instrument of choice for ITM though!

feadog39 · Post by **feadog39** » Fri Mar 26, 2004 2:38 pm

okay, just found, dusted off, and played a few tunes on my susato low g. well, it's not as bad as i've made it out to be. but, the internal tuning is off, and i have a tunable one too. the low g rides flat relative to the rest, and it bugs me (and stood out when i was playing with a piano). anyway, the tone strikes me as a tad drab, which is perhaps due quite simply to its being plastic. it's not a *tin* whistle after all.

lyndamic · Post by **lyndamic** » Fri Mar 26, 2004 4:46 pm

Thanks for the replies. I went ahead and ordered the Gen Bb (affordable!), I guess I'll see how I do on that before commiting to a G. Pipers' grip seems a bit intimidating to me, but I love that low whistle sound, and I intend to go as low as I can!
Thanks for the Dixon suggestion, kevin m. I'm already playing a Dixon soprano D, and it's plenty aggressive enough for me. Susato may be too much.
It's difficult to sort these things out on my own, as I have yet to 'hook up' with anyone in the scene locally. (Basically, I'm not any good yet.)
I really appreciate your kind and patient feedback.

Jeferson · Post by **Jeferson** » Fri Mar 26, 2004 10:21 pm

You might even try buying a two-piece medium bore Susato A, and then adding a G body later on.

FWIW, there's a huge difference as you go down the scale of Susatos (as you'd generally expect with any whistle, I suppose). The lowest Susatos I have are A and F bodies that go with the medium bore mouthpiece. No G for me...I have a nice Kerry Pro that does the trick wonderfully and is a comfortable stretch for the hands. The Susato A is really comfortable and I suspect you'd have no problem with it. A nice whistle, too. The F, though, is MUCH bigger a stretch for the right hand. Not my favourite sounding whistle, either. The stretch is not a problem for me, but I suspect that it would be an issue for some.

Jef