Haunting Low D

picardy third · Post by **picardy third** » Mon Jan 31, 2005 7:49 am

This is a topic that is beaten to death but I'd really like to know about the haunting (chiffy and complex quality) of a couple of really good whistles. My current high end low d is a Burke. I want something a little airy-er. My two main considerations are a Chieftain and an Overton. I don't want to open a whole can of worms but between these two, which tends to be more haunting? Are they both on the chiffy side of the spectrum? I just don't want to get something too pure.

p3

Brian Lee · Post by **Brian Lee** » Mon Jan 31, 2005 8:08 am

Have you played a Howard? They're pretty darn chiffy... or at least every one I've heard is. They've got something about their tone...an amlost reedy quality too. Pretty different from just about any other low whistle out there.

Wombat · Post by **Wombat** » Mon Jan 31, 2005 9:26 am

Since Brian mentioned them, I like Howard too, although I have to say that I play a low C and haven't tried the low D. If you can afford one, treat yourself to an Overton or a Copeland.

Overton and Chieftain seem to occupy the same market niche. I haven't tried a Chieftain but I'm thoroughly satisfied with Overtons. For comparisons here though, you really need to pay attention to those who have tried both .... especially those who aren't members of the vocal Chieftain fan club.

anniemcu · Post by **anniemcu** » Mon Jan 31, 2005 10:57 am

I love my Howard, but I've only gotten to try two other low Ds... one was just too big for me, but I liked it a lot - the Weston that toured here, and the other, a Susato... I just didn't care for compared to my Howard.

Wombat · Post by **Wombat** » Mon Jan 31, 2005 11:15 am

anniemcu wrote:I love my Howard, but I've only gotten to try two other low Ds... one was just too big for me, but I liked it a lot - the Weston that toured here, and the other, a Susato... I just didn't care for compared to my Howard.

Assuming my low C is a good guide to the low D, in that price range you can't beat a Howard.

amar · Post by **amar** » Mon Jan 31, 2005 11:30 am

hmm, wombat, a copeland to my ears is very pure, don't you think?

Wombat · Post by **Wombat** » Mon Jan 31, 2005 11:35 am

amar wrote:hmm, wombat, a copeland to my ears is very pure, don't you think?

Pure beauty. But husky. Seductive. Like Marilyn Monroe singing 'happy birthday Mr. President.'

anniemcu · Post by **anniemcu** » Mon Jan 31, 2005 11:36 am

amar wrote:hmm, wombat, a copeland to my ears is very pure, don't you think?

Hmmm... Amar... given the nervous twitch parents seem to get when you look at their daughters, I'd try to keep the Copeland away from your ears...

livethe question · Post by **livethe question** » Mon Jan 31, 2005 4:57 pm

Just my opinions

Have you considered the Burke Composite? A completely different animal than the aluminum models. It's one of my favorite lows.

I find the Reyburn low D the most haunting of those I've had a chance to play for more than a few minutes so I can't compare it with a Copeland.

I'm getting rid of all my low Ds as I'm spending more time on the flute (and mandolin) so, in the interest of full disclosure, I do have a Burke composite, a Burke Aluminum and a Reyburn for sale. Also tunable Overton but it may have been modified. I'd tell you the same thing about the composite and the Reyburn in any case but wanted to disclose a maybe, and unbeknownest to me, prejudice about low whistles.

take care

jim durdin

KDMARTINKY · Post by **KDMARTINKY** » Mon Jan 31, 2005 5:54 pm

I consider myself a Chieftain player with keys in Low D,Eb,F, and G. But like I have stated in an earlier thread, I received a Silkstone Alloy Tunable Low D and it by far produces a deeper (haunting) sound than any of my Chieftains. But this doesn't mean I'm selling the Chieftains.....

, But Iwill never sell the Silk either.

Wanderer · Post by **Wanderer** » Mon Jan 31, 2005 8:40 pm

Wombat wrote:.... especially those who aren't members of the vocal Chieftain fan club.

(grin) funny thing...not too long ago, it was the vocal Overton fan club here. I think Phil's made great improvements in his whistles over the years.

Not to say Overton's aren't great, of course. I think due to the lineage, Overtons and Chieftains tend to be very similar, and both tend to have their fans...so the best bet is to try them both if the opportunity presents.

Wombat wrote:
amar wrote:hmm, wombat, a copeland to my ears is very pure, don't you think?
Pure beauty. But husky. Seductive. Like Marilyn Monroe singing 'happy birthday Mr. President.'

I agree with this 100%. Very rich husky tone. Different than any other low D I've ever tried. I really liked it, but at the time I had one, it was too much whistle for me. I would probably be more able to handle one these days.

IDAwHOa · Post by **IDAwHOa** » Mon Jan 31, 2005 11:05 pm

One thing to keep in mind, especially at the low D size and lower is the breath requirement. I have tried a dozen or more low d's over the last year. Some take an extraordinary amount of air (Copeland, Burke Composite) some a medium amount (O'Briain, Howard, Hoover) and some not much at all (Overton, Chieftain).

Wombat · Post by **Wombat** » Tue Feb 01, 2005 1:05 am

Wanderer wrote:
Wombat wrote:.... especially those who aren't members of the vocal Chieftain fan club.
(grin) funny thing...not too long ago, it was the vocal Overton fan club here. I think Phil's made great improvements in his whistles over the years.

I'm not talking about the occasional outbreaks of hostility.

There are lots of happy Overton players, but, for the last couple of years the most vocal supporters of Overtons would probably be Loren, Bloomfield and me. We are in general agreement on what the playing characteristics are and what to do if you want an Overton that's a bit different.

The big difference I've noticed is that we also each recommend anything up to a dozen other makes if the person asking specifies desired characteristics that don't fit the Overton profile. For example, I'm also a big fan of Sindt, Busman, Grinter, Copeland, Abell, Jubilee modals, Burke AlPros and Generations. I would, and do, recommend a lot of other whistles too if I thought they were what you wanted, even if they aren't quite to my taste. I'd also try to compare any pair of these acknowledging strengths and weaknesses in ways that almost any experienced player would acknowledge as fair. So do the other Overton fans.

Amongst the Chieftain fan club I sense more of a 'one size fits all' attitude. I don't see subtle comparisons being made with other makes in a way that would give me confidence that they have extensive experience playing those other makes. I mean, I don't see them comparing say Sindts and Burkes in a way that prompts a little leap of recognition—'yep, that's a Burke for sure.' In this regard, it's nice to see Keith now recommending Silkstones as well as items from the Chieftain stable.

Wanderer · Post by **Wanderer** » Tue Feb 01, 2005 6:18 am

Wombat wrote: I'm not talking about the occasional outbreaks of hostility.

Actually, I wasn't either.

I was just noting that the Chieftain "fan club" has grown here, it seems to me. I think part of that is because his whistles have improved. That's really all I meant.

Wombat wrote: The big difference I've noticed is that we also each recommend anything up to a dozen other makes if the person asking specifies desired characteristics that don't fit the Overton profile. For example, I'm also a big fan of Sindt, Busman, Grinter, Copeland, Abell, Jubilee modals, Burke AlPros and Generations. I would, and do, recommend a lot of other whistles too if I thought they were what you wanted, even if they aren't quite to my taste. I'd also try to compare any pair of these acknowledging strengths and weaknesses in ways that almost any experienced player would acknowledge as fair. So do the other Overton fans.

Amongst the Chieftain fan club I sense more of a 'one size fits all' attitude. I don't see subtle comparisons being made with other makes in a way that would give me confidence that they have extensive experience playing those other makes. I mean, I don't see them comparing say Sindts and Burkes in a way that prompts a little leap of recognition—'yep, that's a Burke for sure.' In this regard, it's nice to see Keith now recommending Silkstones as well as items from the Chieftain stable.

Fair enough. I'm personally a big fan of Greenwoods, Burkes, Copelands, but would certainly recommend Feadogs to anyone who hankered for that more down-home Generation-like sound--which I don't particularly care for myself. I recognize that Abells and Thin Weasels share certain playing characteristics, and Hoovers and Laughing Whistles do as well. It's not a real secret that I have never played a Chieftain high D that I liked (though I haven't tried his new-range stuff). So I think it's may be fair to say that's a broad brush you're painting Cheiftain fans with

That said, I do recognize there's a couple of folks who who are quick to say "chieftain" when someone asks for any whistle recommendation. I also recognize there are folks who make the same kinds of instant recommendations for Generations, burkes, and just about any make out there

Myrddin · Post by **Myrddin** » Tue Feb 01, 2005 6:32 am

Since my first low D was a Chieftain and my second an Overton (made by Colin Goldie), I've had some opportunity to compare the two. I would say that they are both on the 'chiffy' side - by no means as pure as, for example, a Burke (a low D Al-Pro Viper was my number 3). To me, nothing comes close to the Overton in sound, it really is what you'd call haunting. This is always a matter of taste, of course. Apart from that, my Chieftain was not exactly in tune, every single note was just a little sharp or a little flat which made the whistle sound a little out of tune 'all over the place'.