Low G or A whistles?

[mikey_r]

I'm a newbie and I know I should concentrate on learning to play the whistles I already have (or that are on the way to me from various places - WHoA has kicked in big time already). But I was listening to Joanie Madden, (with whom I have fallen deeply and hopelessly in love), and noticed that she uses a bunch of lower whistles. These sound beautiful on slow airs, particularly the way she plays them.

I have a couple of high C whistles, and I like the sound they get on the slow stuff better than my high Ds, but that may partially be a function of the particular high Ds that I have. (Oak and Acorn - others on the way). My question for the more experienced players is, strictly from the tone point of view, are the alto keys worth getting? Or do you recommend biting the bullet and going straight to the low D? Or forgetting about this nonsense and concentrating on practicing?

I'm not asking from the point of view of trying to play with others in sessions or anything like that - I'm mostly playing by myself at this point (it's a matter of social responsibility, really ), and can sequence or record accompaniment in any key if I need to. I'm mostly interested in the sound.

Or is the whole question stupid, since the sound depends so much on the individual whistle and on the player that any statement about the sound of a particular key whistle is silly? BTW, I know buying a high-end low whistle won't make me play like Joanie Madden

[Wombat]

If you like the sound of low whistles, and you obviously do, then get one or several. Don't start with a low D, they are quite hard to play a first, get yourself and A, Bb, G, or F. Just whatever seems like a good place to start.

The only reason that low Ds are the weapon of choice of most low whistle players is that they are pitched the same as simple-system flutes and accomodate the most commonly employed Irish keys. But experienced players of Irish music will play in a variety of keys for fun, because it gives certain tunes a different flavour, because they are playing with a piper or concertina player whose choice of key is non-standard or, sometimes, to scare off the incompetent players. If you play at home you might as well just get the whistles you want.

[jim stone]

It's fun to experiment with whistles in different keys.
The Whistle Shop, which is online, is a great
place to get them; has good whistles in different
keys.

Sure you get different sounds and timbres,
and, if the whistles areen't expensive
or you have the bucks, why not?

Also, low Ds are not so easy to play,
initially, so something to be said
for getting there by increments.

[Doc Jones]

I'm not asking from the point of view of trying to play with others in sessions or anything like that - I'm mostly playing by myself at this point (it's a matter of social responsibility, really ), .......

Mikey you crack me up.


Definitely get some other keys they're just fun.

Doc

[brewerpaul]

Those middle range whistles are wonderful. A lot mellower than the D's but lots easier to finger than the low whistles. I have an Overton A and a Water Weasel G and they're among my favorite whistles.

[IDAwHOa]

Don't start with a low D, they are quite hard to play

Overton Low D was my first whistle and was what totally drew me to whistling. Maybe I am the exception, but it worked for me.

[RonKiley]

I have a Dixon low G that I love. It is a nice sounding whistle much easier to play than a low D and quite a bit cheaper. I think it is even easier tp play than a Gen Bb. I find the low Ds very hard for me to play.

Ron

[DCrom]

Don't start with a low D, they are quite hard to play

Overton Low D was my first whistle and was what totally drew me to whistling. Maybe I am the exception, but it worked for me.

Steven, you've got bigger hands than many of us.

mikey_r, I love playing my Howard Low D, but it took me quite a while to adjust to it (I have smallish hands for a man). I'm very fond of my Chieftain Bb & A and my Serpent A & F (all bought from C & F'ers), and have been working hard to stifle my acquisitive lust whenever I see an Overton Alto F go on sale (I've passed on two, so far. The agony, the agony . . .)

Quite seriously, the A through F range is where whistles start to change character. A Bb Generation still feels like a "big soprano" to me. An Overton F feels like "small low whistle", if that make any sense. This may be because the F whistle is the only one that I routinely play using piper's grip - I play all the other's using the standard soprano technique.

If you just want a different/deeper sound, but don't want to worry about piper's grip, look at Bb, A, or (maybe) G whistles. If you want to specifically learn to play low whistle, an F is a very nice place to start.

[IDAwHOa]

Steven, you've got bigger hands than many of us.

Yes, that is true, but that was not even enquired about and generically poo poo'd. Hense, I questioned the blanket discounting of the low d.

Quite seriously, the A through F range is where whistles start to change character.

Yeah, my Overton bass A has a character all its own! This one makes my low D seem like an alto whistle after playing it for a while.

[Darwin]

I think the difficulty of fingering the lower keys varies at least partly with the whistle make.

I have a Jubilee practice low D that's as easy to play as my Overton low F. Both are at the border of playability for me. I had a Shaw low F (conical bore and rather slim) that was painful, especially for my right hand little and ring fingers. (I have rather large hands, but not particularly long fingers.)

The Overton low F is wonderful. I haven't run across anything like it. So, I expect I'll go with Overton for my first serious low D, and just hope I can manage it. (That may be a while, though, as I recently purchased a new guitar and a 5-string banjo--just a week apart.)

I also have a Hoover CPVC low G that is one of my favorites. It has great resonance. I like the sound much more than my Hoover aluminum Whitecap low A, and I don't think it's just a question of key.

[Unseen122]

I went straight from a High Cs and Ds to a Low D and it took some getting used to but I managed. My favorite Low key is F.

[Wombat]

Steven, you've got bigger hands than many of us.

Yes, that is true, but that was not even enquired about and generically poo poo'd. Hense, I questioned the blanket discounting of the low d.

Come off it Steven. Did you read the original post? Mikey is making the transition from high to low whistle. Why would he even ask about As and Gs if he were intent on jumping straight in the deep end and unconcerned about the extent of the leap? What is special about low Ds anyway—he said explicitly he isn't playing publicly? Almost everybody reports initial difficulty with them and suggests a gradual approach. IMO, it would be irresponsible not to. Unless you want to play low whistle at session almost straight away you gain nothing by buying one first. You gain nothing even if you have big hands and can manage the bigger beast.

In my case, I adapted to low D fairly quickly. But I still find that I prefer playing low F and G when practising. I'd give the same advice if asked about cylindrical cane flutes. A D can be really daunting; an F would be comfortable for most newbies.