the surrogate flute

[stiofan]

I've been noticing something lately: most often at sessions, but sometimes in other situations, the style and the sound I'm aiming for on the low whistle leans towards being more "flute-like" than that of the whistle, and I'm wondering if others have the experience of this: wailing away on your trusty low D, and realizing that it seems like you're a flute player trapped inside a whistler...or something like that. The most typical time this occurs is at a session with no flute players present, we're playing a set of reels or whatever, and I find myself taking the place of the flute with the low whistle in a set of tunes, "the surrogate flute," as I call it. I even have come to prefer whistles that have a "flutey" sound. That being said, I'm actually quite interested in the developing character of the low whistle in this tradition, which is perhaps why I'm able to notice when it seems as though I'm almost subconsciously substituting the low whistle for the flute. Just wondering if others have had any similar impressions of this whistle-as-flute phenomenon.




p.s. I realize that the whistle and flute are very different instruments, and am actually ordering a beginner flute this week.

[kevin m.]

Some people have referred,disparagingly,to the Low Whistle as 'Flute-Lite'.
I think that the great Finbar Furey,(who is right at the beginning of the modern 'Low Whistle Phenomenon') said something along the lines that he played Low Whistle because he couldn't be bothered to learn Flute.
Of course many players play BOTH Flute and Low Whistle,because of their differences.
It is interesting to see how the Low whistle is being developed in the various Traditions (and some not so traditional music).

[Wombat]

One reason I had for taking up low whistle was that I wanted to play a flute-like instrument but doubted I'd have the time to develop an embouchure since I play so many other instruments. Now I'm learning flute as well, but it will be quite a while before I'm any good on it. Because the good flute player controls and varies the way the stream of air hits the blade, but that's something a whistle maker builds into the design of the windway, you'll never get the tonal variety of a flute on low whistle.

That said, even if I develop on flute as well as I'd like to, I can't see myself ever wanting to part with my Overtons, Copelands, Grinters and Burkes. Of course, I might never develop on flute to the stage where I can play flute better than a low whistle since concertinas, stringed instruments and keyboards compete for practice time.

[jim stone]

I think it's good to play both.
I think of a low whistle as an organ pipe
with holes in it. The flute, though, is
extraordinarily expressive. Best

[Zubivka]

Some low whistles do sound flutey. Maybe it's not your "traditional" low-whistle sound as typified by a good high-pressure Overton but, well, there may be more into low whistling than Furey and Spillane...

My favorite low whistle is a blackwood Le Coant. Some members of this board played it while visiting Mesquer, and were impressed too.
One took it to play along a great recording (Beo) of Jean-Michel Veillon--just him on the flute plus a guitar.
What struck me is this friend played in total unisson with Veillon, I mean here not only the melody, but also the same sound colour and inflexions.
I didn't know how much my own whistle sounds alike, just because you don't really hear yourself playing, if unrecorded.

Anyone who knows Veillon will understand it may take years to develop just this one of his (numerous) embouchures. I'm lazy or maybe just rushed, so I'll stick to a few low whistles. One per embouchure I won't have to learn :)