Reviews/input on Domnahl na Gruen Low D

[pancelticpiper]

Anyone have a chance to compare these against other Low D's?

Volume, balance between octaves, air requirements?

By the way I don't understand just what "Domnahl na Gruen" is supposed to be.

It sort of looks like Gaelic, but it isn't.

Perhaps "Domnahl" is intended to be Domhnall, with the "h" misplaced? (Domhnall = Donald.)

And I can't find any word like "gruen" in my Gaelic dictionary.

[Makar]

Hi

I had one but didn't keep it for long. It's a 'come and try' instrument to my mind but YMMV. Really light, cheap to buy (but price point is prob right for it) and easy to finger are the pro points. It has a weak sound and is a little basic in the build on the other side. More here viewtopic.php?f=1&t=68634&p=901329&hilit=gruen#p901329

[Guido]

I'm starting on the low whistle, on whistling and on music for that matter. My only musical experience is the mandatory plastic recorder in elementary school, about 3 decades ago. So take my comments with a big truckload of salt.

I bought a Susato low D on e-bay but was frustrated because I had trouble reaching for the bottom holes. I bought a Domnahl na Gruen with offset holes. It is a lot quieter then the Susato. The second octave comes out nice, the first octave misses some volume. Part of my love for the low whistle is the full tone of the bell note, like something that comes from the earth itself. On the Susato, when played right, I sometimes feel the low notes in my fingers, like the whistle is alive. I miss that in the Domnahl na Gruen. But maybe my bad tehcnique is the cause of this. If you have trouble shifting octaves, the Domnahl na Gruen is for you, the switch is easy but there is no risk of skipping by accident. The Domnahl na Gruen is very sensitive to condensation and cogs easily.

My Susato is still somewhat squeeky because I don't seem to cover the holes properly. When I play the Domnahl na Gruen for a while, I seem to do better on the Susato. Apparantly my hands need a warm-up before playing.
I use my Domnahl na Gruen when I want to practice without worrying too much about correct finger placement - like when learning a tune - or late in the evening, when I don't want to make too much noise.

My conclusion: If you have no problem reaching for the bottom holes on other low whistles and you like a strong, full, almost viceral bottom d, the Domnahl na Gruen is not for you. If you want ease of playing, a more intimate sound, and play only to yourself, the Domnahl na Gruen is worth buying.

[Makar]

Check out Daniels site here http://www.domnahlnagruen.com/about-daniel/ - perhaps he can custom make a nicer finish whistle than the standard eBay one - it is basic aluminium (very rough seam inside) with a blue dyed cork fipple - be prepared for blue lips You're going to have to buy one to find out really - never been a better time to buy from the UK!

If you want a quiet low d for personal playing just stick a bit of blutack across half the windway of a louder voiced whistle, rather than have one that is quiet permanently.

[pancelticpiper]

Part of my love for the low whistle is the full tone of the bell note, like something that comes from the earth itself.

Guido have you tried the Burke Pro Viper? It has the strongest, most satisfying bell note I've ever heard on a Low D. It just booms out.

Thanks everyone for your input!

Richard

[devondancer]

Domnahl na Gruen = Daniel of the Sun, if you still want to know!

[Makar]

Domnahl na Gruen = Daniel of the Sun, if you still want to know!

I always thought 'grian' was the sun in Scots Gaelic - a name I use for lesser celandine. The spelling 'gruen' seems strange to me for sun. I ain't no gaelic scholar but others in the family are learning.

MacBains dictionary http://www.ceantar.org/Dicts/MB2/mb22.html

grian
sun, Irish, Old Irish grían: *greinâ, @ghr-einâ, root @gher, warm, as in gar. Cf. Sanskrit ghr@.n@.is, sunshine, ghramsa, heat; Welsh greian, what gives heat, sun. See further under grìos. Hence grianan, sunny place, summer house, solarium of Latin, from sol, sun.

grùthan , grùan
liver, Irish aeu. grúan (Lh. (Comp.Voc. sub "jecur"): *grûso-: root ghru, gritty, of grothlach.
Maybe Daniel has a thing for liver - sorry that joke was offal...

gràinne
a grain, small quantity, Irish gráinne, Old Irish gráinne, granulum, grán, granum, Welsh grawn, Cornish gronen, Breton greun, (pl.): *grâno-; Latin grânum (*gr@-@.no-); English corn (Stokes). Some hold that the Celtic is borrowed from the Latin.

or short of stature

[devondancer]

I know no Gaelic - just assumed Daniel did! He told me!

[Makar]

I know no Gaelic - just assumed Daniel did! He told me!

Staying in Knoydart could do funny things to more than your spelling I would reckon... I'm sure he is right, of course.

[AvienMael]

Poke at the whistle, poke at the name...what's the point? Who cares?

He delivers what he promises, at a reasonable price, and he is a great guy to deal with - very nice.

Daniel made a whistle for me that I like quite a bit. It's easy to play, has a beautiful tone, is in tune, and is well-balanced.

No blue lips either...????

The only flaw my whistle has, until it is sufficiently warmed up, is that it clogs. If I allow it to cool for more than a few minutes, it clogs. I think this could be solved by changing either the beak or the floor of the windway on the head to a plastic material. Easy enough, and I intend to try it.

His design is simple, but practical. It allows for adjustment of volume and tone. It plays nice and strong through both octaves. There is no "rough" seam inside my whistle.

And I would add that I've never seen him post anything on this forum (or anywhere else) questioning the spelling or meaning of anyone else's name.

Shameful.

[MTGuru]

The Moderator sees nothing wrong with discussing a whistle name, or first-hand opinions of the good and bad points of a particular whistle. The maker is more than welcome to join in if he chooses!

[AvienMael]

Not to be argumentative, but more as a means of explanation:

Daniel McGinley goes by the name, "Domnahl na Gruen," - not his whistles.

My name is Myers. It is German, my grandfather having been born there. My father returned there to live for 10 years, my sister was born there.

It doesn't appear in my German-English dictionary, and I never came across it in the 3 years I studied German in high school.

But it means "farmer". And it has, as most people probably know, more than one spelling.

And before you test me, MT,

"Ja aber nicht sehr gut!"

25 years ago, after all...

LOL

[MTGuru]

The way the people choose arbitrary "creative" (mis)spellings of names nowadays, nothing would surprise me.

[Makar]

Poke at the whistle, poke at the name...what's the point? Who cares?

Shameful.

Sorry but I don't quite see your angst here. I know the chap too (whistle purchase) and have spent time on Knoydart - maybe something was lost for you in the translation? And yes I did get blue lips with the cork fipple. TBH I find your reaction the most negative thing about this post - it was all good humoured, if not your type of humour obviously...

Nuff said
Stephen

[pancelticpiper]

Poke at the whistle, poke at the name...

Sorry, my intent was not to "poke" at the name, but just to wonder out loud what it was intended to be.

His name had a quasi-Gaelic look to it, but violates Gaelic spelling conventions. ("h" isn't used as an independent letter, but instead sort of functions as a marker and only appears behind other consonants. For example "mh" stands for a "v" sound in some contexts, a "w" sound in others. "Domnahl" cannot exist, and appears to represent a misplaced "h" as I pointed out. The actual name, "Domhnall", is pronounced "Dow-null".)

Yes "grian" is sun.

So perhaps Domhnall na Grian is what was intended.

Of course people can make up whatever names they want.

I know a woman who is a local schoolteacher and she has had more than one student over recent years whose first name is "I Am Unique", such as "I Am Unique Jones" etc.
We have a local professional baseball players whose first name is "Chone". He pronounces it "Shawn". His parents evidently didn't know how to spell "Sean" or didn't care.

Whatever.