Getting Started Playing a Low D Whistle
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- Опубликовано: 4 июн 2023
- In today's video we begin the process of learning to play the low D whistle. I am using my Howard Low D.
We learn how to hold the whistle, placing our fingers over the holes, and playing our first notes.
From here we play, play, play.
#Lowdwhistle
#irishwhistle
#Learnlowdwhistle
Thank you so much. I found the d whistle so hard to play. I found your video brillant. I'm practising and practising
That is good to hear. Keep me posted on your progress.
My first low D arrives in the mail in a few days, so excited! I've really been enjoying your low whistle journey series :)
Thank you for the encouragement. I’m looking forward to hearing about your progress with your new whistle.
Thank you so much for sharing your journey. I'm a absolute beginner with low D whistle and your videos help me so much. It's very nice to accompany you on your journey, it gives me the feeling of not beeing alone on my own low D travel :)
I appreciate your comment. This is exactly what I’m hoping to accomplish for all of us. It helps hold me accountable and we can all learn together.
My biggest problem is going from B to second octave d bc i need to put all my fingers at the right places down quickly and they usually dont cover all the holes so that dreaded squeak commences
That transition is indeed a challenge. You’re probably doing this, but I work on that specific transition a number of time until I begin becoming more comfortable. It takes a while. Keep me posted.
ahh refreshing, i remember the constant squeaky hole phase, it passes faster than you think, but every now and then it reminds you not to relax too much
Thanks. That’s one of the reasons I wanted to share the journey. It’s helpful to receive help and encouragement and also to give it.
@@LowDWhistle couldn't agree more, and well said, well, i am along with you now on this journey, march on friend!
@@pollyon how long does the squeek and "where is that hole?" phase last before you can play dawning of the day?
@@antonvf9619 for me it took a couple of days tops to make sure i had no squeaky holes, i spent all my time practicing the very basics, running up the scale and back down is good enough for that, hope this helps
@@pollyonthis helps, this is,day 3 for me, I still have unwanted octave jumps in the lower notes, i think my fingers are not sealing the holes properly. I have my first and second finger wrap a bit around curve of the tube (i have an howard) perhaps that is my mistake, some of my up down scales are sort of ok except for the low d which is either super soft and breathy or doing unwanted overtones. We'll see tomorrow, I play three time a day to my family's sorrow (hey, i could be learning the violin! - already done lol) thanks for the infos, any advice most welcome
Im about to receive my howard whistle- the exact same one you have, i so appreciate you sharing this! a question: as a sax player how is the use of breath and embouchure different on the low whistle? best wishes!
Great question. I’ll answer here, but I’ll add a video in the next day or two.
I know you’ll enjoy the Howard. It will take some getting accustomed to a few things.
The embouchure is quite different. With the sax or clarinet we are accustomed to changing the embouchure to accommodate certain notes as well as their pitch. With the whistle the goal of the mouth is to create a seal around the mouthpiece. Place it just into your lips. This is why some even have the mouthpiece slightly off center. You’re just holding it in your mouth.
The instrument will be happy at between 30-45 degrees angle from your body.
Then blow gently. You need just a little more air pressure to break into the second octave.
Consistent air flow is important, but don’t blow too hard.
Enjoy, and please let me know how you are progressing.
Look for a video soon. 👍
many thanks! so far i only played (a little...) a high d so im looking forward to discovering the differences, the low d whistle is the instrument i want to play, high d was just a mean of learning that was supposedly easier.@@LowDWhistle I studied the piano the guitar the violin the cello and others and my experience with the high d is: i have no doubt I'll be able to play a tune cleanly soon. on the low d... cliffhanger!!!!
This is still me after a week
It is all of us after a week. 🤭
Well I love the big D whistle . And my little hands don't reach the holes I have tried .
I play the flute . But just manage that .
I know you can use the puoees grip ?
Indeed. As a long time saxophone player I thought I would be able to play without using the piper’s grip. When I got my low D whistle I used a modified piper’s grip (I used my fingertips on the lower fingers of each hand). But my short and thin fingers weren’t happy with that. After talking with a piper friend I finally gave up and tried the piper’s grip. I am so glad I did. Playing has become much easier. So, yes, try whatever you need to try. Keep experimenting until you find what works for you.
What should I do since I have very small hands and have trouble using piper grip with my right hand on the lower holes?
Sorry it is difficult. I use the piper’s grip mainly so that it is easier to use my little finger to stabilize the whistle. Some say they find it easier to begin with the pad of their ring finger because this helps them hold their lower hand at a slight angle to the whistle which doesn’t stress their fingers as much. These folks then use the ring finger to stabilize the whistle when needed. Experiment with that. You have prompted me to realize that while I’ve talked about grip I haven’t done a comparison of why one grip might help more than another. I’ll make that video in a day or two. Thanks for the comment, and I hope you can get the grip sorted.
Great video, thank you for the grip explanation! I'm a girl who played a lot of classical music and in ensembles with my recorders as young, so I feel very home in the flute department - but with this new low whistle I just received in the mail, I can hardly play the Ds because of my fingers! I will continue trying to modify the grip, but it just ends up hurting and cramping. I'm so used to playing on smaller whistles and recorders where my fingers know exactly what to do and the drills come naturally. It seems like I need to learn to play the flute all over again, with new grips (Es and Ds)?? I even tried using the little finger for the last hole on D, but that messes me up completely and confuses my muscle memory greatly. How long will it take to learn a new grip when you're used to smaller flutes?
I know some people catch it right away, but with smaller hands it gets tough. As a sax / clarinet player it took me a while to get the grip sorted out. I started off following the advice I heard of many that you place the fingertip of your ring finger to cover the bottom hole. I couldn’t consistently do that. I then moved to the more traditional piper’s grip, which means you move your hands in so the middle pad covers the bottom hole. My fingers are also thin, so that enabled me to cover the holes better. I then realized it would be easier to begin with placing my hands on the whistle in a way where the little finger of my bottom hand can stabilize the whistle. My fingers then land on the whistle where they want to. I describe this in a newer video I’ll add a link to.
I think it took me a few months to really settle in. Each instrument feels different in my hands and my mind hasn’t been confused by the switching.
I have been playing the whistle 8 months now, and I still find I can play the high whistles more freely. I love the tone of the low whistle enough that I focus on it.
I hope it all becomes comfortable soon. It can be tough when we are accustomed to picking an instrument up and just playing without having to think about our hands. I’m looking forward to hearing about your progress!
Try this video where I walk through a few grip options: ruclips.net/video/_QkN_z-_jRM/видео.htmlsi=zZc8WtgaIa43yAke
This video may be more helpful. It was at this point I realized that deciding how to hold he whistle to keep it stable is a better starting point for deciding our grip: ruclips.net/video/Gp3F1o7-8Xw/видео.htmlsi=tiwNrGYSuVjGrKMZ
@@LowDWhistle That you so much for your advice! I will check out both videos. In fact, yesterday, it felt better with the grips. I realise that if I cover the middle holes (f# and e) further in on my fingers, I will nicely reach the last d hole with my finger tip. And when I played like this is worked 50-70% of times, whereas in the beginning it only worked 10% or so. So I have much hope now!
And yes, the sound is amazing on these low flutes... Both me, my neighbours and my cat prefer this lower sound rather than a soprano whistle.
The soprano is delightful, fun, easier to play, but no where near as beautiful in tone. I’m so glad the grip is coming together for you. Enjoy the journey, and please keep me updated.
Not sure if you will see this comment. I am new to whistling and for yucks had the opportunity to buy a Whistlesmith Low D for $30. Can you tell me your impression of the Whistlesmith for someone with small hands? I am able to get notes to play and even the 2nd octave.
Welcome to whistling! I just received a Whistlesmith low D myself. $30 is a great price. The beauty of the Whistlesmith is the reach on the second hand. He has done an amazing job with the hole spacing. It is a quiet whistle. The lower octave seems more quiet than the upper. It has the muted tone of a plastic whistle, but with a nicer tone than many. I think it is good value for the money. If the lower hand reach is not an issue I would recommend a number of other options, but this is a good whistle to own and play.
Hi, can you suggest a simple tune to start with? Kind of have “amazing grace “down,and just playing around trying some things… don’t read music, just listen.. thanks
Hi, James, and congrats on getting started. Many say Wayfaring Stranger is good. From the tunes I’ve shared Be Thou My Vision is a good one. Also, Danny Boy, Spancil Hill, Dawning of the Day, and I think some of the popular Christmas Carols I shared would be good. I have a playlist named Low D Whistle Songs. I have a video where I walk through each, and one where I play the tune. These will get you started. I am in the habit of releasing a new tune each week as well as some skill drills. Try some of these and let me know how you get on.
How are you feeling in your playing? Any particular challenges, or are you currently primarily working on trying out more simple tunes?
I really appreciate you asking. I’ve been thinking I need to clean up my playlists and organized videos better. I’ll start with a beginner playlist and add some tunes for those just getting started.
@@LowDWhistle thank you for that consideration
@@LowDWhistle thanks for your response, always begin with amazing grace, oh give me a home where the buffalo roam, any little tune that i can stay in one register.don’t know any “‘Irish, Celtic” tunes, never listened /heard that kind of music, but fell in love with the low d and it lends itself to that music very much.
I do find a lot of folk music lends itself beautifully to the whistle. I am especially fond of playing thoughtful folk tunes on the low D. The tone is so amazing. Please keep me informed on some other tunes you play as they will likely be good options to add to share with the whole group. Enjoy!