Brass Low D's-what do you like?

[greenspiderweb]

By the way, has anyone been playing the Burke Brass Low D, and have good reports on it?

Anyone have or had the Kerry Pro Custom brass (alu head/brass barrel)?

I do really like my Reyburn (standard-narrow bore maple head), but wonder what else is out there in comparison. Had a Copeland, and it was very nice too-mine had a very full low end (others have said the opposite depending on the voicing), but the upper was a bit hard to play in the quieter mode I often want, which is often the trade-off for the fuller low end it seems. Would have kept it though, if I didn't need the money at the time.

What say, Low D Brassies, what ho?

[Mikethebook]

I've been wondering about brass Low Ds myself. Tony Hinnigan (king whistler of the movie soundtrack) loves the brass Chieftains Phil Hardy used to make and I love their sound too. They can occasionally be picked up on eBay; I just missed one. Check out Tony's playing them on http://tonyhinnigan.com/whistles.php film No. 5, and even better http://tonyhinnigan.com/moviedl.php?group=32 Slow Airs Demo Track 1 . . . and for that matter check out the rest of his web-site if you haven't already, a real treasure trove. I half wonder if Colin Goldie will turn out a brass Low D but brass is expensive these days.

[ecohawk]

Barry, I have played the Burke low D in brass and it's as you might imagine. Very free blowing and perfectly in tune. It doesn't have the booming bottom end that my aluminum Goldie shows. But there's very little to complain about unless you are looking for one that plays like most Goldie's, requiring a little push and resistance, which I find helpful. I've asked Colin to make a low for me in brass and even offered him an extra $100 to do so but he's not interested right now.

I've also coveted my friends Copeland in brass since it has everything I've ever wanted in a low whistle except that it's not mine! His was adjusted by Michael to be very well balanced across it's range.

But I do have a suggestion for you. I received a new brass low E from Gary Humphrey about three months ago and it's a really nice whistle. It's not pure or clean sounding like the Burke but has a more trad tone with a nice chiff to it. Not as strong as on a Goldie/Overton but with little breath resistance so kind of between the two in tone and playability. It's not as loud as an MK or Goldie, but it's got plenty of volume and has that nice balance across it's range that I prefer. I don't like having to really push to get that high B/C/D (on a D whistle of course), so this instrument is a nice fit. Since I'm pretty happy with my low D situation (other than that elusive Copeland), I'm contacting Gary this weekend to see if he'll make me a low C which is one I don't have.

Good luck with your quest,
ecohawk

[Ted]

I like the (brass) Reyburn low D. His latest (not edgy) model is as loud as a MK but easier to play in the high end. I prefer it to the Copeland as it is less touchy. The tone is rounder and fuller than the MK. The older Reyburns were a bit weaker in the bottom end. The latest one is well balanced between octaves. I have played the Burke but the Reyburn has a more complex tone. He makes an "edgy" model which has a tone more like the MK. I prefer the other model. Mine is tuned in his Itrad tuning, which I find perfect for ITM. If you have the wood headed model, you will find the upper octave similar, soaring and easy to get, but the bottom end is much fuller and richer. The best low D I have or have played.

[Mikethebook]

Ecohawk it sounds as though there could be a good market out there waiting for a brass Goldie Low D!

[pancelticpiper]

I used to have a Chieftan Gold. It's second octave was one of the nicest I've played, butter-smooth with a very nice tone colour. The low register wasn't as rich/powerful as I'd like. It was so heavy that I couldn't play it for more than a few minutes. I rigged up a Bari Sax strap to support it.

I played a couple Reyburns (not the latest model Ted has, but a slightly earlier model) and they were great professional whistles, perfect intonation, excellent balance between registers. It was also too heavy to play comfortably unless a strap was used.

I owned a Copeland which unfortunately had something wrong with its voicing. It was one of the worst Low Ds I've ever tried, the bottom few notes (F#, E, D) being so weak as to be nearly impossible to sound. On the plus side it wasn't overly heavy and was one of the most ergonomic Low Ds I've played, due to the narrow tube and closer-set toneholes.

I've not tried a brass Burke Low D. I've tried brass Burkes in high D and high C and they're wonderful, as are all the various aluminum Burkes I currently play.

[Ted]

The Reyburn is a heavier whistle than most. I find I don't need a support strap with it, I have gotten used to the weight. The tone has some chiff and a nice trad sound. I don't know if trad is a good description, but the tone is complex, rather flute-like, rather than pure like the Burke. I have seen a wide variation in the response of the Copelands I have tried. They range from great to not so good, as pancelticpiper mentions.

[Tonehole]

Another like for the Reyburn low D and maybe would like it more if my fingers weren't too small to cover it.

The 'chiff' is strange; I seem to get it depending on how poorly I cover the holes. The worse is the right hand fingering notes - the switches to low E from other octaves and notes is the worse. It sounds like a metallic grate rather than chiff.

FWIW, I find it hard enough to cover a simple system even like this:



Maybe it's just me, but anyone looking for a low D might check out the finger stretch for the lower hand.

[Ted]

The sounds you are getting sound like a leak at a tone hole. I don't find the hole spacing any different than the other two low D whistles I have. My camera is broken or I would post a picture. Someone already did on another thread. I find the Reyburn to have one of the most flute-like tones out there, yet it is clearly a whistle sound, fuller and more "round" than my MK. It does not have the booming bell-note of a Goldie, but it has a stonger bell-note than the MK. I can get a good honk out of it. Still my favorite low D. Your leaky bottom hand just requires more practice to get the holes covered. A woman whistler I know, with slender fingers, is able to cover the holes and has no problems playing it after getting used to it.

[Mike Anderson]

I have a Kerry Pro Custom Brass Low D...I think, anyway. It's an aluminum head, a brass body, a seamless tuning slide like my Goldie F, a large E hole and a not-so-large stretch for the D hole. I think it sounds great, now that I cleaned it with acid and smoothed some of the rough machining. Before I worked on it, the whistle would split the octave far more easily. Now I have access to a buzzy, booming low D note if I want it, and a lot more expressive potential throughout. I regularly play through E in the third octave, which does not sound harsh or forced (as it did when I first got the whistle). Compared to my Goldie F (I don't have a lot of experience with other low D's) it has a brassy sound: darker, rounder, smoother, perhaps less responsive. My biggest complaint with it is that it clogs very easily. If I don't blow it out every other phrase, it will sound weak.

I had my local professional whistler play it. David Schultz thought it sounded good, far better than the Kerry Pro he once had, but thought his Goldie D could be pushed more. To be fair, it was a cool room and the instrument was not warmed up. Brass warms up more slowly than aluminum, and when cold my whistle is out of tune with itself and not nearly as loud or responsive.

[trekkie]

I am a big fan of Kerry whistles but didn't get on well with the Kerry Pro Low D brass tube. The alloy combination is my go-to Low D. However, the brass tube was smelly, quiet, and had tunning issues. I sort of wrecked it trying to fix the tunning.

I had a brass Burke for awhile and thought it had a nice sound but it needed a lot of air and I wound up trading it.

[greenspiderweb]

Mike, that sounds like it's the previous Chieftain version, with the seamless tuning slide. But I imagine it's close to the modern version with the tuning collar, in tone. I think there's really something there, to have the aluminum head, and a brass body-a good combination, and easier to manufacture, at less cost than an all brass whistle, like the even earlier Chieftain Gold Low whistles. It would be nice to see Colin Goldie offering a brass body at least, to broaden the offerings of voices he has. I believe it would be a welcome addition to his line.

I think the brass body contributes enough to the tone, to be of good value, as it seems it is also with my Reyburn with the Maple head and brass body. That's a good combination, for sure.

It's great to have these brass low D's in addition to the aluminum whistles, just for a different voice for our choosing. Thank you all, for your recommendations and comments about your brass Low D's. Much appreciated, and keep the comments coming, it's a learning experience for us all.

[greenspiderweb]

I am a big fan of Kerry whistles but didn't get on well with the Kerry Pro Low D brass tube. The alloy combination is my go-to Low D. However, the brass tube was smelly, quiet, and had tunning issues. I sort of wrecked it trying to fix the tunning.

I had a brass Burke for awhile and thought it had a nice sound but it needed a lot of air and I wound up trading it.

Yeah, like anything else, when you start messing with fixing things that should be sorted out with the maker, it oftern doesn't turn out well. Sorry to hear you had a problem, but Phil should have been contacted to sort it out, really.

It seems that some tubes favor the low end, some the upper, depending on how it was tuned, and of course, how you play. Most Chieftain and Kerry's I've played, have favored a strong low end. That's what I prefer, and enjoy having in a low whistle.

[Tonehole]

The sounds you are getting sound like a leak at a tone hole. I don't find the hole spacing any different than the other two low D whistles I have. My camera is broken or I would post a picture. Someone already did on another thread. I find the Reyburn to have one of the most flute-like tones out there, yet it is clearly a whistle sound, fuller and more "round" than my MK. It does not have the booming bell-note of a Goldie, but it has a stonger bell-note than the MK. I can get a good honk out of it. Still my favorite low D. Your leaky bottom hand just requires more practice to get the holes covered. A woman whistler I know, with slender fingers, is able to cover the holes and has no problems playing it after getting used to it.

Ted - that's spot on. It's not the hole spacing ...just the fact that it is a low D with large holes and the stretch.

Your spiderwoman friend probably has long slender fingers which help?

Nonetheless - I'm not sure what a 'flute' tone on a whistle is like (which kind of flute? Irish? Boehm? Traverso?) but I do like the Reyburn tone. The finger stretch is just a consideration for any potential brass low D fan to consider...

[Reyburnwhistles]

I've been following this thread so I'll chime in here. I realize the stretch on a low D is work for some folks and that's why I developed the off-set holes, which I play and I us a modified pipers grip. I know some say it's not the way to go due to ornamentation technique... but I use my pinkie and it works just fine for me and I can stabilize the instrument with my ring finger. So for those who are having trouble with the reach you may just want to give that a try. I've had customers make the switch from inline to off-set in a couple of days with no problem.

I also hear a lot of comments about the weight of a brass low D...but has anyone picked up a clarinet, or a trumpet, or a trombone or some such instrument? I realize the comparison is always to an aluminum version which will always be lighter, but for my taste the brass sounds so much sweeter and warmer, that I'll do a couple of push-ups to build the strength to hold one. I've experimented with thin walled Low Ds and they just don't cut it... they don't have the tone I'm looking for and am not willing to put out an instrument that doesn't sound rich and warm and wonderful.

Don't mind me... I'm just venting! Maybe it's the heat (supposed to be over a hundred here in Ashland this weekend)!