Chiff and Fipple Forums

A comedic belch from a marketing meeting at MK. They must be thinking they're the only whistle makers who can make a chromatic whistle,
and that they're going to condition the whistle market to think it's a luxury item to salivate over while you're saving up for your second Rolls Royce.
That's SO FAR from the reality.
$1400.
If it's as I suspect; If progressively more whistle players, especially pros and recording and performance musicians want high quality whistles that
are fully or mostly chromatic, instead of the old standard of only having 6 finger holes, then there options that will grant
you such a whistle at a fraction (say that word out of the side of your mouth in a wildly musical way), a mere fraction of $1400.

1) Call a custom or high quality whistle maker and see if they'll add a few more tone holes to your whistle, whatever key it is.
If you have already found your preferred performance or session or recording whistle brand and model, this method makes lots of sense.
2) Shearwater makes a chromatic whistle in C
3) Bracker Whistles (currently still not making whistles since COVID shut things down) offers/offered a variety of 8 and 9-hole whistles
in full variety of keys and some interesting options. Their website is still operating and there's lots of great info and photos to learn from
even if they aren't currently restarted.
4) If you want a low instrument but aren't so stuck on a whistle, try a tenor or alto recorder. Tenors are just under $100, sound great,
are fully chromatic and highly durable with only one key, for the right hand pinky finger. I've had a Yamaha and the tone is great.
5) If you want a high key whistle that's chromatic, for above D, try a sopranino recorder, they have a great smooth tone for such a high key, are loud enough, fully
chromatic, durable, no keys and have a professional level design (I have a Yamaha and there are other brands available) and sell for around $25 or less.
6) Calculate the position and size of the hole yourself using the many guides available online, and drill out the extra holes yourself. If your whistle is a standard
$10-$15 tin whistle then you can proceed and remain well under $50, plus any costs for drill bits of the required size, a magic marker, etc.

Another option for chromatic players is to just get a keyed concert flute. While top end ones can cost a crazy amount, they can also be had for much cheaper than a lot of whistles. Shortly after I started whistling I thought I needed chromatic and got a Cecilio flute. Its like a little over $100. Plays significantly easier than my dixon 1 piece flute. Now it has this weird rasp but I think thats because I damaged it. And while this is a different instrument, a good whistle player could very easily pick up concert flute, at least to a decent level. But what I found was chromatic wasnt the solution to any of my problems. Just because you can play in any key doesnt mean you have the range, and it gets more complicated fingering. Buying more whistles was much easier.

Another option for chromatic players is to just get a keyed concert flute.

Just to avoid confusion, mind the terminology, 'concert flute' is still often used for the flute in Ireland, especially among older players. It did sink in after a while you meant the Bhoem but it wrongfooted me initially.

I'd much prefer a concert flute (the Irish version) with just a few keys over any Böhm flute (I know some people can make it work -- even for Irish music but there are not that many who do it). A baroque flute would also be a good option when wanting to more easily play chromatically coming from a keyless flute or from the tin whistle. But I think easiest is to use a combination of half holing and cross-fingerings on keyless instruments (cross-fingerings work quite nicely on the low D whistles with thick walls). I think it's not that hard to play chromatically on the normal MK Kelpie. One key for the Eb would be enough IMO. Or make the holes a little bigger so you can half-hole the Eb -- I wonder if a split hole might even work, like on a recorder. But then of course it might be a bit harder to play for people with small hands -- always a downside to any change in the design.
Still kudos to MK for innovating though I am not sure it will catch on.

fatmac wrote: ↑Tue Nov 09, 2021 3:34 am The keys stick out so far that they are likely to get broken ...

That's another of my issues, although in a different direction. Of course this is all speculation based on mere appearances, but the side keys look ungainly, and I wonder if the high profile of the touches would impede smooth or rapid playing. One would think that something a bit more form-fitting would be not only more aesthetically pleasing, but doable. I would also like to have seen a profile view of the back keys, as a front-on view tells me nothing.

To me, MK's choices are a bit head-scratching.

If adding keywork to a Low D I would first want a Short F key.

Next a G# key.

That would be ideal for me, a 2-key whistle.

C natural and Bb can be crossfingered in both octaves, and there's little need for Eb.

I need to buy 1. Looks very interesting. Maybe, my playing will improve.

I think it looks and sounds great. An elegant design. Depending on what you play it could be an excellent whistle, allowing you to play faster, more accurately and in better tune than you could with a standard low D. The price seems fair to me. Those keys are beautiful. Plastic keys would cheapen and ruin such a gorgeous design.

As a longtime fluteplayer (8 key old system) the keys I used the most in ITM were F natural and G#.

So my ideal option would be a Low D Whistle with just those two, a flute-style F key and a flute-style G# key.

The F key could be either "short F" or "long F" it doesn't matter to me. Having both isn't really necessary IMHO.

I did have the loan of a lovely 10-hole chromatic fife for a time. It was surprising how quickly my fingers got used to closing the open G# hole, for example (the original Boehm flute had an open G#).

I’d love to try a one. With the music I play currently, mostly Irish trad, I would have no use for it. If I bought one it would be to explore more chromatic styles, jazz perhaps? I really enjoy half holing my MK low D and playing tunes with a few notes that need to be half holed or fork fingered. I like how these notes sound with their often different tone quality. I’m actually ordering a new low D today. I’m going to get a soft blowing Goldie low D. I love my MK low D’s, I currently have both a pro and a kelpie, and the Goldie is to add a different tone color. I am a wet blower, so I’m somewhat concerned about that with the Goldie. I currently only play low D whistles.

bruce.b wrote: ↑Wed Nov 23, 2022 6:10 am I really enjoy half holing my MK low D and playing tunes with a few notes that need to be half holed or fork fingered. I like how these notes sound with their often different tone quality.

I used to play MKs and they gave a very nice in-tune forkfingered C natural and B flat.

Then with practice I got better at hitting half-holed G sharp and F natural in tune.

Still my "ideal Low D" would have keys for G# and F.

I have thought about drilling a thumb-hole for F natural. It shouldn't be rocket science.

Another solution, which would solve both the Low D bottom-hand finger-stretch and having a handy F natural hole, would be to use all four fingers of the bottom hand on four equally-spaced holes Kaval-style like this:

xxx xxxx D
xxx xxxo E
xxx xxoo F natural
xxx xoxo F sharp (lower-hand ring finger is anchor finger)
xxx ooxo G (lower-hand ring finger is anchor finger)

I've seen Low Whistle players play like that on ordinary whistles, their lower-hand ring finger just stays on the whistle fulltime, on the wide space between Hole 5 and Hole 6, using their little finger rather than their ring finger to cover Hole 6.

This avoids having a finger-stretch on the lower hand, and gives a fulltime anchor finger that has no acoustic impact. Might as well have a hole there!

There's an MK Chameleon on Ebay just now, $1,500.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/165866912384

Wow, the starting bid is about 300 dollars more than the cost. I wonder if it will sell? There are very few of these in existence, and the last small batch was gone in a few hours, so if someone wants one they will probably bid.

bruce.b wrote: ↑Thu Jan 05, 2023 10:36 am Wow, the starting bid is about 300 dollars more than the cost.

I was wondering about that.

The Ebay one is the "four legged" model.

The MK page is vague, but I infer that the price shown is for the "two legged" model.

999 gbp is the price for the 4 legged Chameleon. I’m not sure of the price of the 2 key version. Just under 1,200 usd. I’m certain of this.