Playing a chanter without bag or bellows?

[JoeKrepps]

Yes, I've tried one of those cheapo GHB practice chanters that Public Broadcasting was selling. I blew my eyeballs out of my head and across the room from the back pressure. Geez that hurt!
The chanter is now safely buried in a rented storage unit and my eyes are back to normal. I'll have to save my pennies for a Pat Sky chanter.

Joe

[Royce]

Yes, I've tried one of those cheapo GHB practice chanters that Public Broadcasting was selling. I blew my eyeballs out of my head and across the room from the back pressure. Geez that hurt!
The chanter is now safely buried in a rented storage unit and my eyes are back to normal. I'll have to save my pennies for a Pat Sky chanter.

Joe

Is that a Kerry low D there? The mongrelized "EZ" fingering or the original fingering that still has a solid E and low D? I'm told he redid the fipple cap as well. I'm suspicious of that, but I haven't investigated any other whistles other than one's I've made for years now.

Royce

[JoeKrepps]

Is that a Kerry low D there?

Do you mean on "King Toot"? Yup. Got one. I found that image on the web somewhere and stuck it in his hand. I stuck a Susato in his other hand but since mine's black, I didn't think it would show up.

The mongrelized "EZ" fingering or the original fingering that still has a solid E and low D? I'm told he redid the fipple cap as well.

I can't help you with that. The Kerry is my first low D whistle. I chose it mostly because it was part of a "Low whistle package deal" from thewhistleshop.com. I'd also _heard_ that the black tip mouthpiece had easier air requirements than 'normal' Kerrys. I really wanted a Shaw but it wasn't an option for the package. I think there's a video clip of Phil playing both ("Low D For Dummies" & Low D) on his website. Of course, you'll be subject to the quality limitations of an Internet video/audio clip.

Joe

[Royce]

Is that a Kerry low D there?

I'd also _heard_ that the black tip mouthpiece had easier air requirements than 'normal' Kerrys. I really wanted a Shaw but it wasn't an option for the package. I think there's a video clip of Phil playing both ("Low D For Dummies" & Low D) on his website. Of course, you'll be subject to the quality limitations of an Internet video/audio clip.

Joe

I bought the first Overton low D in about 1979 from Mickie Zekely in the Lark in the Morning booth at the Santa Rosa Highland games. I was actually thinking of inventing one because I find high D's really annoying and really wanted to play flute, but was and remain a washout in the emboucheur department. I used a little D whistle to learn tunes while I was making a set of uilleann pipes and never intended to play whistle. I got the pipes working (better than I thought, knowing what I now know) but still had a birl at that time and was in thick competitive Highland band circles, so the whistle and the uilleann thing just went on the sideboard for another 27 years or so.

But I never liked the feeble low D or E on that Overton, even though it was better than a high D sound. When I finally gave up on Highland piping about three or four years ago, I discovered there was a whole raft of new low D's out there that really played well. I was at the "Scottish Ramble" in downtown Saint Paul Minnesota four years back and just went over and played everything they had on the rack. I'd also played a few of the high-end whistles, but that plastic headed Kerry, as you note, had backpressure and felt smooth and sounded fat on the low end and it was 80 bucks. I bought a Michael Burke low D, aluminum pro, and that was a great whistle too, but it was like blowing into the air--you had to consciously control all the airflow like a flute, nothing pushing back on you so if you overblew it just went away and to get the low notes you had to hold back clear to the diaphragm. Most of the high-end whistles seem to be set up that way.

Anyway, just recognized that little wonder. Thought I'd let you know you mad a good choice there.

Royce