Low whistle

Infobox Instrument
color1=#000000
color2=#009900
name=Low whistle

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names=Concert Whistle, Alto/Tenor/Bass Whistle
classification=
*Woodwind
*Wind
*Aerophone
range=Two octaves
related=
*Simple-system flute
*Pipe and tabor

Introduction

The low whistle, or concert whistle, is a variation of the traditional tin whistle/pennywhistle, distinguished by its lower pitch and larger size. It is most closely associated with the performances of modern Irish musicians and groups such as "Riverdance" and Davy Spillane, and is increasingly accepted as a feature of Irish traditional music. In both kinds of music the low whistle is often used for the playing of airs and slow melodies.

A whistle is generally classed as a "low" whistle if it is pitched in a key lower than the A below middle Ccite web| url=http://www.chiffandfipple.com/low.html| title=Chiff & Fipple presents - Low Whistles: a Guide| publisher=Chiff & Fipple| accessmonthday=September 14| accessyear=2008| ] . Whistles higher than this are termed "soprano" or "high" whistles when a distinction is necessary. Low whistles operate on the same principles, and are fingered in the same way as traditional pennywhistles, and therefore also belong to the same woodwind instrument family of end-blown fipple flutes. They also come in a variety of keys, the most common being the "Low D", pitched one octave below the traditional D whistle.

Though the tone of this instrument varies subtley among makers, low whistles are generally characterised by a more breathy, flute-like sound than traditional tin whistles.

Early history

While the precise history of the low whistle is often debated, it is known that various kinds of vertical fipple flutes have existed in antiquity. The fipple flutes developed during the 16th century were the ancestors of today's low whistle, carrying through from early transverse flutes the six-holed design tradition and conical bore shape. They were originally of wooden construction, but the late 1600s saw more extensive use of metals such as brass and nickel. The metal was usually rolled and soldered, and further developments included the use of a tuning slide. These metal vertical flutes were found throughout Ireland, Britain, Canada and the United Statescite web| url=http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Studios/2186/histo.html| title=Whistling Low: History| publisher=Whistling Low| date=2001| accessmonthday=September 14| accessyear=2008| ] .

The modern low whistle

English flute maker and jazz musician Bernard Overton is credited with producing the first modern low whistle in late 1971cite book| title=The Low Whistle Book| author=Hannigan, Steáfán & Ledsam, David| year=2006| pages=p 96| publisher=SVM Publications| ] , which he made for Finbar Furey after Furey's prized Indian bamboo whistle was destroyed while on tour. Unable to repair it, Overton attempted to produce a metal replica. The resulting instrument was essentially an oversized tin whistle made of copper pipe with a wooden plug. While Overton was unsatisfied with its performance, he subsequently refined the design with an all-aluminium construction, producing a whistle in Acite book| title=The Low Whistle Book| author=Hannigan, Steáfán & Ledsam, David| year=2006| pages=p 97| publisher=SVM Publications| ] . Impressed, Finbar requested a G version for his trademark "Lonesome Boatman" performances. Later, according to Overton,

Bquote| "He then asked for a whistle in low D, the same pitch as for the concert flute; this I called a "Tenor D Flageolet", but most musicians came to call it the "Low D". He took them on tour and used them extensively. I was soon getting calls from Ireland, Scotland, Europe and the USA, asking for the instruments, so I started to make them to order."

While before long several notable instrument makersIncluding, among others, Brian Howard, Phil Hardy, Dave Shaw (who pursued a rolled conical design), and Jon Swayne (a tunable wooden design)] were producing low whistlescite book| title=The Low Whistle Book| author=Hannigan, Steáfán & Ledsam, David| year=2006| pages=p 98| publisher=SVM Publications| ] , it is usually the Riverdance tour of the 1990s that is credited with giving the low whistle commercial exposure and recognition outside traditional music circlescite web| url=http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Studios/2186/histo.html| title=Whistling Low: History| publisher=Whistling Low| date=2001| accessmonthday=September 14| accessyear=2008| ] . Of particular note is Davy Spillane, whose work in fusing the sound of traditional instruments such as the low whistle with modern jazz or RnB, for example, has done much for the instrument's visibility.

In Irish Traditional Music

Unlike the regular pennywhistle, the low whistle is a relative newcomer to Irish traditional music, and some criticise it for attempting to fill a musical role already well several by the tin whistle and Irish flutecite web| url=http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Studios/2186/histo.html| title=Whistling Low: History| publisher=Whistling Low| date=2001| accessmonthday=September 14| accessyear=2008| ] . To others it is viewed as a "transition instrument" for players seeking to eventually learn the seemingly more prestigious (and expensive) flute or uillean pipes. While it is true that many skills learnt on the low whistle carry over to these instruments, "some of the greatest players of traditional music have been associated with the low whistle"cite book| title=The Low Whistle Book| author=Hannigan, Steáfán & Ledsam, David| year=2006| pages=p 5| publisher=SVM Publications| ] and have helped foster its reputation as a highly versatile and respected instrument in its own right, with a unique and evocative sound. Much like the Irish flat-backed Bouzouki, the low whistle can be seen as a product of a period when experiments in instrumentation were commonplace in traditional music, and musicians sought diverse and innovative means of expressioncite book| title=The Low Whistle Book| author=Hannigan, Steáfán & Ledsam, David| year=2006| pages=p 4| publisher=SVM Publications| ] .

References