Thursday 19 April 2012

I have a cunning plan, my Lord

Tony Dixon's interchangeable Low D whistle/flute.


I had a session with a local Irish flute tutor on Tuesday morning that really boosted my confidence. He advised that I listen to a lot of traditional tin whistle players and that I shouldn't work so hard at the 'formal learning' - translation = I can pretty much teach myself and build on earlier experience of recorder and tin whistle playing in my youth.

I've decided not to go down the 'Irish flute' tuition route just yet. A low D whistle is in the same key and has the same fingering as the Irish flute (indeed, Tony Dixon makes an instrument with interchangeable flute/whistle heads). If I can master the high D whistle, I can teach myself the slightly different hand postition required for the low D whistle and learn to play that before moving to the flute.

The Shearwater Low D is made in the North East of England and sounds beautiful. It's the only affordable Low D I can justify buying at the moment.


Bonny at the Morn on Shearwater Low D whistle (not me, I hasten to add)