Pennywhistles of the Low-D Kind

I mentioned in the last post that I’d fallen in love with the warm, rich sound of the low-D pennywhistle. Since most Celtic music is written in the keys of D and G, most standard pennywhistles are keyed to D. However, many whistle makers make them in other keys. Kelischek’s Workshop for Folk Instruments makes them in many keys for both standard (higher pitched) and low whistles. They even go so far as to provide keys (like those used on transverse flutes) to enable folks with small hands to reach the holes on low whistles. These are relatively inexpensive and made of ABS plastic. (Although tin pennywhistles used to cost a penny, that was a loooong time ago. Low whistles can range from reasonable to very expensive, depending on materials used, who makes them, how they’re made, etc.)

Small hands have no problem managing all 7 holes of the standard higher-pitched pennywhistle. But once you begin pitching the whistle lower, the holes are spaced further and further apart which also lengthens the instrument itself. Believe me, keys are essential for small hands! I have three whistles: A Sweetheart whistle of blackwood in low D, and a Susato in low D and low C. You can see in this photo of my Susatos that the difference in height between a low C and a low D – just one pitch difference - is 3 inches! The low C requires 3 keys to play.

There are a couple of down-sides to having keys:

1.They have to be correctly seated and pressed firmly in order to prevent any air leakage, or the notes will not play true and in tune.

2. It is not possible to sharpen a note by covering it halfway with a finger, since the keypad covers the entire hole.

However, Susato’s keys are well-seated, and it is possible to buy whistles of different keys from them at not too great a cost. Neither of these issues has caused me problems since I just play for myself most of the time. The Susato whistles are also very lightweight, so if you have arm weakness (as in fibromyalgia or other arm/shoulder conditions), these are much easier to play.

I love Irish slow airs but also play lots of lively whimsical tunes (try “Empty Wallet Waltz”), with my parrots listening in. There are times they have a hard time settling down for the night. If I start playing slower airs, they’ll quickly calm down and go to sleep.

But sometimes it’s great fun to accompany other musicians. I had the opportunity to play my whistle with my mother and her friend Clifford – both avid ukulele players – who play the old standards and have tons of fun doing so. We went to the park and set up. When they had a tune in the right key for me, I played right along with them. Try it some time! Whistles are easy to learn, easy to transport, and inexpensive. It’s taken me only a few months to get fairly nimble around the sound holes. It can be rollicking fun with other people, and very satisfying to play for oneself.