Low whistle
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| Other names | Concert Whistle, Alto/Tenor/Bass Whistle |
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| Classification | |
| Playing range | |
| Two octaves, typically D4 to D6 | |
| Related instruments | |
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 British and Irish artists such as Finbar Furey and his son Martin Furey, Old Blind Dogs, Michael McGoldrick, Riverdance, Lunasa and Davy Spillane, and is increasingly accepted as a feature of Celtic music. The low whistle is often used for the playing of airs and slow melodies due to its haunting and delicate sound. However, it is also becoming used more often for the playing of Irish and British jigs, reels and hornpipes, it being easier to produce some ornamentation on the whistle, due to the size of the finger holes.
The most common low whistle is the "Low D", pitched one octave below the traditional D whistle. A whistle is generally classed as a low whistle if its lowest note is the G above middle C or lower. Whistles higher than this are termed "soprano" or "high" whistles when a distinction is necessary. Low whistles operate on the same principles, and are generally fingered in the same way as traditional pennywhistles although for many, a "piper's grip" may be required due to the distance between the holes. They belong to the same woodwind instrument family of end-blown fipple flutes.
Though the tone of this instrument varies subtlety among makers, low whistles are generally characterised by a more breathy, flute-like sound than traditional tin whistles.
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 17th century 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, the Scandinavian peninsula,Canada and the Flanders.
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