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Overton anyone??
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Subject: Overton anyone?? From: Roger in Sheffield Date: 20 Jul 00 - 05:15 PM I'm waiting for my Overton Low D whistle to arrive from Colin Goldie. Anyone out there got one? What tunes do you play on yours? http://www.overton.co.uk/texte/overtonuk.html Roger |
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Subject: RE: Overton anyone?? From: Peter K (Fionn) Date: 21 Jul 00 - 10:45 AM Played one, but can't yet claim to own one. You will probably need to play it like a pipes chanter, ie with the flat pad between first and second knuckles. That's what Davey Spillane does, and if I could play like him, I'd settle for that. As for tunes, I always assume that people use whistles for Irish/Scottish/other Celtic traditional dance music. Is there anything else? If you want pointing to sites that have these jigs, reels, hornpipes, polkas etc in various hornpipes, let me know. |
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Subject: RE: Overton anyone?? From: Roger in Sheffield Date: 21 Jul 00 - 04:17 PM Thanks Fionn. Mine arrived today. Its big blue and takes some getting used to A wonderful thing it is Slow Airs is whats needed to test it out - any suggestions? Do you know of any sites not mentioned in the Website for tunes ??? thread Fionn ? If so I would like some addresses please You could add them to the that thread Roger |
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Subject: RE: Overton anyone?? From: Peter K (Fionn) Date: 21 Jul 00 - 06:22 PM I'll check the thread and let you know if any of the sites I know are not on it.br> Not sure if I ever learnt a slow air from the dots - only by ear as far as I can remember. If you're really in Sheffield, maybe I'll call by and play you my favourite(en route from here in north Notts to my brother's in Halifax) just so I can see that Low D. On reflection, I do have the music for one or two, so if you want to send me your address by personal message, I'd be glad to snail-mail copies. If you're as far into whistles as the Overton, I assume you are already tuned into Chiff & Fipple? |
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Subject: RE: Overton anyone?? From: Nicole Leonard Date: 22 Jul 00 - 03:19 AM I have an Overton Low D and also a Low F. My low D actually could be better, but I haven't dared start filing it or anything, my low F whistle is lovely. I mainly use them for slow airs. To play jigs and reels would be more difficult as I don't have enormous hands, so it is hard to play fast. I use the flat pads at the end of my fingers, as my hands are not big enough to use the next joint, and I use my little finger on the lowest hole (as it is too much of a stretch for the one I normally use on a small whistle). I also play a Breton dance tune 'Dans en Dro' on the low D. Did you say your whistle was blue??! (mine are plain metal-coloured) |
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Subject: RE: Overton anyone?? From: Bob Bolton Date: 22 Jul 00 - 03:37 AM G'day Roger, I concur with the drift of the remarks that you should, at least for a start, work on slow airs. I bought a low 'D', a low 'G' and a standard 'd' about 12-15 years ago, but I got a standard 'c' and a low 'F' (unbranded [prototypes?])about 25 or more years back from a friend who studied folklore at Leeds University. They take some adjusting to and I can only just play the low 'D' with a straight finger grip and find the 'piper's hold' much better. The low 'F' works fine with a straight finger hold and I have used that in fairly fast dance music. Another friend bought the low 'C' ... and that really taxes my powers and grip!
BTW: I started a thread a while back asking for experience and opinion on whistles and technique for big whistles for people with small fingers (on behalf of a young lady from Canberra, interested in whether she could ever conquer these monster whistles). It didn't get much response but it did send me back making big whistles (after a 33 year break) and investigating alternate finger positions. I have to say that, hard as the buggers may be to play, big Overtons
Regards,
Bob Bolton |
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Subject: RE: Overton anyone?? From: GUEST,Dave Auty Date: 22 Jul 00 - 04:11 AM Hi Roger, There are a couple of slow airs on my site that you may be interested in. Blind Mary is one, that's nice for low D Regards, Dave. |
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Subject: RE: Overton anyone?? From: Roger in Sheffield Date: 22 Jul 00 - 06:51 AM Bob I was going to search out that thread and tag this to the bottom but couldn't remember what it was called I would like to look through it again I have been to chiff and fipple Whistling Low http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Studios/2186/whistle.html and Whistle Workshop before but now it is time for a return visit Do you have a Howard whistle Dave? Brian Howard lives a few miles from here and I feel guilty for not having one of his whistles The only time he let me have a try at a low D I couldn't get a sound out of it! Nicole my whistle is shiny dark blue one of the anodized ones that Colin Goldie makes Fionn my confession is that I ordered my whistle kind of by accident really a wooden flute is what I wanted but a low whistle was about a third the price. During a workshop I asked Sarah Allen (Flook) which whistle she would recommend and she put me onto Colin For all of that I am still at a very basic level with flute and whistle its just that the high D whistles are too high for my liking hence the low one When I ordered my whistle many months ago Colin explained that he makes Overton whistles and sounded astonished when I admitted that I had never heard of them So I wasn't going for the name (which I was unaware of then) but a straight choice between plastic or aluminium and for another £30 I went for tougher option I think it may be some months (years) before I master this thing and Fionn if you are ever passing the Harlequin pub in Sheffield let me know and you can try it out. Roger |
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Subject: RE: Overton anyone?? From: Roger in Sheffield Date: 22 Jul 00 - 07:12 AM There is a picture of an blue anodized whistle on Colin and Brigittes website Roger |
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Subject: RE: Overton anyone?? From: Peter K (Fionn) Date: 22 Jul 00 - 08:46 AM Thanks to this thread Roger, I've discovered Dave Auty's Whistle workshop, which is more than I could have hoped for even from this wonderful internet. As you're at a fairly early stage (I'm not far ahead of you) I'd definitely go for the "piper's hold" from the outset - you'll take to it very quickly, and it's no problem reverting to finger-ends for smaller whistles. Now I know that there's a fellow whistler nearly on my doorstep, I'll definitely aim to see you in the Harlequin sometime. |
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Subject: RE: Overton anyone?? From: GUEST,Dave Auty Date: 22 Jul 00 - 06:12 PM Roger, Yes I have a Howard low D, Although I find it hard work to get a good clean note and tend to lose patience with it hence I don't play it much. That is only me though I am sure there are hundreds of satisfied Howard low D owners out there. I have heard that Overton's are the Bee's knees so good luck with it. Dave. |
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Subject: RE: Overton anyone?? From: Nicole Leonard Date: 23 Jul 00 - 04:02 AM Low whistle should be much easier to learn than flute, it is quite hard to get a decent sound out of a flute and it takes a lot of air. I love playing whistles, both high and low, but I've never really got into flute. I cannot play the Howard whistle at all, some of the holes are too big for my fingers to cover (in fact my fingers can go right in the holes). I struggled with the Overton at first, but eventually I got used to it. |
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Subject: RE: Overton anyone?? From: Bob Bolton Date: 24 Jul 00 - 02:37 AM G'day Roger, Here is the link for that Big Whistles - Little Fingers thread. I will leave the code in place ... my 1st attempt at a Blue Clicky didn't work (I think). All the action seems to have happened in September 1999 (such as did happen). My 2nd (attempt at a) Blue Clicky http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=13579&messages=15 Regards, Bob Bolton |
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Subject: RE: Overton anyone?? From: Roger in Sheffield Date: 25 Jul 00 - 12:08 PM Last night I tried someones Low D Howard Whistle and it plays fine !! I mentioned that I could not get a sound out of one before and got this explanation I had tried his very own whistle and apparently Mr Howard has the lungs of an Ox and my own feeble attempts did not register Howard Whistles designs have been modified and refined so that mortals like me can now play them Still struggling with my Overton at the moment particularly second octave high notes Roger |
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