The Whistle Player’s Hornpipe Super Low D
Same fingering as the tin whistle but uses a saxophone mouthpiece and reed.

• A new instrument inspired by ancient Celtic hornpipes, a totally new sound for session, group and solo playing
• Uses a saxophone reed available for around $2.00 from almost any music shop or from this website
• Same size and finger-reach as a ‘low D’ whistle or flute but plays one octave lower
• Gorgeous dark tone, similar to the human voice, hauntingly beautiful for airs
• Second register sounds amazingly like the uilleann pipe chanter - Listen
• Excellent for playing ‘riffs’, bass lines, and counter-melodies in tunes and songs - Listen
• Integrated sax mouthpiece and reed allows for remarkable expression and dynamics
• Tin whistle/flute fingering and ornaments transfer directly to the Whistle Player’s Hornpipe
• Anyone can easily learn to play The Whistle Player’s Hornpipe.
• Anyone who already plays whistle or flute can learn to play The Whistle Player’s Hornpipe in about an hour
• Brings an ancient Celtic tradition back to life - Hornpipe History.
• Made from high quality, low-maintenance polished aluminum, ornamented with a sterling silver Celtic ring

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The Whistle Player’s Hornpipe is a new instrument with a totally new sound, inspired by descriptions of the ancient Celtic hornpipes. Because it is a straight-bored reed instrument, it actually plays one whole octave lower than a ‘low D’ whistle or flute of the same length (about 24”), and yet has an easier reach than most whistles and flutes. It’s a super low D! Listen to The Rolling Wave.

Another feature of straight-bored reed instruments is that the second register fingerings play an octave and a 5th higher instead of an octave. The octave D is sounded by opening a back hole with the top thumb. At first, this might seem like a drawback, but it actually creates intriguing new playing possibilities on The Whistle Player’s Hornpipe. There is a striking contrast between the low register (very low) and the high register which sounds remarkably like the uilleann pipe chanter. Listen to Port na bPúcaí. The Whistle Player’s Hornpipe plays mainly in D major, but accidentals such as C and F natural, G# etc. can be accomplished by cross-fingering, half-holing and/or embouchure adjustment.

For most purposes, this is a low register instrument. But if you think that there aren’t very many session tunes that fall within one register, look here. The Whistle Player’s Hornpipe also opens up new possibilities of playing ‘riffs’, bass lines, and counter melodies - the kinds of things being heard more and more from low whistle and flute masters like Michael McGoldrick, Tom Doorley of Danú , Rory Campbell of Deaf Shepherd and Old Blind Dogs and Brian Finnegan and Sarah Allen of Flook.

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