{"id":4518,"date":"2018-05-07T17:56:54","date_gmt":"2018-05-07T21:56:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/greylarsen.com\/shop\/?post_type=product&p=4518"},"modified":"2025-03-31T13:24:53","modified_gmt":"2025-03-31T17:24:53","slug":"carbony-high-whistles-keys-of-high-g-f-e-e-flat-d-c-and-b","status":"publish","type":"product","link":"https:\/\/greylarsen.com\/shop\/product\/carbony-high-whistles-keys-of-high-g-f-e-e-flat-d-c-and-b\/","title":{"rendered":"Carbony High Whistles (keys of high G, F, E, E-flat, D, C and B)"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you want a whistle in high E, E-flat or D, you may want to consider the advantages of getting it as a Leading Tone Whistle, with seven holes.<\/strong> Please read on for the reasons to consider this.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Leading Tone Whistles<\/a> are seven-hole whistles that allow the player to reach down to the leading tone (i.e. low C-sharp on a D whistle) which is situated one-half step below the usual bottom tonic note of the tin whistle. This very small seventh hole is operated by the pinky of the bottom hand. The hole’s position does not interfere with the common use of the pinky as a balance finger. There is plenty of room to rest it in its normal place, simply reaching down a bit further as needed to play the low leading tone.<\/p>\n

This extra hole can also be used to play the leading tone in the upper register, providing a second, alternative fingering for that note.<\/p>\n

Very importantly, one can use the seventh hole to play the Irish ornament\/articulation called a “strike” (also known as a “tap” or “tip”) on the low tonic note (e.g. D on a D whistle). This cannot be done on a standard six-hole whistle. And, since you can strike D, you can also play the Irish ornament called a “roll” on D. This is a great bonus when playing Irish music. These added capabilities are also valuable in other musical traditions such as Scottish and Gallician.<\/p>\n

You may also use the seventh hole to produce finger vibrato on the second note of the scale (i.e. E on a D whistle), something which cannot be done on a six-hole whistle. And, one can simply ignore the extra hole to play in the traditional six-hole manner.<\/p>\n

Use of the low leading tone is quite common with traditional Irish tunes, and even more so with Galician traditional music.<\/p>\n

Listen to Grey Larsen play the Carbony Session Whistle in D and the Carbony High Whistle in D, for the sake of tonal comparison. The tune\u00a0is the traditional Irish reel The Sunny Banks.\u00a0<\/em>You may also listen to him play a Leading Tone Whistle in D to demonstrate the use of the low and high leading tone fingerings. On that whistle he plays the traditional Irish polka\u00a0The Gullane<\/em> and the traditional Irish jig\u00a0The Rose and the Heather<\/em>.<\/p>\n