I. A GREETING BY DALE
There's a long tradition of starting each issue of the newsletter with an apology for the lapse of time since the last one. It might be better if I just sort of reversed the polarity and apologized to those of you who were early subscribers, back in the late 90s, for having flooded your inboxes with weekly, or at least monthly, newsletters. I'm shooting for quarterly now, and struggling to make it. The problem is that I can't get interns of the quality I had just a few years ago. Due to budget problems, more and more colleges are shutting down their Tinwhistle Journalism departments, and those, of course, were where the best interns came from.
Left: typical intern, class of 1997; Right: typical intern, class of 2006. Photo taken by ANOTHER member of the class of 2006.
II. CHECK YOUR WHISTLES FOR RELIGIOUS IMAGERY!
Tony writes:
Tony Tammaro
Tony, the face in that whistle is Mr. Bernard Overton. Who else?
Next issue: Something that kind of looks like Elvis on a bodhran skin.
Update: Phil Howard has emailed in since we went to press with photographic proof that the face in the whistle is that of Mary Todd Lincoln.
I'm convinced.
III. Skip Healy's WIND ON THE BAY Festival
Lately I've felt the urge to start meditating upon my whistles. . . maybe it's the dreaded onset of advancing early pubescent middle age, but these things have been a major daily part of nearly 2/3 of my life span to date, and at a certain point you realize you've taken them for granted. . . like any other tool they're there when you need them, but they're certainly more meaningful than a fork or flashlight or file folder. . . what are they to you, really, deep inside, these little tubes?
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Can we take a quick poll? I don’t want to be the one to change centuries of Irish musical tradition, but how many would be in favor of moving standard pitch down so that the cherished bottom D cran is actually a B?
That’s right, just make the B natural below middle C the new bottom D on a whistle, thereby shifting pitch and fingering for several tens of thousands of airs, dance tunes, ballads. Would that be too much of an inconvenience for the global mass of ceoltoiri?
This modest proposal rises from a totally selfish motive. . . my most favorite tinwhistle for the last few years has been a B Natural Composite made by Michael Burke. The official brochure description of “mellow and smooth and ultralight weight in black Bakelite Composite” hardly suffices to convey how satisfying this whistle is to play and to hear.
It is indeed lightweight but with a strong, solid timbre with a sort of inherent resonance, especially in the bottom D (B, actually). No, I don’t know what “inherent resonance” is, but it’s the only thing I can think of to describe the fullness of sound that dwells somewhere between the standard wooden whistle and a wooden flute. The Burke B Natural Composite projects a tonal quality all its own. It sings, nicely.
And when you hit the upper octave, it’s smooth and even more rich, with an extremely powerful, achingly pure high C natural that just wails when you slide into it.
If Irish music were pitched a minor third lower, I could play it a lot more than I do.
Anyone want to start a revolution? Or at least a whistle flash mob? Round up a couple dozen players armed with Burke B naturals and we’ll meet at random sessions, take them over and change the course of musical history.
Is ar mhaithe leis féin a dheineann an cat crónán . It’s for his own benefit the cat purrs.
— L.E. McCullough
'The world's largest group whistle lesson. Hear a tune -- get the music. Learn the tune -- make it your own. Share the tune -- upload your recording.
Every two weeks a new traditional tune is posted: sheet music, whistle notation and a sample clip if it's available. You grab the music and take the two weeks to learn the tune and make it your own; then, record the tune on your PC and upload it to WhistleThis.com for others to hear!
These nice folks have an interesting concept for a whistle website and it's very sharp and well-designed.
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VI. NICK METCALF HAS A NEW CD
Wassup DW,
I have finally finished my instrumental CD of Irish whistle stuff. It only took me like 7 years, but hey, I am graduating college! It is available at: http://www.deluxband.com/store
there's sound clips on the web page.
God Bless!
Nick Metcalf
VII. RYAN MACNEIL LOW D
Ryan MacNeil sent me his low D whistle and it's really, really interesting. And quite good.
He has a very sharp website at http://www.macneilwoodwinds.com .
Take a look at this picture, which I stole from Ryan's website: 
Also, have a look at his website, especially under the ABOUT tab.
As you'll see, this is a really innovative design for the head of a low whistle. When I think of all the painstaking design and crafting that goes into the design of the windway blade by most whistlemakers, I had to just laugh when I saw Ryan's approach. He just, basically, eliminates it. The blade is just the rim of the upper end of the tube. It feels a bit more smoothly finished to me than the bottom of the tube, but it's still just the rim of the tube. The translucent polycarbonate mouthpiece slides on to it. You use a little etched line on the tube to adjust where to put the mouthpiece, which you can adjust a bit, obviously if you want, and there you go.
The tube is nicely done in aluminum. It's thin-walled, which I'm liking these days. Good, solid, tight tuning slide with some teflon tape happening. Very nicely finished holes. Comfortable hand & finger positions.
The whistles sounds very, very nice. It's got a bit of the Cosmic Drainpipe. Nice volume, but probably not as loud as the average Overton Low D. One of the easiest and smoothest upper ends I can remember playing in awhile. Tuned beautifully.
I have only one complaint, which is matter of preference. The contour of the part of the mouthpiece that rests on one's lower lip, combined with the somewhat short beak, more-or-less forces the mouth into a fixed position. It also forces a relatively more horizontal position for the whistle, relative to the (hopefully) vertical player. That's probably a good thing but, again, but I like to have a bit more flexibility in that regard. I could live with it.
Mine came packed in a clear plastic mailing tube with black plastic endcaps.
There are some soundfiles on the webpage.
Ryan is selling these for 200 Canadian, which is....(tap, tap, taptaptap)...about 180 in US Dollars, I think. Good deal, in my opinion. I'd buy one of these.
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New from NovoLibriolMojoDiatribe Phamaceuticals
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VII. MK LOW WHISTLE
And here's another fine one. I'm not quite ready to do a review on this one, but I'm very much enjoying my new MK Low whistle. Visually VERY cool and a lovely tone. Exceptionally well made. The maker, Misha Somerville, is a real professional.
VIII. FOR WHISTLERS IN AUSTRALIA AND OTHER COUNTRIES THAT SHARE BORDERS WITH AUSTRALIA
You are reminded that you have a great place now in Australia to purchase whistles and related products:
IX. DONATE TO BREAST CANCER FUND, GET IN ON GIVE-AWAY
X. TELL ME THIS ISN'T COOL. I DARE YOU.
"nonagon", a new member of the Chiff & Fipple message board posted this on the board.
So here's what I did: 
Generations Whistle-Windchimes. It sounds lovely!!!
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Reeds for Uilleann Pipes
by Joseph E. Smith
XI. PEACE
I mean, just that. Seriously. Peace.
Until next time....
Dale
