Am I a Right or Left Handed Wicked Good Whistler?

I don't think I have published the brand name of any other makers products on these pages before. I'm sure you will excuse Don Simcocks enthusiasm for his new whistle and I did promise him I would post his letter. I am humbled by his praise, what can I say...when a whistler is happy, well, they are happy!

This also proves that the good old US mail does deliver and pretty fast too if you use Global Priority Mail.

Rod,
Cannot believe the speed of arrival of my Traveler! 11 AM on the 9th....that's quicker than some internal letters take to reach me. Thrilled by tone...really "breathy", as good as my "Chieftain", at a fraction of the price!
I am appointing myself your "volunteer publicist" for the UK (and anywhere else!)
Please use this in your "What people think" page!

Best wishes to all your folks, Don Simcock

The email for the past month has been loaded with inquiries about the Low D whistle. Most of the email contains at least one reference such as, "Can people with small hands REALLY play the Low D whistle like you describe it on your website?" And I repeatedly reply "YES" unless you can't reach 2.3" or you have arthritis and cannot stretch your hands with a minimal amount of grip to seal the holes."

It is a fact that the Low D is playable by anyone from ten to a hundred and ten if you can just reach that
2.3" requirement for your right hand.

You will also notice that I have Low D whistles for all you left handed players now. When you purchase a Low G Auto Flute, Low G whistle or Low D whistle, you will be asked if you want a right or left handed model. This is because these whistles have offset finger holes to make them more comfortable to play.

I have had some absolutely fabulous letters describing where folks hold their hands and fingers when they play the whistle and are they right or left handed? If you play with your right hand on the BOTTOM three holes of the whistle and your LEFT hand on the TOP three holes of the whistle, you are a RIGHT HANDED whistler.

Then there is the letter explaining that "I am left handed, but I play the whistle the regular right handed way. Okay, you are a RIGHT HANDED WHISTLE PLAYER!

The best answer so far has been...I think I play right handed, but my friend says if I was a surfer, I would be "Goofy Footed:" on my surfboard. What does that mean? Will I not be able to play the Low D now that I have found this out?

No, you will be okay because...It is a fact that the Low D is playable by anyone from ten to a hundred and ten if you can just reach that 2.3" requirement for your right hand.

I also got three email inquiring about the Low F that I mentioned would be available soon.
The Low F is ready to go! I just have to decide a couple of more details before I can post up the description and a finished price. I have a five gallon pail of these cute little critters put together up in the shop and they will be ready to go before the end of the month. I promise.

I played the Low F prototype over the Christmas holiday and I really like this whistle key. The range of this whistle is very nice and I found it to be easy on air and played very economically. Not a big as a Low D and longer than the Low G, it has a very smooth voice. I would guess that the Low F is going to be a perfect practice whistle for a lot of players and I find it an interesting whistle to play. Small bore and low whistle don't always go together well, but I think this whistle has something going for it. We will see!

I haven't changed the instruction sheet that comes with the Mystic Auto Flute since I put the first batch together Everyone apparently read the instructions, picked up the flute and played it without having any trouble understanding the tech sheets.

Then in late January, I got several phone calls and email from folks who could not understand how the mouthpiece worked. Apparently they threw the instructions away with their Christmas tree and had never read them. When I was discussing the problem with one of my lady test players, she began to laugh out loud and then she told me about her experience with the auto flute.

She took her flute along with her during the holidays and during the course of events, several relatives and friends asked if they could try the instrument. She was not carrying the technical sheet so she had to instruct the new player on how the instrument worked.

She explained to me that at first not one of them could play the mouthpiece because they insisted on puckering up and trying to blow into the wrong hole. Apparently a hole is not a hole unless you can see down into it, and the idea of how you blow a flute in ingrained deeply into our mind. You MUST pucker up and blow into a little hole or there can be no flute music! That is the Rule!

She also explained that once one person got the idea and could play the flute, it became a contest to see who could show the next player what they were doing wrong. She concluded her story by telling me to put a sign on the correct hole in the mouthpiece and just say Blow into this Hole!

Good advise is good advise. When you receive your flute or fife, it now comes with this wrap around sheet on the mouthpiece.

Whistle Up a Texas Fried Turkey!

When company comes unannounced and there is a large crowd to feed quickly, it is a big help to have a way to take care of the situation.

I like to run down to my favorite grocer and get a nice fresh turkey. The one in the picture is about thirteen pounds and is just right to Texas Fry in my cooker. All you have to do is wash the turkey inside and out and dry it well to remove as much moisture from the bird as possible. Remember to take that funny little packet out of the bird before washing.

Nadiene usually gives the bird a good rub on the outside with fresh garlic juice and pepper and then injects it with marinade and her big marinade needle. The marinade is a available in all kinds of flavors and it makes the bird extra tasty and tender. Make sure the wings are opened up so the oil can flow under them and not leave an uncooked spot on the bottom of the breast meat.

Then it is a matter of getting the peanut oil up to a boil and lowering the bird into the kettle for a thirty five minute cooking or about 3 minutes a pound. Use a meat thermometer to check the bird is done by inserting it into the back of the breast meat.

After removing the turkey from the cooker, let it cool down and cut it into serviing size pieces right on the stand. This is a delicious way to do turkey, chicken, cornish hens and ducks. There is no grease and the skin is absolutely the most delicious you have ever tasted.

The day we did this bird, it was about thirty degrees outside, but the acoustically perfect barn was around fifty degrees. I have cooked turkeys this way in the barn at twenty five below zero, which might be an Olympic and World record .To pass the time while the bird was cooking, I played our friend, Diane Barnes and Nadiene Turkey in the Straw and another tune or two on the Low G.

Oh, I forgot, the marinade was Lawry's Tequila lime and Nadiene used a whole bottle on the turkey. I was a bit afraid it might explode when I dropped it into the cooker, but everything came out all right.

So remember, another place you can play your whistle is while you Texas Fry your turkey!